FAQs & Customer Support

About Curio & Co.

We make original books, cards, games, and hand-carved objects, all designed to look and feel like artifacts from the mid-20th century. The nostalgia is real, even if the history isn’t. Think of it as make-believe you can hold in your hands. Everything we sell is new, originally created and produced by our studio.

The Curioverse is the shared fictional universe where all of our characters and stories live. Frank and His Friend, Spaceman Jax, the Gadabout TM-1050 Time Machine, the Tarot of Musterberg: they all exist in the same world. Our products are the physical artifacts from that world. You can enjoy them on their own, or you can fall down the rabbit hole. We’ve made sure there’s plenty to find if you do.

Our studio is in Vienna, Austria. We design everything here and ship worldwide.

Our art and writing is created the old-fashioned way, by hand, and the majority of our products are produced in the European Union. We won’t pretend that our office is plastic-free (alas, that would be impossible), but we go out of our way to minimize plastic in our daily operations and to produce products that don’t use it. Where we can avoid it entirely, we do.

Subscribe to our newsletter! Along with new products, puzzles, and studio news, we share the things we’re curious about, which, given that we named the company Curio & Co., tends to be a fairly wide net.

About Our Products

Anywhere you like! Pick up Time for Frank and His Friend for some childhood nostalgia, the Gadabout TM-1050 Time Machine for a glimpse into what the future could bring, or the Tarot of Musterberg if you’ve ever wanted to ask a beautifully illustrated deck of cards what it thinks about your life choices. The Curioverse is designed with plenty of easy access points, so there’s no wrong door in.

Both, depending on the product. Our reproductions are limited-run editions of our own original creations: books, card decks, and prints produced in carefully controlled quantities. Commission pieces, such as our hand-carved sculptures, are one-of-a-kind originals. You’ll always find the details on each product page, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting.

Absolutely! If you’d like something signed or dedicated, just include your request at checkout. (We love doing those.) For gifts, our prints come in archival-quality packaging that looks as good unopened as the artwork inside, and we never include pricing or order details in those packages, so your generosity can remain as mysterious as you’d like. For more on how our prints are packaged and protected, have a look at our Care page.

Our hand-carved black walnut sculptures are made to order by a single maker, one piece at a time. A 20% non-refundable deposit sets the carving in motion, and once it’s finished after six weeks or so, the remaining 80% confirms it’s yours and your sculpture ships. You can browse the existing series on our sculptures page. If you’re interested in a different kind of commission, just get in touch and we’ll work it out together!

We’re a studio full of puzzle people, so it was only a matter of time before we started making our own. We publish five new sudoku puzzles every day, one at each difficulty level from Casual to Diabolical. They’re free, ad-free, playable in your browser, and formatted for printing on both US Letter and A4. The archive currently holds over 800 puzzles, with full archive access coming soon through a premium membership. Head over to the Fun & Games page and see which level suits you.

Orders & Payments

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay. We also offer Buy Now, Pay Later through Klarna, and for the crypto-curious, USDC. In short, we’ve tried to make it easy for you.

You can select your preferred currency from the dropdown menu on every page. We offer a range of currencies including EUR, USD, GBP, AUD, CAD, and NZD. The prices you see on the site will reflect your selection, and that’s what you’ll be charged at checkout.

We do! If you’re interested in carrying our work in your shop or business, send us an email at office[at]curioandco[dot]com with a bit about your business and which products you’re interested in. We’ll get back to you with more information.

You’ll receive a confirmation email right away with your order details. When your order ships, you’ll get a second email with your tracking number and a link to follow your package on its journey. If anything looks incorrect in either email, let us know and we’ll sort it out.

We typically ship in-stock items within 1 to 3 working days, so if you need to make a change or cancel, get in touch as soon as possible and we’ll do our best. Once your order has shipped, it’s out of our hands (literally). If you’re an EU customer, you also have a statutory right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of receiving it, no reason needed. You can exercise that right any time using the withdrawal form linked in the footer of every page, labeled “Withdraw from contract here.” Full details are in our Refund Policy.

Shipping & Delivery

Many of our products ship free! You can check whether free shipping is available for your item and location on each product page, or the exact cost will be calculated for you at checkout. We only use express shipping (UPS, FedEx, and similar partners depending on your location), and every shipment is fully insured. The insurance is included in the shipping cost, so there’s nothing extra to worry about.

We do! We ship worldwide. For orders within the EU, no import duties apply. For orders outside the EU, your country may apply local import taxes on arrival, which are determined by your local customs authority and aren’t something we can control or predict. If you have a valid European VAT number, you may be eligible for reverse charges. You’ll have the opportunity to enter your VAT number during checkout.

We process orders within 1 to 2 working days. From there, delivery times depend on where you are: within the EU, expect 2 to 3 business days; for the rest of the world, 2 to 5 business days. If you’re pressed for time, drop us a line at shipping[at]curioandco[dot]com and we’ll do our best to arrange something faster.

Every single one. All of our shipments are fully tracked and insured. You’ll receive your tracking number as soon as your order ships, so you can follow your curio on its way to you.

Don’t panic! Give it 24 hours first, since carriers sometimes scan packages as delivered before they’ve actually arrived, and check with your neighbors just in case. If it still hasn’t turned up, get in touch with the carrier using your tracking number, as they’ll have the most up-to-date information on where your package is. And let us know too. We want to make sure our delivery partners are meeting our standards.

It depends on what you ordered. Whenever possible, we bundle everything together. But if your order includes items of very different sizes or fragility, we may ship them separately to make sure everything arrives in perfect condition. If you receive one package and are expecting more, don’t worry. The rest is on its way.

Returns & Damaged Items

If you change your mind about a purchase, you have 14 days after receiving your item to request a return. The item needs to be in the same condition you received it, unworn or unused, with tags and original packaging. To start a return, email us at orders[at]curioandco[dot]com with your order number and the item or items you’d like to return, and please wait for us to accept the return before sending anything back. Return shipping is your responsibility, and a 20% restocking fee may apply. Custom or personalized items (including dedications!) are not eligible for return. Full details are in our Refund Policy. If you’re an EU customer, you have a broader statutory right of withdrawal. You can exercise it any time using the link labeled “Withdraw from contract here” in the footer of every page.

We take packaging very seriously, but if the worst happens, here’s what to do: Before you open the package, take a photo of the outer packaging. Then take photos as you open it and of the item itself. Contact us right away at orders[at]curioandco[dot]com with your order number and those photos, and we’ll make it right. No return shipping cost or restocking fee applies to items that arrive damaged, faulty, or incorrect. All original artwork is shipped with insurance for exactly this reason.

Once we’ve received and inspected your return, we’ll let you know the outcome. Approved refunds are issued to your original payment method within 10 business days. For EU withdrawals, refunds are processed within 14 days. Keep in mind that your bank or card company may need a few additional days to post the refund on their end. If more than 15 business days have passed since we approved your return and you still haven’t seen it, get in touch at orders[at]curioandco[dot]com and we’ll look into it.