Building a home theater isn’t cheap. Although TV prices are incredibly low, accessories can add up. Quality speakers and soundbars and receivers can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to your project. But The Streamable staff has managed to score some great deals by bargain-hunting with Goodwill. Yes, the same store where you dump your old clothes has some sneaky deals on home theater equipment. And the best part is that you don’t have to visit physical stores to grab these deals. You can find the equipment online.

Want some examples?

A Polk Signa S2 soundbar and subwoofer sells for $185.00 on Amazon. I got it for $41 through Goodwill.

A MartinLogan Motion Vision soundbar originally retailed for $1,500. I got it for $104.

Both of these soundbars sound great, and you’d never know they came from a thrift shop.

How to Find Great Deals at Goodwill Online

If you’d like to grab a bargain, head over to ShopGoodwill.com. It auctions products from Goodwill stores all over the country. Once you create an account, you’ll be able to scan the various categories. You’ll most likely want to look at Home Electronics.

Browsing can work well, but you’ll have the best success if you’re looking for something specific. MartinLogan is a luxury sound brand, so I suspected I’d get something great if I could locate one of their speakers. You’ll find some surprisingly great stuff on the site if you make a daily habit of searching specific brands or model numbers. (There’s a lot of junk available, but true bargains emerge over time.)

ShopGoodwill is an auction site, so the same old eBay tactics apply. Wait until the last minute to bid and make sure you bid high enough to snipe the competition. If you are outbid, you’ll get an email alerting you. It’s usually best to bookmark the item and set a calendar reminder to wait until the auction is nearly over to overtake the competition.

The Downsides

If you must have brand new equipment, ShopGoodwill is not for you. Obviously, this stuff is pre-owned. It may have some scratches. You won’t get a manual (though those are almost always available online). Some of my Goodwill finds have been missing power cables. You’ll almost never get a remote control. In most cases, these issues can be fixed with some research, a handy box of old cables you’ve been saving, or a quick Amazon purchase.

ShopGoodwill posts several photos of the item and notes any damage the unit may have. The items are packed well upon shipping, so I haven’t experienced damage on any of the items I’ve received.

That shipping can be very expensive, however. The very heavy MartinLogan soundbar required $17 for shipping and handling. The Polk soundbar and subwoofer combo required a whopping $48 to ship to my door. Be sure to click the links to estimate those costs and factor those into your bid.

Be aware that some very large items cannot be shipped and must be picked up in person. (Is it worth driving to San Diego for those awesome speakers you’ve been looking for?)

Another issue is that this equipment isn’t always tested. In many cases, Goodwill will confirm the item turns on, but you may not know if everything is operational. I bought a Sony cassette deck through the site and it eats any tape that gets inserted. Unfortunately, all sales are final, so you’re gambling a bit.

In rare cases, you may get an incorrect item. I won a bid for an Apple TV 4K, but when it arrived, I discovered that the serial number on the 4K box was not the same serial number on the Apple TV. In fact, it was a first generation Apple TV. Someone had donated an old Apple TV in a new box, so I got burned.

As long as you manage your bids correctly, you’ll be able to score some great deals. You may get some duds, but the risk may be worth the reward. In the case of high-end equipment, I assume the owners took great care of the item. My guess is that most broken electronics are thrown in the trash, and any malfunctioning equipment donated comes from people unaware of the problem.

If you need a cheap DVD or CD player, a receiver, a speaker stand, a film projector, a turntable, a Wi-Fi mesh network, a TV mount, a subwoofer, or a projector, ShopGoodwill is a sneaky way to find a good deal. Sometimes you can even find items in their original box. Most of this equipment sits on a shelf, so even used items won’t have a lot of wear and tear. This isn’t for everyone, but if you’re willing to be patient, you can assemble a really nice home theater setup for a fraction of the retail cost.