Frequently Asked Questions

The Q&A of the thrift store world.

This is important information that can help thrift stores thrive in their communities.

1.  What determines the price of the acceptable items?

            The prices paid are based on several different criteria. These include market price, transportation cost, unloading cost, sorting cost, item quality, and disposal volume.

            The Market price fluctuates based on supply and demand. Value Clothing tries to establish a base price and keep it as close to that as possible, so that thrift stores are not bothered by the volatility of the market.

            Transportation cost is based on the pounds recovered and mileage from the thrift store's location to Salisbury, NC. There is not much control over the mileage. However, it may be possible to increase the thrift store's revenue by saving on freight. That depends mostly on the store's ability to fill the trailer with good, usable items and pack the trailer to its maximum capacity. Keep in mind that the size of the trailer and frequency can affect this cost. 

            Unloading cost is related to the way the store packs and packages the trailer. Packing a trailer correctly enables the unloader to handle the items safely, quickly, and efficiently. If all the items are separated correctly and in the proper packaging, the thrift store will receive the most revenue. If it takes Value Clothing's crew too long to unload the trailer, the cost is passed on to the thrift store.

            Sorting cost is a big part of pricing due to the labor it consumes. As the trailer is being unloaded in the dock area, a pre-sort is done. This is when the clothing goes one way, and all the other items go another way. Anything that is not bagged as clothing is sent to a sorting conveyor, where it is categorized and packaged for shipping. A lot of items that are sorted on this line are of little to no value. With these items possibly being trash, it costs us a great deal to get rid of them. Imagine paying 5 employees to sort through 2,000 pounds of items and only recovering 1,200 pounds of sellable/usable material.

            The Quality of the products that we receive is very important to maintain a good level of return. When we put in all the above expenses into producing a product, and the product does not bring market value, it is a strain on the overall business. Please keep in mind that we are exporting these items overseas to countries less fortunate, and that these items are to be reused, not recycled.

            The Amount of disposal is anything that has to go to the landfill. The landfill cost is substantial enough, but when you add in the cost to transport it in, unload it, sort it, transport it out, and pay to dump it, trash becomes a huge burden.

            All of these costs must be considered when quoting prices to any thrift store. Keeping in mind that if a thrift store is quoted a price in January and it is April before they have the trailer ready to be switched out, the market price may have changed.

2.  What items does Value Clothing accept?

          Usable wearable clothing, household textiles (linens, etc.), paired shoes, purses, belts, and small hard or soft non-broken toys. All of the products we sell to our customers must be usable or wearable. We are not a recycler but an exporter who sells the product to a consumer who reuses it.

3.  What items does Value Clothing accept?

          Here are some Do's and some Don'ts of the products we accept. 

          The items we DO accept are...

• Clothes, linens, towels - Please remove hangers from clothing.
• Paired shoes
• Small handheld toys (soft and hard)
• Purses & Belts
• Small bookbags/backpacks
• Dishes, cups, saucers, salt and pepper shakers, mixing bowls (metal or glass, No plastics)

          The items we DO NOT accept are...

• No suitcases
• No picture frames or mirrors
• No electric or electronic items
• No media items (LPs, cassettes, CDs, or VHS)
• No hangers
• No baskets (plastic or wicker)
• No pillows of any size
• No books

4.  How does Value Clothing expect the acceptable items to be packaged in the trailer?

• The clothes & household textiles (linens and towels) should be bagged or baled. These items can be bagged or baled together.
• Shoes, purses, belts, and small soft or hard toys should be bagged. Separately would be preferred.
• Dishes, cups, saucers, salt and pepper shakers, mixing bowls (metal or glass, no plastics). These items can be boxed.

          When bagging the product, we prefer that the thrift store use 25- to 35-gallon trash bags.

5.  Does Value Clothing accept BOOKS or other paper products?

          No. Due to the massive drop in the paper market, we are unable to take any books or paper products. It has become too expensive for our company to transport, handle, and pay to dispose of the books.

6.  Is there a minimum weight that Value Clothing expects to be loaded on the trailer when it is returned to them?

          Yes. Value Clothing requires the following minimum weight to be loaded on the corresponding trailer size.

• 28' trailer requires a minimum weight of 9,000 lbs.
• 45' trailer requires a minimum weight of 14,445 lbs.
• 48' trailer requires a minimum weight of 15,408 lbs.
• 53' trailer requires a minimum weight of 17,013 lbs.

          There will be a fuel fee assessed for trailers that are switched out and returned to our warehouse with less than the required weight on them.

7.   Does Value Clothing currently have and operate a thrift store?

          No. We do not have or operate a thrift store, but we have served hundreds of thrift stores with our decades of experience.

8.   Does Value Clothing or R J Transports charge for freight pickup and drop-off? 

If you have any questions that were not addressed here, please feel free to contact us.