Terms of Service

These Terms govern your use of The Curious Thing and the custom puzzles you order from us. By uploading a photo, approving a proof, or placing an order, you agree to them. Please also read our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your photos and personal information.

1. Who Can Use The Curious Thing

You must be at least 18 years old to order. By uploading a photo of a child, you confirm that you are that child's parent or legal guardian, or that you have the guardian's permission to use the photo for this purpose. You are responsible for the consent you give and the photos you upload.

2. How an Order Works

You stay in control at every step:

• You choose a theme and size and upload a photo.
• We generate a fantasy image and show it to you as a watermarked proof.
• You can create a few image versions for free if the first isn't quite right.
• You must actively approve a proof before anything is printed.
• You pay, and only then do we send your puzzle to print and ship it.

Our promise: we never create a print job until you have both approved the proof and completed payment. Until both happen, no physical puzzle is made.

3. The Photo and Content You Provide

You keep ownership of the photo you upload. You grant The Curious Thing a limited, revocable license to use that photo solely to generate your image, produce your puzzle, and fulfill your order, and for nothing else. We do not use your photos to train AI models, and we will not use your photos or finished images in our own marketing without your separate written consent.

You agree that you will not upload any photo that:

• is of a child who is not your own and whose guardian has not given permission;
• you do not have the right to use;
• is unlawful, obscene, hateful, or infringes someone else's rights; or
• depicts a person in a way they would not consent to.

We use automated checks and may decline to generate or print an image that appears to violate these Terms, and we may cancel and refund such an order.

4. The Generated Image and Intellectual Property

When you complete your order, you receive a physical puzzle featuring your personalized image for your own personal, non-commercial use. The Curious Thing's platform, themes, prompts, software, and brand remain our property. These Terms don't transfer ownership of our underlying technology or templates to you.

5. Pricing, Payment, and Shipping

• Prices are shown in U.S. dollars and confirmed at checkout before you pay.
• Payment is processed securely by Stripe. We don't see or store your full card details.
• Standard shipping within the United States is included in the price. We don't ship internationally at this time.
• You're responsible for any taxes that apply to your order.

6. Cancellations, Refunds, and Reprints

Because each puzzle is custom-made from your photo, the rules depend on where your order is:

• Before you approve and pay: nothing has been printed. You can simply not complete the order, at no charge.
• After you approve and pay: your puzzle goes into production and generally can't be cancelled, because it's made just for you.
• If something's wrong: if your puzzle arrives damaged or the print quality is not as expected, contact us within 14 days of delivery and we'll reprint it at no charge.

For any other concern about your order, email hello@thecuriousthing.com. We want you to be happy with it.

7. Privacy

How we handle your photos and personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which is part of these Terms. In short: the original photo you upload is deleted automatically within 24 hours, and we never sell your data or train models on your photos.

8. Disclaimers

The Curious Thing is provided "as is." AI-generated images are creative interpretations, not exact reproductions, which is why we always show you a proof and let you approve (or re-roll) it before printing. Printed colors may vary slightly from what you see on screen. We don't warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Curious Thing's total liability for any claim arising out of your order or these Terms is limited to the amount you paid for that order. We are not liable for indirect or consequential damages.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms as the service evolves. When we make a material change, we'll update the "last updated" date above. Your continued use after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.

12. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email hello@thecuriousthing.com.