Searching Hints

How is stuff organized?

Each item in our store is categorized with a main category and two levels of subcategory. We have 15 main inventory categories and a total of over 400 subcategories. You can quickly browse through these categories using the links in left column.

Themes

Check out our themes to see the cream of the crop.

Considerations with Keyword Searching

1) We strive to use consistent terminology to describe our products, however, some of the terms used are unique to Second Use. If you are not familiar with our terms it will make keyword searches more difficult. Try browsing through the category lists and looking in detail at the item descriptions to learn our terminology.

2) Some very general keyword searches may return strange results. For example searching for “sink” will find ALL items that include the word sink in their descriptions. As with any search, the initial results are sorted by length of time in stock not by relevance of the search term. The results could include “sink faucet”, or “base cabinet w/ sink”, or even “this vanity is missing a sink”. To find only actual sinks try narrowing the search by category or enter more specific keywords such as “Plumbing Sink”, “Cast Iron Sink”, “Bath Sink”, or “White Sink”.

Common Searches and Solutions

Finding Panel Doors -To find doors with a certain number of panels type the word for the number of panels. For example “Interior Six Panel” will find only doors with six panels, whereas “Interior 6 Panel” will find any interior panel door that also has a “6” somewhere in the description (like one that costs $60 or that is 36” wide).

Searching by Inventory Number

Inventory Numbers can be entered in the keyword search field.

Searching by Time in Stock

Are you a frequent visitor to our site? You can use the time in stock drop down menu to limit the search results to items that arrived since your last visit. Specifying “2 Weeks” will find all things newer than 2 weeks. There is also a quick link in the left column that lists everything new in the last 7 days.

Searching by Item Condition

This will find all items that are in better condition than what you specify.

Searching by Dimension

We strive to measure dimensions accurate to within 1/8″.

You can search for items by specifying dimensions.   You must select a dimension label  (like “width”)  and then enter a range of minimum and maximum values.   If you are not sure what label to use look at a similar item – dimension labels will be consistent across a category.

If you are looking for a 30″ wide door we recommend you search for a range of sizes  (i.e. 29 to 31) since a  29.875  inch wide door might be perfect.

We measure a lot of items every day, and occasionally make data entry errors. Use common sense:  a door that is listed as 80″ wide and 36″ tall  probably had its dimensions transposed, and a bathtub listed as 5 long is probably 5 feet long not 5 inches.   We do suggest that you personally check all measurements before making a purchase.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience erroneous dimensions may cause.

If you have problems with using this website, or if you have questions about how to search our inventory more effectively please send an e-mail to ted@seconduse.com or call 206-763-6929