Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 01/01/2025

Effective Date: 01/01/2024

Welcome to Merchifies.com (the "Site"). Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how MERCHIFIES GLOBAL LLC ("Merchifies," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you visit our Site, create an account, use our services, or make a purchase.

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

1. Who We Are and Contact Information

Company Information:

• Legal Entity: MERCHIFIES GLOBAL LLC

• Address: 30 N Gould St, Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States

• Phone: (307) 381-6808

• General Support: [email protected]

• Privacy Contact: [email protected]

• Data Protection Officer: [email protected]

International Representatives:

• EU Representative: [To be appointed if required under GDPR Article 27]

• UK Representative: [To be appointed if required under UK GDPR Article 27]

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account and Order Information:

• Name, email address, phone number, and postal addresses

• Billing and shipping information

• Payment information (processed securely by third-party payment processors - we do not store full payment card details)

• Account credentials (username and encrypted password)

• Communication and marketing preferences

Partner/Designer Accounts:

• Tax identification information (for payout processing)

• Bank account or PayPal details for payments

• Business information and verification documents

• Design portfolios and uploaded content

User-Generated Content:

• Design files, images, and customization data

• Product reviews, comments, and forum posts

• Customer service communications and survey responses

• Any other content you choose to share

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Technical Information:

• IP address and approximate geolocation data

• Device type, operating system, and browser information

• Usage data including pages viewed, time spent, and click patterns

• Referral sources and search terms that brought you to our Site

• Session recordings and heatmaps (anonymized where possible)

Cookies and Tracking Technologies:

• Strictly Necessary: Essential for website functionality (shopping cart, security, login sessions)

• Analytics: To understand website usage patterns (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics)

• Marketing: For targeted advertising and retargeting (Meta Pixel, Google Ads, etc.)

• Preferences: To remember your settings and enhance user experience

2.3 Information from Third Parties

• Social media platforms (when you connect your accounts)

• Payment processors for transaction verification and fraud prevention

• Print fulfillment partners and shipping carriers for order processing

• Analytics and advertising partners (with your consent where required)

• Public databases for address verification and fraud prevention

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Legal Bases for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Performance of Contract: To fulfill orders, provide services, and manage your account

• Consent: For marketing communications, analytics, and advertising cookies (where required by law)

• Legitimate Interests: For fraud prevention, security, business operations, and service improvement

• Legal Obligation: To comply with tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements

3.2 Processing Purposes

Service Delivery:

• Processing and fulfilling your orders through our print-on-demand network

• Managing your account and providing customer support

• Communicating about order status, shipping, and delivery updates

• Processing returns, exchanges, and refunds according to our policies

Business Operations:

• Preventing fraud, abuse, and security incidents

• Analyzing website performance and user experience

• Developing new products and improving existing services

• Ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

Marketing and Personalization:

• Sending newsletters and promotional communications (with your consent)

• Displaying personalized product recommendations and advertisements

• Conducting market research and customer satisfaction surveys

• Operating loyalty programs and special promotions

4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

4.1 Cookie Types and Legal Basis

Strictly Necessary Cookies:

• Purpose: Essential website functionality, security, and fraud prevention

• Legal Basis: Legitimate interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f))

• Examples: Shopping cart, user authentication, security tokens

Analytics and Performance Cookies:

• Purpose: Understanding website usage and improving performance

• Legal Basis: Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)) for EEA/UK users; legitimate interests for others

• Examples: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, heatmap tools

Marketing and Advertising Cookies:

• Purpose: Delivering targeted advertisements and measuring campaign effectiveness

• Legal Basis: Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a))

• Examples: Meta Pixel, Google Ads, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Pinterest Tag

4.2 Cookie Consent Management

EEA/UK Users: We only set non-essential cookies after obtaining your explicit consent through our Cookie Consent Manager. You can modify or withdraw consent anytime via the "Cookie Settings" link in our footer.

US Users: We provide clear opt-out mechanisms and honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as required by state privacy laws.

4.3 Your Cookie Choices

• Cookie Settings: Use our Cookie Settings tool to manage preferences

• Browser Controls: Adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies

• Industry Opt-Out Tools: Visit YourAdChoices.com, NetworkAdvertising.org, or YourOnlineChoices.eu

• Global Privacy Control: Enable GPC in compatible browsers for automatic opt-out

Note: Disabling certain cookies may limit website functionality.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do NOT sell personal information for monetary consideration. We may "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined by California law.

5.1 Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who process data on our behalf:

• Hosting and Infrastructure: Cloud storage, content delivery networks, and web hosting

• Payment Processing: Stripe, PayPal, and other payment processors

• Order Fulfillment: Print-on-demand partners and shipping carriers (USPS, FedEx, DHL)

• Marketing and Analytics: Email platforms (Klaviyo), analytics tools (Google Analytics), and customer support systems

• Security and Fraud Prevention: Identity verification, fraud detection, and security monitoring services

5.2 Advertising and Analytics Partners

With your consent (where required), we share certain data for:

• Targeted Advertising: Delivering relevant ads across platforms and websites

• Campaign Measurement: Analyzing advertising effectiveness and return on investment

• Audience Insights: Understanding customer preferences and market trends

5.3 Legal and Business Transfers

We may disclose information:

• Legal Compliance: To comply with laws, regulations, legal processes, or governmental requests

• Safety and Security: To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users or others

• Business Transfers: In connection with mergers, acquisitions, financing, or sale of assets

6. International Data Transfers

As a US-based company, we may transfer your personal data internationally. We ensure appropriate safeguards through:

Transfer Mechanisms:

• EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) for certified US organizations

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission

• UK International Data Transfer Addendum (IDTA) for UK transfers

• Swiss-US Data Privacy Framework for Swiss transfers

Additional Safeguards: We implement technical measures including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and data minimization practices.

You may request information about our specific transfer mechanisms at [email protected].

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 California Privacy Rights (CPRA)

Notice at Collection: We collect the categories described in Section 2 for the purposes outlined in Section 3. We do not sell personal information for money but may "share" certain data for targeted advertising.

Your Rights:

• Right to Know/Access: Request information about our data collection and processing practices

• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal exceptions)

• Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information

• Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for targeted advertising

• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights

How to Exercise Rights:

• Click "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" in our footer

• Submit requests to [email protected] or use our Privacy Request Form

• Enable Global Privacy Control (GPC) in your browser - we automatically honor these signals

7.2 Other US State Rights

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have similar rights to access, delete, correct, and opt-out of targeted advertising and data sales.

Right to Appeal: If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision email with "Appeal" in the subject line.

7.3 EEA/UK Rights (GDPR)

If you're in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have additional rights:

• Access and Portability: Receive copies of your data in a portable format

• Rectification and Erasure: Correct inaccurate data or request deletion

• Restriction and Objection: Limit processing or object to certain uses of your data

• Automated Decision-Making: Object to decisions based solely on automated processing

• Supervisory Authority: File complaints with your local data protection authority

7.4 International Rights

Canada, Brazil, Australia: You may have rights to access, correct, delete, or port personal information under local privacy laws. Contact [email protected] for assistance.

8. Artificial Intelligence and Automated Decision-Making

We use automated systems and limited AI for:

• Fraud Detection: Identifying suspicious transactions and account activity

• Content Moderation: Detecting potential copyright or trademark violations

• Personalization: Customizing product recommendations and site experience

• Operational Efficiency: Optimizing order routing and customer support workflows

Your Rights: We do not make decisions with legal or significant effects based solely on automated processing without human involvement. You may request human review of any automated decision by contacting [email protected].

9. Information Security

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information:

Technical Safeguards:

• TLS 1.3 encryption for data transmission

• AES-256 encryption for data storage

• Multi-factor authentication for administrative access

• Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing

• Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems

Organizational Safeguards:

• Strict access controls and least-privilege principles

• Regular employee security training and background checks

• Comprehensive vendor security assessments

• Incident response and breach notification procedures

Physical Safeguards:

• Secure, monitored data centers with 24/7 surveillance

• Biometric access controls and environmental monitoring

• Redundant power and network infrastructure

While we implement industry-standard security measures, no system is 100% secure. If we discover a data breach, we will notify affected individuals and regulatory authorities as required by law.

10. Children's Online Privacy Protection

Our services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected such information, we will take immediate steps to delete it. We also do not knowingly sell or share personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for legitimate business purposes or as required by law:

• Account Data: Active account lifetime plus 2 years after last activity

• Order Records: 7 years (tax and legal compliance requirements)

• Customer Support: 3 years after case closure

• Partner Financial Data: 7-10 years (regulatory requirements)

• Marketing Preferences: Until withdrawn plus 2 years for compliance records

• Analytics Data: Maximum 26 months (industry standard)

• Security Logs: 12-24 months unless needed for investigations

• Backup Systems: Up to 90 days after primary deletion

We use automated systems to delete data according to these schedules unless legal holds require longer retention.

12. User Content and Intellectual Property (POD-Specific)

12.1 Your Rights and Ownership

You Retain Ownership: You maintain full ownership of all designs, images, and content you upload to our platform.

Limited License to Us: You grant Merchifies a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

• Host, store, and display your content on our platform

• Reproduce your designs on products for order fulfillment

• Use your content for platform operations and customer service

• Include your designs in marketing materials (only with your explicit opt-in consent)

12.2 Your Responsibilities

Rights and Permissions: You must have all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions for content you upload. This includes:

• Original artwork you created

• Properly licensed stock images or graphics

• Content with appropriate model releases and permissions

• Compliance with trademark and copyright laws

Prohibited Content: You may not upload content that:

• Infringes on others' intellectual property rights

• Contains hate speech, violence, or illegal material

• Violates our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service

• Includes unauthorized use of celebrity likenesses or copyrighted characters

12.3 Intellectual Property Enforcement

DMCA Compliance: We respond to valid Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices within 24 hours. Our designated DMCA agent can be reached at [email protected].

Proactive Monitoring: We may use automated systems to detect obvious intellectual property violations and remove infringing content.

Repeat Infringer Policy: Accounts with multiple intellectual property violations will be suspended or terminated according to our Terms of Service.

13. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Do Not Track (DNT): We do not respond to Do Not Track browser signals due to the lack of a universal technical standard for interpreting these signals.

Global Privacy Control (GPC): We recognize and automatically process Global Privacy Control signals as valid opt-out requests for:

• Sale or sharing of personal information for targeted advertising

• Non-essential cookies and tracking (where required by law)

• Cross-context behavioral advertising

GPC compliance applies in states where legally required, including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah.

14. Additional Compliance

14.1 Sanctions and Export Control

We comply with US and international sanctions and export control laws, including:

• Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations

• Export Administration Regulations (EAR)

• International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)

We do not conduct business with sanctioned individuals, entities, or countries, and we screen transactions for compliance.

14.2 Third-Party Links and Services

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy

• Notify users of material changes via email, website banner, or other appropriate means

• Provide at least 30 days' notice for significant changes that affect your rights

• Maintain previous versions for your reference

Your continued use of our services after policy changes indicates your acceptance of the updated terms.

16. How to Contact Us

16.1 Privacy-Related Inquiries

Primary Contact: [email protected]

Data Protection Officer: [email protected]

Privacy Request Form: [link to privacy request form]

16.2 General Contact Information

Customer Support: [email protected]

Phone: (307) 381-6808

Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM MT

Mailing Address: MERCHIFIES GLOBAL LLC, 30 N Gould St, Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA

16.3 Response Times

• Simple Requests: 5 business days

• Complex Requests: 30 days (may extend to 60 days with notification)

• EEA/UK Requests: 30 days maximum as required by GDPR

• Emergency Security Issues: 24-48 hours

16.4 Request Verification

To protect your privacy, we may require identity verification before processing requests. This may include:

• Email verification for account-related requests

• Government-issued ID for sensitive requests

• Account information matching for verification

• Notarized authorization for agent requests

17. Accessibility

If you need this Privacy Policy in an alternative format or require assistance exercising your privacy rights due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] or call (307) 381-6808. We are committed to providing equal access to our privacy practices and rights.