Welcome to Rtisan (“,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). We operate a digital platform connecting independent artisans, craftspeople, and makers with buyers who value handmade, bespoke, and small-batch goods. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the “Platform”).

By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use our Platform.

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Platform, and information from third parties.

1.1  Information You Provide

• Account Registration: Name, email address, username, password, and profile photo.
• Artisan Seller Profiles: Business or shop name, bio, craft specialties, portfolio images, and shop policies.
• Payment & Financial Details: Billing address, credit/debit card information, bank account details for payouts (processed and stored by our payment processors).
• Listings & Product Information: Product titles, descriptions, photographs, pricing, inventory, and shipping details you upload.
• Communications: Messages exchanged with buyers or sellers through our in-platform messaging system, customer support inquiries, and review or feedback content.
• Identity Verification (Artisans): Government-issued ID documents, tax identification numbers, and business registration details where required by law.

1.2  Information Collected Automatically

• Device & Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and screen resolution.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, search queries, items viewed, items added to cart, purchase history, and features used.
• Location Data: Approximate location derived from IP address; precise GPS location only with your explicit consent.
• Cookies & Tracking Technologies: Session cookies, persistent cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies (see Section 7 for details).

1.3  Information from Third Parties

• Social Login Providers: If you register or log in via Google, Apple, or Facebook, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from that provider.
• Payment Processors: Transaction status, partial card details (last four digits), and fraud-screening signals from partners such as Stripe.
• Analytics Partners: Aggregated behavioural data used to improve Platform performance.
• Review Platforms: Seller reputation signals sourced from verified third-party rating services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes, always in compliance with applicable data-protection law.

2.1  Platform Operations

• Creating and managing your account.
• Processing purchases, payments, and refunds.
• Facilitating communication between buyers and sellers.
• Displaying your artisan shop and product listings to potential buyers.
• Providing customer support and resolving disputes.

2.2  Safety & Trust

• Verifying the identity of artisan sellers.
• Detecting, investigating, and preventing fraudulent transactions, abuse, and policy violations.
• Screening listings to ensure compliance with our Prohibited Items Policy.
• Enforcing our Terms of Service and other policies.

2.3  Platform Improvement

• Analysing usage patterns to improve features, navigation, and user experience.
• Conducting research and developing new services.
• Performing quality assurance and debugging.

2.4  Marketing & Communications

• Sending transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications).
• Sending promotional emails and newsletters where you have given consent or where permitted by law.
• Displaying personalised product recommendations and targeted advertisements.

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or updating your notification preferences in Account Settings.

2.5  Legal Compliance

• Complying with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and governmental requests.
• Enforcing or applying our Terms of Service.
• Protecting the rights, property, and safety of CraftFolk, our users, and the public.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the limited circumstances described below.

3.1  With Other Platform Users

When you make a purchase, your shipping name, delivery address, and order details are shared with the relevant seller. When you list items for sale, your shop name, general location (city/region), and product listings are publicly visible to all visitors.

3.2  With Service Providers

We engage trusted third-party companies to help us operate the Platform. These providers process data only on our behalf and under strict contractual confidentiality obligations. Categories include:

• Payment processors (e.g., Opay)
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
• Email delivery services
• Analytics and performance monitoring tools
• Customer support software
• Identity verification services

3.3  For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if we believe in good faith that doing so is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect the rights or safety of any person, or investigate potential fraud or security issues.

3.4  Business Transfers

If CraftFolk is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or similar transaction, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice and, where required by law, obtain your consent before completing any such transfer.

3.5  Aggregated or De-identified Data

We may share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably identify you, for industry analysis, research, or promotional purposes.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active, as needed to provide our services, and as required to comply with our legal obligations. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account plus 3 years after closure.
• Transaction records: Retained for 7 years to satisfy accounting and tax obligations.
• Communications: In-platform messages retained for 2 years from the date of last message.
• Marketing preferences: Until you withdraw consent or close your account.

When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or anonymise it in accordance with our data disposal procedures.

5. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have some or all of the rights described below.

5.1  Access & Portability

You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and receive it in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible.

5.2  Correction

You may update or correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information via Account Settings or by contacting us.

5.3  Deletion

You may request deletion of your personal information. We will honour your request subject to our obligation to retain certain data for legal, fraud-prevention, or dispute-resolution purposes.

5.4  Restriction & Objection

You may request that we restrict processing of your data or object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling for direct marketing purposes.

5.5  Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

5.6  How to Exercise Your Rights

Submit requests to our Privacy Team at privacy@craftfolk.com or via the Data Request portal in Account Settings. We will respond within 30 days (or the timeframe required by applicable law). We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

6. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to personalise your experience, understand Platform usage, and deliver relevant advertising. The types of cookies we use are:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Required for basic Platform functionality such as authentication and shopping cart management. These cannot be disabled.
• Performance Cookies: Collect anonymous information about how users navigate the Platform to help us improve it.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences (language, currency, saved searches).
• Targeting/Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver advertisements relevant to your interests and to measure campaign effectiveness.

You can manage cookie preferences through our Cookie Preference Centre (accessible via the footer of our website) or your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may limit Platform functionality.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher.
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest using AES-256.
• Role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal data.
• Regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Multi-factor authentication for internal systems.

Despite our best efforts, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and relevant supervisory authorities in accordance with applicable law.

8. International Data Transfers

CraftFolk operates globally. Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the country in which you reside, including countries that may not provide the same level of data-protection law as your home country.

Where we transfer data from the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland to third countries, we rely on appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

9. Children’s Privacy

The Platform is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 16, please contact us at privacy

10. Artisan-Specific Provisions

10.1  Public Shop Profiles

As an artisan seller, your shop name, profile photo, product listings, biography, and general location (city/region) are publicly displayed on the Platform. Please do not include personal information in these fields that you wish to keep private.

10.2  Financial Information

To receive payouts, we collect bank account or payment-method details. This information is handled by our PCI-DSS-compliant payment processors and is not stored on Rtisan own servers in full.

10.3  Tax Reporting

We may be required by law to collect your tax identification number and to report payment information to tax authorities. We will notify you of any such reporting obligations.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Post the updated policy on this page with a new ‘Last Updated’ date.
• Send you an email notification if you have an account with us.
• Display a prominent notice on the Platform for 30 days following the update.

Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Privacy Team – Rtisan.ng

Email: privacy rtisan@rtisan.ng

Data Protection Officer (EU/UK): RTISAN

We will respond to all enquiries within 30 days. For unresolved complaints, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection supervisory authority.