Frequently Asked Questions

Order Questions

What is your phone number?

DiscontinuedDecals.com is an online company that has been successfully selling decals on the internet since 2005. As a purely online business we have processed and filled thousands of orders. At this point we do not have the staff to handle phone support. Please direct all questions and inquiries to our email or our contact form.

Can I place a order over the phone? I don't like to use my credit card on the Internet.

Unfortunately we do not have a way to process orders or payments over the phone. All orders have to be placed on our web-site. We pay a lot of money to keep our web-site secure and we have not had a single issue with our web-site's security. Our web-site is SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protected and PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant. Also our company or staff does not have access to your credit card numbers directly, only our credit card processing company Paypal receives this information. Paypal is a fortune 500 company and one of the largest payment processing company's in the world. We assure you that you do not need to worry and your transaction will be just as safe as using it at a large retail store.

Did my order go through?

If your order has gone through you will receive a email confirmation with an order number. If you do not receive the email, the email address may have been entered incorrectly and if not the order may not have processed. Please allow some time for the email to be delivered and if you still do not receive the confirmation email, send us a message. If you are having trouble with our site and cannot seem to complete checkout, there is a good chance the credit card may be the problem. If your credit card is declined by your card issuer, you will not be able to complete the checkout process. You can either try to place the order again using a different credit card or email us with the part number/numbers you would like to order and we can send you a money request which you can pay with credit card or Paypal. If you continue to experience a problem with the checkout process please let us know.

Why is taking so long to receive my decals?

International Shipping - For standard international orders, shipping may take 10-14 days or sometimes longer. Unfortunately, with the U.S. Postal Service, transit time varies and there is no tracking information available. If you have chosen USPS Priority International shipping, your order should take approximately 5-10 business days. Please be patient and understanding regarding the shipping process.

USPS Domestic Shipping - Orders shipped using USPS (United States Postal Service) can take anywhere from 2-10 business days or longer depending on location and/or possible delays. If it has been over a week and you have not received your order please login to your account and make sure you have your current shipping address listed. If you do not have the correct address please email us immediately. If the address is correct, first, try to locate the package at your residence. We usually tell customers to make sure the package is not misplaced before you contact us about a missing package. Stock items are usually shipped 24-48 hours after the order is placed. Completion times on custom orders vary depending on the weekly workflow. At DiscontinuedDecals.com we strive to process your order in a timely manner.

My order was damaged during shipping. How do I get replacements?

Unfortunately sometimes shipping services damage shipments during the delivery process. Do not apply any of the decals and simply send back the damaged order in its original package and send us an email and as soon as we receive them we will send replacements.

Installation Questions

How do I install my decals?

Click here for installation instructions

How do I remove the old decals without damaging the paint finish?

Usually just good old fashioned picking and peeling is what it takes to get the decal off and then some goo-off or any other adhesive remover to get the adhesive residue off. A few things that may help are - a plastic scraper (sold on our site), a plastic putty knife to chip the flaky decal off, or a drill with a rubber wheel can also be used to remove old decals. Heat from a heat gun or hair dryer sometimes helps a little as well. When the decal and adhesive is removed be sure to clean the surface with rubbing alcohol before installation of the new decals.

My Decal arrived Folded or Creased, is it ok?

We are sorry to hear that the decal arrived folded or creased. We try our best to package the decals so this does not happen. We also try to stamp "DO NOT BEND" on the flat mailiers so the so mail carriers do not fold them. The good news is that the vinyl decal itself does not crease, only the wax paper backing can crease. Once the decals has been removed from the wax paper backing and is applied, it should no longer show any signs of a fold or crease.

We do not recommend clear coating our decals because it is not necessary since our decals are already clear coated with a layer of clear 3m UV vinyl laminate. However, some customers have done so and have reported good results. Here is one customers method that he has shared with us:

Here are my explicit clear coating steps, I've had great results doing it this way and I have a good amount of experience working with 2k auto paint: Instructions for 2k Urethane Auto Paint Application of Decals:

1. Base and clear as normal 2. After manufacturer's guidelines specify full cure to sand, I waited a full week to insure enough solvent gas out 3. Sanded clear coat (careful not to sand through clear into base) with 400-600 grit wet sandpaper (wet reduces the chance of adding deep scratches to clear) until the clear looks an even dull when dry 4. Wash the parts with mild soap and water, rinse with fresh water and let dry completely (after this step do not touch parts with hands, unless wearing gloves) 5. Wipe areas where decals will be placed with 50/50 water and alcohol solution and let dry 6. Installed decals per your instructions and let the parts sit in the sun for a day or two to insure all the moisture under and around the decals has evaporated 7. Wipe the decal and around the area with the 50/50 solution very carefully and let dry (to remove any last residual oils....) 8. Re-Clear parts: a. First coat - light mist only the decals and let flash per manufacturer's guidelines (this will prevent the decals from lifting when applying heavier coats) b. Continue with two or three more medium coats of clear. With today's paints, I wouldn't suggest ever putting the decals on between base coat and clear coat, this would probably cause clear coat failure eventually.... plus there is a good chance the solvents could attack the decals.

Product Questions

Why do your decals cost so much, aren't they just stickers?

No, they are not just stickers. Stickers are cheap and do not last. You may find the same decals on an intermediate vinyl with no lamination for half the price. This will be a short term product that will not last. Our decals are made from the highest quality and most expensive vinyl in the industry. They are printed with a thermal printer and then laminated with a extra layer of 3M UV laminate. This protects they decals from the harsh elements such as the saltwater, sun, gasoline, and cleaning supplies. Our decals will out last the stock decals and are a fraction of the price.

My original decals have curled and peeled off. Will your decals eventually curl and peel as well?

No, our decals will not curl or peel as long as they are applied correctly. Our decals are made from 3M vinyl which is an 8 year plus vinyl and is the longest lasting most expensive vinyl you can buy. We print on the 3M vinyl and then laminate the decal with an additional layer of clear 3M vinyl. This adds life and protects the decal from the elements such as salt water, gasoline and cleaning products. To apply the decal correctly, clean the engine cowl and remove any wax residue. The surface should be clean and wax-free before application.

Your decals look exactly like the factory decals but will they last as long?

Our decals will out last the factory decals. Our decals are superior to the factory decals because they are printed on the highest quality and most expensive 3M vinyl and laminated with a heavy duty 3M 4mil laminate. You will not find a better longer lasting decal and our customers will vouch for that.

I do not see the decal kit that I need. Can you make it?

Yes, we may be able to work with you to recreate the stock decals for your bike or outboard engine cowling. If you are interested you will need to send us a tracing of your original decals and mail them to us. We will recreate them and give you a discount on your first set of decals. We can also create custom decals. Please contact us for details.

I need a custom color. Can you make it?

Color matching can be challenging. We cannot match colors from pictures on the web. Computer monitors do not show accurate colors because each monitor's color settings are different. You must either send us a sample for us to match or choose a color from the colors we have in stock. If you would like a free sample of a color/colors please let us know.

I have seen the same decal cheaper on the internet. Can you price match?

Our products are price matched to the quality of our decals. We have seen similar products on the internet and found our competitors decals are printed with ink jet printers. We have Ink Jet printers but choose not to use them for the outboard decal application. Ink jet printing will significantly lower the cost to print a decal kit but will not last near as long in an outdoor environment with heavy sunlight exposure. The competitor's products will not last near as long and look as vibrant as our decals using our printing process. In short, you get what you pay for and what you are paying for is a great quality marine grade long lasting decal from a company with quick turn around and will guarantee your satisfaction.

Shipping Questions

How long will it take to get my order after it has shipped?

International Shipping - For First Class International orders, shipping may take 10-14 days or sometimes longer. Unfortunately, with the U.S. Postal Service, transit time varies and there is no tracking information available. If you have chosen USPS Priority International shipping, your order should take approximately 5-10 business days and does come with tracking. Please be patient and understanding regarding the shipping process.

USPS Domestic Shipping - Orders shipped using USPS (United States Postal Service) can take anywhere from 2-10 business days or longer depending on location and/or possible delays.

Do you ship to my country?

Yes. We are located in the United States and we often ship internationally. There are two shipping options for international shipments. The first option is USPS First Class International Air Mail. This shipping option does NOT come with tracking or insurance and usually takes 10-14 business days but in some cases can take longer. It will all depend on the efficiency of the US Postal Service and your Local Customs Department. The second option is USPS Priority International Air Mail. This shipping option comes with tracking and insurance and usually takes 5-10 business days. Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to buying.

Why can't you just ship my order in a regular envelope (since it would be cheaper)?

Unfortunately we cannot ship in a regular envelope since it will not come with tracking and insurance. All of our shipments come with tracking and insurance which is important to us since we are responsible for lost packages. We do not profit on the shipping charges, they are the actual costs for shipping with the tracking and/or insurance.