East Coast vs West Coast Goodwill Nerf Hunt

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[@Foam0Fett]

Being from the DC/ northern VA area I could’ve given you a heads up on the goodwill situation. The best reason I could tell you for why you almost never see East Coast Goodwills nearly as stacked as those here in the PNW is that folks over there favor independently selling and trading their blasters because the cost of living is so bloody high (with wages being laughably low in comparison to WA at least) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -the Foam Mandalorian

[@jerfsjourneys]

I've always been impressed by your goodwill runs and I'm also on the west coast, in California. All the ones I've been to in Northern California and the couple in Southern California where I live now, have looked more like Baltimore than the PNW. Also not the first time I've seen blasters with a crazy mark up. When I did live in Northern California and we finally got a goodwill in my city the blaster were all priced very cheaply and reasonably. Then we started buying a bunch of them and goodwill noticed and slowly started raising prices on them to where it was almost not even worth it anymore

[@CRNerf]

Eye opening. Thank you for the video.

[@fortyeth]

Hi Captain, that was a good and enlightening trip. You did however sound very grateful to be back home to the point where I thought if you had seen a Vulcan you would have bought it!

[@Bleenga]

FML. Yup, welcome to the East Coast. This is the same story as what it's like in New York City. And it's not a fluke, it'll be like this more often than not. I wish I knew why it was like this, but as it is, it makes me want to cry. Lol.

[@shirakotakamotogd]

4:17 WOAH WOAH WOAH DONT DISCOUNT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE 2 ROCK BAND GUITARS THERE! That’s crazy I can’t every find those at my goodwills

[@pigfish99]

rocky mountain region, our thrift stores are pretty alright. sometimes barren, sometimes overflowing. never a dull store!

[@draken882000]

Good vid Capt. Imma shared this with my boy, Phil. He finds ALL the things in the DMV.

[@builderbb8767]

Truly you hail from a land of plenty. I'm sorry you had to feel the despair of our barren shelves and wind swept aisles on this Cursed Coast

[@Montisaquadeis]

Welcome to the east coast Captain

[@GeneralFlagg]

That perfectly illustrated the difference between the coasts. Every time I get the chance to get out west I try and bring back as many blasters as I can lol.

[@wanderingbear9800]

Recently went on a day trip from Pa to West Virginia with the wife and hit 5 goodwills and 2 goodwill outlets. found 2 Kronoxen, a small smattering of buzzbees, aaaaaanndd nothin else. the only nerfy thing i got was a nice little hand bike pump for a titan build at some point.

[@EmeraldCoasttt]

Spokane shoutout

[@Ditto-ii4dk]

Here in Indianapolis I'm lucky to find ONE goodwill that compares to anything you find, and most importantly the goodwill outlet is only awful when you have a bad back like mine

[@benlam419]

I went thrifting the Sunday before the 11th hour at Maryland and got a really nice haul. Picked up a working venom wrist blaster, 2 demolishers, a disruptor, a Rampage, a rapidstrike, and a first order rival stormtrooper blaster. Entire haul was less than $30.

[@xxxrnfxxx]

Did you go to the Carrol county ones

[@TheRamblerMan]

Late watching this but I have to say, I love watching your thrifting videos but this one was so satisfying. Having someone with great thrifting just like, experiencing our bad thrifting feels so validating. 😂 I will say, there's a sweet spot in northern Virginia with some good Nerf thrifting. They're usually non Goodwill stores but they're there. Other than that my best luck has been flea markets/yard sales/Facebook marketplace.

[@artemistherin9262]

Same up here in Maine, most don't even have a true isle for toy section, just a 12 ft section of shelves, and I haven't seen any nerf at my 2 local ones in years. On the plus side I've had very good experience getting stuff on Facebook marketplace(hard to find blasters for reasonable prices and bulk lots) so there's that at least.

[@wholefttheydogatcentralpoint]

Here in Arizona, my experince with goodwills has kinda been... Inbetween the two types shown in this video. Mostly lots of stuffed animals, but I've never been in a goodwill that didn't have at least 2 blasters.

[@Crowe0920]

Honestly i think another reason that west coast goodwills are so different is because with how urban the east coast is, compared to the west coast, there are more suburbs in the west coast where people have more room for stuff like nerf, maybe that is

[@NorthstarAtlas]

next time you're on the east coast, travel around a neighbor hood till you find a garage sale. Theres not a drop in the good wills, but you can bargain your heart away in someones yard

[@olivermensinger]

Yep. This is what those of us in California have to deal with. My only significant haul from a goodwill was an eight dollar zombiestrike longshot with the 12 round mag.

[@cameronbarnes1954]

It's the same here in the Cincinnati area hardly any goodwills have nerf.

[@galaga8779]

What I've noticed in my thrifting experience as I'm going to college on the east coast and I grew up on the West Coast is that Goodwills are better in the West whereas the independent thrift stores are better in the East.

[@egg_timer]

Those stryfe knock-offs look very similar to the one I have. They have "select fire" but it's bad and slow. E.g. on the "3" setting, it doesn't shoot 3 rounds with one trigger pull, it's just (very slow) full auto with a 3-round limit. I used your rapidstrike rewire guide to bypass the PCB completely. FWIW I couldn't get the stock board to function at anything over 4 volts. They ship with a 1S IMR.

[@TheSouthernSteamThing]

You know, Captain Xavier should have gotten that plus in the goodwill that was first shown at the east coast. I believe that it can be modified to have a K-26 spring with 140-170 fps

[@ASMRKlotz]

I am in Kentucky and there is usually at least one or two blasters at my goodwills but sometimes there is nothing.

[@delvercetti8930]

Here in southeast Wisconsin it's kind of hit-or-miss. Most days the most you can find is a Maverick or a Triad. On some days though, you can find a small selection of blasters.

[@coryzepp238]

As a Marylander I have learned to go to Delaware for finding nerf in goodwill. Still not as good as yours but they usually atleast have something. Have been lucky a couple times at my local one on the eastern shore in md but it's a crapshoot.

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Being an avid thrifter, for the nearly four years we lived in the DC metro (on the northern Virginia side) I wasn’t looking for Nerf, but I can tell you in general the toy sections leave a lot to be desired and have extremely fast turnover. But there are loads of other good stuff at those thrift shops.

[@FamilyFoamsport]

You know, we stopped at a few of those same goodwills either just before or just after you... they were exactly the same. I wondered if anybody else had been hitting them while Maryland Mayhem was going on, almost relieved to know that they just had nothing the entire time. 😂

[@Bukkarooo]

I live in Florida and it's typically better than those in Maryland you showed, but nowhere near as good as your local ones. There's not often a ton, but I have gotten a good few things. Over the last year or so I got... A Hyperfire + 35 round drum, a Stampede, a Modulus pistol + jolt stock, a Vortex Nitron with firefly mag (no ammo tho), a Barrel Break, a Strongarm, a Flip Fury, two Mavericks. So not absolutely barren, but the good stuff can be few and far between. Lots of times I've gone there's just been nothing, and seen plenty of broken and overpriced stuff. Hell, that Hyperfire was probably pretty overpriced at $15, but that included the drum mag so I didn't mind too much.

[@Windle_Poons]

The east coast stuff was more like what I see in the UK charity shops. Most of the time theres nothing Nerf, some times you get a strongarm....

[@mikochaos6310]

Lived in southern california and southern utah and the thrift stores i went to had nothing. the only blaster I found was a busted slingfire. Vegas sometimes has stuff though especially around the summerlin area

[@alexxdelarosa3051]

Beaverton has the best goodwill stores here in North Oregon. The portland locations I frequent are pretty dry. I did find a new in box xshot Longshot for $12.99 no tax 😎 but portland is definitely a blaster scarce zone.

[@flame1245]

For the dog ball launcher you can use foam stress balls as ammo I do use that and it works

[@CaptainXavier]

I know, I have 50 with my logo on them. But giant Rival balls are funnier. ;)

[@CPhillips21]

Having been to many thrift and Goodwill stores in Western PA and Eastern Ohio I can wholeheartedly say there's usually nothing

[@darklordofsword]

There's a goodwill on West Patrick in Frederick that's usually got a couple of okay things, but never the bounty you get on the West Coast.

[@rickbrasche8781]

down here in the Bay Area California, theres very few Nerf or any toy projectile weapons

[@toweroftrollgaming]

Ya my goodwill hardly has one but everything I go there is none or just a jolt

[@stuntmatt7124]

The Seattle Area looks like the Valhalla of Nerf Thrifting. Here in S.E. Michigan, the Goodwill Stores have horrible toy sections, and almost no Nerf, I think it is because round here we release our children into the toy section like a pack of wild dogs, and those isles get trashed, so the Goodwills don't wanna deal with cleaning that up. However, fortunately there are many other thrift stores that do ok with the Nerf Stuff, ie: Thrift World, St Vincent DePaul, PTA Stores, and other independent stores. Also some neighborhoods have Hood-wide Garage Sales, these are good for Nerf Hunting with Amazing prices. Alas, it would seem are Beloved Captain, no longer has a need for Thrifting Blasters, he has moved onto a higher level of foam blasters :( Oh Yeah that, and he already has barns full of all the Good Nerf Stuff already !!!

[@Stevenwave-]

Yeeeep, that "there's nothin" is how it's been in the places I've checked here in south east Melbourne, Aus. One time I found a small bag where they'd put everything Nerf they had into one cheap pack to buy, and I grabbed it cause it had a Longstrike barrel. Other than that, I've legit never seen any other foamflinging things available. I imagine things pop up here and there, but it's definitely more of that second version you witnessed than not. If I want cheap, or, cheapish secondhand foam stuff, the only real option is Facebook marketplace. Seems to be where people put things up locally. But then, ya know, gotta be quick on anything good, goes fast. And there's things I'd like that I've never seen come up.

[@tsmcgu]

EC thrifting is very feast or famine (at least in Southeast Va). I've had months with nothing (or nothing of note) and then in the last couple weeks I've gotten a Motostryfe WITH mag (thought that was pretty awesome) for ~$12 and a working Infinus (no mag :( ) for ~$6 (that one was found on a bathroom break, which was a nice surprise). But I'm also getting pickier about what I grab as storage space runs out...

[@jemmitt21]

Those are exactly how the goodwills are in my area. Only able to get stuff from Facebook marketplace…

[@babysfirstweapon]

Not sure if you'll ever be on the hunt in Tennessee, but KARM has literally had no less than like 5 Nerf guns every time I walk into one. One of them almost had as many as Walmart.

[@dylandosh]

The holiky is so cool

[@gargunkle]

Goodwills around here are similar to the ones you encountered in the Baltimore area. They are not at all worthwhile going to, if blasters are what you seek.

[@ArTchN_Ei8ht_Industries]

I was going to suggest to raid Dollar Generals for the exact squishy balls you found to use as ammo for the doggo ball launcher. They are impressively accurate. I made a mistake of getting the other types of squishy balls that looked like baseballs, basketballs, soccer balls, etc., and they were not as accurate as the yellow "golf" balls. In fact, depending on how the "stitching" on the baseball one is oriented in the launcher, you can achieve curve and knuckle balls as you would if you actually pitched them with your hands. Enjoy. Stay safe and blessed, always, Captain. Yosh...

[@sjschauer4235]

Heck even in Tucson, the Goodwills are not as stocked, or as nice, as back up in the PNW. Though I know part of that is people CL/FBM things more here and there is a wider variety of mom and pop or small local thrift stores as well.

[@RobeyWanKenobi]

I live in Maryland and have two Goodwills close to where I work and I go about 3-4 times a week and maybe only find one or two nerf blasters. It sucks here and don’t know why

[@aproductions4386]

Well, as an easy coaster and a nerfer my go to thrift shops are 2ed ave, red, white and blue and American thrift the good wills are pretty bad

[@JoeLaFon3]

Damn this is nuts. I moved to SC 8 years ago from Baltimore. Currently homesick so idk if this helps or not

[@Rohirin]

I can tell you that Southern Missouri is a lot like what you found on the East coast. So if you're trekking through there on the way to a war/HVZ/etc, just be warned.

[@troythetinkerer]

An Explorer style "Stryfe-tar"!? What is that madness!? Is that a thing that shant be explained, like the Tentacle Stock?

[@CaptainXavier]

I have explained it...

[@ryanproulx3418]

All the goodwills in Texas or at least Houston area are barren wastelands for Nerf as well...😢

[@GhostlyGhost333]

The goodwills here in the Midwest are pretty much the same as the ones on the east coast. Not so much as a broken maverick.

[@youbesilly2k5]

I thrift in NJ, it seems like goodwills r very lacking in tbe toy development. I find the best places to go r the off brand thrift stores. 2a thrift always has a decent selection. But whenever i go into a goodwill, theres like 1 shelf of toys n never ne blasters. Lucky for me, i have a local thift chain that has the occasional gem, but always has a few blasters. So i feel like my area is in between with being stocked n a barren waste land

[@jeffreycarman2185]

15:01 I think suburbs have a better balance of donations to customer ratio. The more population density you have I feel like the it throws the balance of customers to donations at thrift stores.

[@EmeraldCoasttt]

I've noticed that a lot of the time east coast goodwills just put their nerf stuff online (which makes shipping on shopgoodwill VERY expensive for us west coasters lol)

[@wouldcanoe]

I have also seen Goodwills in one town have nothing and the other thrift store in the same town has several items. Also about the best one i have found outside of Chicago has been as bad as about the worst that the Capt has seen in his neck of the woods.

[@tyrus82]

Looks like every Michigan run I ever do. Not nothing, but little.

[@andrewkeyes5927]

Yup

[@aaronplace219]

The Goodwill in Gaylord Michigan had an area just for Nerf. Unfortunately the building was destroyed from a freak high winds/tornado storm last spring.😢

[@RedDiamond089]

"I've never been to a Goodwill" From the videos I'd guess it's like visiting Easterhouse...Or Govanhill😂 *edit after watch ALL OF THE VIDEO* 🎶We're Knights Of The Nerf Table! Our Stryfes are Formidable!🎶😂

[@carllawson5043]

Our goodwills suck. If u get down in the south you should try dirt cheap

[@lysist]

Question? Did you try the XL Rival ball in a Ballzooka? Inquiring minds want to know....

[@jaegercollects]

It's a shame the motostryke never came out in the UK as it looks like a fun blaster.

[@Matthew_Raymond]

You have to mod the trigger because of the plastic spring. It’s a shame, because it was otherwise a good blaster with screws holding it together instead of clips. Not sure why Nerf cheaped out on that one trigger part.

[@chisau]

If you think East coast is bad, cross the border into east Canada, it would be a trip and a half.

[@bradleywboggs]

The Midwest area has pretty good thrifting

[@Rohirin]

I don't know where in the Midwest you're finding your bounty. In Southern Missouri, it's a lot like what he found on the East coast.

[@PhoenixFyre]

I live in Columbus, OH and i dt Stopped trying to thrift nerf 😅.

[@waaaksun]

✌🏽✌🏽 If you think Maryland is Bad, NYC will bring you to tears. Your Goodwill should donate to my Goodwill 😿

[@GameModeRepository]

You should have asked the locals where to go. Goodwills are terrible for Nerf in Maryland. 2nd Ave thrift stores are the chain that have all the good Nerf stuff in Maryland.

[@CaptainXavier]

I did ask. The point was to compare Goodwills. Next time I visit, if I have time, I will compare other thrift chains.

[@Crunkboy415]

I would have grabbed that AT-AT🤣

[@somecarperson]

any body else get asmr vibes from these vids

[@blankettoys8533]

Man the lieutenant does looks quite a bit like you of course minus the salty lighthouse/sea-captain look in the beard.

[@CaptainXavier]

He really does. Numerous times at the event people came up and asked for pictures. His response was always, "Yes, but just so you know...I am not him."

[@maxs-lz4pn]

The southwest is ok, not quite as crazy as the PNW but leaps and bounds above the east coast

[@comandergold93]

My goodwill Usually only have one to three Nerf guns, and sometimes none And I live in New England

[@mattbatesteacher]

I haven't had all my shots lmfao!

[@iamwinatron9323]

No proton pack? That breaks my heart

[@theoutdoorduck701]

Now it feels like im being left out from all the good thrifting but everyonce and a while i can strike gold got a nice nerf rival gun for 1 dollar it was a steal uaslly 30 or so and it was in perfect condition

[@AshesWasADeadMan]

Just be glad you didn't try this in Australia. You'd find absolutely nothing on both coasts, and probably get murdered in the outback for your trouble...

[@d0mlyf322]

Dude I’m in va and I can never find anything

[@knate44]

Is... Is nerf bigger on the west coast?

[@Sunrust]

Less people donating on the east coast

[@evanbuster1]

So my good wills are just bad... nice to know

[@dragonblaster-vu8wz]

Let me tell you, the Midwest ain't much better than the East Coast. I may embark on my goodwill sweep soon, so I hope to get at least something besides food in my stomach

[@jbradfield659]

Love Watching Your videos, but it always hurts when you go past a transformers toy, and I'm like Bumblebee and Realize your after Nerf. Will you be getting the new optimus prime nerf gun I have him already his alright 👍 put a k26 he'll be shooting faces off to his hearts desire.

[@randomsteve8]

I Ohio, they are hit or miss for me. I've gone weeks without buying anything.

[@FarragoFox]

those were some sad-looking Goodwills... I wonder why they're so different. A sociological study would be interesting, but I'm a nerd that way.

[@FarragoFox]

just to be clear. I actually typed up the phrase sociological study before seeing it in the video lol.

[@Bidensucks100]

You didn’t even comment on the revonix360 bro although there’s a chance it didn’t even work.

[@Eulemunin]

Makes me wonder what the population difference is that leads to the difference. Age of population? Wealth? Open public spaces? Lot size?

[@CaptainXavier]

I have hypotheses as to why this is but not enough evidence/data to back any of them up.

[@Eulemunin]

@@CaptainXavier maybe if we add more data form other areas we could get closer to a hypothesis.

[@CaptainXavier]

The comments seem to support my 2 main hypotheses. 1. People sell stuff rather than donate. 2. When they do donate, they donate to places other than Goodwill.

[@tomdarling2233]

Sad part is my Goodwill's are worse

[@floppyori3262]

I live in NY and the good wills are kinda trash

[@zeroblade6599]

Strongarm is a rubbish disruptor? I resent that remark. A disruptor is a strongarm with 80% of the fun removed. How dare he

[@hylianmango8272]

Chicago Goodwills are BARREN

[@wouldcanoe]

I have had better luck at Savers.

[@dennisbyers1784]

Georgia is better not like you're used to but better than that

[@indigosky6819]

Im from indiana, we are a little bit better than this, but still, 80% of the time its like one or two things at most.

[@justinrohrbaugh3043]

We find nothing in Ohio most of the time…

[@PhilZeGerman]

Well, I think it's obvious: the North-Easterners hate fun and their children aren't allowed toys. Can we please talk about that GUITAR BLASTER NOW??? How on EARTH did I MISS that???

[@CaptainXavier]

It was only recently added. It was part of a mod exchange.

[@comicnerd101A]

I hate to say it but: we the East Coast viewers, told you so. (Please don't ban me)

[@CaptainXavier]

You did indeed. U wish I had had more time/freedom to conduct more research. Next time perhaps.

[@TheVelociRapper23]

Florida goodwills suck

[@deformemvita]

Just shows me that my local thrift stores kinda suck.

[@turnersawman]

South east looks like pnw.

[@akagainesy]

You know, the difference is so big... I'd say its a conspiracy 🫤🤔🫨😜......... Also you have to get a proton pack backpack put a protonpack in it and hose in it up to one of those Ghostbusters foam lauchers. THAT, would be epic😊