1. The Two Pricing Tiers
How your Reservation is charged depends on the item’s price:
Tier A: Final Sale (under $75)
Items priced at $74.99 or less are charged to your payment method in full at the moment you confirm the Reservation. These items are final sale: they are not eligible for a refund through ZipThrifter once the Reservation is placed. The Store’s own in-person exchange or return policies, if any, still apply once you pick up the item.
Tier B: Manual Capture ($75 and above)
Items priced at $75.00 or more are authorized against your payment method when you confirm the Reservation, but not actually charged until you pick the item up. You have five (5) store-open days to inspect and pick up the item. If you cancel the Reservation before pickup, the authorization is released and no money changes hands (your bank may take 1–7 days to remove the pending hold).
2. The Pickup Window
Unless a Listing states otherwise, every Reservation gets a 5 store-open day pickup window that starts the moment you confirm. A “store-open day” counts any day the Store is open for business; days the Store is closed are not counted toward the window.
You can see your exact pickup deadline in your account drawer under Hauls, and it’s repeated in the reservation confirmation email.
3. How to Cancel a Reservation
3.1 Shopper-Initiated Cancellation (Before Pickup)
You can cancel an unpicked-up Reservation at any time before the pickup deadline:
- Tier B (manual capture, $75+): the authorization on your card is released. No charge is made. The hold may take 1–7 business days to clear from your account, depending on your bank.
- Tier A (final sale, under $75): the Reservation cannot be cancelled for a refund. The Store may, at its sole discretion, accept the item back for credit or refund under its own policy; ZipThrifter does not control that decision.
To cancel, open the Reservation in your Hauls tab and tap Cancel, or email help@zipthrifter.com with your order number.
3.2 Store-Initiated Cancellation
A Store may cancel a Reservation if the item is damaged, lost, mis-listed, or otherwise unavailable. When a Store cancels:
- Tier B: the authorization on your card is released. No charge is made.
- Tier A: ZipThrifter will refund the full amount (item price plus any taxes you paid) to your original payment method. Refunds typically arrive in 5–10 business days.
You will receive an email notification when a Store cancels, including the reason the Store provided. If the cancellation was caused by a misrepresentation in the Listing (for example, an item described as “like new” that turns out to be damaged), please report it to help@zipthrifter.com so we can review the Store’s conduct under our Acceptable Use Policy.
3.3 ZipThrifter-Initiated Cancellation
We may cancel a Reservation if we detect fraud, abuse, a violation of our Terms, or a payment failure. When that happens, you will receive an email explaining the cancellation. Refund handling follows the rules in Sections 3.2 above.
4. No-Show Fees
If you do not pick up a Tier B Reservation by the deadline, a non-refundable reservation and restocking fee equal to twenty-two percent (22%) of the item price plus $0.75 will be charged to your payment method, and the item will be returned to inventory.
The no-show fee compensates the Store for holding the item out of inventory during the pickup window and covers the cost of payment processing on the partial capture. The fee is disclosed at checkout before you confirm a Tier B Reservation.
Tier A Reservations are already charged in full; the same items are forfeited (not handed over) if you do not arrive within the pickup window. The Store may, at its discretion, hold the item for a longer period as a courtesy, but is not required to do so.
The 22% + $0.75 fee structure has been chosen to cover Stripe processing on the partial capture plus a modest restocking cost.
5. Item Inspection at Pickup
Most resale and second-hand items are sold “as-is” and may carry signs of prior use. We strongly recommend that you inspect the item at the Store before completing pickup.
If, on inspection at pickup, you find that the item is materially different from the Listing (e.g., described as “working” but does not function; described as “clean” but heavily stained; size mismatched from the description) you may refuse pickup. The Store will then mark the Reservation as cancelled and you will not be charged (Tier B) or you will receive a full refund (Tier A). Walk away with the receipt and report the discrepancy to help@zipthrifter.com within 48 hours so we can investigate.
Once you accept pickup and leave the Store with the item, the sale is complete and refunds are at the Store’s sole discretion under its own in-person policies.
6. Multi-Store Carts
If your cart includes items from more than one Store, each item is treated as a separate Reservation:
- Each Store gets its own pickup window starting at the time of Reservation.
- You can pick up items from one Store and cancel items from another. The cancellation rules in Section 3 apply to each Reservation individually.
- Sales tax (where applicable) is calculated on a per-Store basis.
7. Partial Pickups
If you reserved multiple items from the same Store and only some are available at pickup (for example, one item is damaged and the Store cancels just that one), you can still pick up the available items. The Reservation will be partially captured for only those items, and any unavailable items will be cancelled with the refund rules in Section 3.2.
8. Payment Disputes and Chargebacks
If you believe a charge on your card is incorrect, please contact help@zipthrifter.com first. We can usually resolve disputes faster than your bank can, and we maintain an audit trail of every Reservation and pickup.
Filing a chargeback without contacting us first may result in suspension of your account pending the dispute’s resolution.
9. Refund Processing Times
- Authorization releases (Tier B cancellations): typically 1–7 business days, depending on your bank.
- Refunds to the original payment method (Tier A cancellations): typically 5–10 business days.
- Refunds for items returned in person after pickup: handled by the Store under its own policy; ZipThrifter may facilitate Stripe refunds at the Store’s request.
10. Hype Rack & Service Subscriptions
The Hype Rack content surfaces and any community features are provided as part of using ZipThrifter at no additional charge. No fees are collected for these features, so this Policy’s refund mechanics do not apply.
11. North Carolina Consumer Rights
Nothing in this Policy limits any non-waivable consumer right you have under the North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (NCGS Chapter 75) or under federal consumer-protection law.
12. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. Reservations placed before a material change are governed by the Policy in effect at the time of the Reservation. The version in effect at any given time is the version posted at zipthrifter.com/refund-policy.
13. Contact
Need help with a refund, cancellation, or dispute? Email help@zipthrifter.com and include your order number. We aim to respond within one business day.