Effective Date
This Privacy Policy is effective as of October 7, 2025.
1. Introduction
FriendsVU Bookshop ("we", "our", "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it. This policy explains what information we collect about you, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights in relation to that information when you visit or make purchases on our website.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal data:
- Contact details: name, email address, phone number, shipping address.
- Order information: items ordered, quantities, price, billing details (card tokens only—see Payments).
- Account data: username, hashed password (if you create an account).
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, device info, pages visited, referrer URL, cookies and usage data.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal data to:
- Process and fulfil orders (shipping, invoicing, returns).
- Communicate order updates, promotions and customer support replies.
- Improve our site, analyze usage, and detect fraud or abuse.
- Comply with legal obligations (tax, record-keeping).
4. Payments & Financial Data
We do not store full payment card numbers on our servers. Payments are processed via secure third-party payment processors (for example Stripe/PayPal/your chosen gateway). We may retain transaction references and billing addresses for accounting and order history.
5. Shipping & Fulfilment
To deliver products, we share necessary order and address details with our shipping partners. We only share the minimum information required to deliver your order.
6. Cookies & Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember preferences, analyze site usage, and show relevant offers. You can manage cookie preferences via the cookie banner or through your browser settings.
7. Third-Party Services
We may share data with third-party services that support our operations (payment processors, shipping carriers, analytics providers, email/marketing platforms). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
8. Data Retention
We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described (order fulfilment, legal obligations, legitimate business needs). If you request deletion, we will remove your account and most associated data subject to legal/financial record-keeping obligations.
9. Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights including:
- Access to the personal data we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate data.
- Request deletion or restriction of processing.
- Export your data in a common format.
- Opt-out of sale of personal information (where applicable).
To exercise your rights, contact us at the details below. We will respond within the time required by applicable law.
10. Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal data. However, no website, service or system is completely secure — please use strong, unique passwords and enable any available security features (like 2FA) where offered.
11. Children
Our site is intended for users 13 years and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 provided information on our site, contact us to request deletion.
12. Policy Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. Significant changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.