1.
How do I search for Costumes?
There are
two ways you can search for products. Navigate through
the website to search by category. The second way
is to use our search box. Type in a keyword or part
number to have our shopping cart provide products
that match that search term.
2.
How can I find out more about a product?
By clicking on a photo or the title of a product
on the category pages, will open a product page
that will show you complete details on any product.
All information is posted on this page. All information
not on this page is unavailable this may include
specific size measurements.
3.
The
item I want is out of stock, when
will it be available?
-We
never know when an item will be back in stock. There
is no set time for a manufacture to ship a product.
Some products ship to us twice a year others only
once a year. By checking back on the website periodically
you may see it is available to order. Discontinued
items will remain out of stock until they are deleted
annually. You may also enter your email on an out
of stock item to have our store email you when that
particular item comes back in stock.
4.
Do you have other styles/sizes that are not shown?
-all varieties and different sizes in our inventory
are shown with an individual listing page for most
of the products. Everything we offer is in the store.
If it is not listed we do not sell it.
5.
If I buy more than one item is there a discount?
On each product page you will see a bulk discount
chart that calculates the discounted cost according
to your quantity. The multiple items you purchase
must be of the same product ID to receive a discount.
6.
Can I see the products in a showroom?
Unfortunately we do not allow
pick-ups; all orders are sent out by a traceable
method. For this reason viewing products is also
unavailable. We do offer a money back guarantee
on most items. If you are not satisfied you may
return it. See our return
policy for details.
7.
How do I contact customer service?
Should you have any questions, please contact
one of our friendly customer service reps by email,
opening a chat window or by contacting the 24 hour
call center.1.800.890.0409
8.
How do I place an order online?
Checkout involves four steps. Add items
you wish to buy to your cart. Provide your shipping
and billing addresses. Select a shipping method
and then enter payment information. Upon confirmation
you will be directed to the receipt page that you
should review and print for your records.
9.
Can
I track my order
Once
a tracking number has been added to your order and
is emailed to you, tracking of the package is available.
By using the UPS
or USPS
website, you are able to see the exact whereabouts
of a package within the US. Tracking numbers outside
the US must be requested.
10.
How
do I know my order is confirmed?
After you click the 'submit order' button
at checkout you are directed to a confirmation page
that will give you order details including your
order number. A confirmation of your order is also
emailed to you after you see the confirmation.
11.
Can I get a catalog?
Unfortunately we do not supply printed
catalogs, we consider our website the catalog.
12./13.
What size does the costume
come in? What are the exact measurements?
The measurements are usually listed on the product
page as a small, medium, large etc. For further
info on a particular size from a manufacture click
'Manufacturer's Size Chart' or go to our sizing
chart to see more details on the manufactures
size.
14.
Does
the costume include everything in the picture?
Promotional
images supplied by the manufacture may vary slightly
from the actual product. The image may contain items
not included in the sale such as footwear, makeup,
accessories or other items to enhance the look of
the item. If an element is not listed in the description
it will not be included in the product. From time
to time the manufacture may alter or discontinue
an element of a product and we can not anticipate
these changes. We will do what we can to rectify
an issue and update a product description and image
when necessary.
15.
What are the conditions if
I order during the blackout period ?
When
ordering during the black out period Midnight October
15th - Midnight October 31st (PST) all sales are
considered final. We do not accept returns or exchanges
on any products purchased during this time frame.
16.
When
will my order be delivered?
Most
orders will arrive at your door within 2-10 business
days within the US (depending on your location)
and 7-14 business days outside the US.
17.
Can I pick up my order at
the warehouse or head office?
Unfortunately we do not allow pick-ups from our
warehouse or our head office; all orders are sent
out from our NC warehouse (and a few exceptions
from our smaller warehouse in CA) by a traceable
method. For this reason viewing products is also
unavailable. We do offer a money back guarantee
on most items. If you are not satisfied with your
purchase you may return it. See our return
policy for details.
18.
Do you ship to Canada
or other countries?
We do ship our products anywhere in the world. All
shipments outside the continental US are sent UPS.
This is the most reliable service with tracking
and we do not offer any other service when shipping
outside the US. The shipping fee is based on weight
automatically calculated through our shopping cart.
We can not offer rush services outside the US due
to border/customs delay. Shipments outside the US
usually take 1-6 business days for delivery depending
on the option you choose.
19.
How do I know what
shipping option to select?
To calculate your arrival date add the processing
time 1-2 days and add it to the shipping travel
time displayed you have choosen. Select a Rush UPS
option for faster service. Off continent US address
have the additional option of USPS for more econimical
shipping however can take up to 3 weeks for delivery.
20./21.
How can I find out the shipping
cost?
How is the shipping determined?
To calculate a shipping cost for you we ask that
you add items to the shopping cart and fill out
your shipping information on the checkout page.
Near the bottom of the page you will see real-time
quotes for your shipping location. Your shipping
cost is calculated using real time quotes from UPS
or USPS based on your zip code.
22.
Why is there a package
and handling fee?
As an online retailer we know the cost of hiring
staff to package and handle your order for shipping.
This fee is added to your order to cover those costs
as well as box/package fees.. Unlike other online
companies who charge upwards of a $10 handling fee,
ours is modest in comparison, visible in your cart
before you checkout with your payment information.
23.
If I'm shipping outside the
US will there be any other tax or duty fees?
As a commercial seller we have to put a value on
the package for insurance purposes when shipping.
International buyers outside the US are fully responsible
for paying all customs duties and/or taxes which
may be assessed as a result of this transaction
for your country. Please check with your government
website for these import duty and tax fees. UPS
brokerage fees are included in our shipping quotes.
24.
Will my order make it for Halloween?
We experience a high volume of orders during October
for the Halloween season, but we guarantee you will
recieve it by Oct 31st 3pm or it is absolutely free.
Even if we have to upgrade the shipping to make
it there at no extra charge to you. See our delivery
guarantee.
25.
Can I get a faster shipping
time?
We are unable to speed up any one particular order’s
processing time after it is placed. We do require
the 1-2 processing time. The transit time is the
only method of speeding up a package before the
order is placed. This however can not be altered
when the order is in processing. Orders can also
not be cancelled once they are placed. Once the
tracking number is added to your order you may call
the carrier to see if they are able to speed up
it's delivery.
26.
How do I track my package?
At checkout we ask our customers to create accounts
so they are able to know order status and to track
a package with tracking numbers. Your order number
should show up if you created your account before
or during the checkout process. If you created an
account after receiving an order confirmation, the
status will not be available to you. We add tracking
numbers to orders when they become available and
tracking is also emailed to the address you provided
when your package ships. If you have yet to receive
a shipped confirmation in your email, it has likely
not shipped yet. In the email you will see the tracking
number that can be tracked on the UPS
website.
If you have any issues with the delivery call their
customer service line to resolve them as it’s
faster for UPS to redirect or track orders in the
area of destination. It is also the customers responsibility
to ensure the carrier delivers to you.
1-800-PICK-UPS
(800-742-5877)
1-800-833-0056 - TTY/TDD Access for the Hearing
Impaired
27.
Why doesn't my tracking number
work on the UPS website?
We add tracking numbers even over the weekend to
orders, although there is no pickup for these packages
until the following Monday. The tracking you received
likely was added over this time period and will
become active on the following Monday or Tuesday.
If your tracking is still not active send us an
email about the order. For tracking packages USPS
you will need to send us a request for tracking
as we record those by hand.
28./29./30./31.
My tracking says "available
upon request". How do I track my package?
How do I track my package
sent USPS?
USPS tracking is recorded by hand, someone in our
shipping dept will referrence it for you and add
it to your account’s order number. Once you
have attained the tracking number for USPS, Check
the USPS
website to track it.
If
you have any issues with the delivery call their
customer service line to resolve them as it’s
faster for USPS to redirect or track orders in the
area of destination.
It is also the customers responsibility to ensure
the carrier delivers to you.
International Package Tracking
1-800-222-1811
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
(Eastern Time)
Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Closed Sundays and Holidays
32.
When do I make payment?
Once you have added all your items to the cart and
are ready to checkout, your credit card or PayPal
information will be attained. Once the order is
placed, the payment is automatically billed to you
at the time you get an order confirmation. If you
are placing an order with paypal, the payment is
sent to us instantly unless you use their Echeck
service which can take up to 10 days to clear. Inventory
is not held for Echeck payments. If an item in your
order sells out before your payment clears we will
notify you. We do not recommend Echecks for this
reason.
33.
What forms of payment/credit
cards do you accept?
We accept VISA, Mastercard through our Moneris payment
gateway and PayPal payments. With Paypal you may
also pay with AMEX, Discover and direct debits from
your bank account with their Echeck feature.
34.
What taxes do I have to pay?
Shipments anywhere within the 48 continental United
States including APO, FPO, Alaska. Guam, Puerto
Rico & Hawaii and all other countries except
Canada are not billed tax. Sales tax of 5%
(GST) will only be assessed for orders that are
shipped to Canada and an additional tax of 7% (PST)
for those shipments to the province of British Columbia.
This is due to the fact that our corporate office
is in Vancouver BC. All other countires will pay
taxes during boarder crossing. This is a great savings
from other online stores.
35.
Why was my credit card declined?
If your credit card is declined there may be a few
reasons why: the card has no funds available, you
entered the wrong CCS security code, the card is
expired, you entered the wrong billing information,
the card does not allow internet purchases(card
not present purchases), there is a hold on the card.
In any event by calling your issuing bank they can
tell you why the card is declining. If you continue
to have issues try a different credit card. We only
accept credit cards with the Visa or Mastercard
symbol and 16 digits through our payment gateway.
We can also accept American Express and Diners through
Paypal. If you wish to speak to one of our billing
customer service representative please call 1.800.890.0409.
Feel free to place a new order with an attempt on
another credit card if you recieve a declined message.
36.
What if I want to make a change
or cancel after I've placed my order?
Once orders are placed they can not be canceled
or altered if they have been sent to our shipping
dept. There is a small window of time that allows
for alterations. Call our customer service for these
requests. You usually have until the end of the
day for an alteration to your order after that you
have the option to return under our return
policy guidelines.
37.
What
if I want to make a change to my order during the
checkout process?
You can delete items, update quantities and add
new items before you complete your checkout process
without any problems or help from customer service.
38./39.
I
received an error message or my computer froze during
checkout, what do I do?
Orders that are not checked out completely are not
valid and will not go through, although our cart
should hold your items for approx 30 days allowing
you to complete checkout if you chose to restart
your browser. If the error happened after you clicked
the "place order" button, a rep will be
able to inform you if your order has been completed
or if you need to place the order once more.
40.
How
can I tell if my order has shipped?
If you created an account you can log on and check
the status of any order you have placed with our
site. A customer service rep will also be able to
inform you of your order status if no account was
created at checkout.
41./42.
What's
the status of my order?
Why can't I track my order or see it in
my account when I log in?
At checkout we ask our customers to create accounts
so they are able to log
in and know order status and to track a package
with tracking numbers. Your order number should
show up if you created your account before or during
the checkout process. If you created an account
after receiving an order confirmation, the status
will not be available to you. We add tracking numbers
to orders when they become available and tracking
is also emailed to the address you provided when
your package ships. If you have yet to receive a
shipped confirmation in your email, it has likely
not shipped yet. In the email you will see the tracking
number that can be tracked on the UPS
website. By contacting our sales reps you can also
attain your order status by quoting the order number.
43.
Why
was my order cancelled?
If an item is out of stock on your order, the complete
order may be cancelled to allow for a faster reordering
by you. If your payment was declined or returned
NSF this would also cause a cancellation. If an
order is unable to meet a delivery deadline it may
also be canceled. Costume Cauldron reserves the
right to cancel any order at any time with a full
refund given without further compensation to the
customer.
44.
What
does it mean when my order is set to back order?
We usually have a large stock of products but if
you purchase a product we have on back order, an
email will be disbursed. Our customers who have
ordered a back order item may elect to have the
remainder of the order shipped and the back ordered
item cancelled or replaced with something else.
Inventory levels are updated to the site every day.
During the month of October we will take the initiative
to cancel orders completely that have back order
items to help with our workflow of orders. This
will also speed up your reorder process for in stock
items during the busy season.
45.
What
does it mean when my order is set to inquiry?
If you notice your order status set to inquiry this
usually signals that there is an internal review
of the order after the customer has signaled a problem
with the order. Once the situation is cleared up
the status will be set to "inquiry complete"
or "order complete".
46.
What
is your return policy?
If you need to return something, please send an
email tor
within 3 business days of receiving your order for
an authorization and return shipping address information.
We will accept returns and exchanges if they meet
the guidelines and are within 3 business days of
delivery as long as you have received a return authorization.
Our company sells novelty costumes and other novelty
items that may quickly be disposed of after one
use, so we have to adhere to a very short return
policy and blackout period (no returns) from Dec
15th to Nov 1st. All of our customers agree to this
policy by reading the terms and conditions clearly
displayed on the website and on the sales receipt.
At checkout before submitting an order there is
a check box you click to show you have read and
understand these polices before making a purchase.
A lot of websites and physical retail stores do
not accept returns with all sales being final for
Halloween, but we do allow that 3 business day period
for those customers wishing to make size exchanges
and return items outside the Blackout period. The
items must be resalable unused/unopened in the original
packaging (the packaging must not be damaged in
any way with the advertising tags and material in
tact). For complete details on returns see our return
policy.
47.
How
do I return a product?
Once you have alerted us of your return via email
and have attained a return authorization form. Instructions
are given to you on how to return a product.
48.
Why
are some products not returnable?
There are a few products we do not accept returns
for because of health code, or right of secrets
(magic items) and once purchased can not be resold
even if unopened. All FINAL SALE items are as follows:
hats, wigs, masks, intimate apparel, makeup, prosthetics,
boots, shoes, magic tricks, books, videos, audio
cassettes and CDs
49.
There
is a problem with my order, what do I do?
If you have received your package and have issues
or questions about the purchase contact our customer
service by email 
for a solution. We need all issues documented with
email correspondence.
50/51/52.
What
information is collected about me when I purchase
online?
See our privacy
policy for complete details.
53.
I
do not feel comfortable giving my credit card info
over the internet. Can I make a purchase some other
way?
You may place an order with telephone
representatives who are standing by 24/7 to
provide you express ordering by telephone. A small
fee of $2.95 will be assessed for orders where payment
is provided by telephone.
