Privacy policy

GC-Artis Walking Sticks Canes (“GC-Artis”, “we”, “us”, “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your information when you visit our website, place an order, or communicate with us.

By using our website and services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

  1. WHO WE ARE

GC-Artis Walking Sticks Canes is a workshop that designs and manufactures handcrafted walking canes. We operate our online store via Shopify and ship products worldwide from Ukraine (Eastern Europe).

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

Email: gcartis@ukr.net

We do not sell your personal information.

  1. SCOPE OF THIS POLICY

This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • visitors to our website and online store;
  • customers who place orders with us;
  • people who contact us by email or other channels;
  • people who subscribe to our marketing emails or newsletters.

It covers how we handle personal data under applicable data protection laws, including (where relevant) the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar laws in other countries.

  1. PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

a) Information you provide directly

  • Name and surname
  • Billing address and shipping address
  • Email address
  • Phone number (if provided)
  • Order details (products purchased, size, custom options, etc.)
  • Messages and correspondence with us (emails, support requests, feedback)

b) Payment information

  • We do not store full payment card details on our servers.
  • Payments are processed securely by third-party payment providers (such as Shopify Payments, PayPal or other processors). They may collect and process your card details directly in accordance with their own privacy policies.

c) Technical and usage data

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and operating system
  • Pages visited, time and date of visit, time spent on pages
  • Referring website or campaign (if applicable)

d) Cookies and similar technologies

  • We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember your preferences, analyze traffic and, where applicable, support marketing activities.
  • For more details, see the “COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES” section below and/or our Cookie Policy.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data (such as health information, religious beliefs, etc.) via our website.

  1. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

a) To process and fulfil your orders

  • to process payments;
  • to prepare and ship your products;
  • to send order confirmations, shipping updates and related notifications;
  • to manage returns, refunds, warranty claims and lifetime support.

b) To provide customer support

  • to respond to your questions and requests;
  • to help with product selection, sizing or customization;
  • to resolve delivery issues or complaints.

c) To manage our relationship with you

  • to ask for your feedback or reviews (where appropriate);
  • to notify you of changes to our terms, policies or services.

d) To send marketing communications (with your consent)

  • to send you news about new products, special offers, promotions and updates, if you have subscribed or consented to receive such communications;
  • you can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time (see section 8).

e) To operate, improve and secure our website and business

  • to analyze traffic and usage patterns on the website;
  • to improve our products, services and user experience;
  • to prevent fraud, abuse and security incidents.

f) To comply with legal obligations

  • to keep records required by tax and accounting laws;
  • to respond to lawful requests from authorities where required.
  1. LEGAL BASES FOR PROCESSING (EU/UK CUSTOMERS)

If you are in the European Union, the United Kingdom or another jurisdiction that requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on the following:

  • Performance of a contract
    When we process your data to fulfil your order, provide customer support, handle returns, refunds and warranty claims.
  • Legitimate interests
    When we analyze website usage, prevent fraud, improve our services or send non-intrusive service-related communications. We balance these interests against your rights and expectations.
  • Consent
    When we send you marketing emails and newsletters, where this is required by law. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Legal obligations
    When we keep records for tax, accounting or respond to legal requests.
  1. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

  • make the site work properly (essential/necessary cookies);
  • remember your preferences (for example, language or region);
  • analyze how visitors use the site (analytics cookies);
  • support marketing and advertising (where applicable).

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser.

Depending on your location, you may see a cookie banner allowing you to accept or manage non-essential cookies. You can usually also control cookies through your browser settings by blocking or deleting them.

If we use a separate Cookie Policy page, it will contain more detailed information about the types of cookies used and your options.

Please note: blocking cookies may affect some functions of the website (for example, keeping items in your cart).

  1. HOW WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients, only as necessary:

  • Service providers and contractors
    For example:
    • Shopify (e-commerce platform);
    • payment processors (e.g., PayPal, card payment providers);
    • shipping carriers and logistics partners;
    • IT and hosting providers;
    • email and newsletter service providers;
    • analytics and advertising partners (where used).
  • Business partners
    For example, warehouses or fulfilment partners that help handle returns or store inventory in your country.
  • Professional advisers
    For example, accountants, auditors or legal advisers, where necessary for our business.
  • Authorities and regulators
    Where required by law, court order or to protect our legal rights, customers or others.

All such third parties are expected to process your personal data only as instructed by us and in a manner consistent with applicable data protection laws.

  1. EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

We use your email address for two main purposes:

a) Service and transactional emails

  • order confirmations, invoices;
  • shipping and delivery updates;
  • messages about returns, refunds or warranty;
  • responses to your inquiries.

These emails are necessary to provide our services and do not require separate marketing consent.

b) Marketing emails and newsletters

  • with your consent (opt-in), we may send you emails about new products, special offers, promotions or news about GC-Artis;
  • you can unsubscribe at any time by:
    • clicking the “Unsubscribe” or “Manage preferences” link in the email, or
    • contacting us at gcartis@ukr.net and asking to be removed from the mailing list.

Unsubscribing from marketing emails does not stop necessary service emails related to current or past orders.

  1. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

We are based in Ukraine and may process your data there and in other countries.

In addition, some of our service providers and partners (such as Shopify, payment processors or logistics companies) may be located in other countries, including the EU, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia.

Where required by law, we take appropriate measures so that your personal data receives an adequate level of protection in all countries where it is processed, for example through contractual safeguards.

  1. DATA RETENTION

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including:

  • for orders and transactions: for as long as needed to fulfil the order, provide warranty and lifetime support, and comply with tax and accounting laws;
  • for customer support records: for a reasonable period after we resolve your request;
  • for marketing purposes: until you unsubscribe or we determine that your email is no longer active or engaged;
  • for technical and analytics data: for a period that allows us to analyze and improve our website, typically within industry-standard retention limits.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it or anonymize it.

  1. HOW WE PROTECT YOUR DATA

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.

These measures include, for example:

  • using secure, reputable platforms (such as Shopify and trusted payment processors);
  • restricting access to personal data to personnel who need it for their work;
  • using encryption and secure connections (HTTPS) where appropriate.

However, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted over the internet.

  1. YOUR RIGHTS (ESPECIALLY EU/UK & SOME US CUSTOMERS)

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have some or all of the following rights:

  • Right of access – to ask if we process your personal data and to receive a copy.
  • Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure – to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to restriction – to ask us to limit the processing of your data in certain cases.
  • Right to data portability – to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format or to have it transferred to another controller (where technically possible).
  • Right to object – to object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
  • Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time (for example, for marketing emails).

If you are a resident of certain US states (such as California) you may also have rights to:

  • request that we disclose what categories of personal information we collect and how we use them;
  • request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

We do not sell your personal information.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at: gcartis@ukr.net
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

If you are in the EU/EEA, UK or another country with a data protection authority, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority if you believe your data has been processed unlawfully.

  1. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our website and products are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 18.

If you believe that a child has provided personal data to us without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will take steps to delete the information.

  1. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or services.

When we make changes, we will update the “last updated” date at the top of the policy and may notify you by email or a notice on the website where appropriate.

Your continued use of our website and services after an updated Privacy Policy is posted means that you accept the changes.

  1. CONTACT US

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

Email: gcartis@ukr.net

We will do our best to respond to your request in a timely and helpful manner.