Privacy Policy for Soy Melts Candles

Welcome to Soy Melts Candles. This Privacy Policy outlines how Soy Melts Candles (ABN 528 278 671 730, operating from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ("we", "us", "our"), collects, uses, stores, and discloses your personal information when you visit and make purchases from www.soymeltscandles.com.au

We are committed to protecting your privacy and personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you use our Website, make a purchase, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us. This may include:

Information You Provide Directly:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, shipping address, billing address, and phone number.
• Payment Information: Details required to process payments (e.g., credit card numbers, PayPal, Afterpay, or ZipPay account details). Note: We do not directly store full credit card details on our servers; these are processed securely by our third-party payment gateway providers.
• Account Information: If you create an account, we store your username and password (encrypted).
• Communications: Information you provide when you communicate with us via email, contact forms, social media, or phone.
• Reviews/Testimonials: Content you submit for product reviews or testimonials.
• Information Collected Automatically (via Website Usage):

When you visit our Website, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including:

• Device Information: IP address, web browser type, operating system, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device.
• Browse Information: Information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Website, and information about how you interact with the Website.

We collect this information using the following technologies:

• "Cookies": Data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
• "Log files": Track actions occurring on the Website, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.
• "Web beacons", "tags", and "pixels": Electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Website.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information?

We use the personal information we collect for various purposes, including:

Fulfilling Orders & Providing Services:

• To process and fulfil your orders, including processing payments, arranging for shipping, and providing you with invoices and order confirmations.
• To communicate with you about your orders, purchases, and any inquiries.
• To create and manage your account if you choose to register.

Improving Our Website & Services:

• To understand how our customers browse and interact with the Website, allowing us to improve its design, functionality, and user experience.
• To diagnose and resolve technical issues.

Marketing & Communication:

• To send you marketing and promotional communications about our products, special offers, and news, if you have opted-in to receive them (e.g., by subscribing to our newsletter).
• To personalise your shopping experience and recommend products that may be of interest to you.
• To run promotions, contests, or surveys.

Legal & Security Purposes:

• To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you, or others.
• To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities.
• How Do We Share Your Personal Information?

We may share your personal information with third parties for the purposes outlined above:

• Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, such as:
• Payment Gateways: (e.g., Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay, ZipPay) to process your payments securely.
• Shipping & Logistics Providers: (e.g., Australia Post, Sendle, or other couriers) to deliver your orders.
• Website Hosting & E-commerce Platforms: (e.g., Shopify, Squarespace, or similar) to power our online store.
• Email Marketing Platforms: (e.g., Mailchimp, Klaviyo) for sending newsletters and promotional emails.
• Analytics Providers: (e.g., Google Analytics) to help us understand how our customers use the Website. You can learn more about how Google uses your Personal Information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• Legal Compliance & Protection: We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid request from a government or law enforcement agency. We may also disclose information to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We will never sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

International Data Transfers

As we use third-party service providers (e.g., cloud hosting, email marketing platforms, analytics services) that may operate globally, your personal information may be stored or processed outside of Australia.

When personal information is transferred outside of Australia, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient handles your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. However, we cannot guarantee that the overseas recipient will comply with Australian privacy laws.

Security of Your Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Using secure servers and encryption (SSL) for data transmission on our Website.
• Implementing access controls and authentication procedures for our systems.
• Regularly reviewing our data collection, storage, and processing practices.
• Ensuring our third-party service providers also adhere to appropriate security standards.
• While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Your Privacy Rights

Under Australian privacy law, you have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date personal information we hold about you.
• Deletion (Right to be Forgotten): In certain circumstances, you may have the right to request the deletion of your personal information.
• Opt-out of Marketing: You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us directly.
• To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

Children's Privacy

Our Website is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will take steps to remove that information from our systems.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy will indicate when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the Website after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us & Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or if you wish to make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Email: help@soymeltscandles.com.au

We will investigate any complaint and respond to you as soon as practicable. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) Phone: 1300 363 992 Website: www.oaic.gov.au