Joining up is FREE for now.
Once we fill in the maps with enough red dots representing members, we will begin to charge for membership and only for bandwidth usage spread over all members as a fee likely once a year or every six months. You can check out the maps by clicking on “FREE PICKUP” on the main menu and drilling down to your state or province area. For example go to the State of Oregon and you will see a red dot. Click on it and you will see a profile of one of our members who has joined.
Here Is How It Works
You sign up and get a profile page created of your biz with a link to your store in ebay or etsy or where ever. You also get put on the map showing your location as a red clickable dot that anyone clicking on brings up your profile. The concept is people who come to our Virtual Thrift Store here will be people who want to donate items for free. If they are in your area you pick them up and those items are yours to resell and make profits on. We do require a once a year donation to charity in your area as part of membership. We leave the amount up to you but require you to partner with a local charity of your choice. You must contact them and get a letter if possible, or at the least a name and email contact so we can verify your partner. We will also put your partner on your profile page. When you do a charitable donation we require photos or a video to post on our social media sites. Please read over the Terms of Agreement so you understand better. We are set up to change the world one donation at a time!
Future Goals That Will Also Benefit You as Resellers!
Like you I am also a thrift reseller and hate the fees the various platforms charge. I want to build our ecommerce shop which is under construction at the moment into the largest ecommerce site there is. Now that’s a pretty lofty goal I know, but with your help and strength in numbers the co operative creates, we can do this over time. The shop is going to be a multivendor site and as we should have a few thousand members when the co operative map is full, these members will have available a store front they can use for again bandwidth cost spread out over all the members.. So in a few years we all will enjoy low listing costs with little to no selling fees or extras. This low cost fee structure will be for members only, but we will open up the multivendor store to the public at a rate that will be more than co op members cost, creating some profit, which we will plow back into thrift store advertising to find more stuff for members to sell. As members add more products to their stores we become a larger ecommerce platform and there will be a tipping point where the general public notices and we will then go main stream. Finally people who sell online will control or at the very least cause disruptive competition to those platforms we presently sell on. Our ecommerce will be ran by people who sell online so we will always do the right thing in progressing our ecommerce system, instead of profit hungry executives who have never sold anything online in their life, that keep trying to milk us all for fees.
Here’s How To Join
If you would like to join our co operative thrift store network please read through our terms of agreement below and fill out the contact form and send it. You will also be required to subscribe to our newsletter so once you are done on this page go there and subscribe. We will be looking for your subscription to the newsletter as a key element of membership requirements, so we can process your request further. We do vet each applicant and may be contacting you for more information about your thrift/reselling business to make sure you are a good fit for our network.
General Terms: VTR’s = Virtual Thrift co op Representative (short form)
VTC = Virtual Thrift co operative network (short form) DC’s= Donating Clients (short form)
The VTR’s are stand alone thrift resellers located across North America and beyond who have agreed to join our VTC network by agreeing to this “TERMS OF AGREEMENT” document.
The VTC is an organizing entity, operating as a virtual online website to allow the general public to contact members creating a free public service of picking up donations for resale.
This section is all about how DC’s and VTR’s conduct when meeting for a pick up donation. There are a number of items to consider.
- Due to covid issues a mask should be worn when meeting or put on even if you maintain social distances until we are past this pandemic situation.
- No matter what anyone’s stance is on the pandemic always respect the DC’s wishes in regards to covid protocol and they should respect the VTR;s stance as well.
- VTR’s should make contact with the DC’s by phone call if possible to figure out if the pick up involves curb side only or requires entering a dwelling. It will be VTR;s choice alone along with DC;s to mutually agree and take responsibility as to what VTR;s may or may not do at a donation site. The VTC will not be held responsible for any future health issues that may arise for the DC’s, VTR’s, or others socially associated with either party like family friends or anyone else they come in contact with. .
- If DC’s invites a VTR’s into their dwelling to see other stuff, a print out of this agreement which is for the benefit of both parties should be signed . VTR’s should get the DC’s to sign off agreeing to this document in full. VTR’s should have this printed out at the ready for each new client visit. Have it signed ahead of time so it can be signed quickly. Signing this document releases both parties from being sued for any future health damages as explained in #3 above.
- If there are items inside the dwelling that are hard fastened or connected to a wall/ceiling with bolts or screws, electricity, gas or water/sewer connections, VTR’s should have DC’s hire and get the appropriate contractor ahead of pick ups, to disconnect the item DC’s want VTR’s to remove as a donation. Unless VTR’s are licensed to disconnect these items, and in good standing with government laws of the area, VTR’s should refrain from tasks of this type. If VTR’s do remove any bolts or screws, which often times do not require licensing for basic pictures on a wall, television mounts, curtain rods etc. this signed agreement notifies the DC’s that if they give verbal permission to remove screws and bolts or other fasteners that may create damage like holes in walls or ceilings, damaging drywall, plaster, wood trim, or anything else in general of the dwelling, the VTR’s and the VTC in general will not be held responsible for damages. The signing of this agreement by DC’s releases all VTR’s who may enter the donating dwelling multiple times as well as VTR sub contractors who may be used for lifting heavy items like appliances or large furniture items.
- DC’s realize this is a thrifting reselling enterprise and not a method to dispose of items that would be considered regular garbage. Items such as paints, solvents, and other toxic materials are not something VTR’s should take. VTR’s may refuse donations of this nature. Items donated must have resale value. This is always an arbitrary situation but common sense should prevail as a mutual agreement between DC’s and VTR’s as to value of an item and if it is worthy of being taken or should be disposed of by the DC’s. If the DC’s are wanting a complete estate clear out there may be cause to get a temporary dumpster. DC’s would be required to pay for a dumpster up front so VTR’s can dispose of items properly. All costs associated with a dumpster including dumping fees are the responsibility of the DC’s.
- VTR’s are required as a member of the VTC network to donate a portion of profits from resale of items to a charity in the area where the DC’s reside. VTR’s should make a simple video with a charity rep each time a donation to charity is made so that there is proof of this important principle taking place. As well VTR’s must provide this video to the VTC . A simple cell phone video will suffice. VTC and VTR’s will figure out the best method to transfer the file over the internet.
- All donated items once removed from the DC’s property become the sole property of the VTR. The VTR can give away items to people in need, resell online for profit or reuse or repurpose items to create value for resale. The VTR in short can do what they desire with donated items.
- The VTR is solely responsible for any taxes owed to the government of their province or state as well as federally with the country they reside in following all laws applicable. The VTC is not responsible in any way for VTR’s taxes owed or any dealings the VTR has created.
- The VTC has the right to remove any member from the co operative membership and website based on complaints from the general public or other members of the VTC.
- VTR’s will be assigned their area of operations by the VTC , but it is a general rule. As VTR’s are contacted for pick ups they may at their discretion allow another VTR the opportunity to pick up. The subsequent VTR will also follow this TERMS OF AGREEMENT.
- As the VTC grows there may be two or more VTR;s for a given area but this will be decided with consulting the present VTR;s if any exist in the given area. The idea is to not saturate an area with VTR’s.
- VTR’s do not own the rights in any way to a VTC geographic area and can not sell it as an owned right. All areas are controlled by the VTC as a whole.
- The ownership of VTC reserves the right to add, change, amend or alter this agreement in any way that best serves the operation of VTC. Changes made will be sent out via the newsletter which all members of the VTC must subscribe to as a prerequisite of membership.
To Join Virtual Thrift Stores Co-operative Network of Thrift/Resellers Please Read the Terms of Agreement Above.Fill out the form below and we will be in contact within a day or so.Please let us know what ecommerce stores you operate as well as how long you have been a thrift reseller. Also if you know any members of the co-op let us know.