Q: The puzzle I want is out-of-stock. When will it be in stock?
A: We expect all our current puzzles to be back in stock by mid-August. We just bought a new bigger badder laser, and so a bunch of puzzles are out of stock until the new laser arrives and we can start cutting again. Then, there are about 10 new puzzles that will come out in fall and are in the "Coming Soon" category - we'll get these into stock as soon as possible, with most available to purchase in October.
Q: Do you ship to places not in the USA?
A: Currently, we only ship in the USA. Our shipping rates are the same as amazon.com, and if you order $25 or more, you have the option of free shipping.
Q: Can you recommend a gift for a .... (boy/girl/puzzle-lover/grandparent/etc)?
A: Here are some suggestions based on average customers: The Franz Marc Horse is a good small puzzle for anyone. Girls in the 7-13 range usually like the Sleeping Princess puzzle. Boys in the 7-13 range usually like the Varangians puzzle. Teens and 20-somethings almost unanimously like the Joe Vaux puzzles. Teen guys also like the Stalking the Unicorn. Teen gals usually like the Barbier. People who do a lot of jigsaw puzzles usually like the Tyukanov Moon puzzle, if they're really into high-end puzzles (like hand-cut wooden) then the Alice and the Caterpillar, Barbier, and Battle of Hamza have the most unusual cuts. Adults and bird-lovers usually like the Hummingbird puzzle. And of course... our Fish Hairstylists puzzle is perfect for the hairstyling fisherman in your life.
Q: How do I see what the pieces will look like for each puzzle?
A: Click on the puzzle image you're interested in to go to that puzzles' webpage. Then below the main picture of the puzzle image you'll see a number of small images that become big when you click on them. One of these alternate images will show example pieces for that puzzle (unless we don't have photos up yet of example pieces because our photographer is too busy writing poems about landlords).
Q: We're missing a piece from one of your puzzles - can you help?
A: It is very sad to be missing a piece, so we will do our best to help. Email us (at artifactpuzzles@gmail.com) a digital camera photo of the completed puzzle so we can see which piece is missing (if you have a fancy cell phone you should be able to take a photo with your cell phone and email it directly from your camera). We'll try to re-create the piece for you best we can, and send it to you free of charge.
Q: Where are your puzzles made?
A: Our puzzles are all made in Seattle, Washington in small batches by our artisan-cyborgs.
Q: What kind of wood do you use?
A: Like 99% of wooden jigsaw puzzle makers, we use plywood. We are still searching for the perfect wood, but as of May 31 2009 we use a formaldehyde-free 3-ply maple plywood (USA, FSC-certified). (Technical notes: almost all plywood has formaldehyde as part of the glue, and when you laser-cut normal plywood it has a bad smell. We use special (=expensive) formaldehyde-free plywood for the environment, for health, and to because it smells a lot less smoky than other plywoods. However, wood itself has a little naturally-occurring formaldehyde in it that you can't remove, and our puzzles may still smell a little bit like lasered wood.)
Q: What ages do you recommend your puzzles for?
A: We refrain from giving clear age recommendations because kids are so varied. Be warned that puzzle pieces are a choking hazard for small children. Also, some of our puzzles have some sharp points. We recommend that an adult plays with kids 7 years old and under. Some of our puzzle images have themes (like skeletons) that some adults may not feel is appropriate for kids - please use your own judgment regarding each image and child.
Q: What's a "whimsy piece"?
A: Pieces that are shaped special are called whimsy pieces. Many of our puzzles contain "figurative whimsy pieces" that are recognizable as something, for example the Moon Puzzle has pieces shaped like a Boeing 747, an astronaut, a kite, a waterplane, a hawk, etc. Some of our puzzles have what we call "firebird whimsies"- these are whimsy pieces that are decorative but don't necessarily represent an object. Some grinches don't like whimsy pieces because they make the puzzle easier, so we also offer extra-hard puzzles without any whimsy pieces - see Hokusai Dragon, Seurat Eiffel Tower, and the 11th century puzzle Codex Aureus.
Q: Why does it ask me to log in to Amazon to buy a puzzle?
A: We've hired Amazon to do our order processing. This has the advantage of letting you use your Amazon account if you have one, and means Amazon (not us) sees your credit card info.
Q: Can I cancel my order?
A: If your order isn't already being processed, then yes, you can cancel your order. Click on "Order Status" at the top-right of the artifact puzzles webpage and there will be options to cancel your order and/or track your order.
Q: Why do your puzzles arrive in an Amazon box?
A: We've hired Amazon to fulfill our orders, so when you buy a puzzle the order goes directly to an Amazon warehouse, they pull our puzzles off their shelves, and ship them to you. This has a couple benefits to you: you can get your product shipped as fast as you want, and you get Amazon's low shipping rates, including free shipping on orders $25 and more! You can also order our puzzles through Amazon's website so that you can order other products from Amazon at the same time (if you buy our puzzles from amazon.com you pay the same price, but we get less money if you do that, so please buy our puzzles direct from our website so we can afford to develop new puzzles for you!).
Q: Do you do custom puzzles?
A: Yes, as long as you're interested in ordering at least 250 puzzles. Email artifactpuzzles@gmail.com for pricing; we can make you 250 puzzles with 250-300 custom-designed pieces for $10,000, bigger orders are cheaper. If you are a museum/gallery/artist interested in working with us to design a puzzle using a particular art piece or artist, that may be much cheaper - feel free to pitch us your idea at artifactpuzzles@gmail.com .
