Goodwill’s internet auction site shopgoodwill.com received national attention on August 24, when TIME.com named it one of the 50 Best Web Sites of 2009. “Great deals abound,” the site proclaimed, favoring it above eBay as the best auction site for low-priced finds.

 TIME ranked shopgoodwill.com number 18 on its list, above other popular sites like Amazon (#19), Netflix (#21), Wikipedia (#25) and Facebook (#31). Photo-sharing site Flickr topped the list, commended by editors for its collaborative tagging feature.

Goodwill Industries® of Orange County owns and operates the site, which allows Goodwills across the country to sell their merchandise online. Seventy-two members currently offer merchandise for sale.

“Over the years, the operation of shopgoodwill.com has generated more than $75 million in sales and opened up new jobs and training opportunities for people who have come to Goodwill looking for skill-building opportunities and job training,” said GII Manager of Media Relations Lauren Lawson.

NBC’s The Today Show sat down with TIME Executive Producer Catherine Sharick to highlight five new sites on the list that make web users’ lives easier. Sharick praised shopgoodwill.com as “the online shopper’s alternative to eBay,” noting that bargain hunters can get better deals on Goodwill’s site and feel good knowing that their purchase supports job training and other services for people with disabilities.

 “Buyer registrations were already up just hours after the news was released,” said Joan Dornbach, the Orange County Goodwill’s VP of marketing and public relations.  “We are thrilled to be recognized by such a highly visible and well-respected brand as TIME.  The exposure will translate to greater revenues that support Goodwill mission related services throughout the country.”

Read the shopgoodwill.com entry or view the entire list on the TIME web site.

Watch The Today Show coverage online 
www.criticalmention.com/report/9301x87957.htm
(click on “play media” under the photo strip to view).

 For more information, contact Lauren Lawson.