Terms of Service

Last updated: August 19, 2026

1. What Smuggl is

Smuggl connects "shoppers" who want duty-free goods with "Smugglbears" — travellers already flying a route who are willing to carry items back for them. Smuggl is a marketplace and payment-facilitation platform; it does not sell, own, or ship any goods itself, and is not a customs broker, freight forwarder, or common carrier.

2. Eligibility and accounts

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use Smuggl. You're responsible for the accuracy of the information on your account and for keeping your login credentials secure. Smuggl may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, engage in fraud, or repeatedly fail to fulfil confirmed requests.

To keep in-person handoffs safe and trustworthy, we may require you to verify your identity — including a government-issued ID and a live selfie — through our identity-verification partner, Veriff, before you can act as a Smugglbear or complete certain requests. See our Privacy Policy for what that involves.

3. Shoppers and Smugglbears

As a shopper, you're requesting that another individual purchase and personally carry goods to you. Smuggl does not guarantee that any given item will be available, in stock, or delivered on the agreed timeline — availability depends entirely on the Smugglbear you're matched with.

As a Smugglbear, you're personally responsible for complying with all customs, duty, and import/export laws of every country you travel through or into, including declaring goods and paying any duty owed. Smuggl provides customs-threshold information as a convenience; it is not legal or customs advice, and you remain solely responsible for compliance. You may not use Smuggl to carry any item that is illegal, restricted, or requires a permit in the origin or destination country, including but not limited to weapons, controlled substances, counterfeit goods, or items exceeding personal-duty-free allowances without proper declaration.

4. Payments and escrow

Shopper payments are processed and held in escrow by Smuggl's payment partner, Tazapay, until delivery is confirmed by both parties through the in-app handshake step. Smuggl does not itself store your full payment card or bank details — that data is handled directly by Tazapay under its own terms and privacy policy.

Once a delivery is confirmed, escrowed funds are released to the Smugglbear, minus Smuggl's service fee. Refunds are available if a Smugglbear cancels, fails to deliver by the agreed deadline, or if a dispute is resolved in the shopper's favor under Section 6.

5. Smuggl's fees

Smuggl charges a platform fee on completed transactions and offers an optional paid subscription tier ("Captain") with reduced fees and other benefits. Current pricing is shown in-app before you confirm a request or subscription and may vary by market.

6. Disputes

If an item isn't delivered as described, isn't delivered at all, or a Smugglbear excludes items from a request, either party can open a dispute in-app. Smuggl will review the evidence provided (photos, chat history, purchase records) and make a determination on any refund or payout adjustment. Smuggl's decision on a dispute is final for purposes of the escrowed funds, without prejudice to either party's other legal rights.

7. Prohibited conduct

• Requesting or carrying illegal, counterfeit, or prohibited goods
• Circumventing Smuggl's payment/escrow system to transact outside the platform
• Providing false identity, flight, or verification information
• Harassing, threatening, or discriminating against another user
• Using the platform for any purpose other than genuine personal duty-free requests

8. Limitation of liability

Smuggl is a platform connecting independent individuals; it does not control the conduct of shoppers or Smugglbears and is not liable for lost, damaged, delayed, or non-delivered goods, for customs seizures or penalties, or for disputes between users beyond the escrow-resolution process above. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Smuggl's total liability for any claim is limited to the amount held in escrow for the transaction giving rise to that claim.

9. Changes to these terms

Smuggl may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified in-app or by email before they take effect.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@smuggl.in (placeholder — update to a real support address before launch).