StorySwaps
Terms of Use
Version: 1.0
Effective date: 6 April 2026
Operator: StorySwaps (the "Platform", "we", "us", "our")
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING STORYSWAPS. BY CREATING AN ACCOUNT OR USING THE PLATFORM, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE PLATFORM.
StorySwaps is a peer-to-peer online marketplace that allows registered users ("Members") to list, browse, swap, and sell secondhand children's audio story items, including Tonie figures and Yoto cards ("Items"). StorySwaps acts as a facilitator of transactions between Members. We are not a party to any transaction between Members and we do not buy, sell, or take possession of any Items listed on the Platform.
StorySwaps is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Tonies GmbH, Yoto Ltd, or any other brand whose products may appear on the Platform.
To use StorySwaps you must:
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract;
• Not be prohibited from using the Platform under applicable law; and
• Provide accurate and complete information when registering.
By using the Platform you represent and warrant that you meet all eligibility requirements.
You must register for an account to list Items, propose swaps, or contact other Members. You are responsible for:
• Keeping your login credentials confidential;
• All activity that occurs under your account; and
• Notifying us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access (use the “contact us” link on the website)
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that we reasonably believe pose a risk to other Members or the Platform.
When listing an Item, you must:
• Accurately describe the Item's condition, platform compatibility (e.g. region), and any defects;
• Only list Items you own and have the right to sell or swap;
• Not list counterfeit, modified, or unlicensed items; and
• Not list Items that are prohibited by applicable law.
You may list Items for swap only, for sale at a price you specify, or for either. You are responsible for setting fair and accurate terms. StorySwaps does not set or guarantee prices.
StorySwaps is a venue. We do not inspect Items, verify descriptions, or guarantee that any transaction will complete successfully. All transactions are between Members directly.
The Platform may facilitate multi-party swap chains ("chain swaps") involving three or four Members. By agreeing to participate in a chain swap you acknowledge that the swap is conditional on all other parties also confirming, and that if one party withdraws the chain may collapse. We are not liable for any loss arising from a chain swap that does not complete.
Where Items are exchanged in person, Members are strongly encouraged to:
• Meet only in public places (e.g. supermarket car parks, libraries, cafés);
• Never share home addresses;
• Bring the agreed Item in the agreed condition; and
• Use the Platform's suggested meetup tools.
For postal swaps (available for Yoto cards and other postable Items), Members agree to:
• Use appropriate packaging and postage; and
• Agree in advance which party posts first, or post simultaneously.
StorySwaps accepts no liability for Items lost, damaged, or not received in the course of a meetup or postal exchange. Members are encouraged to take reasonable precautions and may wish to use tracked postage for higher-value items.
At the date of these Terms, StorySwaps does not charge Members for basic use of the Platform, including listing Items and completing swaps. We reserve the right to introduce fees in future with reasonable notice. Any applicable fees will be displayed clearly before you are required to pay them.
Where Items are listed for sale at a cash price, StorySwaps may charge a platform fee as a percentage of the sale price. If applicable, this fee will be displayed on the listing form before you submit. Payment is processed by our third-party payment provider and subject to their terms.
You agree not to:
• List or attempt to sell prohibited, counterfeit, or stolen Items;
• Misrepresent the condition, authenticity, or compatibility of any Item;
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other Members;
• Use the Platform for any commercial purpose other than as a private individual selling or swapping Items from your own collection;
• Scrape, copy, or redistribute any part of the Platform without our written consent;
• Attempt to circumvent any security measure or access any part of the Platform you are not authorised to access;
• Use the Platform in any way that could damage, disable, or impair it; or
• Violate any applicable law or regulation.
We reserve the right to remove listings, suspend accounts, and take any other action we consider appropriate in response to prohibited conduct.
Members may leave reviews of other Members following a completed transaction. Reviews must be honest, fair, and based on actual experience. You must not:
• Post false or misleading reviews;
• Post reviews about transactions that did not occur; or
• Attempt to manipulate your own or another Member's trust score.
We reserve the right to remove reviews that we believe violate these requirements.
All product and character names referenced on the Platform (including Tonie, Yoto, and all associated character names) are the intellectual property of their respective owners. StorySwaps uses these names solely to describe the secondhand Items listed by Members and claims no affiliation with or endorsement by those owners.
The StorySwaps name, logo, and Platform design are our intellectual property. You may not use them without our prior written consent.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:
• StorySwaps is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind;
• We do not guarantee that the Platform will be available at all times or free from errors;
• We are not liable for any loss arising from a transaction between Members, including Items not received, Items not as described, or failed swap chains;
• We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special loss; and
• Our total liability to you in connection with the Platform will not exceed the fees (if any) you have paid to us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless StorySwaps and its officers, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Platform, your listings, any transaction you enter into, or your breach of these Terms.
You may close your account at any time using the “delete account” function. If you are unable to log in to do so, you may request deletion via the “contact us” link. We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, without liability to you.
On termination, your listings will be removed and you will lose access to your account data. We may retain certain data as required by law or our Privacy Policy.
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered Members of material changes by email or in-app notification at least 14 days before changes take effect. Continued use of the Platform after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction provide otherwise.
If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us via the website.
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 business days.
StorySwaps
Privacy Policy
Version: 1.0
Effective date: 6 April 2026
Data controller: StorySwaps
StorySwaps is the data controller for personal data collected through the Platform. This means we decide how and why your data is processed.
• Account registration: name or nickname provided, email address;
• Profile information: display name, approximate location (postcode or area — not precise GPS);
• Listings: item descriptions, condition notes, photos, pricing, and swap preferences;
• Wishlist: items you are looking for;
• Messages: communications with other Members through the in-app messaging system;
• Reviews: feedback you leave about other Members; and
• Device and browser information (type, OS, browser version);
• IP address;
• Usage data (pages visited, features used, time spent); and
• Cookies and similar technologies — see our Cookie Policy below.
• If you sign in using a third-party provider (e.g. Google, Apple), we receive your name and email address from that provider in accordance with their privacy policy.
We use your data for the following purposes:
Lawful basis: Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR)
• Creating and managing your account;
• Displaying your listings to other Members;
• Running the swap matching engine;
• Facilitating in-app messaging between Members;
• Displaying trust scores and reviews.
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) — preventing fraud, abuse, and harm to Members
• Detecting and preventing fraudulent or prohibited activity;
• Responding to reports and disputes; and
• Verifying user identity where required.
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) — improving our service
• Analysing usage patterns and features;
• Debugging and fixing technical issues; and
• Building and improving the item catalogue and matching algorithm.
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests / Consent depending on context
• Sending match notifications and listing alerts (in-app and email);
• Sending service announcements and policy updates; and
• Sending marketing communications (only where you have opted in — you can unsubscribe at any time).
Lawful basis: Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR)
• Retaining financial records where required; and
• Responding to lawful requests from authorities.
We collect your approximate location (postcode or area) to show you listings near you and to suggest meetup locations. We do not collect or store your precise GPS location. Your full address is never displayed to other Members — only an approximate distance (e.g. "2.4 miles away") is shown.
Photos you upload of Items are stored on our servers and are publicly visible to all visitors to the Platform (including non-registered users). You should ensure that photos you upload do not contain personally identifiable information (such as your address, vehicle registration plates, or faces of individuals).
Photos you upload may be used by us to build and improve our item identification catalogue and matching features. By uploading a photo, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use it for this purpose.
We do not sell your personal data. We share your data only in the following circumstances:
• With other Members: your display name, profile photo, trust score, and listing information are shared with other Members as necessary to facilitate transactions. Your email address and precise location are never shared with other Members.
• With service providers: we use third-party providers for hosting, payment processing, email delivery, and analytics. These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by data processing agreements.
• With payment processors: payment data is shared with our payment provider (e.g. Stripe) to process transactions. Their use of your data is governed by their own privacy policy.
• For legal reasons: we may share your data if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of StorySwaps, our Members, or others.
• In a business transfer: if StorySwaps is acquired or merged, your data may be transferred to the new operator, subject to equivalent privacy protections.
We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Platform. These include:
• Essential cookies: required for the Platform to function (e.g. keeping you logged in);
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how the Platform is used (we use privacy-respecting analytics); and
• Preference cookies: remember your settings.
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings, but disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform.
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you close your account:
• Your profile and listings are deleted immediately if deleted from the website;
• Messages and reviews associated with your account are anonymised (the message/review content is retained but your name is removed); and
• Financial records are retained for 7 years as required by law.
Under UK GDPR you have the following rights:
• Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate data;
• Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
• Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data;
• Right to data portability: you can ask for your data in a machine-readable format;
• Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests; and
• Right to withdraw consent: where we process data based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us via the website. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office — ico.org.uk).
The Platform is intended for use by adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without appropriate consent, please contact us via the website and we will delete it promptly.
Our servers are located within the UK/EEA. If we use service providers located outside the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (such as standard contractual clauses) to protect your data.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or destruction. These include:
• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS);
• Hashed password storage;
• Access controls limiting who can access personal data; and
• Regular security reviews.
No system is completely secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered Members of material changes by email at least 14 days before changes take effect. The current version will always be available at storyswaps.co/privacy.
For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints: contact us via the website.
We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 days.