My Pilgrimage...I Want to Go to Hillsboro, OR
 

I mean, after all, isn't that where ALL GW sewing machines come from? Is Hillsboro, OR a distribution center, or something?
~ Cindy

It sure seams like it doesn't it. I've drooled over and won more auctions for sewing stuff from Hillsboro than all the others I think.

There's several auctions coming near ending I'd go for if I was closer. But they either won't ship or the shipping is insane.


Joe

I even looked up Hillsboro on Google Maps. It's near Portland. I think that I may have my daughter convinced that we have to go there to check out the city together. Of course, she doesn't know that while we're there, I also want to visit the GW in Hillsboro...LOL. I'll let you know if I ever get to go.

~ C

I've been so frustrated with them and their outrageous shipping that I actually sent them an email one time and asked them what gives? It just doesn't seem like this would happen with such high numbers and regularity. I can't ever win anything from them by the time I factor in the shipping and their handling fee. But all of the good stuff comes from out in that area. Anyway, as you can imagine, they never responded to me. ;)
Tropit I would go with you but heck you're already halfway there. Lol.

Arg. I have seen the same thing. They always have the best machines and ALL the attachments, but either they won't ship or the shipping is outrageous. I've wished countless times I could filter the GW search menu to not even bother including them when I look. :(

I've just seen a couple GW auctions coming out of London, ON Canada. I checked their shipping from there to me and it's cheaper than from Hillsboro to me. That tells me the American GWs and the shipping companies are gouging on prices.
Sad state of affairs if you ask me.

Joe

I live about 100 miles away from Hillsboro. Shipping for me is in the neighborhood of $30 to $35 the last time I looked. Fuel to drive there and back is about the same. I haven't bid on any machines from there. They usually have a starting bid of $25 and by the time I factor in the costs of the bid and getting it, it's more than I can spend. It would have to be something pretty special for me to go after it.
Rodney

ROAD TRIP!!!!! Cindy, stop by my house I am only two minutes off of I5 in Red Bluff and we can take my Tundra, lots of space for all of the goodies..LOL

I think if you go to the Hillsboro Goodwill expecting to find a lot of sewing machines and attachments, you might be seriously disappointed. I think they probably send all of that stuff to the shopgoodwill warehouse and not offer it locally. I was in my local Goodwill once and there was another customer in the store who stuck his head through the open door in the back where merchandise was stashed. A worker yelled at him immediately that he wasn't allowed back there and the customer asked about a guitar that he could see and asked how much they wanted for it. The employee informed him that the pile of things where the guitar was located was headed to shopgoodwill where it could be sold online where they could get "a lot more money for it," claiming they could sell that particular guitar for $1400.00. Only rarely do sewing machines appear in that store for sale and the ones that do become available are almost always in cabinets...that being said, I have picked up several nice machines in cabinets inexpensively, but they don't remain in there long at all (which, yes, is partially my fault). The shopgoodwills are divided by regions--I know mine is part of the "Goodwill Redwood Empire" with the shopgoodwill location being in Santa Rosa. I think the Columbia Willamette SGW probably has a large region which probably includes Portland and Eugene (and a lot of that I-5) corridor. They have probably also trained their employees to sort out those attachments for sale in lots.

OTOH, I could be completely wrong and Hillsboro, OR may simply be the other end of the wormhole where every lost attachment appears.

YMMV.

Ha ha! It's a plan! That would be fun, wouldn't it? However, I think that NapaJohn is right. I don't think that we will be able to buy from them in person. My guess is that it's a clearing house/warehouse, where they send machines from all over the region. BUT, if you ever want to go anyway, or there's something else going on, let me know...I'm game! :D

I also see a lot of machines coming out of San Diego too. I've purchased machines from both, Hillsboro and SD. I live about half way between the two and the shipping wasn't that bad. They were also carefully packed...which was a nice relief.

~Cindy