FAQs
Bottom Line
Who are you?
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
What exactly are you selling at Second Serve?
We sell pre-owned, donated clothing.
We have no affiliations with any brands. Trademarks are owned by their respective brand owners.
Why?
We want to offer a new way to shop and think about clothing. Our mission is to lower consumption of new clothing items by promoting the benefits of resale. We believe clothing can be maximized to benefit the individual, the community, and the environment.
Why are you different from other nonprofit resale shops?
At Second Serve Resale you choose the nonprofit that receives 85% of the proceeds of your purchase. This is your HUGE incentive to shop resale!
Clothing
What does “as is” mean?
Everything we sell is "as is", meaning we sell each product in the current condition that it is in, including what is known about the item and what is unknown.
All of our items are pre-owned. Even if the item is "new with tags" someone else owned it before we received it. There are items that are "new with tags" that have flaws. We try very hard to be thorough in disclosing any flaws- all sales are final (see below) and we want you to be happy with your purchase.
It is important to us that we are thorough and transparent describing the clothes but we miss stuff sometimes. We are not experts in clothing or fashion, or measuring, but we try our best to research items and provide as much information as possible. In addition, the color that you see on your device may be different than how the color shows in our photos (and our photos may not exactly capture the "real" color of the item!- but again we try our best).
Where do you get your clothes?
We get clothes from our own closets, our family and friends, from neighbors and work friends. We can also receive donations from boutiques and stores who would like to be involved with Second Serve Resale. When you donate, you will receive a donation letter from us stating we are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
Are you affiliated with the brands you sell?
We do not have any affiliations with any brands. Trademarks are owned by their respective brand owners.
How can I donate clothing to Second Serve?
We would love to receive your clothing donations! That is, if we have room! We accept designer women's clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories.
Brands we accept-Burberry, Gucci etc. and others like Neiman Marcus, Sara Campbell, All Saints, Mother, Frame, Elizabeth McKay, Lilly Pulitzer, Pendleton, L.L. Bean. We also like to feature vintage clothing or items that are unique, and not necessarily popular or trendy. Take a look at the website to get an idea.
Brands we are moving away from and do not accept-Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Madewell, Talbots, Banana Republic, Gap, or any outlet brands. We are not in a position to take clothing that does not resell for under $50; there are only two of us who do this and we have to prioritize!
To get started, please email us at amy@secondserveresale.org to let us know what you would like to donate. If there is a story behind one of your donations, please tell it to us! We like to feature our donors!
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (EIN number is 85-3422609) and we will send you a donation email for your tax records.
Do you feature all donations on your site?
Not every donation makes it to the website. Sometimes we sell donations at an in-person pop-up sale before we we have a chance to upload them to the site. We partner with other nonprofits for these pop-up sales, or we host them ourselves to help pay for our costs.
We try to accept only what we will use. If we cannot use the clothing we find another nonprofit or up-cycler who can.
Sometimes we receive donated clothing that is not suitable for selling on our site, or at a pop-up event, because it is damaged or stained in some way (sometimes you don't see the flaws until you actually put it on the dress form to photograph). We have a growing "mending" pile, and we try to fix donations, or upcycle them in some way.
How can I ask a question about a piece of clothing?
Please email us at amy@secondserveresale.org. We will try to answer your question.
How do you price your clothing?
We price our inventory what it is worth at market value. We take into account what the item is selling for on the internet, the original retail value, the rarity of the item, and information of where its been ("previously owned by Rhode Island's own Viola Davis!"- I wish!!). Considering all this information we make a decision about what the item would sell for in the online market. It's not an exact science.
How do you measure your clothing?
The chest/bust is measured with the item lying flat and measuring the length from armpit to armpit, and then doubled. Keep in mind the shape of the garment. If it has a lot of material or folds or is "blouse-y", the bust measurement might be high even if the tag size is a "small".
A waistline is measured with the garment lying flat and measure the waistband and doubling it. This is easy on pants or shorts. On a dress we look for the narrowest part that would be under the ribcage but above the bellybutton.
We measure the hips below the waist, usually the widest part of the garment. Keep in mind that the shape of the garment. If you are looking at an A-line skirt the hips will be big even on a small size because of the A-line shape.
Inseams are measured from the groin seam to the bottom of the pant leg hem.
Sleeve lengths are measured from the top shoulder seam to the end of the cuff.
Our measurements are approximate and we can get it wrong. We recommend googling the item to see what the original company says are the measurements, and then keep in mind that it could changed somewhat when owned (maybe shrunk a little when it was washed etc.) Contact us and we can go over any item with you if you are want something doubled checked.
Final Sale Policy
Do you accept returns?
We do not accept returns. We do not refund shipping costs or purchases. Every sale is final. We put that on every product page so you don't forget! See our Final Sale Policy here.
Shipping Information
How does shipping work?
We use flat rate shipping which goes to packaging and postage. Please refer to our complete shipping policy here
What kind of packaging do you use?
We really try to to be consistent in our environmental values. We use EcoEnclose packaging for the majority of our shipping because we think they provide the best environmental options. We also re-use boxes and shipping bags we have collected (like Amazon boxes or whatever). If we use these we put a sticker on them that indicates its Second Serve and we are re-using packaging.
Nonprofit Beneficiaries
How Do I Select A Nonprofit Beneficiary?
You indicate where you would like 85% of the product proceeds to go on the cart page. There is a "select a nonprofit beneficiary" dropdown menu. Your selected cause applies to your entire order.
Where does the 85% of the proceeds come from?
It comes from the price of the product(s), after any discounts. 85% is taken out before shipping is added, or any tax.
I am interested in getting more information about one of the nonprofits. How do I do that?
Contact the nonprofit and request information from them directly. There are links to our nonprofit beneficiaries on our Nonprofit Partner page.
Second Serve's 501(c)3 Status
How is Second Serve Resale different from a for-profit corporation?
We are a company that is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization. The money that is collected from our sales (proceeds) go to a charitable purpose-the funding of other nonprofits deemed charitable by the IRS. As a nonprofit, Second Serve does not pay any income tax on our proceeds like a for-profit company would pay on its earnings.
Where does the money from my purchase go?
Eight-five percent of the proceeds go to the nonprofit you select on the cart page dropdown menu.
You pay Second Serve for your order, then we send a check for 85% of the purchase price (no shipping, no taxes) to your selected nonprofit.
If my selected nonprofit receives 85% of proceeds, where does the rest go?
The other 15% goes to us, and is used to run Second Serve Resale (our rent, the website, insurance, environmentally-friendly packaging and things like that). If this whole thing works it would be nice to pay people to work at Second Serve Resale but right now we are volunteers.
In addition to the 15% of online sales, we also have pop up events that benefit only Second Serve Resale. All of the proceeds from these pop-up sales go to Second Serve Resale to support our mission. Although we are a volunteer organization, the "cost of doing business" is real!
If you are a nonprofit why do you charge sales tax?
Second Serve must comply with sales tax law and regulations. As a nonprofit we do not pay sales tax as an organization, but must charge when we sell you something taxable, even if it is used, and remit that tax to the state of Rhode Island (the only state at present where we have a tax "nexus"). Rhode Island does not charge sales tax on items of clothing or shoes under $250. Clothing and shoe items above $250 will be charged 7% on the amount above $250. Handbags and accessories are not exempt from taxation in Rhode Island like clothing and shoes, and are taxed 7%.
Contact
How do I contact Second Serve?
Please email us at amy@secondserveresale.org. You can also contact us through the mail: Second Serve Resale, 1005 Main Street, Unit 8242, Pawtucket RI 02860. We would love to hear from you. We are a young organization and want to listen to our community so we can get better at what we do.