Privacy policy

PRIVACY POLICY

1. Who we are

Varld.shop ("Värld","we","us") is operated by Odyssey Gallery AD Private Limited, a company registered in India, at Himangshu Mohan Chakraborty Road (HMC Road), Kolkata, West Bengal 700108, India. (CIN: U47912WB2024PTC272912)

Payments for orders, and our London hub where orders are consolidated and quality checked, are managed on our behalf in the United Kingdom.

We decide how your personal information is used and are responsible for it. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.

You can reach us about anything in this policy at care@varld.shop.

2. Information we collect

We collect only what we need to sell you handmade pieces and get them to you safely.

What you give us

• Contact details: name, email address and phone number.
• Billing and shipping addresses, including pin code and landmark.
• Order details: the items you buy, any personalisation or gift message, and your order history.
• Messages you send us, including photos you share if an item arrives damaged or wrong.
• Your email address if you sign up to hear from us.

Payment details

Card and other payment details are entered directly into Shopify's secure checkout and processed by Shopify Payments and its payment partners. We never see or store your full card number.

What is collected automatically

When you browse varld.shop, Shopify (our e-commerce platform) automatically collects technical information such as your IP address, device and browser type, approximate location, the pages you view and how you arrived at the site. See section 6 on cookies.

We do not ask for sensitive information such as health, religious or financial account details. Please don't send it to us.

3. How we use your information, and why

We use your information only for the purposes below. Where the law asks us to name a legal basis, it is shown alongside.

What we use it for	Legal basis
Taking payment, passing your order to the artisan, consolidating it in London and delivering it to you	To fulfil our contract with you
Sending order confirmations, shipping updates and tracking details	To fulfil our contract with you
Handling questions, complaints and claims for damaged, wrong or missing items	To fulfil our contract with you, and our legitimate interest in resolving issues
Customs clearance, tax, accounting and other legal obligations	Legal obligation
Keeping the store secure and preventing fraud	Legitimate interest, and legal obligation where it applies
Understanding how the store is used so we can improve it	Your consent (through the cookie banner)
Sending news about new artisans and collections	Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time

For customers in India, we process your personal data with your consent, or for the legitimate uses permitted under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, such as fulfilling an order you have asked for. We do not use your information to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with those who help us run the store and deliver your order, and only what each of them needs.

• Shopify, which hosts varld.shop, runs our checkout and stores order data. Shopify's own handling of your data is described in its privacy policy.
• Shopify Payments and its payment partners, which process your payment securely.
• Artisans and makers, who receive the order details they need to make your piece and send it to our hub.
• Logistics, courier and customs partners in Europe, the United Kingdom, India and your destination country (such as Royal Mail, FedEx and DHL), who need your name, address, phone number and parcel details to clear customs and deliver.
• Professional advisers such as accountants and lawyers, where needed.
• Authorities, such as courts, regulators, tax and customs agencies or law enforcement, when the law requires it, or to protect our rights, our customers or the public from fraud or harm.
• A future owner of all or part of our business, if it is sold or reorganised. Your information would remain protected by this policy.

5. International transfers

Your information travels with your order. Each piece starts with an artisan in Europe, is consolidated and checked in London, and is then delivered to you. Shopify may also store data on servers in Canada, the United States and other countries.

This means your information is handled in India, the United Kingdom, the European Union, your destination country (such as the UAE) and wherever our service providers operate. When we transfer it, we rely on contractual protections, such as Shopify's data processing terms, and on the safeguards required by the laws that apply to us.

6. Cookies

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking tools.

Shopify sets cookies that the store needs to work, such as keeping items in your cart, running checkout and keeping the site secure. These are always on. With your consent, Shopify also sets analytics cookies that help us understand how the store is used, for example which pages are visited most.

When you first visit, a cookie banner lets you accept or decline non-essential cookies, and you can change your choice at any time. You can also block cookies in your browser settings, though the cart and checkout may not work without the essential ones. If we ever add marketing or advertising tools, we will update this policy and ask for your consent first.

7. Marketing emails

We only send news about artisans, collections and offers if you have signed up for it. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, or you can email care@varld.shop to stop them. Messages about an order you have placed (confirmations, shipping and delivery updates) are not marketing and will still be sent.

8. How long we keep it

We keep your information only as long as we need it, then delete or anonymise it.

Information	How long we keep it
Orders, invoices and payment records	Up to 8 years, to meet tax, customs and accounting requirements
Customer account details	While your account is open, and deleted on request
Customer service messages and claims	Up to 2 years after the matter is resolved
Marketing sign-up	Until you unsubscribe
Analytics data	As set by Shopify, typically up to 2 years

We may keep information longer if the law requires it or if it is needed for an ongoing dispute.

9. Keeping it secure

Your information is stored on Shopify, whose checkout meets PCI DSS Level 1, the highest standard for card payment security. Only people who need it to handle your order or query can access it, and our service providers are bound to keep it secure and confidential.

No system is completely secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we will tell you and the relevant authorities as the law requires. Please keep your account password private.

10. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have the right to:

• Get a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct or update it if it is wrong or incomplete.
• Ask us to delete it, unless we must keep it by law (for example, tax records).
• Object to, or ask us to limit, how we use it.
• Receive it in a portable format.
• Withdraw your consent at any time, for example to marketing or analytics cookies. This does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it.
• Nominate someone to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity (customers in India).

To use any of these rights, email care@varld.shop with "Privacy request" in the subject line. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. We will respond within one month, and will tell you if a complex request needs longer. There is no charge.

11. Complaints and grievance officer

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can put it right. We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and aim to resolve it within one month.

Grievance Officer: Ms. Jenea Parvin, Partner & Care Lead. Email: jenea.parvin@varld.shop, Address: Odyssey Gallery AD Private Limited, Himangshu Mohan Chakraborty Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700108, India

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the data protection authority where you live:

• India: the Data Protection Board of India
• United Kingdom: the Information Commissioner's Office
• United Arab Emirates: the UAE Data Office

12. Children

varld.shop is not intended for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has given us their information, contact us and we will delete it.

13. Links to other websites

Our site may link to other websites, such as artisans' own pages or Instagram. Their privacy practices are their own, so please check their policies before sharing information with them.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our business or the law changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If we make a significant change, we will tell you by email or with a notice on the site before it takes effect.

15. Contact us

Odyssey Gallery AD Private Limited, Himangshu Mohan Chakraborty Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700108, India. Email: care@varld.shop. Whatsapp: +44 7748601026.