The things people
actually ask.

The Chicago metro. Courier pickup is the only way in at launch — we'd rather do one thing properly in one city than half of it everywhere. If you're outside Chicago, join the list on the homepage and we'll tell you when we open your area.

Sneakers, for now. Re•Store is built as a general restoration platform and other categories are coming, but the Chicago pilot is footwear only so we can do one thing properly.

You can start an order on this site. The app makes the six-angle capture noticeably better because it checks each photo before accepting it, but it isn't required.

We collect. You pick a window and we come to you in the Chicago metro. Dropping off at a partner shop is planned but isn't live yet, and we're not taking mail-in at launch.

It's part of the quote you approve before anything moves — one all-in number, never a surprise line at the door. We'll publish pricing before we open.

They wait five minutes, photograph the door, and log it. A second attempt carries a re-attempt fee you'll see before you rebook. If it's your first time it's on us.

Bidding closes within 24 hours. After that the turnaround is set by the bid you accepted — a deep clean is quick, a full restoration is not. You'll see the estimate before you approve.

Four things: how worn the soles are, how creased the upper is, how far the color has gone, and whether the pair is holding together. Each is scored 0–100 against a written standard, weighted, and turned into a score out of 100 that maps to an A, B, C or D.

Because structure beats cosmetics. If the structural integrity scores a 1 the grade is a D no matter how clean the pair looks, and a 2 — or soles worn through — caps it at C. A pair can photograph beautifully and still be structurally done, and we'd rather say so than sell you a restoration that can't hold.

We do. Every pair is graded by Re•Store — you never grade your own shoes. You take the six photos and you're done; we score the four attributes against the written standard, and a Re•Store operator confirms the score before any shop sees the job. You see the grade and the breakdown before you decide anything.

No. Shops bid on your photos, not on a number we hand them. The grade exists so you understand what you're paying for and so a shop can see what it's taking on.

Tell us. Every score points at a specific photograph, so there's something concrete to argue about rather than a vague impression. A grade you disagree with is a signal our reference photos are ambiguous, and that's our problem to fix, not yours.

When you accept a bid — not when you request a grade, and not when we collect the pair. The payment is then held rather than passed straight to the shop.

After you approve the finished photos. The payout releases when the sealed pair leaves the shop for return delivery — holding your payment until you've approved the work is the whole point.

They can request a re-quote, but they have to show you evidence photos of what they found. You have 24 hours to approve the new price or decline it — decline and the pair comes back to you free. A shop cannot quietly raise the price or start the extra work while you're deciding.

Before you accept a bid, yes, freely — nothing has been charged. After acceptance, contact us; what's possible depends on whether the work has started.

Two things. Every pair is photographed from six angles at intake and again before it goes back, so there's a documented condition record at both ends. And every handoff is sealed in a numbered tamper-evident bag, photographed with the serial visible — at your door, at the shop, on the way back, and on delivery. If a seal is broken, we know exactly which leg to look at.

Independent restoration shops we've vetted and verified. You see which shop won the bid. We're not pretending to be a faceless factory.

They're used to grade your pair, to show shops the work, and to document its condition. See the privacy policy for the full detail.