The questions that come in before an order, answered properly. If yours is not here, email support@ecmarketstore.com — one business day, usually the same morning.
What the flowers actually are
Are these real flowers?
Some of them. The site sells three things and the first line of every product page says which one you are looking at:
- Preserved and plated — a real flower, grown and cut, then treated so it will not decay and electroplated in a layer of real metal. The gold, silver, platinum, copper, bronze, brass, iron, tin, aluminum and stainless steel roses are these, as are the daisies, orchids and lilies.
- Preserved under lacquer — the same real flower sealed under clear coats, so it keeps its own color instead of taking the metal's. The glazed roses and the enamel roses.
- Keepsake flowers — porcelain, crochet cotton, genuine leather, lace, handmade paper, carved wood, crystal and rose quartz. These never were flowers. They are handmade in the shape of one, because those are the materials their anniversaries call for.
How long does a preserved flower last?
Years, kept dry and out of direct sunlight. We do not say "forever", because nothing organic under a coating is forever and we would rather tell you the truth than the slogan.
What shortens it is moisture and UV. A preserved rose in a steamy bathroom or on a south-facing windowsill will dull faster than one on a hall table. The care page has the whole list.
Is the gold real gold?
It is a real layer of gold, electroplated onto the flower — a coating, not a solid casting. Nothing on this site is solid metal and nothing on this site claims to be. The same is true of the silver, platinum, copper, bronze, brass, iron, tin, aluminum and stainless steel pieces.
Why does mine look different from the photograph?
Because it grew. Every preserved flower differs in size, shape and the exact way the petals sit — that variation is the point of buying a real one rather than a moulded copy. Metallic finishes also photograph brighter under studio lights than they read in a room.
A slight difference is the product. A noticeable one is a return, and returns are free.
Anniversaries
How do I find the right year?
Use the anniversary menu — twenty-two years have their own page, from the first to the fiftieth, each named after the material that year traditionally calls for. If you know the number, that is the fastest route in the shop.
What if my year is not listed?
Then we do not make a piece that honestly answers it, and we would rather send you to the anniversary shelf than invent a connection. Email us with the year and we will tell you which piece comes closest and why.
Where do the traditional materials come from?
They are the commonly published traditional and modern anniversary lists — the same ones a jeweller or a card shop works from. We did not invent any of them, and where a year has both a traditional and a modern material we say which one a piece answers.
Ordering and gifting
Is it gift boxed?
Always, at no extra cost, with your message printed on a card inside. Nothing in or on the parcel shows a price. There is nothing to rewrap at the other end.
Can I have the message on the flower rather than in the box?
Yes — an engraved tag is a small stainless steel or gold-plated disc or heart that ties around the stem, with your text engraved on it. Add it to the order alongside the flower. It does not delay shipment.
Do sets come with a vase?
Some do and some do not, and the option name says which — anything reading "& Glass Vase" or "in Glass Vase" includes it. The porcelain rose sets do not include one, which is why vases are sold separately in the sizes those sets need.
Can you deliver on a specific date?
Email before ordering rather than after. Handling takes 1–2 business days and transit 3–5 business days, so most dates are comfortable with a week's notice — but we would rather tell you honestly that a date is tight than take the order and miss an anniversary.
Delivery
How fast is it, and what does it cost?
1–2 business days handling, then 3–5 business days in transit. Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum, and every parcel is tracked. Full detail on the shipping policy.
Where do you ship?
all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, the US territories and military addresses. We do not currently ship outside the US — email before ordering if you need that and we will tell you whether we can arrange it.
My tracking has not moved.
Tracking usually updates once or twice a day rather than continuously, so a quiet day is normal. Three business days without movement is not — email your order number and we open a trace with the carrier the same day.
Returns
What is the trial?
100 days to use the piece, test it and decide. Returns and exchanges are both free. The conditions are that it comes back gently used and undamaged with the original packaging intact, and that you contact us within 30 days of receiving it to start one.
How do I start a return?
Email support@ecmarketstore.com before sending anything back, with your order number, the date of purchase, the reason, and — if you are exchanging — the item you would like instead. We send instructions and a label. An item posted back without a reference has nothing to match it to.
How is the refund paid?
Through PayPal. From a PayPal balance it clears in 2 business days; on a card linked to PayPal, allow up to 10 business days for it to appear, depending on your bank.
Something arrived broken.
Photograph it and the outer carton, email both within seven days, and we replace it at our cost. You are not asked to post the damaged one back first. That is not a change-of-mind return and no window counts against it.
Care
Can I put it in water?
No — and it does not need any. A preserved flower is not drinking. Water is the fastest way to spoil the plating and the preservation underneath. Vases here are display stands, not vessels.
How do I clean one?
A dry, soft brush or a hairdryer on cool, low. Nothing wet, no polish, no cleaning spray. The care page covers the rest.