Swords.co.uk Privacy Policy

This website Swords.co.uk is owned and operated by PJS (UK) Ltd (“we”, “us”). We value your privacy and handle your personal data securely and only as much as is required to fulfil our contract to process your order and have it delivered to you or collected by you.

What we collect and why

  • Order and account details (name, email, phone, billing/delivery addresses, order contents) — to take and fulfil customer orders, provide updates, and manage your account.
  • Age and identity verification data — a clear photo of your passport or driving licence and a selfie of you holding the same ID; used to check your age and that it’s you placing the order, to show that we made the check, and to deal with a disputed payment (see “ID images” below).
  • Courier delivery data (name, address, contact number/email) — to deliver your order and provide delivery notifications.
  • Website usage and cookies — to operate the site (e.g. basket, login) and improve user experience and site performance (see “Cookies”).
  • Marketing (optional) — if you opt in, we use your email to send news and special offers; you can unsubscribe at any time.

How we verify age

ID and selfie: We request a clear photo of your passport or driving licence and a selfie holding the same ID. You can upload these securely via our Secure Upload Portal or in My Account > My ID. We record successful checks so that you are not asked again unnecessarily.

Security and storage: Uploads are protected by SSL/TLS in transit. While we check them and send your order, they’re kept on our own dedicated server, outside the website’s public files and separate from our commerce database. About a week after your order is completed or cancelled, they’re encrypted, moved into separate storage and removed from the website. We delete them 180 days after you upload them, and only share them in the cases described under “ID images” below.

Courier checks: For age-restricted items, the courier (DPD, Royal Mail, ParcelForce) will verify age at delivery and may request valid photo ID at the doorstep.

ID Images & Data Protection

Some customers prefer not to upload images of their ID. We understand, and we want to be clear about why we ask for them and how we protect them.

What we collect

For age-restricted purchases, we ask for a clear photo of your passport or driving licence and a selfie holding the same ID (to match the photo to you). You can upload these securely during checkout or in My Account > My ID.

Why we collect it (purpose limitation)

  • Checking your age: to meet UK legal obligations on the sale and delivery of age-restricted goods, and to show that we checked.
  • Making sure it’s you: the selfie shows that the ID belongs to the person placing the order. This protects you, and us, if someone uses your details or card without your permission.
  • Disputed payments: if a payment is disputed (a chargeback or a PayPal case), we may need to show your card issuer or payment provider that the cardholder placed the order.

How we protect your images

  • In transit: uploads are protected with SSL/TLS.
  • While we check them: they’re kept on our own dedicated server, outside the website’s public files and separate from our commerce database.
  • After your order: about a week after your order is completed or cancelled, they’re encrypted, moved into separate storage on the same server and removed from the website.
  • Access: only staff who need them (to check your ID, or to deal with a disputed payment or a police request) can see them.
  • Backups: the encrypted storage is included in our encrypted backups, which are replaced on a rolling basis. A copy can stay in a backup for up to two weeks after we delete the images; we don’t restore it.
  • Sharing: see “Who sees your ID images” below.

Who sees your ID images

  • Our staff who need them, as above.
  • Your card issuer or payment provider (for example Worldpay or PayPal), only if a payment is disputed, as evidence that you placed the order.
  • The police, only where the law allows us to give them (for example, a request under the Data Protection Act to prevent or detect crime).

Nobody else. We never sell them or use them for marketing.

How long we keep ID images (retention)

180 days from upload: We delete your ID images 180 days after you upload them. Card payments can be disputed for several months after an order, and this lets us answer a dispute without keeping your images longer than we need to.

Longer only while something is open: If, when the 180 days are up, a disputed payment, a police or Trading Standards enquiry, or a legal claim about your order is still open, we keep the images needed for it until it’s closed, then delete them. We note the reason when we do (legitimate interests and/or defence of legal claims).

After deletion: we keep a record that you passed the check, so you won’t be asked to upload ID again for future orders.

Your choices

  • Age-verified delivery: all age-restricted items require an age check by the courier (DPD, Royal Mail, or ParcelForce) at the doorstep. This is in addition to our legal obligations to verify age before dispatch.
  • If verification is declined: we may not be able to process or dispatch your order.

Lawful bases

  • Legal obligation: verify age/identity and keep evidence of compliance.
  • Contract: process and deliver your order.
  • Legitimate interests: maintain appropriate verification records, prevent fraud, and establish, exercise or defend legal claims (including documented legal holds).

Your rights

You can request access to your personal data, ask us to correct inaccuracies, or request deletion. Some rights may not apply where we must keep data to meet a legal obligation or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. To exercise your rights, please contact support@pjsuk.ltd.uk.

Who we share data with

  • Couriers — DPD, Royal Mail, and ParcelForce receive delivery details to deliver your order and provide tracking/notifications. For age-restricted items, they verify age at delivery.
  • Payment providers — PCI DSS Level 1 compliant processors (e.g., card processors and PayPal). We do not ever see (barring telephone orders) or store your full card details. If you dispute a payment, the evidence we send them can include your ID images.
  • The police — only where the law allows us to give them information (for example, a request under the Data Protection Act to prevent or detect crime).

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your ID images with your card issuer or payment provider if a payment is disputed, or with the police where the law allows.

Cookies

Cookies are used on this site where they are necessary for the site functionality. They aid navigation and keep track of the contents of your shopping cart. If you log in to an account, your logged-in status is recorded in a temporary cookie. If you select the ‘Remember Me’ option in checkout, a cookie will be used to remember your details.

We also make use of Google Analytics in order to better understand our customers and optimise our site for a better customer experience. Google Analytics sets cookies in order to function. We use Google Analytics in a mode which does not store personal details of website visitors — your IP address is anonymised.

You can turn off cookies by blocking them in your browser privacy settings. If you turn off cookies, you will be unable to place orders or benefit from the other features that use them.

Lawful bases

  • Contract — to take payment, fulfil your order, provide customer service, and manage your account.
  • Legal obligation — to verify age and identity for age-restricted goods and to maintain records demonstrating compliance.
  • Legitimate interests — to keep appropriate transaction/verification records, protect our business and customers, and defend legal claims.
  • Consent — for optional marketing emails. You can withdraw consent at any time via the unsubscribe link or by contacting us.

Data retention

Orders & accounts: Order records are retained to meet legal, tax, and accounting requirements.

ID images: Where supplied, ID images/selfies are deleted 180 days after upload. If a disputed payment, a police or Trading Standards enquiry, or a legal claim about the order is still open then, we keep the images needed for it until it closes, then delete them. We keep a record that you passed the check.

Security

Our website uses SSL/TLS to protect your data in transit. Our servers are dedicated to our company. ID images are kept outside the website’s public files and separate from our commerce database, encrypted and moved off the website about a week after your order is completed or cancelled, seen only by staff who need them, and deleted when the retention period ends.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights to access, rectify, erase, or restrict your personal data, and to object to processing. You can also lodge a complaint with the ICO. To exercise your rights, or for any questions, please contact us at support@pjsuk.ltd.uk.

Changes to this policy

If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post the changes on this page so you know what information we collect and how we use it. If we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will tell you and you will have a choice as to whether or not we use your information in this different manner.

Last updated: 9 November 2026