Privacy Policy

1. About This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Highland Made Crafts collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information when you use our website, submit a request, place an order, contact us, or interact with us online.

We are committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently.

2. Who We Are

Highland Made Crafts is a small handmade craft business based in Inverness, Scotland.

For the purposes of data protection law, Highland Made Crafts is the data controller for the personal information we collect and use.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is used, please contact:

Email: [Insert email address]

3. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

your name;
email address;
phone number;
billing address;
delivery address;
order details;
payment status;
product request details;
custom order details;
messages sent through contact forms;
uploaded images or inspiration photos, where you provide them;
delivery and tracking information;
technical website information such as IP address, browser type, device type and website usage data;
marketing preferences, if you choose to sign up.

We do not intentionally collect unnecessary personal information.

4. How We Collect Your Information

We collect information when you:

place an order;
submit a request through checkout;
request a custom order;
contact us through a form, email or social media;
sign up to marketing, if available;
browse or use the website;
interact with cookies or analytics tools, where used.

Some information is provided directly by you. Other information may be collected automatically through website cookies, analytics tools or WooCommerce functionality.

5. Why We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

process order requests;
review and accept or decline handmade item requests;
confirm prices, making times and delivery details;
take payment where applicable;
make, dispatch and deliver items;
contact you about your order;
respond to enquiries;
manage returns, refunds and damaged item claims;
keep records for tax, accounting and legal purposes;
improve the website and customer experience;
prevent fraud, misuse or security issues;
send marketing only where you have chosen to receive it or where otherwise permitted by law.

6. Lawful Basis for Using Your Information

We use your personal information under the following lawful bases:

Contract: to process requests, orders, payments, delivery, returns and customer service.

Legal obligation: to keep accounting records, comply with tax rules, respond to lawful requests and meet legal responsibilities.

Legitimate interests: to run and improve the business, respond to enquiries, prevent fraud, manage website security and keep business records.

Consent: where you choose to receive marketing emails or where consent is required for non-essential cookies.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time.

7. Payments

Payment may be handled through third-party payment providers such as Stripe, WooPayments, PayPal or bank transfer.

We do not store your full card details on our website. Card payments are processed securely by the relevant payment provider.

Payment providers may process your personal information according to their own privacy policies.

8. Delivery Providers

We may share necessary delivery information with postal, courier or delivery providers so that your order can be sent to you.

This may include your name, delivery address, email address, phone number and tracking information.

9. Website and WooCommerce Data

Our website may use WordPress, WooCommerce and related plugins to manage products, orders, checkout, payments, forms, emails and customer records.

This means some of your information may be stored in the website database and used to process your request or order.

We take reasonable steps to keep the website secure and only use plugins and services that are necessary for the operation of the business.

10. Contact Forms and Custom Requests

When you submit a contact form or custom order request, we use the information provided to respond to your enquiry.

If you upload or send photos, measurements, inspiration images or design details, we use them only to understand and respond to your request, unless you agree otherwise.

11. Marketing

We will only send marketing emails if you have signed up to receive them or where we are otherwise allowed to contact you under applicable rules.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link, if available, or by contacting us.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing.

12. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to make the website work properly, including basket, checkout, login, security and preference cookies.

We may also use analytics or performance cookies to understand how visitors use the website.

Essential cookies are needed for the website and checkout to work. Non-essential cookies, such as analytics or marketing cookies, should only be used where appropriate consent has been obtained.

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings.

13. Analytics

If analytics tools are used, they may collect information such as pages visited, time spent on the website, device type, approximate location and browser information.

This information helps us understand how the website is used and how it can be improved.

Where possible, analytics data should be used in an aggregated or non-identifying way.

14. Who We Share Information With

We may share personal information with:

payment providers;
delivery and courier services;
website hosting providers;
WordPress and WooCommerce service providers;
email and form providers;
accounting or bookkeeping services;
professional advisers, if needed;
legal, tax, regulatory or law enforcement authorities where required.

We only share information where necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

15. International Transfers

Some service providers may process data outside the UK.

Where this happens, we expect appropriate safeguards to be in place to protect your personal information in line with data protection law.

16. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary.

Order and transaction records may be kept for accounting, tax and legal purposes, usually for up to 6 years.

Contact form enquiries may be kept for as long as needed to deal with the enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards.

Custom order messages and design details may be kept for reference, repeat orders, dispute handling or business records unless you ask us to delete them and we no longer need them.

Marketing information is kept until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

17. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, including using secure website systems, limiting access where appropriate, keeping plugins and software updated where possible, and using reputable service providers.

No website or online service can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we aim to protect your information using reasonable technical and organisational measures.

18. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

access your personal information;
correct inaccurate information;
ask for information to be deleted;
restrict how information is used;
object to certain uses;
request a copy of your information;
withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
complain about how your information is used.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the email address above.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.

19. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is the UK data protection regulator.

20. Children

Our website and products are not specifically aimed at children.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us.

21. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The latest version will be available on our website. The effective date at the top of the policy will show when it was last updated.

22. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:

Highland Made Crafts
Email: Jules@highlandmadecrafts.co.uk
Website: highlandmadecrafts.co.uk
Location: Inverness, Scotland