I would give this a 4......but not anymore. When I first moved to the Ballard/Phinney Ridge Area, this store had a lot of cool stuff. Awesome movies, good games. I even got a fully functional Xbox 360 there! They also had bigger variety of books (Tolkien being my favorite). Now there is not much to say. The customer service remains pretty good and the employees are great (especially the "50% off" guy, who always does a humorous voice over the intercom). However, If you are coming here for a treasure trove, I'm afraid you're one year too late, read more

This was my best experience at a Goodwill store shopping. I am disabled and many people just run past me and get the things I want. Today I was helped by an employee named Earl and he has the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE skills that I received in a long time. Thank GOD for him. We need more people to care about those who are challenged in many ways. A helping hand or a kind word or a smile go a long way. Thank you store manager Lee. You guys are a symbol of excellence. read more

This location has fantastic bargains on great quality items. I'd give it five stars if not for one specific manager who goes by the name "Tawny". On two separate shopping occasions he has demanded to see proof of my purchase (most recently two shirts). When I told him I didn't take the receipt, this man insisted I identify the cashier who serviced me in the purchasing line. My cashier recalled my transaction and was clearly embarrassed, and I, humiliated as the other patrons glared at me. I realize people steal from Goodwill but I feel like "Tawny" is profiling me. Kudos to the other manager who's been at the Ballard location for years; he's kind, personable, and always professional, along with everyone else who is employed at this location. I will continue to donate to Goodwill Industries for all its outstanding work opportunities, but sincerely recommend this manager learn essential business skills. read more

I loved shopping here before COVID-19. However, when they opened last Friday, June 26, you line up - only 30% capacity. Tons of clothes but if you want to buy any clothes, you have to be a psychic to know if it will fit. They closed the dressing rooms. Old Navy Northgate sanitizes every dressing room after you try things on. They had enough employees Sunday to have actually done this. read more

The busy drop off station ensures very quick turnover of their inventory. The prices are good, but not everything is well organized. Sometimes you have to rummage around on the shelves to find what you're looking for. read more

I'm quickly becoming a Seattle Goodwill connoiseur. The Ballard store is for "the I want a bargain but I don't feel like digging through the outlet store" kind of mood. Seriously, this place is super organized. Uber-organized, it's somewhat frightening. But when you want a bargain without the hassle...this is definitely the Goodwill you should stop in. My boyfriend found Sisley jeans for $12.99. The lucky bastard always finds great stuff like that. But I'll save my griping for another day (or list) of where I hate to shop with my boyfriend because he finds better stuff than me. read more

I've gone to this goodwill for years and buy most of my daughters clothes here as well as other home goods. Last night while shopping I found a used luggage set that was priced very high and although it was a nice set, was cheaper to buy online new than it was to buy used at goodwill. After asking multiple employees about it including the manager they just said there was a reason it was priced that way. I did research about the item online and went back to talk to the manager Theo who was on duty. I let him know it was only sold on amazon and it was a product that was only available from amazon. I also let him know Costco sold the product in 2014 new for less than the price goodwill was selling it used. You really have to watch pricing here! do you research as they will take advantage of you and offer no explanation or help. read more

Like several reviewers below, I find their pricing has been on a steady rise for a few years. You can find some items at regular stores for the same price or less. 2 things: 1) if you return an item even with a tag but no longer attached by the plastic, they will not honor the return. 2) the round it up is voluntary; however, I found out that they rounded my receipts up any way even my answer was 'no'. One checker didn't bother to ask. It's not a significant amount but the nonprofit business should not drum up donations by a 'gotcha' business model. read more

this is the goodwill i mostly frequent. it helped me get some good pieces when i first moved to the city. they usually have a huge selection of furniture sitting outside the store. like i can find some IKEA stuff for a fraction of the price and it's all assembled for me! i remember helping my friend assemble an IKEA armoire for a few hours and then we saw that same one at this goodwill. plus, i like how organized it is. they even have a testing station area for electronics! i love that so i can make sure my stuff works, like when i bought a cd clock radio. read more

I came in slightly drunk and completely disinterested after an italian dinner with a girlfriend. She was looking for something (not sure what because I was slightly drunk.) Suddenly I saw a pair of pony hair leopard flats from BCBG in my size... their expensive line not their bcbg girl line. Then I saw a pair of Red BCBGirl heels in red.... I thought I was on drugs and not alcohol. I started scouring the racks and came out with a few more items. Needless to say I am a believer now read more

I like this goodwill over most in the Seattle area. I always find something i don't really neeeed but get it anyway here. The prices seem to also be a bit more realistic here compared to other stores and they are never too worried about hovering an additional price cut for various reasons. The parking lot can get pretty full during the day but otherwise I can usually find a spot. They have a great selection of DVD's & CD's compared to other stores as well. The employees are always friendly and competent and I always have a good experience in this specific location. I go to Goodwill all the time and one store I would avoid is the Dearborn location, they price things a bit crazy there and even though it is the largest location I have gone in a couple times and left with nothing. Good job 65th St Goodwill! Keep up the good work. read more

I've been going to both the Shoreline and Ballard Goodwill locations regularly since we moved to North Seattle two years ago. This location has always been a nightmare parking-wise, but it was worth it because they seemed to have a high concentration of nicer things than Shoreline. Almost all the staff I've encountered has been very helpful and kind, so few complaints there. Issues: The dressing rooms are a nightmare, and it doesn't seem like any one employee is trained to handle them the same way, so it's hard to figure out what you're supposed to do, and then they often get irritated when you don't do it correctly because they're dealing with huge lines. In the past two or so months leading up to Christmas, I've noticed prices seem to be getting a lot higher. Maybe it's just a fluke, but it's becoming the norm to see things like $30-$40 sweaters and jeans and jackets in the 'fashion collection.' And the average price of a color-tagged item seems to have risen from roughly $4-$6 to sometimes upwards of $8-$10. (Don't even get me started on the terrifyingly bad 'curation' of black-labeled items, but that is true of every Goodwill that follows that structure--it's a terrible idea and always terribly executed. I've been to Goodwills all over the country and it's never done well.) They especially love to jack up prices on anything Lululemon, North Face, and other expensive labels; the issue is that condition doesn't seem to be taken into account, so a very outdated and stained/ripped/beat up item will still be priced very high as long as it has an expensive brand label. I can certainly see charging a premium for expensive items in good condition, but it seems that employees have been trained to only look for brands (for example, they wanted $10 for an Under Armor thin fleece pullover that had a substantial burn hole in the front). (Also, don't get me started about how the way the barb tags are attached to clothing actually puts holes in them the majority of the time--I just bought my husband a beautiful polo only realize it had for some reason been pierced through TWO spots in the sleeve--why?--and created a hole in an otherwise lovely shirt--why ruin good items that people donate to you in kindness?) Some weeks, I am at Goodwill more than once (it's a hobby at this point) but I have already stopped going to this location except on occasion. The prices are reaching consignment store levels, but it's not managed, organized, or curated like a consignment store, so it's simply not worth it when you might as well go somewhere that has similar prices but you have a much higher expectation of quality and less to sort through. I shop at Goodwill for deals and 'treasure hunting,' and I usually leave Ballard feeling like I got taken advantage of these days. Takes the fun out of it entirely for me, as well as my goal of saving my family money. Maybe I'll check back after Christmas and see if it's a holiday price inflation issue... For now, I find Shoreline to be less chaotic, and they charge up to half as much for the same items. You have more stuff to sort through, but if you have the time, you can still find a good deal there if you look, which is not the case in Ballard. Ballard, you've gotten an ego! Don't forget you're still a Goodwill serving people in your community... read more

The one thing I like most about this Goodwill is that it seems to have the most intriguing collection of crap of any thrift store in the greater North Seattle area. There's a lot of good stuff here, particularly furniture. The downside is that the pricing is outrageous on a lot of it. I've seen things that were more expensive to buy here used than buying it new in the retail store. They're also a bit liberal with their use of the orange "collectibles" tag. I know Ballard is $$$, but get a grip. Also, the parking lot on the north side of the building is a disaster. read more

This was a huge Goodwill in Ballard that I stumbled upon and like most Goodwill's, very well organized and easy to shop in. Found some great treasures and the usual great Goodwill pricing! I think the best part of this one was the abundance of free parking. I think it used to be an old grocery store. The only downside was it was a bit dirtier inside and out then other Goodwill's I have been to but who cares really about that. read more

Goodwill is an amazing institution. The Ballard Goodwill is extra special, because of its remarkable selection of bourgeois castoffs, (Banana Republic, anyone?) at prices that even a prole like me can afford. One drawback is the fact that I can never find anyone to unlock the dressing rooms for me. read more

The prices, especially on the clothing and shoes, are outrageous! Somebody has to say it! You can buy some things brand spanking NEW in other stores at similar prices, and you don't have to wash the what-the-heck-is-that-I-don't-want-to-know off of it. I'd rather shop at K-Mart! If you think Goodwill has bargains, you're not old enough to remember the OLD Goodwill, the one that put the "good" in Goodwill. read more

Today was the last straw I had been to this location a handful of times and I always leave disappointed (yes I learned my lesson this time) I have found a few good items that I will treasure; however I did pay a hefty price for them this place is obviously overpriced and most of the workers here are rude especially the jewelry people they don't want to help you get things out of cases to look at they give you attitude about it then when you come back to the counter to buy a couple items & your jewelry they say go stand in line and tell them you have jewelry....really you can't ring me up for my two items in my jewelry that's already at your department completely ridiculous I will never come here again I do not recommend it to anybody complete waste of time read more

I like that they take all my stuff. I'm trying to wean myself off of hoarding. Someone is going to have a merry Christmas! :0)

I have shopped at thrift stores for more than 10 years. I don't make it to this one very often as I am not in Seattle very much. I was shocked at the prices today when I went. I usually shop for electronics and records. Prices on electronics were at or above Ebay prices with no guarantee that they are in working order. Albums are usually 99 cents at thrift stores - here they were $2 - $5 - even for junky religious albums from the 70s that no one would ever want to buy. Me thinks this is not a "thrift" store anymore due to its location in the middle of hipster Seattle where a rundown 2 bedroom house goes for upwards of $500K. I will take this one off my list of stops when I am in Seattle. read more

This place takes from the community and then trys to get top dollar for stuff while paying there employees very little. Lousy customer service as well. They act like they are doing you a favor. donate somewhere else that is truly non-profit. read more

turnover here is amazing. They can have really great furniture although it varies from day to day. Clean, and well organized. I agree it was hard to get into the dressing rooms in a timely manner. I've had some neat finds here though. I go back every week for fun. read more

Way better than Value Village (at least the one on the Hill), not as stinky, bigger and better selection.

im here at least once a week lately. its a dirtydirty habit. but they have a constant rotation of furniture and some really good vintagewares. ive never struck much gold in clothing (excepting a juicy couture blazer for $20, i think) but they group it all well and make it fairly easy to find. read more

Never thought I would turn into a Thrift Store Junkie but this place has converted me. I am a doctor and make plenty of money. However I love shopping here with the wife and finding a large selection of dress clothing for pennies on the dollar. I love supporting the job training programs as well. Only reason I did not give this place a five is because they do not wash the clothing items. Other than that this place is awesome! read more

this place was so awesome there is so many name brands and nice material that I got to dig through in such a cool Halloween costume display

I like Goodwill, but this store tries my patience. Racks are TOO full of stuff, I guess that could be considered a good thing to some. It's just hard to look thru it all. read more

Where did all the good stuff at Goodwill go? All the nice stuff isn't even put on the shelves anymore. I've been going for years and its not the same place. They are just filling it with garbage. Sad! Half of my stuff is from there. A lot of items are the same price as new product or sometimes even higher too. I'm going elsewhere. Adieu! read more

I admit it. I love thrift stores. I always make sure to check out the stock of board games and movies. Its usually pretty easy to find a DVD that is worth the small dollar investment. I stumbled upon this location in search of a cheap, reliable pair of rain boots (I admit I'm cheap when it comes to things like this. I can't wrap my mind around paying 30-50 bucks for rubber shoes, let alone 150 for plaid ones). I walked in to an uber-organized store, filled with lots of wearable items. I walked straight to the shoe section, and found one pair of rain boots that were my size. I believe some people call this sort of thing "destiny." 6 dollas. I perused for a bit and found a nifty hand-knit cap for 2 bucks. The staff was friendly. Definitely will be going back to do some t-shirt hunting. read more

This Goodwill is awesome. Their stuff is well-organized (books alphabetical by author, clothes by color and size, etc). They have a really good furniture selection with fast turnover. You've got to kind of know what you're doing to find the best stuff here. They have a "fashion focus" section where they put clothes that look trendy and mark them up a bit. Most of them are from Forever 21 and sold originally for less than the prices Goodwill puts on them. Same with some of the furniture. But if you know what you're doing, you can get some awesome things for good prices. I've bought clothes (wool skirts, vintage pendleton jacket, etc), shoes, books, housewares, etc. read more

I'm so happy I get to live so close to this Goodwill. Clean, well organized, doesn't smell like a thrift store. Not to mention the staff here is super nice and friendly. My husband and I furnished a lot of our cozy one bedroom with furniture finds from here. (They have an awesome furniture section.) When you drop in, I would definitely recommend getting a Goodwill calendar so you know when things go for $1.29. read more

This is one of those obnoxious "Goodwill" stores that clearly isn't there to help low-income, bargain-hunting, or financially-challenged shoppers. This is one of those hardcore money grabbing Goodwills... a.k.a. BADWILL. Someone needs to remind this store that they received every last item in there FOR FREE, as a charitable donation from someone who thought their gently-to-moderately used clothing and household goods would be able to be sold at an inexpensive price to help a family in need. Sorry... NOPE. This place has taken all the stuff that they got FOR FREE and has marked it all up to a ridiculous price point so as to only cater to the sort of people who maybe don't "need" to shop there, but are rather doing so because it's "eco-groovy" (not that there's anything wrong with that; after all, we can't have naked hipsters running amok). But when you're charging $16.00 for a Target Xhileration sweater that was probably only $19 brand new, you're clearly only in it for the money. You should be ashamed of yourself, Ballard BADwill. Shame shame shame. read more

Friendly staff, good selection, terrible dressing room experience. This store is too high volume to have only four dressing rooms. Dressing room policies are either constantly in flux or aren't equally enforced. It's a frustrating experience to expect one behavior (try on all clothes, try on five in two cycles, try on only five) and consistently receive another. Please add more dressing rooms, and please pick a consistent policy and enforce it. read more

For real...BEST Goodwill I have EVER been too. Seriously well maintained clothes, shoes and everything else. Clean store and SUPER affordable! read more

Things at this Goodwill and others, frankly at most second hand stores are Out Of Control with their pricing. This has been slowly taking place, but is now in full effect. You can actually purchase many of the same items New and On Sale, at Department Stores now. I hear people mumbling the same complaints while I go through the store. I live down the street and have shopped here for years. So the company needs to create another outlet for the items and clothing that they wish to price out high, and then have the actually affordable merchandise at other locations. Yesterday I tried on several coats, all of them had dirty paper products in the pockets? Ugh. This is also a big complaint. The clothing should never hit the floor dirty. read more

I like when people review Thrift Stores and complain about how the store is cluttered, unorganized, people suck, clothes are gross etc. It's a F-ING THRIFT SHOP YOU MORONS, go to the mall if you want a shopping experience. That tangent out of the way this is a great Goodwill! It's massive...Bric-A-Brac, Books, Board Games, and Sports Equipment galore. I bought a perfect Tennis racket for $4. How can you complain about that? read more

I love this goodwill for funny discarded art and t-shirts begging to be converted and reincarnated into something more awesome than before but you have to be a regular! Things fly out of this place as quick as they come in, but you're almost always bound to find some surprising nugget of previously-loved glory to take home. read more

With this crappy economy, prices on the rise for EVERYTHING, senior's on a fixed income that have to decide between eating or medicine, middle income families getting priced out of Seattle and everyone's concerns over the environment and waste, you would think places like the Goodwill, Value Village, Salvation Army etc...would look at LOWERING their prices and getting the goods to the people that need them the most, while at the same time, reducing the amount of stuff that doesn't sell because it is overpriced, sits on the shelf and gets broken and goes in the trash...plain waste. After all, they are a charity (at least Goodwill and Salvation Army...NOT VALUE VILLAGE...they ARE A FOR PROFIT COMPANY) who gets(most of) their items FOR FREE. But NO..they are raising their prices !!!! Trying to compete with Ebay??? Corporate goons getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year salary, while the "peons" working the stores make minimum wage and get treated like crap ? I have personally sat down and spoken with the Vice President of retail operations, Cindy Forslund, about their pricing, and even offered to help them with a more appropriate and easy system for their employees to learn (especially for clothing) she wrote me off with the excuse that 1) It was too difficult to get and train employees 2) That eventually, if it didn't' sell for their asking price, it would go on sale for 99 cents, and then go to the "outlet" store. If these "thrift stores" would lower their prices, the turnover on the merchandise would be faster, people could afford to "impulse buy", less things would be sitting on the shelf getting broken, there would be less waste, there would be less labor going into maintaining the store, they would sell more which would mean more profit for the companies, the lower, middle and fixed income families would be more satisfied...it would be a WIN-WIN situation. AND What family has the time to go to the SODO district and sit for hours picking out of the outlet bins ? I don't....you would have thought that the point of having community thrift stores was so the community had a close and affordable way to shop...not a special trip through downtown to sit all day and get the rejects of the rejects. I really got the feeling that they are out to BE A FOR PROFIT COMPANY...definitely not to profit their store employees (as they make minimum wage) but to profit the wallets of the "upper management" and corporate goons...see this article (http://www.ncrp.org/AR-122005-Oregonian-GoodwillChief.asp) and other "not for profit" companies are now getting looked at for the same thing. Its sad to see that these companies that probably started out as a good thing, a win-win situation...employing and training the underprivileged to get them off with a good start, providing people with middle, low and fixed incomes with prices that are LESS THAN BUYING NEW and encouraging people to buy used to reduce waste. I have been researching new retail outlet stores as well as sale ads and comparing prices between new and Goodwill (and other stores of the like). I can say, at some stores, unfortunately, you can get a better deal buying new...how is THAT reducing waste ?? Its not ! I do have a "plan" of sorts...but I need people...not a whole lot of work, but a little bit of time maybe. And it would be fun. I would love to protest in front of their stores and encourage people who go to donate to the REAL people who need it. If you would like more info, feel free to contact me :) Until then, put a quick ad up on Craigslist and give your stuff away for free to people that actually need and appreciate it, not to "GOODWILL" or thrift stores of the like. read more

At least one of the pricers at this Goodwill is definitely on crack. If I see one more beat-to-hell, cruddy little dresser marked for 50+ bucks I am going to explode. It seems like half of the time, you get reasonable to very good deals (like-new couch for $13? yes please), and half the time whoever decided the price on the object is totally out of their skull/dreaming. That being said, there are definitely deals to be had and they have some pretty great stuff, often more reasonably priced. I find the Fashion Whatever section ridiculous and lacking for the same reason as other commenters (oh boy, a dress I could have gotten at Target last week for on sale for 10 bucks is now $20 here), the normal dress section is often disappointing, and they don't have as much jewelry as they used to (though the Value Village down the street has TONS). My summary- Good: Kitchen stuff, office supplies, books, sweaters, and 50% of the furniture Bad: the other 50% of the furniture, dresses, jewelry read more

5 stars for selection. Lots of stylish stuff in good condition. 4 stars for layout. It's so much bigger than some of the other Goodwill stores that it's much easier to move around. I often get claustrophobic and feel trapped behind people's carts. 3 stars for price. Some of the things here have great prices... $5 for Lux or Anthropologie things that look nearly new, etc. However, they also have a "fashion forward" section where they mark the prices way up. There are Forever 21 dresses being sold for more than their original retail price. I s'pose it's supply and demand and somebody is buying them, but it's something I associate with Red Light or Crossroads, not Goodwill. 3 stars for the staff. Some of them are friendly, helpful, and approachable. However, I've also encountered some incredibly rude staff members. One man glared at me as I approached the register with my cart (after being waved over) and watched me silently as I unloaded the cart onto the counter. He didn't begin ringing up anything until I had removed every item from the cart. He dramatically slammed the hangars on the counter as he removed them from each shirt. I asked for a bag because it was clear that I wouldn't be receiving one otherwise. He rang me up, put 1/3 of the items into a bag, and then said "Well, I guess the rest aren't going to fit in the bag." and stared at me as if daring me to be so rude as to ask for another bag. I decided to pile everything in my arms instead. As I was doing that, another employee approached and he asked "Do you allow people to ring up this many items at this counter?" The other employee replied "Yes." I had ~12 items... a decent amount, but definitely nothing compared to the piled-high carts of the people around me. 2 stars for the dressing rooms. They don't have a ton of dressing rooms and there always seems to be a long line. The long line is probably partly because although there is a "5 items only" sign, there never seems to be an employee nearby. Instead, people cycle out of the dressing room and let the first person in line take their place... and the first person in line often has armfuls of items. I try on as many things as I can using the mirrors outside the dressing rooms rather than dealing with that situation. Overall, very worth a trip, but be prepared to be patient. read more

We stopped by yesterday when visiting some of the sights of Seattle and I was very impressed with their selection. Lots of nice brands and a member of our party found 2 REI backpacks one with tags still attached. The store was clean and well organized despite the caution tape around a section of the middle of the store ( no idea what that was about). The prices were average but the selection and quality of items were above average. I will definitely petition to stop here again on my next visit to Seattle. read more