Because "oh… thanks, it's great" is not the face you were going for.
Buying for a fellow fan is a minefield. Do they already have the Witcher sword? Is the Funko shelf at structural capacity? Are they team Zoro or team Mihawk? (Trick question. Both. Always both.) You could ask, but then it is not a surprise. You could guess, but then it is a £120 replica of the wrong sword.
Or you could hand them the whole store and watch them disappear for forty-five minutes picking out exactly the thing they have been quietly obsessing over for months. Job done. Hero status unlocked.
That is what the Sword Stall Gift Card is for.
How it works
- Pick a value. The card comes in £10, £25, £50, £100, £150 and £200. Want £75? Add a £50 and a £25 to your basket. Want £300? Two £150s. Any value you like, any combination, all usable together in one order.
- Choose who gets it. Send it straight to the recipient with your own message, or have it sent to you to print, forward or tuck inside a card. Tick "I want to send this as a gift" on the product page and fill in their name and email.
- It arrives by email. No postage, no wrapping, no waiting in for a courier, and no last posting date. Order it at 11pm on Christmas Eve if you have to. We will not judge.
- They spend it on anything. Swords, katanas, replica guns, statues, cosplay weapons, T-shirts, the lot. Sale items included. More on that below.
Yes, it works on sale items
Most gift cards you have used elsewhere come with a paragraph of exclusions: not on sale lines, not with other offers, not on the thing you actually wanted. Ours does not.
A Sword Stall Gift Card counts as a payment method. It is money, held on a card. So it works on everything in the store: full price, sale, clearance, Black Friday, pre-orders, bundles. It also works alongside discount codes, so if there is a code running when they shop, they can use both.
If the order comes to more than the card, they pay the difference by card or PayPal as normal. If it comes to less, the balance stays on the card for next time. Nothing is lost.
It never expires
There is no expiry date. None. If they want to sit on it until the exact Sideshow statue they are waiting for comes back into stock, they can. The balance will still be there.
Who it is for
A gift card is not a cop-out when the person you are buying for has taste this specific. It is the only sensible move. It works for:
- The collector who already has everything. They do not have everything. They have a list, and you do not know what is on it. They do.
- The fan whose fandom you cannot pronounce. You know they love an anime. You do not know which season, which character, or which of the character's four swords. Let them choose.
- The person who is halfway through a cosplay build. They know what the outfit still needs. You do not.
- The relative you see twice a year. Parent, sibling, cousin, the one who turned up to Christmas dinner in a Berserk hoodie. Interest-based gifting beats guessing at a category.
- The last-minute panic. It is the 22nd of December, the last posting date has gone, and you have just remembered someone. A digital gift card lands in their inbox in minutes.
If you would rather buy something physical and want a steer, we have written guides for the Lord of the Rings fan, the anime fan, the gamer and the all-round geek. Pair one of those with a gift card and you have covered both bases.
Give it with a bit of theatre
A gift card does not have to feel like a gift card. A few ideas from customers who have done it well:
- Put it inside a blank scroll and seal it with wax. Fantasy fans will understand.
- Print the email and fold it into a cheap display stand from our stands and care range, so there is something to unwrap and somewhere to put the sword when it arrives.
- Write the message field as a quest. "Your mission: choose one blade. Report back with photos."
Buying for someone under 18?
Anyone can buy and receive a gift card. Some of what we sell, including sharp hand-forged swords and most of the blades, is sold to adults only, and a new customer buying one of those will be asked for age verification before it is dispatched. That is on the person spending the card, not the person buying it. If they are under 18, the card still works on everything that is not age-restricted: cosplay-safe weapons, T-shirts, collectibles, statues, drinkware, jewellery and the rest.
Gift Card FAQ
How is the gift card delivered?
By email, to whichever address you choose: the recipient's, or your own to pass on. It arrives within minutes of your order.
Can I add a message?
Yes. Tick "I want to send this as a gift" on the product page and you can add the recipient's name, their email and a personal message.
Does it work on sale items?
Yes. It counts as a payment method, so it works on everything in the store, sale and clearance included, and alongside discount codes.
Does it expire?
No. There is no expiry date.
Can I combine more than one gift card?
Yes. Multiple cards can be used in a single order, and multiples of any denomination can be bought to make up any value.
What if the order costs more or less than the card?
More: they pay the difference by any normal payment method. Less: the remaining balance stays on the card for next time.
Can it be used towards a layaway balance?
Yes. A gift card is a payment method, so it can be used to open or pay down a reservation on our Layaway Scheme.
Can I get a refund on a gift card?
No. Gift cards are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash. Treat the code like cash: we cannot replace a lost or stolen one.
Where can it be spent?
Only at theswordstall.co.uk. It is issued by The Sword Stall and redeemed at checkout.
Give the gift of geek. Properly.
No wrapping. No guessing. No "it's great" face.
