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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
What is A Greater Gift?
What does SERRV stand for?
How did A Greater Gift/SERRV International start?
Does A Greater Gift/SERRV International have a religious affiliation?
What does it mean to pay fairly for products?
What is fair trade?
Do fair trade goods cost more than conventional goods?
CUSTOMER SERVICE
How long does it take to receive my order?
Why is the item I want out of stock?
Do you have gift certificates? How do gift certificates work?
I do not live in the United States. Can I still buy from you?
What are my payment options?
How do A Greater Gift Sales work?
Can I have 10 (or 20, or 50, or 100) catalogs for my event?
Can I list my store or sale on your web site?
GENERAL
What is A Greater Gift?
A Greater Gift is the product marketing program of SERRV International, a nonprofit alternative trade and development organization. Our mission is to promote the social and economic progress of people in developing regions of the world by marketing their products in a just and direct manner.
What does SERRV stand for?
SERRV stood for “Sales Exchange for Refugee Rehabilitation and Vocation.” Because our mission has expanded so much since our beginning, we use the acronym in reference to our organization.
How did A Greater Gift/SERRV International start?
SERRV International was started by the Church of the Brethren in 1949 to help refugees in Europe recover economically and socially from World War II. In 1999, we became an independent nonprofit trade and development organization, and in 2004, we adopted the marketing identity, A Greater Gift.
Does A Greater Gift/SERRV International have a religious affiliation?
We are an independent non-affiliated nonprofit, although we were originally a service program of the Church of the Brethren, a protestant Christian denomination. We have partnership programs with Catholic Relief Services and Lutheran World Relief and work closely with a variety of other denominations
What does it mean to pay fairly for products?
We purchase our products at prices which are set by our artisan and farmer partners. We assist younger groups to learn costing that takes into account all the time and materials used in the process. We strive to ensure all of our partners are making a living wage. With the product mark-up, we pay for international shipping, customs fees, warehouse rent, product development and other forms of assistance, marketing, customer service, fulfillment, discounts for resellers and more.
What is fair trade?
All of the items we carry are fairly traded, which means that we participate in a system that not only aims to pay fair wages, but also creates long-term, direct trading relationships based on dialogue, transparency, equity and respect. Fair trade is not about charity; it uses a fair system of exchange to empower producers to develop their own businesses and to foster sustainable development. We follow a set of internationally-accepted fair trade principles and practices that are designed to improve the livelihood of low-income people through alternative trade:
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Transparency and long-term relationships
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Commitment to fair pay for labor
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Employee involvement in decision making
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Prepayments available on request
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Capacity building for long-term impact
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Equal opportunity for women
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Concern for the environment
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Respect for cultural identity
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Reasonable working conditions
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No child exploitation
Do fair trade goods cost more than conventional goods?
They don’t have to! Fair trade products are usually priced competitively in the market. Because they are handcrafted, they may cost more than some mass-produced, lower quality items that you can buy elsewhere.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
How long does it take to receive my order?
We will ship your order within 3-5 business days after receipt if not sooner, and ground and expedited shipping methods are available. Please allow more time for processing during December.
Why is the item I want out of stock?
Our artisan partners work under conditions that we can hardly imagine. Power outages, lack of raw materials, unreliable transportation, floods, cyclones, and droughts can all cause unexpected delays in the delivery of their handcrafts to us. In addition, the handcrafted nature of our products means a longer turn-around time for reorders. This means that products you order from A Greater Gift may sometimes be out of stock.
View our back order policy.
Do you have gift certificates? How do gift certificates work?
You can order Gift Certificates in $25, $50, $75, and $100 values on our web site. When you order a gift certificate online, we send a letter with an official gift certificate number and a current catalog directly to your gift recipient by first class mail. To order a different gift certificate value, please place your order by phone at 1.800.422.5915.
Learn more about gift certificates.
I do not live in the United States. Can I still buy from you?
We ship regular individual orders to the United States, U.S. territories and Canada. We ship orders from retail store customers and wholesale resellers to the United States and the U.S. territories. Please call Customer Service at 1.800.423.0071 for more information about shipping locations and rates.
View the shipping table for individual orders within the United States.
What are my payment options?
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover Card, money orders, and personal checks. All credit card orders must be a minimum of $15.00 (before shipping).
If you wish to pay by check or money order, you may use either the order form in your catalog or print your online order from the check out page and mail it in. Make checks and money orders payable to A Greater Gift.
How do A Greater Gift Sales work?
You or your organization can host a sale of A Greater Gift items in your community. These sales are usually one-time events that are fun to hold on their own or in combination with another event. By submitting a few forms, placing an order, and selling the products, you are doing the invaluable hands-on work to help create employment for disadvantaged artisans and farmers in 36 countries. There are a few options for you to choose from, including a risk-free consignment option where you choose from a selection of almost 300 products and a wholesale option featuring many more products and a larger discount.
Learn more about A Greater Gift Sales.
Can I have 10 (or 20, or 50, or 100) catalogs for my event?
Printing and mailing catalogs is very expensive. To make the most effective use of our resources, only the first two catalogs are complimentary. You can order additional catalogs in groups of five or 10 for $1 each.
Order extra catalogs.
Can I list my store or sale on your web site?
If you sell A Greater Gift products and demonstrate an interest in fair trade, we would be happy to include you on our site! Just email marketing@agreatergift.org or call 888.243.4423 to give us the details. Include the name of your store or event, a full address, a phone number for customers to contact you and the dates and times of the event (for A Greater Gift Sales).
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| I thank you for looking for a partner here. We were thinking we were useless but now we are no longer useless. - Venantie - Jyambere Mutegarugori, Rwanda. |
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