He likes shopping at Goodwill, I like shopping at Value Village. But we go here instead and every time, we always seem to find what we're looking for plus some more. read more

This is an organized Goodwill with lots of diamonds to be found. It's obvious there's a high caliber of donors dropping things off at this location. I've found a couple designer items, including new with tags. Those items and other quality items, old or new may have a tremendous price tag to match. When comparing the new item cost of new with tag vs what they're charging it's not even a 50% mark down!! The place is so packed with inventory which is a struggle to get through & their sales are chintzy. They should have more aggressive sales and offload some of that. I'd like to see Them Price things in a more competitive price points for what it is, a Goodwill...offer discounts/coupons for donations, allow unlimited quantities of items into fitting room (5 at a time while being policed is a PITA in a store where sizes run the gamet) & a money back exchange/return policy, for those prices!'! The staff here smile, are friendly and helpful and the vibe is good. If you're in the mood for the hunt I highly suggest you check it out. read more

Let me start by saying I have shop in almost every single goodwill and even though this one is not the biggest, it has by far more selective, quality items. I usually go into a goodwill once to twice a month and drop 200 dollars or more, but I hate to feel taken advantage off! I was recently in the Ballard one and something really annoying happened to me, after I grabbed around $200 dollars in items I went to pay and a pair of shoes I grabbed had a tag of $6.99. The cashier went to her manager standing near her, talk to her for a few seconds and the manager came back telling me that there was a tag on top of a tag and that the real price was $14.99. Since I'm pregnant I didn't want to get riled up so I stayed quiet and just paid for it. But here is the deal: What annoys me is that I have been reading reviews in Yelp about different goodwills and something similar has happened to other people, stuff like the item not having a tag and when they ask, they get charge a ridiculous high price. It seems to happened in nicer locations, I don't know if they look at you and judge if you have money or not to pay for it. I have been 100 times in the south seattle location and never had an issue like this. I like this location because its convenient due that I live in first hill seattle. Even though it's the biggest one, it's not the best merchandise or the nicest store. Anyways my point with all this is that I feel taken advantage off!!! I guess next time I will leave my LV bag at home and wear crappy clothes so they don't see me as the idiot that will pay more or I will just not shop at the goodwill anymore!! read more

Yeay Goodwill! You don't need to go "Good Will Hunting" when you're in Ballard, cuz it's here! I am so funny. When we moved, we gave A LOT of stuff here. It made me feel good, and we gave some good stuff that just never got used enough. The guys out there are very helpful and are there right as you roll over the ding ding line. Even going into the store is lots of fun. There's so much bizarre stuff there, it's like a giant garage sale. Yeay! read more

Goodwill is such a great Non Profit Org. Beyond the cheap stuff they sell to the public- the work training and services they provide to the poor and under privileged are awesome. I have a ton of respect for this organization. I also scored a 27 inch TV for $30! And my wife got a sweet coach bag for $6.99! Great organization & uber deals= 5 stars. read more

Read Katie S.' review. You need more? They offer a great, quick, drop-off area. They also offer an amazing selection of anything you could possible think of, under the sun, inside. Seriously, here's how it goes: I drop off a load. I then go park, peruse the store, end up with way too much stuff, and leave with more stuff than I left. Yep, that is generally how it goes. read more

I admit it: I'm a Goodwill fanatic! I have had such great luck finding treasures at this store. Seriously, I sort of hate shopping, but this is a ritual. vintage lamps, wooden tennis racquets, vinyl records, kitchen dining table (I finally found a round wooden one with a built in leaf!), and other great things...I just love this place. Why buy new junk (let's face it people, production/craftmanship standards aren't getting any higher) when you can find old treasures?! I hear the other stores have even better stuff, but I'm not one to "go the distance" in a car to shop. read more

I understand it's covid, but you shouldn't have to wait 45 mins+ to drop off stuff at goodwill. It's insane

Sad that was easier to just throw away clothes because y'all make it so difficult to donate anything

Poppin tags since 2009. Like too turn other peoples trash into my treasure. Have made money from goodwill as well as found sweet stuff that is in my house to this day read more

I've always been a fan of Goodwill. There's no religious overtones here Goodwill is a NPO that provides job training for those who might otherwise go unemployed from a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges. Stop into one of their thrift stores or check out their auctions online from the comfort of home. Either way, your money goes to an excellent cause. And if you need to clean out that overstuffed closet (like I do) or a cluttered garage (no comment), what better way to spend a few hours. Pare down your life, load up your car and drive it down to the local store where the employees will help you unburden your car. You'll get a handy tax receipt and sometimes you'll receive a coupon for a future purchase inside the store. Parking at this location is a pain in the arse. Note the faintly painted directional arrows on the asphalt before you venture down that aisle, if you are going the wrong way... you'll be stuck. read more

On the hunt for items for a Halloween costume, I stopped at this location in Ballard to see their wares. I was looking for a tweed jacket & pants, a bowtie, and some big framed glasses. The store itself is impeccably organized and the clothing racks are so full, it's literally hard to move the hangers one way or the other. This is probably a good thing, but makes for tricky shopping. I snagged a tweed jacket for $7.99 - it wasn't a name brand but it was exactly what I was looking for. I almost picked a different name-brand jacket (can't remember what) and the original tag was on it, marked at about $150, and it was on for $12.99! Also snagged a pair of passé 90's tweed stirrup pants that make my middle look like I've got a floatation ring under my outfit (lol!). Snagged the glasses and bowtie off the Halloween rack for $4.99 and $3.99 respectively.My Halloween outfit rang up at about $27 with tax included, which isn't terrible considering I bought actual clothing pieces - of which, I'll just donate back to Goodwill. The parking lot here was insanely busy when I arrived around 1:45pm, and I got the last parking spot in the lot at the time. By the time I left, the lot was once again full with a parade of hopeful shoppers looking for a parking spot. They had blocked the south entrance to the parking lot, so all inbound and outbound vehicles were using one entrance/exit area. I'll be back, because I can tell if I had more time, I could find some real gems here! Gotta love Ballard. read more

Be prepared for a crowd, and not being able to move through the aisles. But, that's okay, because you might find treasure! Textbooks, clothes, small appliances, games galore. My favorite has to be picking through the board game collection, almost bound to find something worth playing for the night. Or not. Once in a while, you can find some fancy discount electronics too, Blu Ray players, etc.. be careful, no returns! 50% sales too! So, cheaper than cheap! The best part. You can give your stuff away! And they'll sell it for you! All you have to do is bring it over. Keep the cycle going! Thanks for listening! read more

This store has three dressing rooms that are always full. 5 items in the dressing room ok fine, now they're prodding me for how many I want to try on total because 'oh people are waiting' because their dumbassses won't get more dressing rooms! Then I get to the register and the lady says "no, no. I can't sell these pants to you. They have the wrong price tag." What? Oh well, I guess they have a bigger price tag for me in the back. Cool, I'll wait here while you go decide how much money to charge me. read more

Horrible service to donations. They stand under a tree and watch you from afar. No help. They fill one bin at a time but have 2 lanes of donators. i have never seen Goodwill drop off run so poorly! read more

This location is like most others but much busier. Parking is a pain so avoid the place during peak times when everyone is off work. This location seems to be kind of trendy to shop at, believe it or not. I've been in once and got a great deal on a nice Kenwood 5.1 receiver. The staff I had contact with seemed friendly and helpful. The store was clean, orderly and didn't have quite the smell that others have. Avoid the Shoreline Goodwill as it's apples and oranges compared to this location. read more

Donating to this location is extremely difficult. I waited in line in my car for over an hour to drop off a bag with various goods. They say they have this "wait in car" line system as a precaution for COVID. I'm not sure that this helps. I also was unable to get any proof of donation despite asking. Unless the system changes, I'm not sure I would be able to donate to this location again. read more

They'll close early if they have received too much stuff to sort that day... just an fyi

This is probably the busiest Goodwill I've ever seen. There is a constant stream of cars dropping stuff off here. So much stuff gets dropped off here that they keep a couple of trailers around just to haul stuff away that they don't have time manpower, room, or resources to sort through at this location. I like to judge a thrift store by its book section. I'm not concerned about overall selection, as thrift stores can't control what inventory comes in; however, they can keep it organized to ensure you can find a book by author and genre. The person who manages the book section here is amazing. Rarely, if ever, to I find a book out of place. I can quickly scroll past the spines in search of my favorite authors, and not have to worry that they may have ended up in another section. In addition to their books, they have a pretty good selection of music, DVDs, and video games. I've gotten a few great shirts and pairs of pants, but my greatest find at this location is my All-Clad Mini Dutch Oven for 10 bucks! On a side-note, the guy who does the announcements here is incredible. He's so intentionally over-the-top weird and falsely enthusiastic with his announcements that you can look around and notice people literally stopping what they're doing to see if anyone else is paying attention, then laugh to themselves. People's confused reactions, paired with the silly awkwardness of the announcement cracks me up every time. I love you announcement guy! read more

This place is relatively clean and well run. The employees are stellar, eager to help and friendly. I go often with two kids and always feel welcome. Sadly, GW has become STAGGERINGLY EXPENSIVE. I feel like they've decided to see themselves in competition with the consignment stores (also getting so expensive). I work at Nordstrom and end up spending a good chunk of time perusing the racks at the Rack. The clearance rack there is competitive with what they have at GW, and the clothes are in much better condition. It's disappointing. read more

This is my very favorite of all thrift shops! Ballard Goodwill is truly a bargain hunter's paradise. At one point I would come at least once per week to make sure I didn't miss any great deals. If you know what you're looking for, you might find it here. I've found two items worth over $200 for under $2 here. I marked this 4 stars initially, then I remembered the amazing people-watching and the time when an older gentleman from the neighborhood gave me a tiny hand-painted canvas for giving him a smile. 5 stars, I say! read more

This Goodwill is just awesome. Seattle Goodwill in general seems to edit their stores to fit the neighborhood, and this one has a ton of clothes, housewares, and furniture that seems to fit the family friendly - to - yuppieish Ballard neighborhood it's in. My mom and sister were in town, and we shopped EVERYWHERE - Nordstrom, Macy's, several malls, the Rack -- looking for dresses for them to wear to a wedding back home. They BOTH found BRAND NEW dresses in the "Fashion Focus" section. Granted, they were not 2.99 like you hope to find at the Goodwill. I think they paid around $20, but hey, that's a bargain for a brand new dress. I've noticed the selection is better for skinny girls than plus size, but what else is new. read more

Selection not that great. Almost no boys' pants and 1 beaten up fleece hoodie. Very nice staff but crowded with bodies, some of whom block aisles with heated conversations. Also, bought a rustic wooden frame for 12.99 when I thought it was 2.99. My fault for not paying attention but still, I could've spent that much on a new frame. I miss cap hill VV. Reverting back to my ancient favorite: 4th S Salvation Army. read more

I echo those before me, regarding the prices at this Goodwill. They're totally ridiculous. Case in point - the used, new, NON-vintage Martinelli's glass juice jar. It was marked $1.99...and I can buy this (with apple juice) at the store right now for $3.50. What gives Ballard Goodwill? Can you please fix this BS? read more

Ballard Goodwill - You can buy this, right now, at the grocery store (with apple juice) for $3.50...Why is this $1.99??! - Thrift Stores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I have found so many great finds here and really nice staff. I always feel good dropping off things I no longer need here as well.

Great lil spot for finding some gems... I found a few things! It was the old safeway so this location is huge! -1 star for the worker that didn't just help me instead of passing me off to another worker who was with a customer already? read more

I pefer this place over the Value Village up the way. I found the housewares and furniture selections to be a lot better, which was just what I was looking for. I also found more books here that I liked. The prices were more reasonable than value village as well, in my opinion. The parking lot is crazy though. The first time I actually tried to go here I ended up at the value village because there was no place to park and the parking lot looked like a traffic jam. Was better when I went today, but still seemed very poorly designed - cars coming at you from every which direction. There seems to be plenty of street parking though for the times that the lot is full. read more

Another great Goodwill, although I don't get to this one as often as I do some of the other Goodwill locations. I especially like the furniture selection at this store. I usually don't buy any because unfortunately I don't have the room for it. The prices are reasonable and they also tend to have a lot of awesome framed art and photos. Also if you get stuck in an aisle with someone who has a cart, you're pretty much stuck, but that seems to be a problem for all thrift stores. Thrift stores should abolish carts because they're just promoting purchasing things you don't need. My only (real) complaint is that it's not closer to where I live! read more

Yep, it's a thrift store - you get what you find. I agree with most of the reviews posted, parking is awkward, tons of crappy furniture, sometimes you score sometimes you don't, and people watching is a bonus. I love thrift store shopping this isn't my favorite spot in the world, but I go often. Sometimes I walk up the street and grab a slice of pizza at Crash Landing. read more

Easy drop off on the south parking lot. A couple of guys ready to help unload. Love it! read more

Shopping: You do have to be willing to dig a bit (especially in the clothes), but I am always impressed by their organization. They shoe rack is better organized than Nordstrom Rack! They get a lot of good stuff here, and most of it is very reasonably priced. Donating: They are very quick and helpful with drop off. They hand you a reciept and you are on your way. Super easy! read more

Very nice selection of various items. BIG store! Nice employees. Their employee Gary, is so nice and helpful.. I will most defiantly be back. read more

Unbelievably expensive. Do not shop here. 20$ for a tshirt? Remember when they were all a dollar??

Love this place! I always find high quality items here. The layout is pretty easy to navigate and I appreciate the army of cashiers that help the lines move. They do need more fitting rooms though! read more

Had fun! Found lots of cute stuff. Nicely organized. Some things were a little overpriced but overall good deals.

I don't give a crap about the prices if I can get Zara stuff WITH tags for 1/4 of the price. Yes, it's pricier here than other Goodwills. I was here for two hours and everything I bought had tags still on it. It's obvious stores are donating stock they can't sell for tax write offs and yes, Goodwill is pocketing crap tons of money off of what they get for free. But every third item I was looking at was brand name, and NEW, or I liked it. I got the biggest shopping high here. Totally worth the prices for the amount of selection, and newness of the items! One star off for greediness! read more

I love the Baller Goodwill! My baby and I are there it seems once a week picking up this and that as her development and needs change. This week, we were dropping off donations and had a particularly lovely experience when I realized that I had lost my phone when I got home. I returned to the Goodwill and received enthusiastic help from each of the employees collecting donations and their supervisors. They had found my phone which had flown off my car and kept it in safekeeping. What wonderful kind people, who seem genuinely joyful to be working with one another. So glad that this Goodwill is in our neighborhood! read more

A fun place to shop. What I love best about this Goodwill is that they have no clue on how to price things. For example, 1960's era lustreware (carnival glass) cups and plates cost next to nothing, while the Corning Ware is "marked up". They don't know the difference between old Fiestaware and the new stuff you buy at Macys. I've found cool midcentury knick-knacks and pictures for super cheap. You have to take the time and rummage through the crap, like with any thrift store, but I find something or another every time I go. On half price tag days you can get good deals on clothes, especially mens clothes. I found a new (pockets still sewn shut and tags on the pants) good quality (Lauren? or similar; don't remember) suit for my hubby for $19. Also some new (still creased from being folded in the package, some still tagged) Gap and Banana Republic shirts and sweaters for less than $4. Of course, if you go there intent on finding a specific thing, it's not going to happen. You just have to wander through and treasure hunt. read more

If you are near here, go. I'd go to Value Village up near 80-something. But this place is a'ight. Hard to find stuff soemtimes and won't negotiat on prices, which I like to do. read more

Like other reviewers I used to frequent this spot (almost daily), but in the last year or two the prices have become absolutely absurd. Vinyl records are extremely over priced (cheaper and better quality at a record store!!!) and things like music receivers that used to be priced between $15-$30 are now coming out with tags that say $80+. It's crazy enough to laugh at. Often times you can find the same items elsewhere brand new for virtually the same price. Sometimes items are cheaper brand new than at goodwill used and beat up....I used to find a score every time I came here - now I will find the "score" but the price will not make it worthwhile...often I see people switching around tags and stickers to achieve a more realistic thrift store price on overpriced items. $15 for a used electric strip??? Who would pay that?!?? This store really needs to stop being greedy, get a grip on the service they are supposed to be providing, and stop ripping off the general populous just because hipsters will pay exuberant prices for "vintage" items. Let's not forget goodwill gets these items for free!!!! I support the job training and I appreciate the involvement w the community but there is no way the increase in pricing is related to an increase in employee training. Goodwill is a "nonprofit" but the founder of the company is taking a massive salary....don't fool yourself into thinking overpaying is worth it cause it goes directly to employee training....it doesn't. Oh and the managers are total a**holes - try having a rational conversation with them about price of an item...LOL. Even the same managers who have been around for the insane price increase...they don't wanna hear it even though they know what's going on. Anyway, In general I would say skip this spot on your list of thrift stores unless you are looking to overpay for used items. The only good reason to stop would be to speak w a manager and file a formal complaint about price increase. The more of us that do it, the greater chance they might actually listen (although I have a feeling this goodwill has gone to the dark side for good). Goodwill - shame on you!!! You used to be awesome and I looked forward to going every day - now you have joined the gentrification train and boxed out most of the real people! Speak with your wallets folks - if you don't agree with the price increase, don't buy anything there!! Off to shoreline I go... read more