Privacy Policy

Qingxuan International Trading Limited (“Kiln & Ink”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the website kiln-ink.com and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Account information: name, email address, and password when you create an account.
• Order information: billing address, shipping address, and payment details when you make a purchase. Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe and are never stored on our servers.
• Profile information: preferences, wishlist items, and collector membership details.
• Auction activity: bid history and auction participation records.
• Communications: messages you send to our customer support team.

We also collect certain information automatically when you visit our website:

• IP address, browser type, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent, and navigation patterns
• Referral source (e.g. which website brought you to us)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 6)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Process and fulfil your orders, including sending confirmation and shipping notifications
• Manage your account and collector membership
• Enable auction participation and notify you of bid activity
• Send you transactional emails (receipts, shipping updates, auction results)
• Send you marketing communications if you have opted in (you can unsubscribe at any time)
• Improve our website, product offerings, and customer experience
• Comply with legal obligations, including anti-fraud and anti-money-laundering requirements
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: to process orders and manage your account.
• Legitimate interests: to improve our services, prevent fraud, and for direct marketing to existing customers.
• Legal obligation: to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent: for optional marketing emails and non-essential cookies.

4. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Payment processors: Stripe, Inc. processes all payment card transactions. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
• Shipping partners: your name and delivery address are shared with our logistics providers to fulfil orders.
• Technology providers: we use Supabase (database and authentication) and Sanity (content management). These providers process data on our behalf under data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements: we may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government authority.
• Business transfers: if Kiln & Ink is acquired or merges with another entity, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as necessary to provide our services. Order records are retained for seven (7) years to comply with Hong Kong tax and accounting regulations. You may request deletion of your account at any time (see Section 8), subject to our legal retention obligations.

6. Cookies

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: required for the website to function (login sessions, shopping cart).
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use our site (e.g. Google Analytics). These are only set with your consent.
• Marketing cookies: used to deliver relevant advertising. These are only set with your consent.

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.

7. International Transfers

Kiln & Ink is based in Hong Kong. If you are accessing our website from outside Hong Kong, your information may be transferred to and processed in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for any international transfers of personal data.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”).
• Portability: request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Restriction: request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@kiln-ink.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit, encrypted storage for sensitive data, and access controls limiting who within our organisation can access personal information. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last updated” date. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

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