Terms of Service

TapTales™ is an Australian-owned brand and digital experience platform. We create original characters, brand assets, and NFC-enabled physical products that link to curated digital experiences hosted at taptales.co.

TapTales operates under two complementary models: (a) as an intellectual property licensor — licensing our characters, designs and digital content to authorised third-party manufacturers, retailers and partners; and (b) as a manufacturer and seller — producing and selling TapTales-branded products directly, including during pilot programs and direct or wholesale sales. Depending on how you obtained a TapTales product, either TapTales or an authorised third party may be the manufacturer and seller (see the Product Safety & Responsibility section below).

By purchasing a TapTales product or accessing any digital experience at taptales.co, you agree to these Terms of Service.

TapTales digital experiences may be accessed through NFC-enabled products you purchase or through NFC-enabled signage, plaques, displays, or installations at public or private locations (such as landmarks, wildlife sanctuaries, museums, councils, tourism sites, national parks, gift shops, or other venues). Where a TapTales product is purchased, the physical item is the primary product. Where a TapTales experience is accessed via public signage or installation, the digital content is provided as a free informational service. This applies whether TapTales content is provided directly by TapTales or through any authorised third-party partner, licensee, retailer, tourism operator, council, association, or other organisation.

The digital experience accessed via NFC tap is provided as a complimentary enhancement to your physical product. It is not a standalone service and is not what you are paying for.

The physical product retains its full value and function independently of the digital experience, regardless of any changes to digital content.

This section applies where you purchase a TapTales product directly from TapTales (including through pilot sales, direct online or retail sales, or wholesale supply). Where you buy from a third-party retailer or licensee, your purchase contract is with that seller and their sales and returns terms apply, in addition to your non-excludable rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

• Orders & acceptance. Your order is an offer to purchase. A contract is formed only when we accept and/or dispatch your order. We may decline or cancel an order (for example, due to a pricing or stock error) and will refund any payment made for a cancelled order.
• Pricing. Prices are in Australian dollars and, for consumer sales, include GST unless stated otherwise. We may change prices at any time, but changes do not affect orders we have already accepted.
• Payment. Payment is handled by our third-party payment provider. TapTales does not store your full payment card details.
• Delivery. Any dispatch or delivery times we quote are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Risk in the goods passes to you on delivery.
• Change-of-mind returns. As our items are low-cost souvenir products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges for change of mind. Please choose carefully. This does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
• Damage or faults on arrival. Please inspect your order on receipt. If an item arrives damaged, faulty, or not as described, contact us within 14 days of delivery at taptales.sales@gmail.com with your order number, proof of purchase, and a photo of the issue. Where there is a failure covered by the Australian Consumer Law, we will provide a repair, replacement or refund and cover reasonable return postage for such items; refunds are made to your original payment method (typically within about 5 business days of approval).
• Faults that appear later. If a genuine manufacturing fault appears after the arrival window, your rights under the Australian Consumer Law still apply for a reasonable time — assessed in light of the fact that these are inexpensive, flexible novelty items (see "Consumer Guarantees & Product Nature"). Normal wear such as scuffing, friction marks or fading is not a manufacturing fault. For products bought from a third-party retailer or licensee, please contact that seller — your non-excludable consumer guarantees still apply.
• Proof of purchase, exchanges & shipping. A valid proof of purchase is required for any return or claim. Where you are entitled to a remedy, we may offer a repair, replacement, exchange or store credit; for a major failure under the Australian Consumer Law you may choose a refund. Original outbound shipping charges are non-refundable except where the Australian Consumer Law requires otherwise (for example, for a major failure), and we cover reasonable return postage for faulty, damaged or not-as-described items.
• Wholesale & B2B supply. Where TapTales supplies products to a business for resale, separate wholesale terms and pricing may apply. The reseller is responsible for meeting its own obligations as a retailer or wholesaler in its jurisdiction.

Digital experiences are provided "as is" and are subject to change at any time.

• TapTales reserves the right to update, modify, improve, or discontinue any digital content at any time without prior notice.
• We endeavour to maintain digital experiences for as long as reasonably practicable, but we do not guarantee indefinite availability.
• An active internet connection is required to access digital content — content cannot be accessed offline.
• Some features (such as compass direction and distance calculations) require GPS and location services, which are entirely optional. These features will simply be unavailable if you decline location access.

We take your privacy seriously. Here's exactly how your data is handled:

• No personal data collected. TapTales does not collect any personal information through its landmark or experience pages.
• Local storage only. Visit history, notes, and preferences are stored locally on your own device using your browser's localStorage. This data never leaves your device and is never transmitted to TapTales or any third party.
• Analytics. We use Plausible Analytics for anonymous, cookie-free website traffic analytics. No personal data is collected, and no cookies are set.
• Translation. If you use the optional language translation feature, your request is processed via the Google Cloud Translation API. This usage is subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
• Location data. GPS location data is processed entirely within your browser when you use location-based features. This data is never stored on or transmitted to TapTales servers.
• Camera (Photo Booth). Some experiences include an optional photo feature that uses your device's camera. All camera activity happens entirely within your browser on your device — images are never uploaded to, stored by, or transmitted to TapTales or any third party. Any photo you take is only saved or shared if you choose to, using your device's own functions. You are responsible for any photo you capture and choose to share.
• Device sensors. Some experiences use your device's motion and orientation sensors (for example, to animate a character or play a game). This is processed entirely within your browser and is never collected, stored, or transmitted.

TapTales™, the ))) wave mark, all character designs, illustrations, and creative content are the intellectual property of TapTales Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 697 422 530).

• Design registrations have been filed with IP Australia.
• Content on taptales.co — including images, text, design elements, and digital experiences — may not be reproduced, copied, distributed, or used without prior written permission from TapTales.

TapTales digital experiences make use of the following third-party services to deliver content:

• Google Cloud Translation API — optional multi-language translation support
• Plausible Analytics — anonymous, privacy-friendly website analytics
• Gumlet — video and image delivery and optimisation
• Vercel — page hosting and content delivery

Nothing in these Terms of Service excludes, restricts, or modifies any rights or remedies you may have under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)).

If our digital content fails to comply with a consumer guarantee under the Australian Consumer Law, you are entitled to the remedies available under that law. Our goods and services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law.

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are set out above and cannot be excluded. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law — for a major failure you are entitled to a replacement or refund and to compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage; for a failure that does not amount to a major failure, you are entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced.

Nature of the product. TapTales bag charms and similar items are flexible soft-PVC novelty souvenir products. By their nature and intended use as everyday keepsakes, they are subject to natural scuffing, surface friction marks, minor marking and gradual colour fading over time — particularly with regular handling, sunlight exposure, or attachment to bags and keys. These are normal characteristics and expected wear of the material, not manufacturing faults, and are not covered as defects.

Whether goods are of "acceptable quality" under the Australian Consumer Law is assessed in light of the nature, price and description of the product — here, an inexpensive flexible novelty souvenir. Nothing in this section limits your non-excludable rights where a product has a genuine manufacturing fault or is otherwise not of acceptable quality.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, TapTales is not liable for any loss or damage of any kind arising from:

• The use of, or inability to access, any digital content or experience
• Changes to, or discontinuation of, digital content
• Service interruptions or outages
• Failures or unavailability of third-party services

This limitation does not affect any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot be excluded by these terms.

TapTales digital experiences offer optional multi-language translation powered by the Google Cloud Translation API. These translations are machine-generated and may not be perfectly accurate.

The English language version of all content is the authoritative version. In the event of any discrepancy between a translated version and the English original, the English version prevails.

TapTales accepts no liability for errors, omissions, or misunderstandings arising from machine-translated content.

All content provided through TapTales digital experiences — including but not limited to text, images, video, audio, historical information, stories, legends, facts, figures, measurements, and distances — is presented for entertainment and general informational purposes only.

• TapTales content is not intended to be taken as factual, authoritative, or definitive. Stories, legends, historical accounts, and other narrative content may include creative interpretation, dramatisation, simplification, or artistic licence.
• Video and multimedia content featured within TapTales experiences is produced for entertainment and educational enjoyment. It should not be relied upon as a source of truth, academic reference, or official record.
• While we make reasonable efforts to present accurate and respectful content, TapTales does not warrant that any content is complete, current, error-free, or historically verified.
• TapTales content should not be used as a substitute for official sources, government records, academic research, or professional advice of any kind.
• TapTales accepts no liability for any decisions made, actions taken, or reliance placed on any content provided through its digital experiences.

TapTales NFC-enabled products require a smartphone or device with NFC (Near Field Communication) capability to access digital experiences. Not all devices support NFC.

• Most modern smartphones (iPhone 7 and later, most Android phones from 2015 onwards) support NFC.
• Some older devices, tablets, or non-smartphone devices may not support NFC and will be unable to access the digital experience via tap.
• A modern web browser and active internet connection are also required.

TapTales does not guarantee compatibility with all devices and is not responsible for limitations of your hardware or software.

Some experiences include optional interactive features such as games, a photo booth, and augmented reality (AR). Augmented reality requires a compatible device and launches your device's built-in AR viewer (such as Scene Viewer on Android or Quick Look on iOS). These features are optional — where a device does not support them, the rest of the experience remains available.

TapTales digital experiences may contain links to third-party websites, including but not limited to Google Maps, tourism bodies, historical resources, and local government sites.

These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. TapTales does not control, endorse, or accept responsibility for the content, accuracy, or availability of any external website.

TapTales products are designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, including families and children. Our digital experiences are educational and informational in nature.

We do not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, including children under the age of 13. As outlined in our Privacy section, all data (such as visit history) is stored locally on the user's own device and is never transmitted to TapTales.

Where an experience includes an optional camera or photo feature, all camera activity stays on the user's own device — no images are ever uploaded to or collected by TapTales, and photos are only saved or shared if the user chooses to do so.

If you believe that a child has somehow provided personal data to TapTales, please contact us at taptales.sales@gmail.com and we will promptly address the concern.

TapTales products may be (a) manufactured and sold directly by TapTales, or (b) manufactured, distributed and/or sold by authorised third-party licensees, manufacturers or retailers. Responsibility for product safety and compliance depends on who manufactured and sold the product.

Where TapTales is the manufacturer and seller:

• TapTales is responsible for ensuring those products comply with applicable product safety laws, standards and regulations in the territories in which we sell them, including relevant Australian Consumer Product Safety Standards (and, where applicable to a particular market, standards such as EN 71, ASTM F963 and CPSIA).
• TapTales is responsible for appropriate materials selection, safety testing, age grading, choking-hazard and other required warnings, labelling, and quality control for those products.
• Product safety inquiries, defect reports and complaints for products purchased directly from TapTales should be directed to us at taptales.sales@gmail.com.

Where a third-party licensee, manufacturer or retailer is the manufacturer and/or seller:

• That licensee, manufacturer and/or retailer is solely responsible for ensuring the product complies with all applicable product safety laws and standards, and for materials, testing, age grading, warnings, labelling, quality control and all other aspects of physical product safety and compliance.
• TapTales does not test, certify, warrant or guarantee the safety, fitness or quality of any physical product manufactured or sold by a third party under licence.
• Product safety inquiries, defect reports, complaints and recall information for such products should be directed to the retailer or manufacturer from whom the product was purchased.

For all products: NFC (Near Field Communication) technology used in TapTales products is a passive, low-power technology that does not contain a battery, does not emit harmful radiation, and is widely used in everyday consumer products such as credit cards and transit passes.

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tasmania, Australia.

Any disputes arising from these terms, or your use of TapTales products or digital experiences, are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Tasmania, Australia.

If you access TapTales digital experiences from outside Australia, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws in your jurisdiction.

If any provision of these Terms of Service is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be severed from these terms and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

The failure of TapTales to enforce any right or provision of these terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we do, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised.

The latest version will always be available at taptales.co/terms.

Your continued use of TapTales digital experiences after any changes are published constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please get in touch:

• Email: taptales.sales@gmail.com
• TapTales™ — Hobart, Tasmania, Australia