Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website handtold.art and the Hand Told mobile application (together, the “Service”). By creating an account, placing a commission, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Who we are

Hand Told (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates a marketplace that turns personal stories into one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces made by independent artisans. These Terms work alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your information and forms part of these Terms.

3. Eligibility

You must be able to form a legally binding contract to use the Service. The Service is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly allow them to create accounts. If you are a minor in your jurisdiction, you may use the Service only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.

4. Your account

5. The Service

Hand Told interviews you through a guided, AI-assisted conversation, builds a creative brief from what you share, suggests art forms drawn from different artisan traditions, and connects you with a matched artisan who crafts your piece. Suggestions and matches are provided to help you, and are not a guarantee of a specific artist, art form, or outcome. We may add, change, or remove features at any time.

6. Commissions and orders

Every piece is made to order by hand. Because each piece is individually crafted, natural variation in colour, texture, and finish is expected and is part of the value of handmade work, not a defect. Any timelines we show are estimates and can change with the artisan workload, materials, and shipping conditions.

You review and approve a structured brief before it is shared with an artisan. You are responsible for the accuracy of the details you approve, including any delivery address.

7. Pricing and payments

The price of a commission is shown to you before you confirm it. Prices are based on the art form, the complexity of the piece, and the artisan time involved, and may include taxes and shipping where applicable. Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor; by confirming a commission you authorise that processor to charge your selected payment method.

Artisans receive 50-75% of the sale for each commissioned piece. We do not store full card numbers; payment details are handled by the payment processor under its own terms.

8. Cancellations and refunds

Because pieces are bespoke and made to order, cancellation rights are limited once production has started. If you wish to cancel, contact us as soon as possible and we will tell you whether the piece can still be stopped. If a piece arrives damaged or materially different from the brief you approved, contact us and we will work with you and the artisan on a repair, remake, or refund as appropriate. Any specific cancellation window or refund terms for a particular commission will be made available to you at the time of purchase.

9. Artisans

Artisans on Hand Told are independent makers, not our employees or agents. Artisans accept separate maker terms when they join. We act as the platform that connects you with an artisan, translates your brief, and helps coordinate payment and delivery. Artisans are responsible for crafting pieces that reflect the approved brief and applicable quality and safety expectations.

10. Your content and licence

You keep ownership of the stories, photos, and other material you submit (“Your Content”). You grant us a limited, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, process, and use Your Content for the purpose of operating the Service and creating the commission you request, including sharing the approved brief with a matched artisan. You confirm that you have the rights to the material you submit and that it does not infringe anyone else's rights.

11. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful, harmful, or fraudulent purpose
• Upload content that is illegal, infringing, hateful, or that violates the privacy or rights of others
• Attempt to access accounts, data, or systems that do not belong to you, or probe or disrupt the Service
• Reverse engineer, scrape, or build a competing product from the Service except where that restriction is prohibited by law
• Misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person or organisation

12. Intellectual property

The Service, including its software, design, text, and branding, is owned by Hand Told or its licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. Ownership of a finished physical piece passes to you once it has been paid for in full. Hand Told and the artisan may display images of completed work in portfolios and promotional material in a way that does not reveal your private story or personal details, unless you ask us not to.

13. Privacy

Our handling of your information is described in the Privacy Policy. Please read it so you understand what we collect, what an artisan sees, and what stays private.

14. Third-party services

The Service relies on third-party providers for hosting, authentication, payments, AI assistance, and similar functions. Those providers operate under their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services, and your use of them may be subject to separate agreements with those providers.

15. Disclaimers

The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. AI-generated suggestions and profiles are provided to help guide your commission and may contain inaccuracies. Handmade variation is a normal characteristic of artisan work.

16. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Hand Told will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profit, or goodwill. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service or a commission will not exceed the amount you paid for the commission giving rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Hand Told and its artisans and partners from claims, losses, and expenses arising out of your misuse of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of the rights of any third party.

18. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service if you breach these Terms or use the Service in a way that could cause harm or legal exposure. You may stop using the Service at any time and delete your account from your account page. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination, including content licences already granted for commissions in progress, intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitation of liability, will continue to apply.

19. Changes to the Service and these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice on the Service or sending you a notification. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to a change, stop using the Service and, if you wish, delete your account.

20. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to the place in which Hand Told operates, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and subject to any mandatory consumer protections available to you where you live. Before starting any formal dispute, you agree to contact us first so we can try to resolve the matter informally and in good faith.

21. Contact us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at: hello@handtold.art