How Much Can I Make From a $100 Goodwill Gift Card?
I received the above $100 Goodwill gift card from my mother as a Christmas gift and decided to have a little extra fun with it. My plan is to only use it for items to resell and see how how much I can make from the initial amount.
All the money will then be donated to the Oregon Food Bank, whose mission is to "Build communities that never go hungry."
$100 to $1000? $100 to $105? Time will tell!
My first purchase was this pair of Lovesac brand cushion covers, as I know they're an expensive and popular brand.
It didn't hurt that the purple tag meant it was 50% off, taking it from $9.99 down to $4.99!
I did a quick "Completed Listings" eBay search while in the store, which sealed the deal. The same cushion cover sold a month ago for $45 and since I had two, this made my find a no brainer!
I put together an eBay listing as soon as I got home, which is key to being a successful reseller. I also made sure to thoroughly inspect both pieces for any flaws or stains and was happy to not find any.
I don't expect an overnight sale on them, as they're fairly niche items, plus the Lovesac website currently has everything 40% off. But I have faith and patience.
Click HERE* to see the listing.
I was tempted to pick up this beautiful stained glass shade, but I did a Google lens search and learned that it's from Hampton Bay, which is a Home Depot brand. I've had a hard time selling lighting online in the past, so I left it for someone else. I think it was $4.99.
I wasn't tempted to buy this mug, but I did snap a photo as I'm always a sucker for free food! Not sure this sentiment needs to be be on a mug though, which is probably why someone donated it to Goodwill. Kind of a passive aggressive gift.
I'll keep you updated on how I spend down this Goodwill gift card, as well as any sales I make. Cross your fingers for me!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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* This blog contains an eBay referral link.
I’m helping an acquaintance sell what remains of mother’s estate. She was a dog fancier so it’s truly a niche market. Sales are plugging along which I expected as it’s after the holiday and so far what I’ve listed is high end jewelry
I love, love ,love, that you are using your gift card to resell & donate profits to a local food bank. Quite inspiring for us all. Thank you!
It's extra motivation on my part!
I love, love, love this! You are an inspiration for us all here!
Katy-
Happy holidays to you and love your plan to grow your $100 gift card to big $$ and then, donate to your food bank! Knowing how smart you are, I believe you can use your gift card at your Portland Goodwill bins and I know from reading your blog for years how successful you have been at finding great bargains. Speaking of which, super find of those LoveSac covers and awesome price… Good luck in your quest to make big $$ for your food bank!
Thank you, you're right that the bins will be the best way maximize the gift card!
Yesssssss! This makes me so happy.
Our crazy family is cheering you on!
A friend takes those stained glass globes and makes them into outdoor lighting with a solar powered garden light, so cute!
She charges $50 for them in her farmer's market booth.
Along with everyone else, I'm eagerly looking forward to hearing about your finds and sales with this gift card--and I applaud your plan to donate the proceeds to your food bank. This is one developing story I'll be glad to follow in 2026 (unlike numerous other developing stories I could name).
This is an interesting experiment (for a good cause!) and your first purchase should pay off. My husband can’t believe they named a product “Lovesac”.