Frequently Asked Questions
What charities do you represent?
How do the charities benefit from my used clothing donation?
Each charity sells all the collected donations (in bulk; sight unseen) to thrift, consignment and/or resale operators. The resulting revenue is used to fund their important programs and services.
What is your role?
We are a for-profit business that has been providing trucking and related services on behalf of charitable organizations in the greater Chicagoland, Northwest Indiana, and Cleveland regions for more than 40 years.
How do the charities benefit?
By utilizing our dedicated services and trucking expertise, our charity clients save on the high cost of both soliciting clothing donations (by mail or phone) and making the pickups themselves … and instead can focus on their mission and programs.
How are you different from other such services?
Our CharityPickupService.com site allows donors to schedule their own pickup and select from the collection date options as well as choose which charity to benefit whenever they have items to donate … and not wait for a post card to arrive in the mail or someone to call them.
Do you take furniture or large appliances?
We only collect small furniture items (e.g., end table, stool or chair), essentially what one person – our driver – can carry. Unfortunately, we cannot take large furniture or appliances or the like. Please click here for a complete list of donations we collect and cannot collect.
Where should I place my donations?
Whatever location will be clearly visible to our driver from the street is most preferred. Depending on your neighborhood (or street), this could be curbside, by the front door, on the front porch or on the driveway. Also be sure to label each item with the name of the charity, and have your donations available for pickup by 7:00am on the scheduled pickup day.
Do you pickup from clothing drives or after estate or garage sales?
Yes … anything that is reusable. Please click on “Contact Us” and provide us with whatever information you may have (event type; location/address; potential quantity) and we will respond back within a business day or less with confirmation.
What should I do if I enter my zip code and address and then it says “sorry, we do not service your area?
Should this occur, please click on “Contact Us” to inquire if we can possibly still make a pickup in your area. We will respond back within a business day or less. Or, you can call 877-337-3873 and select the “Schedule a Pickup” prompt on our automated attendant menu options.
What should I do if all the potential pickup dates offered still are not soon enough given my need? Can I ever get an earlier pickup date?
Due to gas prices and the overall cost of dispatching trucks daily, we run pre-determined schedules set weeks in advance. However, we do try to make special accommodations when/where such a need and the quantity of donations dictate. To inquire about a possible “special” pickup, please click on “Contact Us” or you can call 877-337-3873 and select the “Schedule a Pickup” prompt on our automated attendant menu options.
When can I expect my donations will be collected?
Our donation collections take place all day. Depending on where your address is on that day’s route, your items could be collected as early as 7 a.m. or not until mid to late afternoon.
If the weather is really bad, should I still put out my donations?
Yes! We provide donation pickup service rain or shine! When bad weather does occur, please try to protect your donations (e.g., put them in plastic bags). If there are severe weather conditions that might impact our ability to send our trucks out (such as last winter’s blizzard), please click on our Donation Pickup Weather Policy (link needed) for more information.
How can I get a tax receipt?
You can print out your own receipt by clicking on the links below or you can call 877-337-3873 and select the “Request a Tax Receipt” prompt on our automated attendant menu options to have one mailed to you.
How can I report a “missed pickup” or “cancel a pickup” previously scheduled?
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