Silk Road forums

Support => Technical support => Topic started by: StrangeHands on October 26, 2012, 06:50 pm

Title: How exactly do "Gift Codes" work?
Post by: StrangeHands on October 26, 2012, 06:50 pm
Forgive me if this is covered by documentation, but the gift code creation page does not link to any help page or give much information at all.

I understand the concept of gift codes but would like to know a few details before using them.

1. If I create a gift code and I tell the person it expires in 30 days, do I even have the ability to cancel the gift code and recover my bitcoins?

2. If I give someone a gift code can they turn that into bitcoins or do they need to purchase something?

3. If I have someone a gift code for 10 bitcoins, and they bought something that only costs 6 bitcoins would they be able to use the same gift code for the remaining 4?

I am toying with the idea of supplying gift codes to some of my friends who can't figure bitcoins out, but I am not sure of these details. Thanks.
Title: Re: How exactly do "Gift Codes" work?
Post by: androd3 on October 26, 2012, 10:51 pm
hi!

1. If I create a gift code and I tell the person it expires in 30 days, do I even have the ability to cancel the gift code and recover my bitcoins?
As far as I know, you can't. . When you create one, anyone can use it, and as far as I know it doesn't expire. I think this is to avoid scamming with "sudden" expired gift codes. I gues someone would come up with an idea of how to do that.

2. If I give someone a gift code can they turn that into bitcoins or do they need to purchase something?
It's like a shop. it only is used to buy, you can't "redeem" them.. the money goes to the vendor's wallet, though.. in that sense you could cash them out by "autobuying" things... dunno, just an idea...

3. If I have someone a gift code for 10 bitcoins, and they bought something that only costs 6 bitcoins would they be able to use the same gift code for the remaining 4?
This one I don't know... I'd say they're "one time" usefull.


What you can do and is usefull.. is to restrain the coupon to be used for a specified vendor. When creating, if you put , for example "StrangeHands" in that field. That gift card could only be used on a listing of yours. (providing you're a vendor)

Title: Re: How exactly do "Gift Codes" work?
Post by: StrangeHands on October 27, 2012, 12:21 am
Thanks for the response.

I really would like to know how change works. I would hate to give a friend a 10BTC code for his birthday only to find that he must either buy bitcoins to get something over 10BTC or waste the change for something under 10BTC or have to try to match it perfectly.

I have absolutely zero intention of creating gift codes if they cannot be reversed or given an expiry date. What if I give a buyer a 5BTC code and that buyer never uses it? Does it just go to DPR? Is it lost forever?

Pretty much any promotional code given out by any organization expires so that they can reap the unused value after the promotion. Without this feature it seems a bit useless.

The danger of "scamming" by canceling codes seems minor as these codes are given freely for promotional purposes. What is more if you specify an expiry up front the recipient could check the code on a page and made aware of the expiry.