Frequently Asked Questions

Every box has free online help. The puzzle boxes have a spoiler-free hint system you reveal one step at a time, and the two brainteasers have a solution video. Getting stuck is part of the story; staying stuck is optional.

Puzzlers aged 14 and up, whether that is one determined solver or up to four heads around a table. The mechanisms are tactile, so no language is needed to solve them. A booklet telling the story is included, in several languages.

Yes, every box is fully resettable. Solve it, reset it, hand it to the next person (ideally with something hidden inside).

Every product page shows a difficulty from 1 to 5 and a typical play time. Topsy-Turvy and Screw Up are 1 and Tesla's Boat is 2, so all three are friendly entry points. The Philosopher's Stone and Anti-Gravity are 3. The Houdini Box is a 4 and a proper challenge. The Tesla Box is our hardest at 5. Pick that one to be humbled.

From fifteen minutes for the brainteasers and thirty for Tesla's Boat, up to five hours or more for the Tesla Box. The Philosopher's Stone and Anti-Gravity sit around an hour. Every product page states its own figure, and any box can be put down and picked up again at any point.

It's the gift people talk about a year later. The recipient doesn't just get an object, they get an evening (or several) of story and discovery. And it's beautiful on a shelf afterwards.

Yes, that is the legendary move. Every puzzle box ends in a hidden compartment: slip cash, tickets or a note inside before wrapping, and solving the box is the only way to get it out. The two brainteasers are the exception, because Screw Up is a sealed impossible object and Topsy-Turvy locks a wine bottle.

Every box ships in its retail packaging with no prices printed on it, ready to wrap. The invoice comes by email, never in the parcel.

Orders within Europe ship from our warehouse in Germany, and orders to the United States from our warehouse there. Other destinations ship from our warehouses abroad, so delivery takes a little longer. Costs and delivery times are shown at checkout before you pay, based on your address, and the shipping page lists every destination we serve.

Credit and debit cards and PayPal, processed by Stripe and PayPal. We never see or store your card details.

Changed your mind? If you live in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or the UK, you have 14 days from delivery to tell us you're withdrawing, and another 14 days after that to send the order back. If we delivered within Germany the return postage is on us; for deliveries elsewhere in the EU, the EEA or the UK you cover it. For deliveries to other countries we don't offer change-of-mind returns. If anything arrives damaged, faulty or not as described, contact us wherever you are and we'll put it right at our cost. The Right of Withdrawal page has the detail.

A pre-order reserves your box from the first production run. The product page shows the estimated ship date; you pay now and we ship the moment it's ready. Orders containing a pre-order item ship together once it's available.

Write to us via the contact button at the bottom of any page, with your order number and a photo. We will send replacement parts or a replacement box. Puzzles should fail your patience, not their hardware.

The contact button sits at the bottom of every page and goes straight to our support team. You can also write to [email protected].

Yes. Retailers and distributors order through Puzzle Potato Business, our wholesale portal. The link is in the footer.