Selling Paper Gift certificates

I've created a paper Gift Cert. product, on which I would like to charge shipping. I've created it as a Product-General with a weight of .5. But at checkout, there are no shipping options on Step 1, and if you click to move to step 2, you get redirected back to Step 1...

I would probably just treat them as regular products then ... by changing the "Model" number to not start with "GIFT".

DrByte:

I would probably just treat them as regular products then ... by changing the "Model" number to not start with "GIFT".

That does the job perfectly, I can just generate a redemption code in the admin and use the redemption code to print the certificate.

I can also use attributes for to, from, message, which will be nice (thinking out loud here).

Now my new issue is thta I could use a different shipping pricing structure for this item, since the same shipping rules used for the other items comes up very high...and free shipping shouldn't be the only option, in case customers need the certificate to be rushed via Fedex...

One way to do this would be to change the product type to something new, using the products-books addin. You can then have your shipping module custom coded to check if the gift cert is the only type of product of in the cart, and if it is, then offer standard posting as a shipping method.

Absolute

jplanet:

That does the job perfectly, I can just generate a redemption code in the admin and use the redemption code to print the certificate.

I can also use attributes for to, from, message, which will be nice (thinking out loud here).

Now my new issue is thta I could use a different shipping pricing structure for this item, since the same shipping rules used for the other items comes up very high...and free shipping shouldn't be the only option, in case customers need the certificate to be rushed via Fedex...

Another thing I thought of is maybe you can add a new attribute name for "CERTIFICATE TYPE" and have options for Online or Mailed. Then assign this attribute to your gift certificate and assign a small postage/shipping value to the Mailed option. This way you could keep the same built in gift cert features combined with your tracking for the printed ones.

Hope this helps.

jacdesigner:

Another thing I thought of is maybe you can add a new attribute name for "CERTIFICATE TYPE" and have options for Online or Mailed. Then assign this attribute to your gift certificate and assign a small postage/shipping value to the Mailed option. This way you could keep the same built in gift cert features combined with your tracking for the printed ones.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply. What I eventually did was very similar, if you want you can view it here:

http://readandclick.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8

The printable and email certificates are really the same, the client just wanted it listed as a seperate product for clarity...But the printed certificate has a required attribute that costs $1...

jplanet -
looks very nice in your store. How did you wind up doing your set up?

jplanet:

Thanks for your reply. What I eventually did was very similar, if you want you can view it here:

http://readandclick.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8

The printable and email certificates are really the same, the client just wanted it listed as a seperate product for clarity...But the printed certificate has a required attribute that costs $1...

JPlanet
Still wondering how you did this (the website). Specially then printable gift certificate.
How is the PDF generated?
Really need help to setup something similar.

padiel:

JPlanet
Still wondering how you did this (the website). Specially then printable gift certificate.
How is the PDF generated?
Really need help to setup something similar.

**I too would like to know how this was accomplished. I get that you can sell a paper gift certificate as a regular product. What I don't get is how the redemption code is generated and how the system recognizes it once it is. I saw something earlier in the thread about generating the redemption code manually but I didn't see any place in the admin config that could do this. Can anyone help?
**

Did anyone find out how this can be done so people can choose printable or email a git certificate? We have a lot of customers that want to actually want to give a gift certificate for Christmas but don't want it to be sent via email but rather a printable version they can give on Christmas day.

I just created Paper Gift Certificates as a standard product. We designed our certificates, so when people order them we just generate a gift certificate number in the admin using the email certificate feature and type it in the certificate template in Illustrator, print it out and send it.

jplanet:

I just created Paper Gift Certificates as a standard product. We designed our certificates, so when people order them we just generate a gift certificate number in the admin using the email certificate feature and type it in the certificate template in Illustrator, print it out and send it.

Thank you for your reply, but I was more interested in the "printable" version. The download versions that are either jpeg or pdf that you have on the site.

From Read&click.com:

Printable Gift Certificates and Email Gift Certificates are both stored in your Gift Certificate Account. If, after you have purchased an Email Gift Certificate, you decide that you would rather print it out, you will be given that opportunity when you click on the link to your Gift Certificate Account in your shopping cart. This is also true if you have purchased a Printable Gift Certificate and decide that you want to email it instead. Just click on the link in your shopping cart and you can make your change.

How do you have the system do this so that they can download a "printable" gift certificate, but can still change it back to email if they wish. How is this generated in the admin? Is this done automatically?

padiel:

JPlanet
Still wondering how you did this (the website). Specially then printable gift certificate.
How is the PDF generated?
Really need help to setup something similar.

I just set it up as a downloadable product and made an image with a blank line for the customer to write in the certificate number. It's a sort of mix of hi-tech and low-tech!

If you want to be more ambitious, you could write a PHP function using ImageMagick or the GD library to place number text on the image.

supersnow:

Thank you for your reply, but I was more interested in the "printable" version. The download versions that are either jpeg or pdf that you have on the site.

How do you have the system do this so that they can download a "printable" gift certificate, but can still change it back to email if they wish. How is this generated in the admin? Is this done automatically?

As I mentioned above, this is just set up to download a static file which is the same for everyone -- just as if we were selling software or mp3's, it's a downloadable product that just happens to be an image.

When we get the order, I go into the admin and email the customer a GC number using the GC admin. The customer can then print out the image and write the number.

Once again, very low-tech!

jplanet:

As I mentioned above, this is just set up to download a static file which is the same for everyone -- just as if we were selling software or mp3's, it's a downloadable product that just happens to be an image.

When we get the order, I go into the admin and email the customer a GC number using the GC admin. The customer can then print out the image and write the number.

Once again, very low-tech!

Thank you for that. But how does it work if they have chosen a normal gift certificate (email version) and want to change to a printable (downloadable) version. In the description on the www.read&click.com site it indicates a link in the gift certificate account area for the customer. What code did you use for that?

And because I only new to the whole gift certificate area if I do as you have instructed above and create the GC number through the GC admin (for downloadable versions) can they then send that same GC to someone else via email if they choose not to print the download image out? What I mean is: the GC number that you send to them obviously goes to their account and they login and either use it for themselves or send it via email??

Thank you for all you help with this; I am feeling a little silly with all this GC stuff especially if I have asked really obvious questions, please excuse me.

supersnow:

Thank you for that. But how does it work if they have chosen a normal gift certificate (email version) and want to change to a printable (downloadable) version. In the description on the www.read&click.com site it indicates a link in the gift certificate account area for the customer. What code did you use for that?

Look here:
http://readandclick.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8

There are three kinds of certificates:

Email: This is the standard Zen Cart GC, nothing fancy.
Paper: This is literally a physical object for sale. When ordered, we go into the GC admin->Mail Gift Certificate, type in the amount and it generates a code. We write that code on the GC.
Printable: This was a pain to do. You set up a GC, and then use the attribute controller to create two attributes, which will be attribute type "file". It took a lot of messing around with attributes and it was a long time ago, but if you mess with attributes you will figure it out.

jplanet:

Look here:
http://readandclick.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8

There are three kinds of certificates:

Email: This is the standard Zen Cart GC, nothing fancy.
Paper: This is literally a physical object for sale. When ordered, we go into the GC admin->Mail Gift Certificate, type in the amount and it generates a code. We write that code on the GC.
Printable: This was a pain to do. You set up a GC, and then use the attribute controller to create two attributes, which will be attribute type "file". It took a lot of messing around with attributes and it was a long time ago, but if you mess with attributes you will figure it out.

Thanks but I did get the concept of how you set them up. But thank you for making it a very clear.

What I was wondering about is how does a person who has bought a email (standard zencart GC) change to a Printable version? I only ask because I cannot see how it would be done. I understand that the GC information would be in their account information, but how do they have a link to be able to download an file according the system that they haven't paid for, unless you have some sort of code that you have put into the account section that allows for them to download.

Thank you again for your help.

supersnow:

What I was wondering about is how does a person who has bought a email (standard zencart GC) change to a Printable version? I only ask because I cannot see how it would be done.There's no built-in feature in a default Zen Cart install to allow a customer to edit their order after it's been placed and to thereby ask for a different set of product selections.

Practically speaking, I suppose they could send an email and ask for the alternate format.

Supersnow, unless I'm mistaken, I think you're missing the fact that the GC offered as Download in PDF or JPG format -- is a "Product" -- not the normal GC offered through Zen Cart.

Therefore, the normal Rules for GC through Zen Cart do not apply. It is treated as Product with all the availability that can be offered with any Product.

DrByte:

There's no built-in feature in a default Zen Cart install to allow a customer to edit their order after it's been placed and to thereby ask for a different set of product selections.

Practically speaking, I suppose they could send an email and ask for the alternate format.

That is why I am asking jplanet how he did it because the description on the read&click.com suggests that it a very simple and automactic.

Also I would like to know how he has been able to have the GC work for the printable GC, so that when he sends the GC via the GC admin to purchaser they can have it their account so if they choose to change their mind and want to email the GC to someone else. The only way I can see is the purchaser has to input the GC code that was sent from admin into their shopping cart then cancel the order and then go into their account to see the GC amount.

This seems to be very complicated for the customer if they want to change, unless jplanet has set this up in a different way.

For the majority of the prinatble purchasers it would be impractical to have the GC amount in the purchases account because then the gifted person wouldn't have access to the amount. So really how have you done this??