Frequently Asked Questions

Do you ship internationally?

I'm having trouble resetting my password. Help!

I live outside the United States. How much will my duties and import taxes be?

Do you know what my order total will be in non-US funds?

Is your web site "secure"?

Is there a minimum order amount?

Why do I only see a subtotal when I go to check out? How much will shipping cost?

Help, your web site hates me! After I log in and add an item to my cart, it tells me that I have been logged out due to inactivity.  If I try and do an order without logging in it empties my cart every time I put another item in.  I have been using the web site for a few years and had never had this problem before.  What can I do?

I've lost my password. How can I retrieve it?

Is my username on the web site the same as my customer#?

What do all of these abbreviations on the site mean? What is a PC, ST, and HK?

How many seed beads are in a hank?

Is there a logic to your part numbers?

How does your list feature work?

Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We ship to all countries where US Mail, DHL, Fed Ex, and UPS ship.

I live outside the United States. How much will my duties and import taxes be?
Duties and Import Taxes are based on your country. Please contact your local customs office for that information.

Do you know what my order total will be in non-US funds?
For a quick estimate, try this handy little converter:
XE.com Personal Currency Assistant

I'm having trouble resetting my password. Help!
If you are having problems resetting your password, check the following:

Open the email sent to you titled "Shipwreck Beads Password Retrieval Info"
Click on the link in the email.
If nothing happens when you click on the link, or if you are re-directed to a page asking for your email address again (or if you use AOL), copy and paste the link into the address bar of your web browser.
Note. Some email programs(yahoo, AOL, msn) will break the link that has been sent into two lines.

The link in the email should look like something this(all on one line):
https://www.shipwreckbeads.com/account/reset_password?token=5a7a134a37f66d542da80e57238be8

If it looks like this(two lines):
https://www.shipwreckbeads.com/account/reset_password
?token=5a7a134a387f66d542da870e57238be8

Copy and paste both lines into the address bar of your web browser and press return. This will take you to a page that will allow you to re-enter a new password.

If you continue to have problems please contact passwords@shipwreckbeads.com

Is your web site"secure"?
Yes. Shipwreck Beads is concerned about the safety and security of our customers. Accordingly, we have put a number of technological protections in place to ensure that our transaction process is extremely safe and that our customers' information is secure. The personal information you provide, including your credit card information, is secured using industry standard e-commerce security technology such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. We use this SSL technology to prevent such information from being intercepted and read as it is transmitted over the Internet. The encrypted data goes to a secure site where your information is stored on restricted-access computers located at restricted-access sites.

Is there a minimum order amount?
Yes. If you've been beating yourself over the head trying to figure out where the submit order button is, check to make sure that your order total is over 25.00. Phone orders, faxes and emails under $25 will be accepted but are subject to a small order handling fee of $4.00 in addition to normal shipping rates.

Why do I only see a subtotal when I go to check out? How much will shipping cost?
Our shipping rates are exactly what the carriers charge us. Rates are based on the weight of the package, not on your order total. That is why we don't quote your order total with shipping. This assures that you will always receive the best shipping costs available. Your final invoice will state the total shipping charges. Here at Shipwreck Beads we refuse to attach hidden costs to our beads. For more info, including a chart to estimate shipping costs, click here.

Help, your web site hates me! After I log in and add an item to my cart, it tells me that I have been logged out due to inactivity.  If I try and do an order without logging in it empties my cart every time I put another item in.  I have been using the web site for a few years and had never had this problem before.  What can I do?
The problem you have been experiencing is due to Microsoft's upgrade of Windows XP(service pack 2). Since this was an automatic update most users were caught off guard by certain things all of a sudden not working. Here's a quick and easy fix.

Launch Internet Explorer.
Select the "Tools" menu.
From "Tools" go to "Internet Options"
Click on the "Privacy" tab
Then select the "Advanced" button
You should now see a menu which is probably grayed out.
Click on the checkbox labeled "Override Automatic Cookie Handling"
Check the box marked Always "Allow Session Cookies"
Restart IE, and the problem should be solved.

I've lost my password. How can I retrieve it?
Click on the "Account" tab in the top menu. The first link listed is to retrieve a lost password. Note. After entering your user name, an email will be sent to you. Click on the link provided in the email and follow the instructions. Some browsers incorrectly display this form. If the submit button does not appear, use the "return" key on your keyboard.

Is my username on the web site the same as my customer#?
Not currently. Although we are working on it for upcoming versions of the site.

What do all of these abbreviations on the site mean? What is a PC, ST, and HK?
Here at Shipwreck Beads we use a variety of industry standard abbreviations in our product listings. The most common ones are included below:

How many seed beads are in a hank?
Use this helpful chart.

Is there a logic to your part numbers?
Use this helpful chart.