Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 18, 2025
Last Updated: July 18, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Citchenware.com. This Privacy Policy explains how Citchenware.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”), a company based in Hong Kong, collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you visit our website, create an account, purchase our products, or otherwise interact with us.

Your privacy is a top priority. We are committed to protecting your personal data and being transparent about the information we collect and how we use it. This policy has been designed to comply with a wide range of global privacy regulations, including Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO), the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK’s GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

By using our website and services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide and improve our services to you. The types of information we collect are:

A. Information You Provide Directly to Us:

  • Account & Order Information: When you create an account and place an order, we collect your Full Name, Email Address, Password, Phone Number, Shipping Address, Billing Address, and Credit Card Information. Please note: your full payment card details are sent directly to our third-party payment processor, Stripe, via a secure connection. We do not store your full credit card number on our servers.

  • Communications: When you contact us through our contact form, we collect your Name and Email Address and the contents of your Message. When you interact with our live chat on Facebook Messenger, email us directly, or leave product reviews or comments, we collect the information you choose to provide in those communications.

  • Marketing Subscriptions: When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your Email Address. If you opt-in to SMS marketing, we collect your Phone Number for that specific purpose.

B. Information We Collect Automatically (Technical Data):

  • Cookies & Tracking Technologies: Like most websites, we use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to enhance your experience. This includes collecting data about your browsing activity, device type, and interactions with our site. The trackers we use include, but are not limited to:

    • Google Analytics: To understand website traffic and user behavior.

    • Google Ads: To track the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.

    • Meta (Facebook) Pixel & X.com (Twitter) Pixel: To measure, optimize, and build audiences for our advertising campaigns on social media platforms.

    • Mailchimp: To manage our email marketing and track engagement with our newsletters.

  • Server Logs: Our servers automatically log information sent by your browser, which can include your IP Address, Browser Type, Operating System, Referring URLs, and timestamps.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes, based on clear legal grounds:

  • To Provide Our Services (Performance of a Contract):

    • To create and manage your account.

    • To process and fulfill your orders, including processing payments and arranging for shipping.

    • To communicate with you about your orders, including sending confirmations and delivery updates.

  • For Marketing and Advertising (With Your Consent):

    • To send you marketing newsletters and promotional emails via Mailchimp, if you have subscribed.

    • To send you marketing SMS messages, if you have explicitly opted-in.

    • To deliver targeted advertising to you on other websites and social media platforms.

    • You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing email or by contacting us directly.

  • For Our Legitimate Business Interests:

    • To monitor and analyze website usage to improve our site design, product offerings, and user experience.

    • For fraud prevention, security checks, and to protect the integrity of our website.

    • To respond to your customer service inquiries and provide support.

    • For internal record-keeping and administrative purposes.

  • To Comply with Legal Obligations:

    • To retain order information for tax, accounting, and other legal or regulatory requirements.

4. How and Why We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data in the traditional sense. However, we share it with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf. They are contractually obligated to protect your data and are prohibited from using it for any other purpose. These include:

  • Payment Processors: We share transaction information with Stripe to process your payments securely.

  • Shipping Carriers: We share your name, shipping address, and phone number with our shipping partners (e.g., FedEx, DHL, etc.) to deliver your orders.

  • Marketing & Advertising Partners: We share technical data with platforms like Google, Meta (Facebook), and X.com to run our advertising campaigns. We use Mailchimp to manage our email marketing lists.

  • Analytics Providers: We share data with Google Analytics to help us understand how our website is being used.

  • Hosting Providers: Our website and data are hosted by Hetzner. They store our data on their secure servers.

  • Customer Support Platforms: When you use our live chat, your data is processed by Facebook Messenger.

  • Legal and Law Enforcement: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

You have control over the use of cookies. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. Please note that if you choose to remove or reject cookies, this could affect the availability and functionality of our services. For more information on how to opt-out of interest-based advertising, you can visit the Digital Advertising Alliance or the Network Advertising Initiative.

6. Data Security and Retention

  • Security: We implement and maintain reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. This includes using SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit and working with service providers who are committed to security.

  • Retention: We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain your information to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable tax/revenue laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies. Account information for inactive users will be maintained for a reasonable period to allow for easy reactivation, after which it may be anonymized or deleted in accordance with our internal data retention schedule.

7. International Data Transfers

Your information, including personal data, is processed at our operating offices in Hong Kong and stored on servers provided by Hetzner, which are located in Germany (EU) and the United States.

This means your information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. For transfers of data from the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, to ensure your data is protected.

8. Your Privacy Rights

You have specific rights regarding your personal information. Depending on your location, these may include:

  • The Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

  • The Right to Rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • The Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions.

  • The Right to Data Portability: You can request that we provide you with your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

  • The Right to Object or Restrict Processing: You can object to or request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

  • The Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent for processing, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our data privacy team at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 5 business days after verifying your identity.

A. For Residents of the EEA and UK: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal data.

B. For Residents of California (CCPA Rights): You have the right to request what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and “sell” or “share.” You also have the right to request deletion of your information and to opt-out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. While we do not exchange data for money, sharing data with advertising partners may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” under the CCPA. To opt-out, please contact us at [email protected].

9. Children’s Privacy

Our service is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will take steps to delete it immediately.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Citchenware.com Data Privacy Team
Email: [email protected]
Location: Hong Kong