Where are you located and how many locations do you have?
We have three locations! The Seattle store is in the SoDo district, about 5 minutes south of the stadiums at 3447 4th Ave S. In July 2014 we opened our Tacoma location in East Tacoma at a vintage sawmill. It is at this location where we mill our vintage beams into all the remilled lumber you can find at the stores. Earthwise opened our third location in Aberdeen WA in July 2018. We are excited to be offering our salvage services and reclaimed materials all along Western Washington.
Are you open to the public?
We sure are! All three locations (Seattle, Tacoma, and Aberdeen) are open to the public every day of the week (Minus a few holidays!), 9:30am-5:30pm.
Can I place an item(s) on hold?
Of course! Earthwise offers 24 hour holds. You can place an item on hold either in person or over the phone. The hold is in effect for 24 hours from the moment you place it on hold. If the item you’re wanting to hold has multiple holds on it from other customers, your hold will start after the other hold(s) expire. You can extend your hold once as long as no other holds have been placed on the item. After the extended hold expires, the item must be off hold for 24 hours before it is placed on hold again.
What is the best way to contact Earthwise?
We can be reached by phone or email. If you are looking for a quick response, questions about inventory, or want to place an item on hold give us a call.
Seattle 206-624-4510
Tacoma 253-476-7837
Aberdeen 360-637-9324
We answer all emails within 24 hours. Please email us at:
Seattle@ewsalvage.com
Tacoma@ewsalvage.com
Aberdeen@ewsalvage.com
To contact the salvage department about a project and how to utilize our free salvage services please email paul@ewsalvage.com.
Can I shop your inventory online?
Yes! After years of customer feedback, we created an online inventory. The inventory went live Oct of 2017; our goal is to get 90% of all three stores inventory online so you can shop from the comfort of your couch. Currently, we are focused on getting all new inventory uploaded to the website within 24 hours of coming off the truck!
Why are the inventory item descriptions so vague?
We process large volumes of salvaged items daily. In addition to these new items we are working on years of back stock that makes up our stores. We rely on an inventory process that is streamlined for efficiency. The items get categorized and bar-coded. We add pictures and dimensions as needed to help with a basic understanding of the item. Many of our materials have rich stories that we’d be happy to tell you about when you visit us at our locations!
When working with salvage it is always best to examine the item personally so you are aware of its condition.
I see an item on your website, is it available and in stock?
Yes – unless marked “Sold” or “On Hold”. Since our online inventory is new (released in Oct 2017) we are updating our selection constantly. Items can be placed on hold for 24 hours, at which time they will be released.
If there is an item you want to place on hold or receive information on availability you can call us at 206-624-4510, Seattle, 253-476-7837, Tacoma, or 360-637-9324, Aberdeen.
Why don’t you sell items directly from your website?
Our website is designed to be a catalog of items currently available at our retail locations. Our stores and website are geared toward local customers. Due to the unique nature and variable condition of many of our items, we recommend that purchases be made in person so that items may be personally inspected for suitability.
Do you rent your items?
Yes. Rentals are a great way for people to use our items in their projects without having to purchase them. People who benefit from rentals are theater groups, set designers, trade shows, weddings, or photographers.
Here is our rental policy:
- Customer must rent a minimum of $250 retail value of items
- Customer will pay the full retail cost of the items upon rental, but will receive a refund of:
- 50% of the total if returned within 30 days of rental
- 20% of the total if returned AFTER 30 days
- If item is returned damaged or broken, renter will be responsible for paying full retail price of said item.
- Earthwise reserves the right to refuse rentals of certain items
What kind of payments do you take?
We take cash and major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover). We also deal in trade, so feel free to inquire about materials you want to bring in to our shops or have picked up for in-store credit. Store credit is as good as cash, redeemable at all three locations and never expires!
Can I pay over the phone?
While we can take payments over the phone we strongly encourage you to personally inspect all items before purchasing.
We accept credit card or store credit as payment for purchases made over the phone.
All phone purchases must be picked up within 7 days of payment. If when picking up your item, you find it is not to your satisfaction and it is within our return window (2 weeks, with a receipt), you may return the item for a full refund.
Can I leave my purchased item(s) at Earthwise? If so, how long can my item(s) stay at the store before I need to pick it up?
Yes. Earthwise offers complimentary storage of purchased items at the store for 7 days. We are happy to extend this by a day or two provided the customer communicates that need to us. After the first week, each item is subject to a strict $5/day storage fee. After a month, the item is considered abandoned and it is property of Earthwise again.
Can I return items?
All returns must have the receipt. Returns will be in the same form as purchase: cash*, check, credit card, or store credit are accepted for 45 days after purchase. There is always a 10% return fee, to help cover the cost of processing it back into our inventory. From 46 to 90 days, customers can return items for store credit only, minus the 10% return fee.
*Cash returns could be in the form of a check.
Cash returns over $100 will be issued a business check for the amount minus restocking fee.
All of our appliances and radiators come from homes where they were found in working condition. Therefore they should work in your home. If they don’t you can return it within 2 weeks with a receipt for a full refund.
If you buy something with store credit, it can only be returned for store credit.
I’m interested in an item in [City 1] and live in [City 2]. Do you transport items between the three stores?
Does Earthwise ship items?
Earthwise does not currently do shipping on items within the store. If you are looking for a larger item to be moved to your home and you live within Washington State, we recommend Uffda Logistics.
You can text a photo, name used to purchase the item(s), pick up and delivery address to Uffda at 206-981-6757 and they can provide a free estimate!
If you live outside of WA, we recommend Custom Crating, (206) 762-6543 and Alaska Marine Lines, (206) 764-8346 to help with your shipping needs.
Will Earthwise deliver my item(s)?
Unfortunately no. You can leave paid items at Earthwise for 7 days to help figure out delivery needs. If you are looking for a larger item to be moved to your home and you live within Washington State, we recommend Uffda Logistics.
You can text a photo, name used to purchase the item(s), pick up and delivery address to Uffda at 206-981-6757 and they can provide a free estimate.
If you are up to moving the item on your own but just need a bigger vehicle, we recommend renting a truck from Home Depot or U-Haul.
I see you have a mill at the Tacoma location. Do you do custom milling?
Earthwise offers custom milled slabs of butcher block, fir beams and live edge material. We’re happy to work with our lumber or yours. All sales of custom milling are final. If you choose your lumber from our stock, we reserve the right to charge for the full board if the remainder is not enough to make a usable product out of. Green, freshly fallen lumber can check, warp or have other natural post-milling changes that we cannot control.
Our milling is based on an hourly rate of $100/hour. Our mill is built to make wide, not finished cuts (we see as much as 1/4” variation from one end to the other). Your material will have a rough, band saw finish.
My house is being remodeled/torn down. will you salvage my house?
Maybe! If you are interested in having us potentially salvage your project check out our Salvage Services page to learn more.
How much does it cost to have my house salvaged?
Our crews work on a ‘no fee’ basis, further lowering your overhead by reducing labor and disposal costs. Earthwise offers a diverse range of reimbursement in exchange your reusable building materials: tax donation receipts through one of our non-profit partners, in-store credit, modest cash or check offers, as well as simply “get it outta here!” pick-up/drop-off and removal services.
You pay for the materials? How much do you pay?
Yes! We pay for materials. Depending on the items and what you are looking for we pay in cash, store credit, or tax donation.
What about this salvage assessment I’m being told I need?
As of July 1st, 2014, the City of Seattle requires that ALL construction, building alteration, and demolition projects, where the area of work is greater than 750 square feet, to submit a Deconstruction and Salvage Assessment. The assessment indicates which of the materials identified in the plan are potentially salvageable. Seattle Public Utilities and the Department of Planning and Development are working towards the goal of diverting 70% of construction and demolition waste from landfills by 2020! The goal is to increase the amount of materials that can be recycled and reused.
Don’t let your permits get held up! We can take care of these for you at no charge as long as we are given time to complete the salvage before demo. Having our crew come out to salvage is free as well!
Earthwise is working with the City of Seattle and those seeking permits by providing salvage bids that meet the salvage assessment requirement. Please contact Paul (paul@ewsalvage.com) at the Seattle location for more information about how we can help.