How do gift certificates work? Three easy steps:

1. You buy it: Simply fill out the form above, add the gift certificate(s) to your shopping cart like any other product, and proceed through the shopping cart check out process.
2. They receive it: Once we get your payment, we will send your friend an email announcing your gift, with a gift certificate number and PIN code and instructions on how to redeem the gift certificate in our store.
3. They spend it: When your friend shops in our online store, they can enter the gift certificate number and PIN code during the checkout process to spend it on any purchase.

May I purchase gift certificates by phone? Absolutely. Call us at 800-997-4311 and we'll be glad to help!

May I pay for gift certificates by check or money order? Yep. Simply (1) put the gift certificate(s) into your cart, (2) check out in the normal manner, selecting check/money order as the payment type, and (3) print and mail in the order form with your payment. Once we receive your payment and the check clears, we'll email the gift certificate to your friend as described above.

Do gift certificates get charged shipping and handling? Administrative Fees? No, not one penny. Your cost is exactly the face value of the gift certificate. However, if a gift certificate is purchased in an order with other products, normal shipping and handling will be charged for the remainder of the order.

When will the gift certificate be emailed? We process orders every weekday, so gift certificates purchased by credit card or Paypal will normally be emailed out within a day of your order. Check/Money Order purchases take longer, but will be sent out as soon as the payment clears our bank.

My friend doesn't have an email account. Can you send physical gift certificates by US mail? Sorry, not at this time. However, you may purchase a gift certificate, email it to your own email account, and give a printout of that email to anyone as a gift. Please note that your friend will need to know both the gift certificate number as well as the PIN number in order to redeem the gift certificate. Both of these numbers are provided in the gift certificate email.

I'd like to purchase a gift certificate now, but have the email delayed until a certain date (e.g. birthday, holiday, anniversary, etc) to not spoil the surprise. Is this possible? Yes! We love surprises too, and are glad to help in situations like this. Please put a note to that effect in the "order instructions" field at checkout, and we'll do our darnedest to accommodate you.

May I purchase multiple gift certificates on one order? Certainly. For multiple gift certificates, simply use the form once for each gift certificate. Don't worry... you'll be able to review your order in your shopping cart before finalizing your order.

May gift certificates be used to make purchases by phone? Absolutely. You may apply a gift certificate toward purchases made online or by telephone.

What happens if my friend makes a purchase that costs less than the gift certificate? Gift certificates are like piggy banks: if you give a $100 gift certificate and your friend only spends $60 on their first visit, the remaining $40 remains on the gift certificate for future use.

What happens if my friend makes a purchase that costs more than the gift certificate? No problem; our shopping cart accommodates this easily. At checkout, your friend applies the gift certificate against their order, and if there is still a balance due, the remainder can then be paid by another gift certificate, a credit card, paypal, or a check.

May I use multiple gift certificates to pay for a single order? Yes. After the first gift certificate is entered, the shopping cart shows the remaining balance due, and a second gift certificate can be entered against this balance.

What if my friend loses the email / PIN number? Just let us know, and we'll re-send the email.

Do gift certificates expire? No, gift certificates never expire, nor do we charge an "administrative fee" like some gift card issuers.

Can I get a refund for an unused gift certificate? Yes, with certain limitations. On request, we will give a refund for unused gift certificates to the original purchaser, credited to the credit card or name and address originally used for the order. Sorry, but to control for fraud, we cannot issue cash refunds in any other way. Please contact us if you require a refund.

Can Historical Emporium gift certificates be redeemed for cash? Sorry, no. Gift certificates have no cash value.

May I combine multiple gift certificates onto a single gift certificate? May I use gift certificates to buy more gift certificates? If you find yourself in situations like this, call us at 800-997-4311 and we'll help sort it out.

Zounds! I have read this entire document and remain at wit's end! Sorry about that. Just contact us, and we'll be glad to help!