Frequently asked questions

Do you support Fair Trade?
When you see our Fair Trade Logo on a product page, you know that the featured product is fairly traded.
We support Fair Trade by making a concerted effort to purchase folkart, home decor, gift items... from fair trade importers. Fair Trade Importers pay the artisans a living wage and they ensure that the artisans are working under humane conditions. When we do our own importing we generally work with the artisans who make the items and we work with people of the country and culture from which the items originate. We are often in their homes and work areas and are able to actually see them work and interact with their families. Visit our Travel pages for more information and pictures about the artisans we directly, and through our importers, employ.

Where are your products?
You can find most everything using our green bar across the top of each page or go to our Site Index.

What is the shipping cost for On-Line orders?
On-line orders only - Cost of shipping to each address (only one address per order):

All shipping is from Oregon, U.S.A. Please allow 7-14 business days to receive your package (continental U.S.A.).

Alaska & Hawaii - A $7.99 surcharge will be added to your order balance.

International: We are able to ship to many international locales. We charge a $7.99 handling fee plus the actual cost of the shipping. Actual shipping cost is charged seperate from the order and handling fee, as your actual shipping cost must be charged after your package is shipped via the United States Post Office.

Commercial orders, and orders over $500, may have an additional shipping charge to cover the additional cost of shipping extra large orders. We will contact you by e-mail with your shipping total if it is different from amount on invoice.
You must place seperate orders for each 'ship to' address.

What if I order more than one item and I want them shipped to different addresses?
You must place seperate orders for each 'ship to' address.

Where are the bargains?
Go straight to our 'On Sale' page and see what we are featuring. We update this page seasonally. We offer new deals on fun and unique gift items. If you would like a personal notice as new sale items are listed, just send us an e-mail with the words 'On Sale' in the subject box and we'll take care of it.

How do I bookmark this page?
Bookmark this page by clicking on 'favorites' at the top of your screen, verify name in 'Name' box says Topanien, Gifts of the World, adjust it if necessary and then click on 'add to favorites'. When you go on-line click on favorites, see and click on our name, Topanien, Gifts of the World.

Do you accept payment with credit cards?
We honor MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

Will my payment and credit card information be secure?
Yes! These days there is no technical reason why your credit card information shouldn't be secure but a lot still depends on the credit card management system used. Topanien uses Mal's E-commerce. When one of our customers places an order, we are notified by e-mail. The e-mail contains details of the order plus a unique Shopper ID but minus the credit card number. We collect the card number using an SSL secure browser and the Shopper ID number. Your Visa and Mastercard numbers are safe and we are able to process your order. Visit our Privacy Policy page for more information.

When you reach the order form page requesting your credit card number and info, look for: SSL SECURE PAYMENT with the tiny closed lock following it. This line and lock confirm your security.

What if I need to return my order:
All of our products are 100% guaranteed. If your item arrives damaged or, if you are not happy with your purchases for any reason, we want to know about it. We'll refund 100% of the purchase price if you let us know within 7 days that you are not satisfied and immediately return the item to us. Call us at 503-244-9683 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. We want you to be a satisfied online customer!
Returned Gifts - Receiver may have a store credit or may have purchasers credit card refunded the purchase price of item.

Does Topanien, Gifts of the World, Recycle?
An emphatic YES! We receive boxes, packing material, and styrofoam peanuts daily. No one wants this stuff going into a landfill. We re-use much of the packing material that our products arrive in. We use it for packing and shipping your web orders. Our extra cardboard and paper ares recycled through a Portland, Oregon area recycling service and the styrofoam we don't use for your web orders goes to a small tile company in Portland, Oregon. We still have a problem with stryofoam that arrives in larger hard pieces. If you have an idea as to how we can recycle this, please e-mail us.

Who are we?
Find out who we are in our About Us section.

What do you do for the community?
We are a member of Amnesty International and we support local events such as the Multnomah Village Holiday Gala and the Summer Multnomah Village Days. We make regular donations to local and global organizations with multicultural missions. Donations for last year, 2007, went to:
Harambee Centre, Connecting with the People and Cultures of Africa
Amnesty International
National Organization for Women
Congregation Neveh Shalom
The International School
Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp
Bridlemile Elementary School
Crescent Hill
West Sylvan Spanish Immersion Program
Neighborhood House, Inc
Mary Rieke School Foundation
Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Multnomah Arts Center
Assistance League of Portland
Mount Ashland Racing Association
Peace House
Bodacious Babes Body Fest
Hayhurst Elementary School Multicultural Fair
St. Mary’s School
Oya No Kai, Richmond Japanese Immersion Program
Southern Poverty Law Center
Defenders of Wildlife
50 Light Bulbs for Global Warming Awareness Campaign
Mercy Corps
Multnomah Village Business Association
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Mother Jones Investigative Fund
NARAL - Pro Choice Oregon
Robert Gray Middle School Multicultural Fair
The French American School
The Goodwill Industries
SusseFusse International Folk Dance Troupe
Wilson High School International Culture Night
SW Neighborhood Coalition
SW Neighborhood Litter Patrol
Volunteers of America