FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions to assist with your inquiries. If you still have questions regarding your order, please email merch@fenwayvictorygardens.org with your full name and order confirmation number.
Purchasing an Item
How are costs calculated?
We've intentionally tried to keep costs as low as possible for our members. All proceeds from merchandise go towards our monthly Shopify subscription, which hosts our website, and credit card transaction fees. Any additional revenue generated from the sale of these products goes towards our fundraising efforts. Want to provide an additional contribution to our organization? Make a donation.
What does FGS do with the profits generated by merchandise sales?
All profits from the sale of merchandise goes into two separate categories. No individual directly profits from the sale of merchandise. Instead, all funds are directly deposited into the banking accounts of FGS and utilized via the following ways.
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Category I: Covers the cost of monthly subscription services, including the use of Shopify, which allows FGS to host an online shop with a mostly hands-off approach to retail. Also covers the cost of credit card transaction fees and tax auditing services, Hands Off Sales Tax (HOST).
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Category II: The remaining funds are allocated to FGS fundraising efforts, which includes the planning and coordination of annual events such as FensFest and Open Gardens. These events are vital to our community as it generates outside interest from the public while also curating the wellbeing of our gardeners.
Why was I charged sales tax?
Following the Taxation Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, clothing items such as shirts, hoodies, hats, and are excluded from sales tax. Non-clothing items, including stickers, water bottles, and face masks, are not excluded from sales tax
What is print-on-demand?
All products are made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!
Ordering
What do I do if I haven’t received my order?
Because all of our products are print-on-demand, it may take additional time between when your order was placed and when it arrives (anywhere from 2-3 weeks). To locate the status of your order, please reference your order confirmation email or URL.
How do I find my order confirmation URL?
To find your order confirmation URL:
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Find and open your order confirmation email.
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In the email, click View your order. You'll be redirected to the store's website where you can view information about your order.
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Examine the URL in your browser's address bar. Your URL should be similar to the following URL example:
https://shop-name.com/1234567/orders/3eafe8f0d00763d09a4fc302589d2747
What if I’m not happy with a product?
Unfortunately, due to the customized nature of our products and our method of dropshipping, we cannot offer a refund after an order is fulfilled. If you haven’t received an email indicating that your order was fulfilled, please contact merch@fenwayvictorygardens.org with your full name and order confirmation number. We will do our best to intervene before the order is fulfilled. Orders canceled before fulfillment will receive a refund.
Shipping
What is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method where a business doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, the seller purchases inventory as needed from a third party—usually a wholesaler or manufacturer—to fulfill orders. The biggest difference between dropshipping and the standard retail model is that the selling merchant doesn’t stock or own inventory—they act as the middleman. Dropshipping is the most effective method for small-staffed teams to distribute merchandise to members without grappling with the overhead cost of inventory and warehousing.
How does dropshipping work?
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Step one: Customer places an order from an online store
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Step two: The online store automatically sends the order to a dropshipping supplier
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Step three: The dropshipping supplier prepares the customer’s order
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Step four: The dropshipping supplier ships the order directly to your customer
Note: FGS employs a third-party company (Printful) in order to manage our inventory and orders. Read more about Printful here.
How are shipping costs calculated?
Shipping costs are automatically calculated through USPS via a combination of item weight, size, and shape. Orders over $50 are eligible for free shipping. Our third-party vendor, Printful, utilizes USPS Flat Rate for all shipping. Standard shipping rates apply to all packages. For more information, visit www.usps.com/ship. Note that FGS does not oversee the shipping process of any items.
Policy on Confidentiality
“Confidential Information” will include, but will not be limited to, any and all information associated with a party’s business and not publicly known, including specific business information, technical processes and formulas, software, customer lists, prospective customer lists, names, addresses and other information regarding customers and prospective customers, product designs, sales, costs (including any relevant processing fees), price lists, and other unpublished financial information, business plans and marketing data, and any other confidential and proprietary information, whether or not marked as confidential or proprietary.
Feedback and Confidentiality
We welcome customer feedback but are under no obligation to ensure that ideas and suggestions regarding our Services or the services of third parties remain confidential and we can use the feedback in any way we want.
Privacy and Data Protection (Shopify)
Shopify is firmly committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information and the personal information of your customers. By using the Service, you acknowledge and agree that Shopify’s collection, usage and disclosure of this personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy.