When you buy a jigsaw puzzle online, you can't pick up the box, turn it over and read the small print. You depend on the product page. That is usually where disappointment starts: the puzzle turns out smaller than you pictured, the pieces are made for children, or the image isn't the one you thought.

Here is what we suggest checking before you order. It takes two minutes on the product page and can save you a return.

What to check before you buy a jigsaw puzzle online

1. How many pieces, and how many hours

A piece count means little until you turn it into hours. Every product page in our shop does that for you, estimating roughly one hour per 125 pieces: a 500 takes about four hours, a 1000 about eight. If you only get half an hour in the evening, a 1000 will sit on the table for weeks. That's fine, as long as the table can stay busy.

2. The finished size, in centimetres

This catches people out more than anything else. Two puzzles with the same piece count can be very different sizes. Educa's Notting Hill Doors finishes at 68 x 48 cm, Clementoni's More is More Travel & Cultures reaches 70 x 50 cm, and The Starry Night Miniature fits the same 1000 pieces into 46 x 30 cm, with tiny pieces that need good light.

Measure your table before you choose, and allow about 10 cm around the edge for loose pieces.

3. The brand, and what's in the box

Every manufacturer has its habits. Many of Educa's adult puzzles come with Fix Puzzle glue, so you can fix the finished puzzle and frame it. Some Clementoni puzzles include a poster of the image, like KPop Demon Hunters Golden, which saves you juggling the box lid. Not all of them include one or the other. The feature list at the end of the description will tell you.

4. The recommended age

The age on the box is about two things: safety, because small pieces and small children don't mix, and difficulty. Clementoni's 104 piece Bluey puzzle is recommended from age 6; for a four-year-old, even a big fan of the show, it's too early. In our children's puzzles every page shows the recommended age, and it's worth following that more than the theme.

5. Whether the image is really the one you see

Some shops sell puzzles as "assorted designs", and you only find out which one you got when you open the parcel. Here each puzzle has its own page, and the photo is the box you will receive. The exception is a handful of small children's puzzles sold as an assorted design, like the Grafix Glitter puzzle, and in those cases the title says so plainly.

6. Whether it's really in stock

A sold-out puzzle is marked as sold out and moves to the end of the collection, so you don't waste time choosing something that isn't there. If the one you wanted is out of stock, write to us: some come back. If you're after recent arrivals, they're all in new for 2026.

7. Shipping, delivery times and payment

We ship from Portugal. Mainland Portugal costs 3,90 € and is free from 49,80 €, with delivery within 3 working days of dispatch. Spain also costs 3,90 € and takes about 5 days. The rest of Europe starts at 9,90 €, free from 200 €, and takes about 7 days. You can pay by PayPal or card, and in Portugal also by MB Way or Multibanco.

One detail few people notice: the cart takes 5 € off automatically when you buy 5 puzzles, and 10 € when you buy 8. If you're buying for the whole family, put everything in one order.

8. What happens if you change your mind

You have 14 days from delivery to return a puzzle, still sealed and in the condition it arrived. Return shipping is at your cost. In practice, only take the plastic off once you're sure.

9. How to track your order

Orders go by CTT or DPD, always with a tracking number. You can follow everything on the order tracking page, which helps when the puzzle has to arrive by a certain date.

An example with a real product page

Take Educa's Dreamy Santorini and run through the list. 1000 pieces, about eight hours. It finishes at 68 x 48 cm, so it fits on a kitchen table. It's Educa, so the Fix Puzzle glue is included. Recommended from 14, rated difficult.

Then look closely at the image: white houses, blue domes, pink bougainvillea and a lot of sky and sea. The houses and flowers go quickly. The blue of the sky and sea is where the last hours go, because the pieces are almost all alike.

Now you know whether it's for you, a gift for someone experienced, or whether you'd rather find an image with more areas of colour among our adult puzzles. Still unsure about a particular puzzle? Ask us before you order and we'll tell you what we know about it.