FAQs

The answers to your questions

How it works

Common Threads is an online clothing renting and lending platform designed for college students, by college students. We know how busy college life is, and that you don't always have the time, money, or closet space to keep updating your look.

Our platform allows you to borrow clothes from a shared campus closet, so you can look and feel your best, no matter what the occasion. We’re constantly uploading new styles from featured brands and our members, so you never get bored of your clothes again!

While we cater towards the college student (specifically those at Duke University), our platform is open to all our fashion-forward, sustainable besties.

Our rentals start at only $25 and can vary based on the purchase price of the item at the time you rent it.

Renting + buying

It's easy! Once you create your account, add items directly to your cart or favorite them to save to your wishlist. When you're ready, simply follow the steps at checkout to complete the order. Your clothes are on their way!

Note: Items added to your wishlist do not mean they are reserved or queued in a waitlist.

Any item you rent from our store is yours for the next two weeks!

We totally understand — some things you just can't live without! The good news is you can buy most of the items you have out on rent by logging into your account, heading to Rentals, and clicking the buy button next to the item you want to keep. Et voilà, it's yours! Please be aware that all rental purchases are final sale, and will not be eligible for return.

Missing a buy button for one of your rentals? This means that the item’s owner chose not to make it available for sale and that the item is not eligible for purchase.

The purchase price of our rentals is dynamic and dependent upon a variety of factors, such as trends, demand, seasonality, condition, etc. Therefore, the purchase price may not align with the retail selling price of the item on other platforms or in stores.

We got you, bestie! Once your order is delivered, you have 24 hours to submit a Fit Return and schedule your return pickup. You'll be refunded the Rental Fee minus a $5 handling fee for local delivery. If your order was shipped to you being outside our 10-mile radius, you'll be refunded the Rental Fee minus the shipping cost.

To make a Fit Return, simply head to Rentals in your account, click return for the item that doesn’t fit, and choose didn’t fit as the reason for your return. Once you click submit, you have 24 hours to make your return.

Note: If you're shipping back your Fit Return, your Fit Return is considered returned once scanned by USPS or the shipping courier of your choice.

As soon as you place your order, our team works hard to get your rentals ready to be in your hands as quickly as possible. Most orders are delivered within 1-2 business days, or even the same day the order is placed. If you’d like to cancel your order for any reason, we ask that you do so before your order leaves our warehouse i.e. your rental status is ordered.

To cancel your order, please contact us using our online form or shoot us an email at info@commonthreads.com.

For each item you rent, you can choose to add $5 Rental Insurance to cover damages worth up to $50 in value. Rental Insurance protects you against minor damage such as spills, tears, rips, broken zippers, loose buttons, etc. 

To buy one of your rentals, log into your account and go to Rentals. Click buy next to the item you’d like to keep, then follow the steps at checkout to complete your order! 

Missing a buy button for one of your rentals? This means that the item’s owner chose not to make it available for sale and that the item is not eligible for purchase.

Please be aware that all purchases are final sale.

This means that the item’s owner chose not to make it available for sale and that the item is not eligible for purchase.

Shipping + returns

1. From your account, head to Rentals and click return next to the item(s) you’d like to send back. Answer a couple of quick questions, then click submit. 

2. Pack up your returns in the bag they were delivered in. No washing or dry-cleaning required! If you attached the shoulder strap to the outside of the bag, please put this back in the bag as well.

If you live within a 10-mile radius of Duke University:

3. Leave your return outside your door for pickup. All returns must be outside your door by 10am.

If you live outside a 10-mile radius of Duke University:

3. Remove the pre-paid return label from the envelope inside your bag and slide it into the exterior pocket, then take your bag to the courier on your label to complete your return!

For more help on returning your rentals, visit our return guide.

We’ll take care of all that! Just throw your rental items back in the bag they were delivered in after you submitted your return from your account. Once we receive your returns, we’ll make sure they’re professionally cleaned with our partners at Laundrymen before they’re re-listed on our store.

Shipping and returns are free! You’ll only be responsible for the cost of shipping or returns if your order is being delivered outside our 10-mile radius from Duke University or if you choose to return your rentals with a different courier than the one on your pre-paid return label that came with your order.

Yes, you can still return your rental up to 3 days following the item’s Return Date.

When items are returned to us late, it means the next person who was hoping to wear that style no longer can in the time frame they were planning on. We charge a late fee of $25 per day for the 3 late days following the item’s Return Date. If the item has still not been returned to us by the fourth late day, the item will be considered a non-return and your Wallet will be charged with the current purchase price of the non-returned item plus sales tax.

All purchases are final sale. However, you can always re-list an item you’ve purchased if you decide you’re no longer feeling it! 

Note: We cannot guarantee your purchased item will be approved for listing even if it has been approved in the past.

After logging in, head to Profile in your account and scroll down to the shipping address section. Click edit to change your delivery address. Make sure you click update to save your changes!

As of right now, we have a strict 2-week rental window in which you can return your rental at any time. We’ve found that this window is the perfect balance between renting items without the pressure of an immediate deadline while preventing items from staying with one customer for too long so that it can be loved by others in our community.

Lending + getting paid

You came to the right place, bestie! To lend your clothes, head to Listings in your account and click add new listing. You’ll then be required to fill out our Listing Application form (don’t worry, it’ll only take a minute or two) so that we can make sure your item is a good candidate for our online closet. When you’ve completed the form, click submit.

We’ll review your application within the next 1-2 business days and you’ll receive an email with our decision. You can also view the status of your listings right from your account!

The beauty of Common Threads is that you retain ownership of your listings, meaning that you can reclaim your listed items whenever you’d like (as long as they’re not currently out on rent).

From the Listings page of your account, click reclaim next to any listing with a listed status. We’ll start working on getting your item back to you as soon as we can!

Once your Listing Application is approved, we'll contact you to schedule a pickup if you live within a 10-mile radius from Duke University. If you live outside our 10-mile radius, we'll send you a pre-paid label for you to ship us your approved listing(s).

Once you’ve shipped your item, click item was shipped from the listing’s details page in your account.

You get paid whenever your listings are rented or purchased by another customer! Your earnings will be added to your Wallet once we have processed their return or after your listings have been purchased.

You can apply your earnings towards items you choose to rent or buy.

When applicable, you’ll see the available credit from your Wallet on the cart page before checkout. To apply your credit towards your order, click create discount code and then click copy to enter the discount code at checkout.

Withdraw your credit at any time by heading to your Wallet in your account. From there, you’ll be able to view your current balance and your transaction history, as well as cash out to your PayPal or Venmo account. Simply choose the account destination, enter the amount you wish to withdraw, and click transfer. Your earnings are on their way!

If you're unable to withdraw your earnings from your Wallet, it's because you have outstanding invoices that require your attention. Please check your email or contact us at info@commonthreads.com

Cleaning + repairs

We use state-of-the-art technology and partner with the professional cleaners at Laundrymen to make sure your rentals are sparkling clean when they arrive at your door. 

If your rental is damaged while in your possession, we kindly ask that you do not attempt to repair it yourself and return it to us as usual. If we notice any damage in need of repair upon return of your rental and you did not protect it with Rental Insurance, the cost of repair will be deducted from the balance available in your Wallet. If the cost of repair is greater than $50 or the item is damaged beyond repair, your Wallet will be charged accordingly regardless of whether or not you rented it with Rental Insurance.

If you do not have sufficient funds in your Wallet to cover the cost of repair or other charges, you will be sent an invoice with the outstanding balance.

Oh no! We’re so sorry to hear your item did not arrive in tip-top shape. We do our best to inspect all items when they arrive at our warehouse, and to only approve listings that are in excellent condition. In the event we missed something, please head to Rentals in your account and click return for the damaged item. Choose arrived damaged as the reason for your return and describe the damage in the return note. Once you submit the return, follow the regular return instructions to send your item back.

Unless you have purchased them, we kindly ask that you do not alter your rental items. Please keep in mind that many of the items on our store are actually lended by your classmates, and that each item should be treated with the same care and respect that you’d expect your items to be treated with.