Privacy Policy
Effective date: [DATE] · Last updated: [DATE]
**1. Who we are**
Blessing of China (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the website blessingofchina.com and sells handmade Chinese crafts and an online course. We are operated by [YOUR_NAME_OR_ENTITY], based in [CITY], China. For any question about this policy or about your personal data, contact us at hello@blessingofchina.com.
**2. Information we collect**
We collect only what we need to fulfil an order and run an honest shop:
– **Information you give us:** your name, email address, shipping address, phone number (if you provide one), the contents of any message you send us, and your newsletter email address if you subscribe.
– **Order and payment information:** the items you purchase, the order value and the delivery address. Payment is processed by PayPal; we receive confirmation of payment, your name and your email address, but **we never receive or store your full card number, expiry date or security code**.
– **Automatically collected information:** your IP address, browser type, device type, referring page and the pages you view on our site, collected through cookies and similar technologies.
– **Course access information:** if you buy the Chinese Paper Cutting for Beginners course, Payhip records your email address and the fact of your purchase so it can deliver your access link.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16, and our site is not directed at them.
**3. How we use your information**
We use your information to:
– process, pack and ship your order, and send you tracking updates;
– answer your questions and handle returns, refunds and damage claims;
– send you the newsletter you asked for, including your first-order discount code;
– keep the records we are required to keep for tax and accounting purposes;
– understand which pages and products people find useful, so we can improve the site;
– detect and prevent fraudulent orders.
We use your information only for these purposes. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling that has legal effects on you.
**4. Our legal bases (GDPR)**
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your data on these bases: performance of a contract (to fulfil and deliver your order); your consent (for newsletter emails and non-essential cookies, which you can withdraw at any time); compliance with legal obligations (tax and accounting records); and our legitimate interests (preventing fraud, improving the site, responding to your enquiries).
**5. Cookies and analytics**
We use cookies to keep your cart working, to remember your preferences, and — with your consent where required — to measure how visitors use the site. We use analytics and advertising tools that may set cookies, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram) tools that let us show our products to people who have visited our site. You can refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of interest-based advertising through Meta’s own ad settings. Blocking essential cookies may stop the cart and checkout from working.
**6. Who we share your information with**
We share data only with service providers who need it to do their job:
– **PayPal** — to process your payment securely;
– **shipping carriers and postal services** — your name, address and phone number, to deliver your parcel and to clear customs;
– **Payhip** — to deliver course access if you buy the course;
– **Meta (Facebook and Instagram)** — limited, aggregated or pseudonymised data for advertising measurement;
– **our email and hosting providers** — to store our correspondence and run the website;
– **professional advisers and authorities** — where required by law, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
Each of these providers processes your data under its own privacy policy. We require them to handle it only on our instructions and only for the purposes above.
**7. International transfers**
We are based in China and our service providers operate in several countries, so your information will be transferred to and processed in countries outside your own, which may have different data protection laws. We take reasonable steps to ensure your data is handled securely and in line with this policy wherever it is processed.
**8. How long we keep your data**
We keep order records for as long as we need them for tax, accounting and warranty purposes — generally up to seven years from the order date. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Enquiry emails are kept for up to two years. After these periods we delete or anonymise the data.
**9. Your rights**
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
– **access** the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it;
– **correct** data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
– **delete** your personal data (“the right to be forgotten”), subject to records we must keep by law;
– **restrict or object to** how we process your data;
– **withdraw consent** at any time, for example by unsubscribing from our newsletter;
– **data portability** — receive your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format;
– **opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information** and **not be discriminated against** for exercising your privacy rights (California residents, under the CCPA/CPRA);
– **lodge a complaint** with your local data protection authority (EEA and UK residents).
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@blessingofchina.com with the subject line “Privacy Request”. We will respond within 30 days, and we may ask you to verify your identity before we act.
**10. How we protect your data**
We use HTTPS encryption on our site, restrict access to customer data to the people who need it, and never store card details. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so while we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
**11. Links to other sites**
Our site links to other websites, including Payhip and our social media pages. We are not responsible for their privacy practices; please read their policies before giving them your information.
**12. Changes to this policy**
We may update this policy as our shop grows or the law changes. When we do, we’ll change the “last updated” date at the top and, if the change is significant, tell our subscribers by email.
**13. Contact us**
Questions about this policy or your data: **hello@blessingofchina.com**. Postal enquiries: [ADDRESS_FOR_DATA_REQUESTS]. We aim to reply within 24 hours on business days.