Selling Paper Gift certificates

Keep in mind that "whoever" redeems a gift certificate has the freedom to forward any or all of those gift certificate funds to anyone else ... via email.

Once redeemed, the only way to give them to someone else is to use the Send button from in their account, and email them out.

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. 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.

The answer is in my message that you quoted. You set up the downloadable file as an attribute of a standard email GC.

jplanet:

The answer is in my message that you quoted. You set up the downloadable file as an attribute of a standard email GC.

Just to qualify I do understand the way you have set them up with attributes - I am just trying to understand how someone can automatically change from the downloadable to the email and vis versa. Don't worry I will try to work it out myself.

Thank you anyway - I am obviously not explaining myself the right way to get the answers I need.

I do appreciate everyone's help.

supersnow:

Just to qualify I do understand the way you have set them up with attributes - I am just trying to understand how someone can automatically change from the downloadable to the email and vis versa. Don't worry I will try to work it out myself.

Thank you anyway - I am obviously not explaining myself the right way to get the answers I need.

I do appreciate everyone's help.

It's an optional attribute...the GC works without the download, and the download is always available to the customer after they buy it. There is no trick to it!

The best thing, as always, is to experiment and see what happens.

I've seen a lot of questions on ways to do printed or online only gift certs.. I don't know if this works for everyone, but this is what I did..

When someone orders a printed gift cert.. we're going to generate a unique coupon code set it to be redeemed only one time and put the dollar amount on there and then print that code on the gift cert.

This might not work for large companies where it wouldn't be feasible to generate these codes each time a gift cert was ordered and then have to print each one individually.. but it works for us. We're having the gift cert's bulk printed and running them through a standard printer to put the code on them.

jplanet
I am trying to do our gift certificates similar to your presentation. I am pricing using attributes, have the dropdown, but I am having problems on how to locate the dropdown menu on the page.

How did you position your dropdown in its current location? Mine is located in the lower left. Also, I have not done the downloadable pdf jpg gift certificates (yet), but I assume that I will have some difficulty in their position as well.

Thanks for the info.

Sawhorse,

Fortunately, you have gotten past the hardest part! Now you just need to modify the HTML on the page...There are a few ways you could do this...

It has been a long time since I customized that HTML, so I am trying to remember what I did. You could add a definition for select boxes to your stylesheet using css, and create something like:

<style type="text/css">
<!--
select {
	text-align: left;
}
-->
</style>

This would interfere with other ZenCart code the least...but all of your select boxes throughout the site would align left.

If modifying the template is what you need to do, then follow the guidelines on this site for creating an override directory that will remain safe if you need to update ZenCart...

I am sorry I am so vague, but it has literally been almost a year since I have had to work with the code...

Great to hear from you.

Since I am not a good html programmer the css modifications may be a bit troublesome. Do you think you could look at your stylesheet and copy your code here?

Thanks

Using firebug I think you are using a table to place your objects. I do not know how you are doing this, if in fact that is what you are doing.

If one looks at the ZC FAQ for Gift Certificates you will see the following statement after the Paragraph HOW DOES IT WORK THEN ?> **Upon release/approval, they are sent an email with a redemption code. **When they redeem that code either by clicking on the link or by keying in the code on the checkout-payment page (or the gv-redemption screen), then the customer will have GV funds available to them for use in that or future transactions.

What I have found is that this does not happen. If a customer buys a Gift Certificate the funds are credited to his/her Gift Certificate account. When credited the customer may send to another person a gift certificate from the ZC site. That new person will receive a redemption code.

The argument may be that the customer who first bought the Gift Certificate does not need at redemption code, because all he/she needs to do is go online and use or distribute the gift certificate money.

That is all well and good except that if (as we have on our site) the customer would like to downloadable gift certificate images and place redemption code on that printed certificate he/she will not be able to do so. He/she does not have a redemption code.

The question is: How can I have an automatic redemption code generated and sent to the original purchaser of the Gift Certificate as indicated in the FAQ?

PS For the onsite printable Gift Certificate that is sent from us I believe I have the answer as to how to generate a redemption code. Go to "Send Gift Certificate To Customers" and send the approprate amount to the administartor. Use the code found in Gift Voucher's Sent on the onsite printed Gift Certificate.

bump

For those who want further explanation on the topic of redemption code generated for printable Gift Certificates please see http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94060