FeltWicked.Art

Introduction

My name is Kate and I sell online using the handle of “FeltWickedArt.” For several years I was also known online as “HandiCraftKate.” This document is my best attempt to lay out my privacy policy in a clear, concise, and open manner. My desire is to comply with the new GDPR regulations (as I do sell products globally through this website) as well as to clearly outline the way I handle information for anyone who uses this website, even those outside of the EU. Though I did my best to avoid complex or legal-sounding language I know that there is a lot of information here. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me and we will work it out together.

The Scope of this Privacy Policy

This website (www.FeltWicked.Art) has two general purposes. First, this website provides information. That includes things like blog posts, no-cost tutorials, material lists, news about me and my business, and specifics about where I teach workshops. Second, this website also has an e-commerce platform built in. That basically means that I also sell stuff directly through this website. This can include physical items like felting patterns and clothing as well as digital items like downloadable felting tutorials.

Generally, if you are using this website for informational purposes no personal information is collected from you. There are places where you can sign up for mailing lists (with more information on that later in this document), but those are all optional and you must opt-in to them manually.

If you use this website to purchase things from me though some personal information will need to be shared with me and with the trusted services I use to help facilitate my business. I am unable to conduct my business with you otherwise and I only request information from you that is strictly necessary to that end. This privacy policy in particular covers how I work with your personal information (information that can be used to identify you personally).

Here are some more specifics about what this policy covers:

This Privacy Policy specifically covers any personal data that is given to me directly by you (the user/customer). Examples include information sent to me through website forms or e-mails.
I make use of several services to facilitate my business on this website. For example, I use Weebly to host and code this website and to power the e-commerce platform of this website. I also use Square and PayPal to process payment information and Shippo to print postage labels for shipping. As a customer you may be required to share personal information with these services and some of that information may be indirectly shared with me. For example, when you type your shipping address in at check out that address will be given to me to facilitate shipping you the item you purchased. This Privacy Policy covers that personal information given to me indirectly like this.
This policy does not cover personal information gathered to facilitate our transaction that is not given to me. For example, your credit card number is never given to me but is instead given to the payment platform of your choice who then tells me whether you paid or not and facilitates the transfer of funds.
This policy also does not cover general non-identifying information. For example, Weebly may code this website to identify the web browser you use. They may provide me with basic demographic information as well, telling me the country where most of the people who visit my website are coming from. Since this information cannot be used by me to identify you personally it is not covered.

Information I gather can vary from interaction to interaction so I cannot give a comprehensive list of what I collect. Generally though if you make a purchase I receive the following personal information, either directly or indirectly: Your name, your shipping address, your method of payment, your size (such as a specific head measurement or body size), and your e-mail address.

Content

If you are living in the EU no personal information needs to be collected from you in order for you to generally use this website. If you decide to contact me though, sign up for a mailing list, or purchase something from this website then you are necessarily consenting to give me (and the services I use) some of your personal information. There is no way I can communicate with you directly (if you reach out to me first) or conduct business with you otherwise.

When you give your personal information if you live in the EU (and in some cases even if you live outside of the EU) you still have rights concerning your personal information and how it is used. This website also uses cookies which has specific implications for those who live in the EU. Both of these topics will be covered later in this document. What you need to know right now is that even in giving consent (implicitly or explicitly) that does not mean you lose the right to control your data and the way I use it.

Why I Need Your Information

& How I Use It

There are several essential (and legal) reasons why I need to collect, use, and sometimes share your personal information. Basically they can be reduced to the following four points.

Much of the personal data I receive is necessary simply for me to conduct my business. This includes fulfilling your orders, settling disputes, providing customer support, and complying with the policies of the services I also make use of (such as Weebly, PayPal, and Square).
I do have a mailing list of those who have expressed interest in learning more about taking classes or purchasing tutorials from me. You can sign up for this mailing list here. I send out occasional newsletters with information regarding new tutorials, new classes, and related news. Even after you sign up you can opt-out at any time by contacting me or following the directions in the newsletter. No one is automatically opted-in to this list, though I may mention it while communicating with you regarding a purchase. If you live outside of the EU I may also send you a single e-mail invitation to the e-mail list if you purchase a tutorial from me. No other unsolicited communication will be made.
In some cases I may use your personal data if necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law.
I may use your information to improve my business practices, but not in a way that violates or overrides your own rights and interests.

Because of how varied our interactions can be, and because of the complexity of my legal obligations, this is not a comprehensive list. I’m not trying to be tricky with your personal information. I simply am unable to predict and list all the things that might come up. If there is some concern feel free to contact me and we can discuss things together.

Cookies

I use Duda to host and code my website and to power the e-commerce platform built in to this website. Duda uses cookies for various reasons. I do not have direct access to the information collected in this way and so this policy does not cover how they use cookies and gather personal information along those lines.

Duda is able to detect (using IP addresses) if a website user is located in the EU. If Duda detects this they pledge to disable cookies automatically unless the user opts-in. They also pledge to display a banner on the bottom of the website (the first page navigated to by the user) with the option to opt-in to cookies. If you live in the EU and opt-in to cookies you still have the ability to opt-out again by clicking on this link and selecting the option to opt-out of using cookies. After you opt-out the website may request for you to opt-in again and which point you can safely ignore that message.

Information Sharing & Disclosure

Whenever possible I do not share your personal information. But there may be times when information sharing is needed and I take this responsibility seriously. Outlined below are the ways that I may need to share your information with others.

Engaging with trusted service providers, such as a payment or a shipping company. This is done to facilitate my business (as detailed previously) and to comply with the policies of those services. I only share the information that is absolutely necessary.
Shifting my business, such as selling it or merging with another business, requires your personal information that I have collected to be given to the care of this new entity (to the extend required by law).
Information may need to be shared in order to comply with laws, legal process, and government requests. As already noted, only what information is strictly needed will be provided.
Information may need to be shared in order to safeguard the rights, property, and safety of my customers, myself, and others.

Data Retention

I retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with my services and as described in my Privacy Policy. However, I may also be required to retain this information to comply with my legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce my agreements.

Transfers of Personal Information Outside of the EU

I live and work in America and I also make use of services that may otherwise be outside the jurisdiction of the EU (such as Etsy, e-mail services, and PayPal). This means that the moment you begin interacting with me or the services I use to facilitate my business you may be transferring personal information outside of the EU. I endeavor to protect your personal information, even when it is transferred outside of the EU, by only using established and reputable companies and services as well as only using services with up-to-date privacy policies, encryption, and related data protection.

No matter where you live any personal information I receive about you is never sold, traded, or otherwise used for business purposes outside of what has been outlined in this policy. I hate spam, scams, and robo-callers too and I do what I can to reduce the volume of such activities in the world.

Your Rights

If you reside in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. I describe these rights below:

Access. You may have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information I hold about you by contacting me using this link or the contact information below.
Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict my use of, or delete your personal information. Absent exceptional circumstances (like where I am required to store data for legal reasons) I will generally delete your personal information upon request. If you have made a transaction that is not yet complete (for example, you have paid but your item has not yet been shipped) I may not be able to comply with requests to change, restrict, or delete your personal information connected to that transaction until it is completed or canceled.
Object. You can object to (i) my processing of some of your information based on my legitimate interests and (ii) receiving marketing messages from me after providing your express consent to receive them (for example, opting-out of a mailing list you signed up for). In such cases, I will delete your personal information unless I have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
Complain. If you reside in the EU and wish to raise a concern about my use of your information (and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with your local data protection authority.

How to Contact Me

For purposes of EU data protection law, I, Kate (FeltWickedArt / HandiCraftKate), am the data controller of the personal information I directly and indirectly receive as outlined in this policy. You may contact me through any of the platforms I use including Etsy and Facebook. For a more direct and secure method of communication e-mail would be best. My business e-mail is: Kate@FeltWicked.Art

I would be glad to answer any of your questions and concerns and to work with you to make sure your personal data is being handled in a way that is respectful, secure, and legal.