The answer is that sometimes Goodwill stores will have baseball cards, but it varies significantly by location and what type of donations each individual store receives. Goodwill is a nonprofit organization that operates over 3,000 stores nationwide, so the inventory in each store will be different based on what community members donate. There are a few factors that determine the likelihood of any given Goodwill having baseball cards for sale:
Goodwill accepts donations of used and unwanted household items from community members. This includes clothing, books, electronics, sporting goods, toys, and more. When people clean out their attics, basements, or move homes, they will often donate entire boxes or collections of baseball cards that have been accumulated over many years but are no longer wanted. Baseball card collecting was hugely popular from the 1950s through the 1990s, so there are countless boxes of cards floating around in used goods that end up at Goodwill.
The likelihood of finding baseball cards at Goodwill depends on the demographics and interests of the local community. Stores located in areas that have historically had large populations of baseball fans from that eras are more apt to receive box loads of donated cards. For example, a Goodwill store near a neighborhood known for its Little League baseball programs from the 1970s would stand a better chance than a store in an area without such recreational sports history. Regional differences also play a role, as certain areas of the country engage with baseball as a pastime more so than others.
Store size is another factor – larger Goodwill locations with more retail space available will be more likely to unpack and sort through boxes of donations looking for valuable items to put out for sale. Smaller stores may just quickly process donations and not discover an intact baseball card collection. The timing of donations also matters – a store that just received a big donation of unsorted memorabilia right before a shopper’s visit has better odds of finding cards than one that hasn’t had such a donation in months.
It also depends on if the Goodwill has employees or volunteers who are personally interested in baseball cards and know what to look for. Someone familiar with vintage cards may better recognize the potential value in sorting through a disorganized box of old cardboard and plastic versus just assuming it’s meaningless junk. Not all Goodwills can rely on staff with specialist knowledge areas.
Some Goodwill locations have realized baseball cards can be aconsistently good seller and make more of an effort to actively seek them out. An individual store’s business model and profit priorities also factor in – a for-profit Goodwill style store may give cards more priority than a nonprofit focused on job training services. Stores located in areas with many retro toy and memorabilia resellers know cards can attract commercial buyers as well as fans.
Once found, how cards are priced also varies. Pricing inaccurately too high could mean they languish, but too low risks leaving money on the table. The ideal scenario is partnering with a local collector volunteered to help value selections. In the absence of expertise, selling by the pound is common but less profitable. Factors like year, player, and condition are ignored.
While individual donations are unpredictable, Goodwill remains a very worthwhile place for baseball card collectors and investors to regularly check. With a little luck, patience, and the right local circumstances, it’s certainly possible to find forgotten stashes of vintage cardboard treasures or feed new collections at bargain prices. The secondary market has only increased demand and made cards more valuable in recent years. With so much variance between locations, treasure hunters just need to discover which of their local Goodwills provide the most fun and profitable hunting grounds.
