BeadnFloat (a sole proprietorship operated by Ramin, "we", "us") is based in British Columbia, Canada. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use beadnfloat.com or buy from us. We handle personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (British Columbia) ("PIPA") and, where it applies to interprovincial and international activities, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA"). Our commercial electronic messages comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation ("CASL").
1. What We Collect
Information you give us:
- Order information: name, shipping and billing address, email address, phone number, and details of the products you buy.
- Account information (if you create an account): name, email, password (stored hashed), order history.
- Communications: emails and messages you send us, including returns requests and product questions.
- Marketing preferences: whether you have consented to receive our emails.
Information collected automatically:
- Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, referring site, and general (city-level) location derived from IP, collected via cookies and similar technologies. See section 7.
Payment information: your payment card or bank details are collected and processed directly by our payment processor(s) (WooCommerce Payments (Stripe), with Sift for fraud detection). We never see or store your full card number.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, and our products are not directed at children.
2. Why We Use It
We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances:
- To process and deliver your orders, send order confirmations and shipping updates, and provide customer support.
- To handle returns, refunds, warranty claims, and statutory cancellations.
- To send marketing emails where you have consented (see section 6) — you can unsubscribe at any time.
- To send you a reminder if you enter your email at checkout but don't finish your order. These cart reminders may include a one-time discount, always identify us, and carry a one-click unsubscribe link — opt out and we stop.
- To operate, secure, and improve the Site, including analytics and fraud prevention.
- To comply with legal obligations, including tax and accounting record-keeping.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for automated decisions that have a significant effect on you.
3. Consent
We collect your information with your consent — given expressly (for example, ticking a marketing opt-in) or implied through your actions (for example, providing your address so we can ship your order). You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice; note that withdrawing consent needed to fulfil an order may prevent us from completing it. To withdraw consent, contact Info@beadnfloat.com.
4. Who We Share It With
We share personal information only with service providers who need it to help us run the business, under contracts that require them to protect it:
- Payment processing: WooCommerce Payments (Stripe), with Sift for fraud detection
- Hosting and infrastructure: Vercel (site hosting), SiteGround (store backend)
- Shipping carriers: Canada Post and Zonos (international duties and landed cost) — name, address, and phone/email for delivery
- Email delivery: Resend
We may also disclose personal information where required or permitted by law — for example, in response to a lawful demand by a Canadian authority, or to protect against fraud.
5. Storage Outside Canada
Some of our service providers store or process personal information outside Canada, including in the United States (for example, our hosting and payment infrastructure). While your information is outside Canada, it is subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, and courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities there may be able to access it under local law. We use contractual and technical safeguards to require a comparable standard of protection. For questions about our policies and practices regarding service providers outside Canada, contact our Privacy Officer (section 10).
6. Marketing Emails (CASL)
We send commercial electronic messages only where we have your express consent, or implied consent under CASL (for example, within two years of a purchase, unless you opt out). Every marketing email identifies us, includes our mailing address, and contains a working unsubscribe link. Unsubscribe requests are honoured promptly and at no cost, and no later than 10 business days after receipt. Transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notices, refund confirmations) are not marketing and are sent regardless of marketing preferences.
7. Cookies
This section explains the cookies and similar technologies used on beadnfloat.com and what each one does. Cookies are small text files stored on your device; we also use your browser's local storage for some of the same purposes. We group them into strictly necessary technologies, which are required for the Site to work and are always active, functional ones, which remember your preferences, and optional ones (analytics and marketing), which we place only with your consent.
On your first visit, a consent banner lets you accept all, reject all, or choose by category. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer. Rejecting optional cookies does not affect your ability to browse or make a purchase.
We do not currently use any analytics or marketing cookies. If we introduce them, they will be listed here and will only be placed after you consent.
Cookies we set:
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Category | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
bnf_consent | BeadnFloat (first-party) | Stores your cookie-consent choices so we don't ask again on every visit. | Strictly necessary | 180 days |
Cookies used during checkout: Our cart, checkout, and account pages are served from our store system. When you add items to your cart or check out, that system — and our payment provider — set additional strictly necessary cookies that keep your cart and session working and help prevent fraudulent transactions. They are not used for advertising or to track you across other websites.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Category | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
wp_woocommerce_session_* | WooCommerce (first-party) | Holds a reference to your cart and session data on our server. | Strictly necessary | 2 days |
woocommerce_cart_hash | WooCommerce (first-party) | Helps keep your cart contents up to date. | Strictly necessary | Session |
woocommerce_items_in_cart | WooCommerce (first-party) | Records the items currently in your cart. | Strictly necessary | Session |
__stripe_mid | Stripe | Identifies your device to help detect and prevent payment fraud. | Strictly necessary (fraud prevention) | 1 year |
__stripe_sid | Stripe | Identifies your payment session to help detect and prevent payment fraud. | Strictly necessary (fraud prevention) | 30 minutes |
__ssid | Sift (via our payment provider) | Used by our payment provider's fraud-detection service to identify suspicious activity at checkout. | Strictly necessary (fraud prevention) | 13 months |
Browser storage: Some information is kept in your browser's local storage rather than in a cookie. It stays on your device and can be cleared at any time through your browser settings.
| Name | Purpose | Category |
|---|---|---|
bf_cart_token | Identifies your shopping cart so its contents follow you around the store. | Strictly necessary |
bnf_advisor_prefs | Remembers your last selections in our bead recommendation tool. | Functional |
wc_cart_hash_* | Helps keep your cart contents up to date during checkout. | Strictly necessary |
wcpay_appearance_* | Stores display settings for the payment form so it renders correctly. | Strictly necessary |
You can control cookies through your browser settings, though strictly necessary cookies are required for the cart and checkout to work. To ask how we handle your personal data, contact Info@beadnfloat.com.
8. Retention and Security
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes above and to meet legal obligations — order and tax records are kept for 7 years as required by Canadian tax law; marketing consent records are kept while your subscription is active plus 3 years; account data is kept until you delete your account or after a prolonged period of inactivity. Information used to make a decision about you is retained for at least one year, as PIPA requires. When no longer needed, information is deleted or anonymised.
We protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity, including TLS encryption in transit, access controls, and reputable hosted infrastructure. If a breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the appropriate privacy regulator as required by law.
9. Your Rights
You may:
- Access the personal information we hold about you and ask how it has been used and disclosed.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Withdraw consent to uses that are not necessary to fulfil a contract or legal obligation, including marketing.
- Ask questions or complain about our handling of your information.
Send requests to our Privacy Officer (below). We will respond within 30 days as required by PIPA/PIPEDA. We may need to verify your identity before releasing information.
10. Privacy Officer and Complaints
Privacy Officer, a sole proprietorship operated by Ramin 1123 W47th Ave, Vancouver, BC Email: Info@beadnfloat.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (oipc.bc.ca) or, for matters under PIPEDA, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca).
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be flagged on the Site, and the "Last updated" date always reflects the current version. Continued use of the Site after an update does not expand the purposes for which previously collected information may be used without fresh consent where consent is required.
