Frequently Asked Questions

Can't find what you're looking for? Just want a quick overview? Start here with our frequently asked questions. Enjoy your exploration of a world of good things!

Q. Is Original Good a new company?
A. No, Original Good is owned by World of Good and is the same company you've come to know and trust.

Q. Why did you rebrand your product line Original Good?
A. Our mission at World of Good, Inc. is to alleviate poverty through commerce and the more channels we open and the easier we make it for consumers to find ethically sourced products the more people we'll be able to help. To that end, we have partnered with eBay to build WorldofGood.com – an eBay Marketplace, and the world's largest online marketplace for people and planet positive products that will offer products from many different sellers.

We have licensed www.worldofgood.com to eBay for this marketplace initiative so to keep things simple, we've rebranded our product line Original Good.

Q. What is the mission of Original Good?
A. Original Good is a bridge between individuals in the US looking for beautiful and interesting handcrafted products and small artisan organizations around the world who could really benefit from the opportunity to share their handcrafts with the world. Every Original Good item is not only beautiful but also carries with it the promise of economic and social improvement of artisan communities around the world.

Q. Who started World of Good? And Why?
A. World of Good, Inc. was founded in 2004 in Berkeley, California by Priya and Siddharth, two friends who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley Business School. Priya Haji, is now the CEO and was motivated to help very low-income women around the world improve their lives through fair trade. Siddharth Sanghvi, Director of Marketing, had a background in marketing and technology and quit his job to work on creating a brand that could connect artisans and consumers and convince shoppers to choose ethically sourced products that would help communities around the world!

How do these products help women around the world?
A. Sixty to seventy percent of the artisans providing fair trade handcrafted products are women. Often these women are mothers and the sole wage earners in the home. A lot of these products allow the women to work on a very flexible schedule and to capitalize on the limited resources at hand e.g. they can make beautiful crafts from grass and twigs (woven baskets), dirt (clay pots), and from trash (recycled bottlecap purses!). Through their work in Fair Trade craft production, women not only improve the lives of their families, but improve their own lives as well. Many women artisans report that their work has given them self esteem and the opportunity to participate in decision making in their communities. Increased income ensures better nutrition, better schooling for their children, and an improvement in housing and living standards.

At the same time, the real challenge for rural craft producers is that they have little access to the formal market to sell their products, or to negotiate fair prices. Often times, they are not well compensated for their work and undervalued – women are paid 30-40% less than men for comparable work. We want to help fix that!

Q. How do you guarantee that the producers are treated well and will really benefit?
A. Original Good goes through a rigorous process when partnering with new producer groups, and we follow fair trade principles in all our activities.

1. We only work with producer groups that are mission driven and focused on improving the lives of the artisan communities. All of our partners are affiliated with larger social and economic development programs like international Fair Trade organizations, Peace Corps, United Nations Development Program or micro-enterprise programs. We verify the practices of each producer group through one of these partner organizations, or through a site visit.
2. We then screen each individual product to assess for the environmental footprint, the production process, the compensation to the artisans, and the benefit to the community.

Q. How does Original Good actually help these organizations?
A. After we screen the organization and their practices and accept the producer group as a partner, we focus on working with the producer group according to fair trade principles.

1. We make a 0% interest loan for 50% of the order to fund the production and pay the balance to the producer when we receive the order. This may not seem important, but most companies pay 30 to 180 days after delivery which means that poor communities unable to borrow money cannot engage in trade.
2. We make long term commitments to work with the producer groups and grow with them year over year creating sustainable incomes for artisans.
3. We provide technical assistance and market feedback so the products are always improving and stay market competitive.
4. We ensure that the artisan producers receive a fair wage in the local context.

In addition to all of these commitments World of Good donates 10% of our profits to World of Good Development Organization, which awards community development grants supporting projects to improve the lives of the artisans and their families. To find out more about the initiatives of the non-profit please visit www.worldofgood.org.

Q. What if I know of a craft producer group that can benefit from partnering with World of Good, Inc and Original Good?
A. We love suggestions from our customers! Please complete the web form at www.originalgood.com/suppliers with your information. Remember, we only work with producer groups that meet our mission driven and fair trade requirements. We will screen all the submissions and contact them as soon as possible.

Q. What if I have questions about one of the artisan groups you work with?
A. Our Sourcing department works closely with our artisan groups. Send them an email at sourcing@worldofgood.com.

Q. I have questions about a product – who should I contact?
A. We love questions and we love to hear from you! You can always call Customer Service and they will be happy to provide more details about any of our fair trade products.