FAQs
How do I give clothes to consign or donate?
Fill up a bag with clean clothes and drop it off at the designated location in participating residential colleges. There, you'll find labels that you can fill out with your name, email, and Venmo (for consignment), and tape on your bag. If you're donating, we'll arrange to hand off your bag to our New Haven partner, Loaves and Fishes. If you're consigning, we'll sort and sell your clothes for you, and when they sell, we'll Venmo you up to 70% of the selling price back while the remainder will be put into a pool of funds used to give all FGLI buyers a flat discount rate of 30% off all orders. Clothes that aren't sold after 2 weeks will get donated to our partner Loaves & Fishes, so that instead of sitting around unused in your closet, they can be re-loved by the community.
Who can participate in this project?
We are welcoming clothing from all Yale-affiliated students, from any residential college or program. If the drop-off sites pose an accessibility issue to you, please email us at info@commonclosetyale.com so we can assist you.
Where are the designated locations for drop-off and pick-up?
In Morse, it's by the dining hall entrance.
In Saybrook, it's in the Lyceum, open from 10am-4pm, Tuesday through Thursday.
In Davenport, it's at the top of the stairs, above the dining hall entrance and right before you go into the library. In Silliman, it's in Byer's Hall, on the way to the dining hall.
In Franklin, it's by the vending machines in the basement.
In JE, it's in the buttery.
Students from other colleges are encouraged to drop off clothes at the most convenient location.
How are clothes priced?
We'll sort clothes by category (shirt, pants, etc.), style (everyday brands versus high-end brands), and quality (like new versus gently used). Then we follow this pricing chart, which we came up with by taking the average pricing guides from other thrift stores like Goodwill. You're also welcome to price some or all of your clothes manually by writing out item descriptions and prices on a piece of paper and placing the piece of paper inside your bag.
How do I pay?
Pay by Venmoing us @commonclosetyale, and we'll send email you a confirmation of your order soon after. No credit card info necessary. If you don't have a Venmo and this poses a barrier to using Common Closet, just email us and we will figure it out on a case-by-case basis.
Can I try clothes or return clothes?
Unfortunately, we can't accept returns, but you can always re-sell any purchases that don't turn out the way you want by consigning them with us again. If you would like to try on clothes before purchasing, you can drop by our processing location (YHHAP Room in Dwight Hall) during our working hours, 2-6 pm every Saturday and 10-12pm every Sunday.
When and where will the clothes be delivered?
Clothes will be delivered to the drop-off/pick-up location at the participating colleges over the weekend after you make your purchase. They'll be labelled with your name and your purchases, and you can pick them up whenever.