SOME Salvation Army and Goodwill stores send stuff to central processing center, some do not, it usually depends on how far the processing center is from the store. st. vincent de paul does not. The reason the prices vary so widely is usually due to the fact that the staff who do the pricing and the management overseeing them really have no idea what anything is worth. I say this having worked at a goodwill, and having a grandma who managed a local st. vincent de paul, as well as having a significant other who is currently the production manager(donation area) at a Salvation Army. And yes, these systems are "corrupt", you can bet on it that no bike will hit the sales floor of the Salvation Army or St. vincent de paul without me having a picture message with details sent to my phone first. the deal is, I tell them what are fair prices on bikes(and alot of other stuff) and I get first pick of any bikes before they hit the floor. While I don't flip bikes, I do collect them for parts, and refurbish some to give direct to a couple local programs.