Privacy Policy

1. What we collect

When you use SwapStage, we collect:

• Account information — email address, username, display name, and optional profile photo
• Identity verification data — if you complete Stripe Identity Verification, Stripe collects and processes your government ID on our behalf. SwapStage receives only a verification status (verified / not verified) and does not store your ID documents
• Listing data — item descriptions, photos, pricing, condition, serial numbers (if provided), and location
• Transaction data — purchase amounts, fees, payout information, and shipment tracking, processed through Stripe and Shippo
• Marketplace messages — messages sent between buyers and sellers through SwapStage's messaging system are stored to support dispute resolution, fraud investigation, and platform safety
• Gig posts — posts on the Gigs page are public content, visible to all visitors. Any contact information you include in a gig post (Instagram handles, email addresses, booking links) is intentionally public disclosure
• Usage data — pages visited, search queries, listing views, and feature interactions

2. How we use it

We use your data to:

• Operate and improve the SwapStage marketplace
• Process payments and send payouts to sellers via Stripe
• Generate shipping labels and track deliveries via Shippo
• Send transactional emails — order confirmations, offers, notifications, and shipping updates
• Investigate disputes, fraud, and reported content
• Enforce our Terms of Service, Seller Agreement, and community policies
• Comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests from law enforcement

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not display advertising.

3. Message storage and retention

Messages sent through SwapStage's marketplace messaging system are stored on our servers. We store messages to support dispute resolution (our buyer protection window is 14 days post-delivery), fraud investigation, and platform safety reviews.

Retention period: Marketplace messages are retained for 18 months from the date sent, then permanently deleted. Messages associated with an open dispute may be retained until the dispute is resolved.

SwapStage staff may access message content only when reviewing a reported conversation, investigating fraud, or responding to a valid legal request. We do not read messages for marketing or advertising purposes.

If you share personal contact information (phone numbers, email addresses) in a marketplace message, that information is subject to the same storage and retention terms as your messages generally. We recommend keeping all transactions within SwapStage's checkout to preserve your buyer and seller protections.

4. Public content

The following content on SwapStage is publicly visible to all visitors, including non-registered users:

• Active gear listings, including photos, descriptions, prices, and listed location
• Gig posts, including all details and any contact information you choose to include
• User profiles, including display name, username, bio, ratings, and review history

Exercise care about what personal information you include in public content. Gig posts in particular are community announcements — only share contact details you are comfortable being visible to anyone.

5. Third-party services

We use the following services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Stripe — payment processing, seller payouts, and identity verification
• Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage
• Shippo — shipping label generation and package tracking
• Resend — transactional email delivery
• Vercel — hosting and infrastructure

6. Data retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Transaction records are retained for 7 years for legal and tax compliance. Marketplace messages are retained for 18 months, then permanently deleted. Gig posts are retained until you delete them or your account is closed.

You may request deletion of your account and personal data by contacting us at privacy@swapstage.com. Transaction records required for legal compliance will be retained in anonymized form.

7. Your rights

You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data at any time. To exercise these rights, email privacy@swapstage.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Cookies

SwapStage uses cookies solely for authentication — keeping you signed in across sessions. We do not use tracking, analytics, or advertising cookies.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy? privacy@swapstage.com