Question: How does the Salvation Army decide to price items, and what is the approximate price range of items it might have in any given store? 

Answer: That’s a great question. We have experienced staff members at each of our 11 family stores in Hawaii who determine the best value for the items being sold. Prices are based on item quality, brand name and comparisons to our ongoing research of new and used prices. In general, prices can range from several dollars for knickknacks to several thousand dollars for koa furniture sets. 

Available items and price ranges vary every day, and that’s all part of the treasure hunt our customers enjoy. Their purchases support the Salvation Army programs in the Hawaii communities where our family stores are located.

Q: What is the most valuable item that you can recall that was ever donated, and how much was it worth? 

A: We’re always grateful for donations of any amount received at our family stores. Among the larger donations we’ve received in the islands have included coins valued at $9,000 and cars valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. 

Q: What is the most valuable item you ever sold, and how much did you sell it for? 

A: We had an elephant bamboo furniture set sell on Oahu a few years ago for approximately $5,000.

Q: Does the Salvation Army ever sell a donated item elsewhere if it thinks it can get more for it than it could in the store? 

A: We try to sell everything in the stores. Sometimes we will enlist help from a broker or expert when we have bigger items like cars or boats or a really valuable item like fine art or jewelry. A diamond ring was once sold at auction for $3,000.

Q: What percent of the items received by the Salvation Army gets discarded because the items are not worth being put up for sale in the store?

A: I like to think of our stores as helping Hawaii residents become early adopters of being "green" by serving as donation centers and helping divert many items from our island landfills. It’s really a win-win for the community. The vast majority of our donated items are sellable and placed in our stores. Items that are not sellable are sold in bulk to dealers. Either way, the donated funds are then used to help support key services in the island communities where they were donated.

Q: What is done with those items that are discarded?

A: Most of the items that are not sellable are sold to wholesalers, recyclers or rag dealers so they are still used and we still receive income for them. 

Q: Does the Salvation Army turn over the items in its store with replacement items on a periodic basis or just keep the items in the store until they sell? 

A: Our frequent customers will know that items are rotated and discounted regularly, so we always encourage regular visits to our stores to see what treasures and values can be found. After a period of time, if for some reason items aren’t selling, they are removed and sold in the other ways I mentioned. 

Q: Does the Salvation Army test all the electronic items and CDs it receives to make sure they work, and what is the store policy about returning such items? 

A: We test electronics, but we don’t listen to each CD. If a CD or DVD is scratched, it can be returned for store credit.

Q: How should a donor value donated goods that are going to be used for income tax write-offs? For example, how much is a bag of used clothes or a bag of used toys worth? 

A: We don’t place a dollar value on donated items when we provide receipts to donors — it’s their property, so they value the items. The Salvation Army does have a variety of online resources to help our donors at satruck.org including a value donation guide and a link to IRS tips on deducting donations. 

Q: At Christmas time, ringers are quite visible in front of stores with Salvation Army kettles. How much is collected in Hawaii each year, and what happens to that money? 

A: This past Christmas we raised approximately $800,000 through our red kettle program in Hawaii. The money raised in our local communities is used in those same local communities to fund a variety of programs, from soup kitchens on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island to food boxes delivered to elderly shut-ins on Molokai; from a preschool in Kona to an adult day care in Honolulu; and many others. A complete list of our programs is available at hawaii.salvationarmy.org.