Q: Can I buy products online?

A: Coupons and gift certificates are two separate types of codes.  Coupon codes are entered at the beginning of the checkout process, and gift certificate codes get entered near the end.

Q: How does shipping work?

A: We ship across the continental United States, as well as worldwide.  All orders over $100 are within the USA are shipped for free.  All other orders (with the exception of gift certificates) are subject to a flat $4.95 shipping rate.  Gift certificates are mailed free.

Q: What is the cost of International Shipping?

A: We ship to most countries in the Americas, Canada, and Europe, as well as some countries in Asia and Africa.  All orders over $100 are charged a flat rate of $8.00, and all orders under $100 are subject to a flat rate of $14.00, regardless of final destination.

Q: Can I buy gift certificates online?

A: Yes you can.  When checking out, you simply must specify whether you want to use the gift certificate in one of the stores, or online.  If you do not specify, you will be mailed a gift certificate for use in one of the stores.  If you choose to have an online gift certificate, you will be emailed mailed a gift certificate code.  All gift certificates are mailed free of charge.

Q: What is your return policy?

A: Most purchases can be exchanged within 30 days with a valid receipt.  We do not give cash refunds, or refund completed jewelry, cut strands, or opened packages.  Online purchases have the same policy, though the customer is responsible for the shipping of the product.

Q: Can I buy the same products in the stores and online?

A: All products sold online are also sold in the stores.  Our prices are consistant in both.  We do however have thousands of products available in the stores that are not available online, due to product novelty, or the small on hand quantities.

Q: What happens if something I order is back ordered?

A: We try to keep all of our online products in stock, but if we do run out of something, we will contact you either by phone or email.  In most cases, we will send your order without the back ordered product, then send the out of stock item free of charge when restocked.  If restocking takes more than a week to receive (some of our imports take 4-6 weeks to receive), we will refund that item to you.

Q: Where do your products come from?

A: Our beads, findings, pendants, and other products come from all over the world.  Some are produced and manufactured in the United States and Europe, many others come from various parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.  We would be happy to give more details and origins on any particular product should one need to know. 

Q: Are your gemstones and semi-precius stones ever dyed or manmade? 

A: Often, many of the stones that we carry are treated in some way.  While many are natural, many others are dyed, heat-treated, stabilized, or man-made.  During our importation process and visits to factories, we try to properly identify each or the products that we carry to be as accurate as possible.  As with origins, we are happy to discuss our knowledge of manufacturing details for any inquiry.

Q: Do you offer classes?

A: Yes we offer over 100 different types of classes in our stores.  Click here to see schedules, or to download photos and descriptions of these classes.  We require signing up in advance, as the classes often fill rapidly.  You can call or email us.

Q: Do you offer parties or private classes?

A: Yes, for a group of 5 or more people, we can schedule any of our regular classes at any time that we have no prior commitments.  The cost drops to $12 per person (plus materials), and we can accommodate up to 25 people in most cases.  These prices can vary by location. Please remember to schedule as far in advance as possible... with dozens of parties scheduled each month, the most popular time slots often fill months in advance.  For more details, contact allie@potomacbeads.com, or call one of our stores.

Q: What is the procedure for photographing products?

A: We try to make our product photos accurately portray what the product looks like in person.  Although not perfect, our methods have been very accurate.  All photos are taken in a light tent with a SLR digital camera, and edited and resized in Photoshop.  We do not change or manipulate the natural colors, but leave them as taken by the camera.  Some colors can vary based upon the type of light in which you are looking at the product. If you have questions about any product you see, please call us at 717-263-2323.

Q: What future locations will your expansion entail?

A:  We are currently working on several new locations in cities across the Northeastern United States for 2011, as well as additional locations in Europe. Stay tuned to the locations page for details.

Q: How can I start a Potomac Bead Company store?

A: We franchise retail bead stores across the Americas and Europe.  If you are interested in franchising a store, running your own business, please visit our franchise page, or contact franchise@potomacbeads.com.

Q: Do you offer wholesale purchasing plans?

A: All Potomac Bead Company stores offer discounts based upon volume over time. See your local store for details. We do offer an additional wholesale program for high volume customers who can pre-order when we place our imports. For more details on this program, see www.potomacbeads.com/wholesale.html

Have any further questions?  Don't hesitate to contact us at info@potomacbeads.com or call 717-261-2323.