Last updated: February 2026

BuyHappyThings.com ("we," "our," or "us") operates the marketplace at buyhappythings.com. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information. By using our platform, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: your name, email address, and password when you create a buyer or seller account.
• Shipping information: your name and shipping address when you place an order.
• Payment information: payment details you enter at checkout. This information is transmitted directly to our payment processors (Stripe and PayPal) and is not stored on our servers. We receive only a tokenized reference and the last four digits of your card.
• Seller information: if you apply to become a seller, we collect your name, address, PayPal email address or Stripe account information, and any other information required to set up your store.
• Messages: the content of messages you send to other members through our messaging system.
• Listings and content: product descriptions, photos, prices, and other content you submit as a seller.

Security Credential Information

• Two-factor authentication (TOTP): if you enable authenticator app 2FA, we store an encrypted TOTP secret key associated with your account and a set of one-time backup codes. This data is used only to verify your identity at login and is never shared with third parties.
• Passkeys (WebAuthn): if you register a passkey (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a hardware security key), we store the public key credential and associated metadata provided by your device. The private key never leaves your device. This data is used only for authentication and is never shared with third parties.

Information We Collect Automatically

• Analytics: we use Umami, a self-hosted, privacy-first analytics tool. Umami collects anonymized page view and session data (pages visited, referrer, browser type, country) without using cookies or tracking you across sites. No personal identifiers are collected by Umami, and this data is never shared with third parties.
• Search queries: product searches on BuyHappyThings.com are powered by Meilisearch, a self-hosted search engine we operate on our own infrastructure. Search queries may be logged temporarily for debugging purposes but are not shared with third parties and are not associated with your account or personal identity.
• Server logs: our servers may collect standard log data including IP addresses, request timestamps, and error logs for security and operational purposes.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your buyer or seller account.
• To process orders and coordinate shipping.
• To send transactional emails — order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets, and seller payout notifications — via Resend, our email delivery provider.
• To deliver messages between buyers and sellers on our platform.
• To investigate disputes, Cases, and reports of policy violations.
• To detect fraud and maintain the security of our platform.
• To comply with legal obligations, including US trade sanctions compliance.
• To improve our platform using anonymized, aggregated analytics.

3. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only as necessary to operate our marketplace:

• Stripe — payment processing. Your payment details are processed and stored by Stripe under their own privacy policy.
• PayPal — payment processing for buyers who choose PayPal at checkout, and payout processing for sellers who use PayPal for seller payouts.
• Shippo — shipping label generation. We share your shipping address with Shippo so that sellers can purchase shipping labels.
• Resend — transactional email delivery. We share your email address and order information with Resend solely for the purpose of delivering emails you would reasonably expect to receive (order confirmations, shipping updates, etc.).
• Sellers (for fulfilled orders) — when you place an order, your shipping name and delivery address are shared with the seller so they can ship your item. Sellers do not receive your email address, payment details, or any other personal information beyond what is necessary to fulfill the order.
• Law enforcement and legal process — we may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

Information visible between members: A seller's store name, seller profile, and listings are publicly visible. Buyers' names and shipping addresses are shared only with the specific seller who fulfills their order — not with other members or the public.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We do not use advertising networks or share your data with advertisers.

4. Cookies and Tracking

BuyHappyThings.com does not use third-party tracking cookies or advertising cookies. Our analytics tool, Umami, is self-hosted and cookie-free. We may use strictly necessary session cookies to keep you logged in while you use our platform. These cookies are not used for advertising or cross-site tracking.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. Order records are retained for a minimum of seven years for tax and legal compliance purposes. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews. Payment data is handled exclusively by PCI-compliant processors (Stripe, PayPal) and never touches our servers. Notwithstanding our efforts, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate information by updating your account settings or contacting us.
• Delete your account and personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send.
• Data portability — request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.

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

8. State Privacy Rights

Residents of California and certain other US states have additional privacy rights under applicable state law. Because we do not sell personal data, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary to provide our services, many state law requirements do not apply to our practices. If you have questions about your state-specific rights, please contact us at privacy@buyhappythings.com.

9. Children's Privacy

BuyHappyThings.com is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by a notice on our website before the changes take effect. Continued use of our platform after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

11. Contact Us

For questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@buyhappythings.com
Website: buyhappythings.com