Privacy Policy

Geek Groovy — Privacy Policy

Last updated: [DATE] Effective date: [DATE]

Draft notice: This document is a working draft generated from the current state of the Geek Groovy website and database. Bracketed [ITEMS] are business or legal decisions that need to be filled in before publishing (for example, your legal entity name, the adult/business legally responsible for the site, your contact email, your payment processor, and your email provider). Privacy law is strict — especially when a site is run by, or collects information from, people under 18. Please have a qualified adult and, ideally, a lawyer review this document before you publish it.

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how [GEEK GROOVY LEGAL ENTITY NAME] ("Geek Groovy", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you visit [geekgroovy.com], create an account, buy a product, apply to be an artist, or otherwise use our website and services (the "Site").

By using the Site, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site. This Policy works together with our [Customer Terms of Service] and [Artist Terms of Service].

Plain-language note: "Personal information" just means any information that can be tied to you as a person — like your name, email, shipping address, or the artwork you upload. This document is the promise we make about what we do (and don't do) with that information.

Plain-language note for the owner: A privacy policy is a legal promise made by whoever runs the business, not by the website itself. Because the person building Geek Groovy is under 18, the legal entity named above will most likely need to be a parent, guardian, or an adult-owned business that is actually responsible for the data. Fill that in honestly — it matters if anyone ever has a question or complaint.

2. Who This Policy Covers, and a Note About Age

Geek Groovy is a family-friendly store meant for a general audience. Different people use the Site in different ways, and we collect different information depending on how you use it:

• Visitors who just browse.
• Buyers (including guests who check out without an account, and account holders).
• Artists and artist applicants who apply, upload artwork, and build a profile.
• Leads who share their contact details with us (for example, by scanning a contact card at a convention).

2.1 Children Under 13

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. You must be at least 13 years old to create an account, apply as an artist, or submit your contact details to us. If you are under 13, please do not use the Site or send us any personal information.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has given us personal information, please contact us at [privacy@geekgroovy.com] and we will delete it as quickly as we reasonably can.

2.2 Users Aged 13–17

If you are between 13 and 17, you may use the Site only with the involvement and permission of a parent or legal guardian, as described in our [Customer Terms of Service] and [Artist Terms of Service]. For purchases, a parent or guardian must agree to the order and is responsible for payment.

Plain-language note: The under-13 rule isn't just being cautious — in the United States there is a law (called COPPA) with strict requirements for collecting data from kids under 13. The simplest, safest path for a small store is to not collect their data at all, which is why the age cutoff is 13.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Give Us

Depending on how you use the Site, we may collect:

• Account information. When you sign up, we collect your email address and a password (your password is handled securely by our login provider — see Section 6 — and we cannot see it).
• Profile information. You may add a display name / nickname, full name, profile picture (avatar), and a short bio.

3.2 Payment Information

When you make a purchase, your payment is processed by our third-party payment provider, [Stripe / PayPal / payment processor name]. We do not collect or store your full card number. We may receive limited information from the payment provider, such as a confirmation that payment succeeded and a reference ID for the transaction.

3.3 Information We Collect Automatically

Like most websites, when you visit the Site our systems and our hosting provider may automatically record technical information, such as:

• Your IP address and general location (such as country or region).
• Device and browser type and settings.
• Pages you view and basic usage activity, and the date and time of your visit.
• Information stored in cookies or similar technologies (see Section 5).

Plain-language note: Some of this — like server logs that record IP addresses — happens automatically through the companies that host the Site, even if we never look at it. We're listing it so you have the full picture.

3.4 Information We Do Not Intentionally Collect

We do not ask for sensitive information such as government ID numbers, health information, or full payment card numbers. Please don't send us sensitive information we didn't ask for.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

a. Run the store — create and manage your account, show you products and Battles, and provide the Site. b. Process orders — take payment (through our payment provider), ship your items, and contact you about your order. c. Handle artist applications — review submissions, communicate decisions, and set up approved artists' profiles and products. d. Follow up with leads — contact people who shared their details to invite them to apply or learn more. e. Send messages you've asked for — such as battle launch, battle ending, and battle results notifications, or artist updates, based on your notification preferences. f. Provide support — answer your questions and resolve problems. g. Keep the Site safe and fair — prevent fraud and abuse, enforce purchase and Battle limits, and keep an internal record of important admin actions (for example, who approved an artist and when). h. Improve the Site — understand how the Site is used so we can make it better. i. Meet legal obligations — comply with the law, including tax and record-keeping requirements.

We will only use your information for these purposes, or for a purpose we tell you about and (where required) get your permission for.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your cart and preferences, keep the Site secure, and understand how the Site is used.

• Essential cookies are needed for the Site to work (for example, to keep you signed in and to remember what's in your cart).
• [Analytics cookies, if used, help us understand how people use the Site so we can improve it.]

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings, but turning off essential cookies may stop parts of the Site from working (for example, you may not be able to stay logged in or check out).

Plain-language note: Right now the Site mainly uses cookies just to keep you logged in and your cart working. If you ever add an analytics or advertising tool, you'll need to update this section — and in some places you may need to show a cookie banner.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these situations:

6.1 Service Providers ("Sub-processors")

We use trusted companies to run the Site on our behalf. They may handle your information only to provide their service to us, and are not allowed to use it for their own purposes:

• [Supabase] — stores our database, manages logins/passwords, and hosts uploaded files (such as avatars and artwork).
• [Hostinger] — hosts the website and keeps server logs.
• [Stripe / PayPal / payment processor name] — processes payments.
• [Resend / SendGrid / email provider name] — sends emails such as order confirmations and notifications.

Plain-language note: These are the outside companies that actually power the Site. They're like the landlord, the cash register company, and the post office for a physical shop — you trust the shop, and the shop trusts them.

6.2 Artists

If you buy a product, the artist who made it may receive the information they need to fulfill or be credited for the sale (for example, that a sale happened), but we do not give artists your full payment details. If you are an artist, some of your profile information is shown publicly (see Section 7).

6.3 Legal and Safety

We may share information if the law requires it (for example, a valid legal request), to enforce our Terms, to prevent fraud or harm, or to protect the rights and safety of Geek Groovy, our users, or the public.

6.4 Business Transfers

If Geek Groovy is ever sold, merged, or transferred, your information may be passed to the new owner as part of that deal. We will require them to honor this Privacy Policy or tell you about any changes.

7. What Is Publicly Visible

Some information is meant to be seen by others on the Site. Please keep this in mind when you fill in your profile:

• Your display name / nickname, avatar, bio, and social links may be visible to other users.
• If you are an approved artist, your artist name and your approved artwork are shown publicly on the Site.
• Files uploaded to our public storage (such as avatars and approved artwork) can be viewed by anyone who has the link.

Please do not put private information you don't want shared into public fields like your bio or display name.

Plain-language note: Think of your profile like a name tag at a convention table — it's meant to be seen. Your email, shipping address, and orders are not part of that public profile.

8. How We Store and Protect Your Information

Your information is stored in our database and file storage, provided by [Supabase], and the Site is hosted by [Hostinger].

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including:

• Access rules in our database so that, in general, you can only see your own private data (your profile, orders, and applications), while administrators can review what they need to run the store.
• Secure password handling — passwords are managed by our login provider and stored in a protected (hashed) form, not as plain text.
• Limiting who can access personal information to people who need it to operate Geek Groovy.

No method of storing or sending information over the internet is 100% secure, so we cannot promise perfect security — but we work to protect your information and to fix problems if they come up.

Plain-language note for the owner: A big part of "security" here is the database access rules (called RLS) that decide who can read what. If you change how the database works, double-check those rules so one user can never read another user's orders or application.

9. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your information for as long as we need it to provide the Site and for the purposes described in this Policy, and then for a reasonable period after that to meet legal, tax, and record-keeping needs or to resolve disputes. For example:

• Account and profile information — while your account is open, and for a period after you close it.
• Order records — for [the period required by tax and accounting rules, e.g. several years].
• Artist applications and uploads — while you are an applicant or artist, and for a reasonable time afterward.
• Lead / contact-card details — until they are no longer needed for outreach, or until you ask us to delete them.

When we no longer need your information, we delete it or make it anonymous.

Plain-language note: Some records (especially anything tied to money, like orders) usually have to be kept for a few years by law, even if you'd otherwise want them deleted. Fill in the exact time once an adult/lawyer confirms what applies where you operate.

10. Your Choices and Rights

You have choices about your information:

• Access and update. You can view and edit much of your profile information by logging into your account. You can also ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct. Ask us to fix information that is wrong or out of date.
• Delete. Ask us to delete your account or personal information. We may need to keep some records (for example, order history) where the law requires it.
• Notification emails. You can change which notifications you receive in your notification preferences, and you can unsubscribe from marketing-style emails at any time. We may still send you essential messages about your orders or account.
• Cookies. You can manage cookies through your browser (see Section 5).

To make any of these requests, contact us at Liv@geekgroovy.com. We may need to confirm your identity first, to protect your account.

10.1 If You Live in California or Certain Other U.S. States

Depending on where you live, you may have extra rights — such as the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, to correct it, and to not be discriminated against for using these rights. We do not sell your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at Liv@geekgroovy.com

Plain-language note: Different U.S. states (and other countries) are adding their own privacy laws. The contact email above is how anyone exercises these rights, no matter where they live. A lawyer can tell you if you need extra wording for specific states.

11. Children's Privacy

As explained in Section 2, the Site is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will delete it. Parents or guardians can contact us at Liv@geekgroovy.com with any concerns.

12. Links to Other Websites

The Site may link to other websites (for example, an artist's social media or our payment provider). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Please read their privacy policies before sharing information with them.

13. Where We Operate

Geek Groovy is based in Washington State, United States, and at this time we ship only within the United States. Your information is processed and stored by our providers, which may keep data in the United States or other countries. If you use the Site from outside the United States, you understand your information may be processed in countries that may have different data-protection rules than your own.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows the most recent version. For significant changes, we will try to give notice on the Site or by email. By continuing to use the Site after changes take effect, you accept the updated Policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us at:

• Email: Liv@geekgroovy.com
• We'll do our best to respond promptly.