Privacy Policy

V-Bazaar’s Privacy Policy

V-Bazaar acknowledges that its users may be concerned about their privacy and personal information, and therefore it places user privacy among its highest priorities. It is the company’s mission to be as upfront and transparent about all privacy practices conducted. This includes how users’ personal information is used. To make this easier for users to manage their privacy, V-Bazaar provides various settings that allow users to control how the company uses their information.

The policy detailed hereinafter explains V-Bazaar’s privacy practices for its site. Readers are advised that this policy does not apply to practices conducted by third parties (including vendors selling their vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and globally conscious products and services on V-Bazaar). Please be aware that these parties may also collect and/or receive user data – for more information, inquire with the third party in regard to their own separate privacy policies and practices.

1. Accepting V-Bazaar’s Privacy Policy

The user acknowledges that V-Bazaar will need to process their personal information to conduct its business and provide them with all services available on its platform. In accepting V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use, the user confirms that they have read and understand the herein detailed Privacy Policy, including but not limited to details of how and why the users’ information is used by V-Bazaar. If the user objects to V-Bazaar’s data collection and/or processing practices detailed in this policy, the user is advised against using V-Bazaar. The company does not accept responsibility for any content posted on its site or the privacy policies or practices upheld by the vendors using the site, nor those of third parties.

As per V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use, all account holders must be at least 18 years of age. Users under 18 but who are at least 13 years of age, herein termed Minors, are permitted to use V-Bazaar by way of a parent or legal guardian who is a V-Bazaar account holder, assuming appropriate permission and supervision is given. Children under 13 years are not permitted to use V-Bazaar under any circumstances. Responsibility falls to the user who is the named account holder for any and all activity conducted by a Minor on their account. V-Bazaar advises users who have permitted a Minor to use their account to read the Minors Policy, which can be found here.

In using V-Bazaar, the user acknowledges that the company will use their information in the United Kingdom. The user is advised that the privacy laws and standards, including the rights of authorities to access their personal information, differ from country to country. V-Bazaar conducts any and all privacy practices in accordance and due deference with the Data Protection Act 2018. V-Bazaar will transfer personal information only to those countries to which the company is permitted by law to transfer personal information, and we will take steps to ensure that their personal information continues to enjoy appropriate protections. The user is advised to continue reading to learn more about how V-Bazaar protects personal information that is transferred outside of Europe.

2. Collected or Received Information

As the user uses V-Bazaar, the company collects or receives their personal information in a variety of ways. In most cases, the user can choose what information is provided to V-Bazaar. However, sometimes the site will require certain information from the user to use in order to provide all services available on the platform.

Registering and Setting Up an Account

To use V-Bazaar, the user is required to provide a name and valid email address. Both will be associated with the user’s account and used to represent themselves on V-Bazaar. The user will be able to review or amend the name as necessary or appropriate by way of the account settings options on the site.

Vendors are required to provide additional information, such as a shop, business or brand name; information relating to billing and payments processing, e.g. billing contact details, and credit card information; telephone contact number(s) and a postal address. may be necessary

Buyers may be required to provide this information after registration stage, depending on the circumstances. For example, if a customer is buying a product from one of V-Bazaar’s vendors and requires postal delivery, they will need to provide a postal address.

If a V-Bazaar vendor chooses to use the site’s payment service V-Bazaar Payments, V-Bazaar will require information such as their full name, photographic ID including passport, driving licence or valid proof of Right to Remain, date of birth, bank account or credit card information, in order to verify their identity in compliance and accordance with applicable UK law.

V-Bazaar may need to store user credit card information for both billing and payment purposes. In accordance with applicable UK law, the user can also choose to allow V-Bazaar to save their credit card information to facilitate the checkout process for future purchases, to make for a faster and more efficient checkout process and better user experience.

V-Bazaar may contact individual vendors in confidence to request further information in relation to their shops/businesses/brands or products they list on V-Bazaar’s platform, or to ensure compliance with V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use and applicable UK law.

Profile

The user may provide other personal information, such as their birthday, gender and location alongside their name in association with their V-Bazaar account. The user is able to amend or remove this information at any time by way of V-Bazaar’s account settings options.

The user is advised that the name associated with their V-Bazaar account is publicly displayed and connected to their individual site activity. Other users may see the date the user joined the V-Bazaar community; any ratings, reviews and photos posted by the user; their profile information; any products or services listed for sale; shop/business pages and policies; followers and users followed by the account; listings of sold items and quantities thereof sold; comments posted by the user in V-Bazaar’s community pages; and any information or content shared by the user by way of social media channels.

Automated Information

V-Bazaar receives and records information automatically from the user’s browser when they visit the site. This includes the user’s IP address, cookies, and data about pages visited by the user. Collecting this information allows V-Bazaar to better and more efficiently operate and maintain the V-Bazaar platform. The user is advised that the aforesaid information is stored in log files and is collected automatically. V-Bazaar may combine information collected from the user’s browser with any other information the site collects about the user. This information will be used for fraud-prevention and security purposes, as well as for analytical means so V-Bazaar officials can understand and improve the user experience, and to provide more personalised and directed advertising to the user.

V-Bazaar may also collect device-specific information access and use the site. This includes information like the device’s model, information relating to the operating system, and any debugging information, browser information, and IP address. For more information on this, the user is advised to refer to the Using, Sharing and Disclosing User Information section below.

Location Information

V-Bazaar may obtain location information provided either in the user’s profile or IP address. With the user’s consent, the site may also determine location by using other information from the device, such as that relating to a specific location (received from GPS). Furthermore, V-Bazaar may use and store location information to provide and improve website features and services, e.g. for V-Bazaar’s internal analytics and performance monitoring; policies upheld by the company; recommendations, content and search results in the user’s local ares; for shipping services; and more targeted marketing. The user is advised that particular services that use non-precise location information, e.g. security, are instrumental in V-Bazaar’s day-to-day website operations. V-Bazaar will only ever share any user location information with third parties to continue to deliver all available services on its platform.

Analytics Information

V-Bazaar employs data analytics to ensure its website’s functionality and improve day-to-day operations and the user experience. The company does not link the information stored within the analytics software used to any user information that could be construed as personally identifiable information submitted by the user during the registration stage.

Information from Third Parties

Some users may choose to connect to or register with V-Bazaar by way of an external third-party application, e.g. Facebook. The user is advised that V-Bazaar may receive information from third-party applications used in the registration process or connected with the user account in question. Connecting a V-Bazaar account to or by way of a third-party application is entirely at the user’s discretion and prerogative. However, the user submits acknowledgement that V-Bazaar may receive information from the third-party application in question if they are associated with the account. The site may also collect public information for the purposes of bettering connection and services to the users. Users are able to share some of their activity and content from V-Bazaar on social media channels that are connected to their V-Bazaar account. This is at the user’s discretion and prerogative; permission to connect with any social media accounts can be amended or revoked at any time by the user via their account settings options.

Non-Account Holder Information

There may be occasions on which V-Bazaar receives or acquires information (e.g. an email address or IP address) relating to a person who is not a registered V-Bazaar account holder. This will only occur in relation to particular V-Bazaar features; a few examples are listed below:

• A non-account holder can subscribe to the V-Bazaar newsletter.
• A current account holder could invite a friend or family member who are non-account holders to visit V-Bazaar.
• A current account holder uploads non-account holder information using the contact uploader feature.
• A non-account holder is involved in a transaction.
• A current account holder sends a gift card code to a non-account holder.

Non-account holder information is used only for the reasons given upon submission to V-Bazaar or to execute any actions consented to and authorised by the non-account holder in question.

3. Users’ Control of their Information

V-Bazaar acknowledges the value its users place in having total control over their own information. As such, the company gives its users the ability to provide, amend or remove as necessary particular pieces of information. V-Bazaar also gives its users options as to how they should be contacted by the company. The user may amend or correct V-Bazaar account information by way of their account settings options. These options may also be used to remove optional information that the user wishes not to be publicly visible on their account profile. Any personal information in the user’s account can also be deleted on request to V-Bazaar.

Depending on the user’s location, they may also own particular additional rights in relation to their information, including the following points.

• Data Access and Portability, including the user’s right to request and acquire a copy of the personal data they provided to V-Bazaar by way of their account settings.
• Data Correction, including the ability for users to update and amend their personal data by way of their account settings.
• Data Deletion, including the user’s right to request that V-Bazaar delete their held personal information – except information required to be retained by the company – by contacting V-Bazaar directly.
• Consensual Withdrawal or Processing Objection, including, under certain limited circumstances, the user’s right to request V-Bazaar to cease processing their personal data – the user is advised that there are some exceptions – by contacting V-Bazaar directly.

V-Bazaar employs non-technically necessary cookies and similar technologies. For a more detailed explanation of the technologies used by the site and how the user may opt out where applicable, the user is advised to refer to V-Bazaar’s Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy.

The user also has the ability to control the particular types of communications they receive from V-Bazaar. This can be amended in the user’s account settings options. V-Bazaar may send out messages to users about news and other events relating to V-Bazaar or the user’s own site activity. The user is advised that some of these communications, including but not limited to service-related messages, e.g. legal notices or any changes to the retail platform that will directly affect users, need to be sent out. Other communications like newsletters are not obligatory and users may opt out from receiving such messages by way of their account settings options. The user is advised to refer to the “Communications from V-Bazaar” section of this policy for more information.

V-Bazaar partners with third parties to manage its advertising on other sites. Third-party partners affiliated with V-Bazaar may use cookies or similar technologies in order to provide users with advertising based upon their browsing activities and selected interests. The user is advised that if they have opted to connect their account to an external third-party application such as Facebook, they are able to amend and/or remove permissions by way of their account settings options.

If the user decides they no longer wish to use V-Bazaar’s platform or receive service-related communications (except for those consisting of legally-required notices), they have the right to close their account.

Changes made by the user to their account settings are usually updated immediately. However, the user is advised that some amendments may not be effective immediately and a few days’ wait may be required. This usually applies to amendments to settings relating email or marketing preferences. The user is advised that any major requests, such as changes to billing information or deleting the data on a V-Bazaar account will may require identity verification before they can be processed and made effective.

4. User Contacts and Findability

The user may choose to connect their email service provider or a social media account to their V-Bazaar account so as to import their contacts who may be fellow account holders. The user is advised that V-Bazaar does not retain the login information for the user’s email service or social media channels. When a user starts following another user’s activity, the user they are following will be notified via email, unless that user has opted out from receiving this type of communication).

If the user does not wish to be visible to contacts on V-Bazaar by way of their email address or linked social media channels, they may amend their findability settings through their V-Bazaar account settings options. If the user does not wish to be located on V-Bazaar by their name, this information can be removed and replaced with a nickname or pseudonym for their publicly-visible profile.

5. Communications from V-Bazaar

There will be occasions on which V-Bazaar will need to contact users directly. These will primarily be communications delivered by email or by push notifications and will concern various subjects. These include but are not limited to marketing and advertising, transactional and service updates. Users who no longer wish to receive push notifications from V-Bazaar are able to disable them via their account settings options. Users can opt out of receiving marketing communications via email via the same options, or by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in the emails received.

So that V-Bazaar can make sure that users receive notifications properly, the site will need to collect certain information about the user’s device, including the operating system and user identification information. All V-Bazaar accounts must have a valid email address on file, so messages and communications can be received. V-Bazaar may also on occasion contact users by telephone in order to provide member support. Some users may request that V-Bazaar contact them via telephone for transactional purposes. Furthermore, with users’ permission, V-Bazaar may contact via SMS (or similar) message, again for purposes related to customer support, or to provide information about products, services and website features on V-Bazaar the user may be interested in. Contact preferences can be amended by the user in their account settings options.

Some of the communications V-Bazaar will send out are service-related and necessary for the attention of both users and visitors. The user hereby submits that V-Bazaar can send non-marketing communications, such as those concerning transactions, the user’s account, security, or changes to any products or services. Examples of such communications include a confirmation of email address and/or welcome email following successful registration, a notification and confirmation when an order is placed, messages pertaining to service availability, messages relating to any modifications made with key website features, functions or customer-oriented operations, and any correspondences with V-Bazaar’s customer support team.

The user will receive a notification when an account is successfully registered, when the user has subscribed to the V-Bazaar newsletter or provide the company with their email address or phone number. The user consents to receive marketing-related emails and communications from V-Bazaar. The user is advised that they can unsubscribe at any time from such marketing-related emails via the “Unsubscribe” links in the emails or communications received. Users are also able to manage which marketing emails or communications they receive from V-Bazaar by way of their account settings options. The user is advised that some amendments to their account settings may not be effective immediately, taking a few days to process.

A contact-importer feature is available to help you locate and connect with their friends and contacts who may be members of V-Bazaar (see the “Findability” section above for more information). If someone in their contact list is not already a member, you may invite them to join V-Bazaar, and an email will be sent to them on their behalf. Recipients of email invitations may opt out of receiving future invitations by following instructions in the email invitation message. You may send an invitation only to someone who has given you consent to receive one.

6. Community Spaces on V-Bazaar

V-Bazaar is a vegan-friendly and globally conscious marketplace, but it also forms a community of users with those same attitudes. The company offers a number of features that allows users to connect and communicate. This includes public online environments such as Forums. Users are under no obligation to use these features, but they are advised to exercise both common sense and good judgment when contributing in such environments or in the event the user should share their personal information with fellow users on V-Bazaar’s platform. The user is advised that any personal information they choose to submit in V-Bazaar’s community spaces can be read, collected, or used by others, or can be used to send unsolicited messages to you. V-Bazaar may associate with select third parties to assist in delivering community-related services to users and as such, V-Bazaar is required to share some user information with those third parties in order to provide this. It is not common practice for V-Bazaar to remove content from community spaces. In respect of this, any content posted by users in these spaces may remain publicly viewable and accessible even after the user’s account is closed. However, the user is advised that their name will no longer be visible alongside the post. The user hereby submits that they accept full responsibility for the personal information posted in community spaces on V-Bazaar’s platform and that they have posted it only of their own volition.

Users are advised that other users may follow their public activity on V-Bazaar and receive updates about them. Users are able to make certain activities private on their account settings options. Users can also block any other fellow user with whom they do not wish to share any updates.

7. Information Uses, Sharing, & Disclosure

When a user accesses V-Bazaar’s platform, the site collects, uses, shares, and otherwise processes their personal information as already described in this policy in previous sections. The company relies on several legal bases by which a user’s information may be used in these ways. Such legal bases include:

• When it is necessary to perform V-Bazaar’s contractual obligations as stipulated in the site’s Terms of Use and, by extension, providing all services available on the platform.
• When the user has given consent to their information being processing; the user is aware that this consent you be withdrawn at any time.
• When compliance with a legal obligation or court order is necessary, or when V-Bazaar must exercise or defend legal claims.
• When in relation to V-Bazaar’s or a third party’s legitimate interests, such as those of account holders, visitors, or partners;
• When the user themselves have expressly made the information in question public;
• When the scenario is necessary in the public interest.
• When it is necessary to protect the user’s vital interests or those of others.

The user is advised that V-Bazaar principally relies on consent for the following:

• To send marketing-related communications.
• Advertising-related communications shared by third parties.
• The use of location information for advertising purposes, where applicable.

V-Bazaar relies on consent for targeted online and offline marketing including through tools like Facebook Custom Audience and Google Customer Match. V-Bazaar and the vendors who use the retail platform may advertise the site, products and services through a variety of media and will rely on the user’s consent to do so off-site. In relation to this, V-Bazaar may work with advertising partners such as Facebook, Google and others as stipulated in the Cookies and Similar Technology Policy.

Where V-Bazaar processes user information on the basis of legitimate interests, the company does so accordingly:

Providing and Improving V-Bazaar’s Platform

Users are advised that V-Bazaar may use their information to improve and customise the retail platform. The company may also share users’ information for such purposes and declares that this it is necessary to pursue its legitimate interests of improving the platform and services available thereon for users’ benefit. This is also necessary to allow V-Bazaar to pursue its legitimate interests in understanding how the platform is being used, and to explore ways in which the business might develop and grow. It is further necessary to enable V-Bazaar to pursue its legitimate interests in improving its platform, its ability to be used by users and their experiences, the services provided thereon, its efficiency, and gaining insight into usage trends and analytics for the site.

Maintaining V-Bazaar’s Safety and Sacrifice

V-Bazaar may use users’ information for reasons relating to site safety and security. This also includes the sharing of users’ information for such purposes. The user understands that V-Bazaar does so due to the necessity to pursue its legitimate interests in ensuring the security of its website and platform. This includes enhancing protective measures for V-Bazaar’s community against a number of risks, including but not limited to crime, spam, harassment, intellectual property infringement.

The user is assured that V-Bazaar has total respect for their privacy. V-Bazaar will not disclose any names, email addresses or other personal information to third parties without the user’s prior consent, unless otherwise stipulated in accordance with this policy.

V-Bazaar uses user information to provide and improve its platform and the products and services thereon, for purposes relating to billing and payments and for purposes relating to identification and authentication. Furthermore, user information may be used in conducting general research and aggregate reporting. For example, in accordance with the case resolution process that V-Bazaar currently employs, the company may use user-provided information in resolving any issues or disputes with other users or V-Bazaar itself. V-Bazaar may learn the sorts of products favoured by users based on their browsing activity and purchases in the online marketplace, which will enable the site to suggest potential purchases as a result. As a primary part of V-Bazaar’s mission of providing a marketplace for everything vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and globally conscious, the company has a legitimate interest in customising its users’ experience on the platform to enable them to search for and find products that are relevant to their interests and/or recommended purchases. From the vendors’ perspective, the information is used to help these vendors find the most effective ways to market and sell their products on V-Bazaar. Users are able to manage their privacy settings by way of their account settings options. The user is advised, however, that some amendments to privacy settings may not be effective immediately and may take a few days to be processed. V-Bazaar and the vendors may advertise the platform, and products and services thereon by way of a variety of different media. We will require users’ consent to do so off-site. In relation to this, V-Bazaar may work alongside advertising partners like Facebook or Google and the company may use analytics gathered from usage information. This includes search keywords, browsing history and purchase history. As well as the aforesaid consent, V-Bazaar also relies on its legitimate interest to send marketing-related communications to users.

Buying and Selling

V-Bazaar will facilitate the sharing of information between two users involved in a transaction as part of the buying and selling process. This includes the other V-Bazaar user’s shipping address and payment status. By making a purchase (as a customer) or a sale (as a vendor) on V-Bazaar, the user is permitting the company to share their information as part of this process. The user acknowledges that this is an important part of the services provided on V-Bazaar and that the company is required to do this based in accordance with the obligations detailed in the site’s Terms of Use. V-Bazaar expects all users to respect the privacy of one another in relation to any information they have received. As stipulated in V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use, the user has a limited license to use that information only for communications or transactions related to or facilitated by V-Bazaar. The user is advised that V-Bazaar has not granted them a license to use the information in question for unauthorised transactions or sending unsolicited commercial messages in violation of any applicable laws or policies upheld by the company. This includes any consent requirements of the jurisdiction of the recipient. In the case of email or physical mailing lists or otherwise use or storage of a member’s personal information, this may only be done by the user in accordance with applicable laws and in complete respect of any consent requirements applicable.

Legal and Safety

V-Bazaar may store, preserve, or release the user’s personal information to a third party under the following exceptional circumstances, as detailed below:

1. When in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including when adhering to legitimate national security or law enforcement requirements.
2. In order to protect, establish, or exercise V-Bazaar’s legal rights or defend against legal claims, including when collecting a debt.
3. In compliance with a court order, subpoena, legal proceeding, or other legal requirements.
4. When V-Bazaar believes, in good faith, that such disclosure is, within reason, necessary in compliance with the law, to prevent imminent physical or financial damage, or to take action, i.e. investigate or prevent any suspected illegal activities, including fraud, threats to V-Bazaar’s property, or violations of V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use. In cases such as these, the company’s use of user information may be necessary in relation to our legitimate interest (or that of a third party) in maintaining the security of V-Bazaar’s platform, crime prevention or prevention of financial or physical harm or damage, or in defence or enforcement of legal rights. Such use of user information may also be necessary to remain in compliance with a court order or other such legal obligation, or to exercise or in defence of any legal claims. Furthermore, this use of user information may also be necessary in relation to the public’s interest (e.g. in respect of crime prevention) or, in however rare cases, to protect vital interests (wherein V-Bazaar may need to share user information for the purposes of preventing loss of life or personal injury).

Upon receipt a lawful, verified request for a user’s records or information in one of the exceptional circumstances described above, V-Bazaar may disclose personal information, which may include but may not be limited to the user’s name, address, contact information such as phone number or email address, and, where applicable, company or business name. The user is advised to refer to V-Bazaar’s Requests for Information Policy for more information regarding how the company responds to requests for records or information about users of its community. 

Affiliated Businesses

V-Bazaar has affiliations with several businesses and works closely with them for various purposes, including but not limited to assisting the company to conduct website operations and maintain and improve the platform. These businesses reserve the right, with V-Bazaar’s knowledge and permission, to sell products or services to users through the Services or, with their consent, offer promotions (including those communicated via email) to the user. Furthermore, V-Bazaar may also provide services or sell products jointly with these associate businesses. This may involve providing information to such affiliates to enable them to market to users better. When an affiliate business is involved in a transaction in an assistant capacity, V-Bazaar may need to share information in relation to the transaction in question with that affiliate business in order to facilitate that transaction. This is of the services available on V-Bazaar’s platform in accordance with the company’s Terms of Use. V-Bazaar relies on the user’s consent (which can be revoked at any time by way of their account settings options) to send marketing-related communications and for advertising-related third-party sharing.

Aggregated Information

V-Bazaar may share information relating to demographics with affiliate businesses. However, the user is advised that this information will be aggregated and de-personalised, so any personal information will not be revealed.

Third Party Service Providers

Users are advised that V-Bazaar also needs to engage third-party companies and individuals, including but not limited to payment processors, research companies, and analytics and security providers to help the company conduct site operations and to provide, maintain and market the V-Bazaar platform. The user is advised that the aforesaid third parties only have limited access to personal information, that the third parties may use the user’s personal information only to perform these tasks on behalf of V-Bazaar, and that the third parties are obligated to V-Bazaar not to disclose or use any user’s personal information under any other circumstances. V-Bazaar’s outsourcing to third-party service providers is often a necessity to provide the site platform and the products and services available thereon, in particular, where such businesses are instrumental in processes such as processing payments and shipments and assisting the company in maintaining site operations and security. There are occasions in which these service providers are not strictly necessary for V-Bazaar to operate efficiently and securely but assist the company in improving the platform and user experience. For example, they assist V-Bazaar in conducting research into how the user experience could be improved. In these latterly-mentioned scenarios, V-Bazaar cites a legitimate interest in working with service providers to benefit, develop and grow the business and improve the user experience.

Business Changes and Reorganisation

There may be cases and occasions whereupon V-Bazaar may opt to purchase or sell assets. Users are advised that such transactions may be necessary and in V-Bazaar’s legitimate interests, particularly in the interest of making decisions that enables the company’s long-term business development. In transactions such as a sale, mergers, liquidations, receivership, or transfer of all or substantially all of V-Bazaar’s assets, users are advised that their information is typically one of the business assets that gets transferred. Users are assured that, if V-Bazaar intends to transfer information about them, the user will be notified by V-Bazaar via email. Alternatively or additionally, V-Bazaar will put a prominent notice on the site’s homepage. Users will be given opportunity to opt out from association with V-Bazaar before their information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Third Parties

The user is advised that third-party plug-ins may also gather information about their use of V-Bazaar, e.g. when a V-Bazaar page is loaded that has a social plug-in from a third-party site, such as a “Like” button from a social media channel, the user is also loading content from the third-party site in question. The user is advised that that third-party site may request cookies directly from their browser, though any interactions from a third-party site are subject to their respective privacy policies. Furthermore, particular kinds of cookies and related technologies on V-Bazaar are used by third-party sites for purposes relating to targeted online marketing. Such technologies enable an affiliate site to recognise the user’s computer each time they use V-Bazaar. The user is advised that when they use third-party sites or services, their use is subject to the third parties’ own respective terms of use and privacy policies, not those of V-Bazaar. V-Bazaar selects and manages all third-party technologies on its platform. However, the user is advised that, as they are technologies under the ownership of a third party, these technologies are subject to that third party’s privacy policy, not that of V-Bazaar. The user should refer to V-Bazaar’s Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy for more information.

Furthermore, the user is also advised that this policy is not applicable to any practices or operations conducted by third parties, including vendors using V-Bazaar as a retail platform.  If the user provides their information to a third party in relation to their use of V-Bazaar, varying practices may apply to the use or disclosure of that information provided. While these third parties are required to follow V-Bazaar’s privacy and security regulations and policies, V-Bazaar does not have control over the respective privacy or security policies of any third parties. The user is advised that V-Bazaar does not accept responsibility for the privacy or security practices of vendors or other websites on the internet. This includes those linked to V-Bazaar’s platform and domain. The company advises the user to read the third parties’ respective privacy policies and question anything they are unsure of before disclosing any personal information. For the purposes of UK law, these vendors are regarded as independent controllers of data. This means they are solely responsible for providing and being in compliance with their own policies in relation to any personal information obtained in connection with V-Bazaar.

8. Transfers

V-Bazaar operates a global service. If you reside outside of North America or South America, their personal information is controlled by V-Bazaar Ireland UC. By using our Services, you understand that V-Bazaar Ireland UC may share some of the information it gathers with V-Bazaar, Inc. (its US parent company) or other V-Bazaar affiliates for purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including for ID verification, transaction reviews, and payment processing.

The United States, European Economic Area (“EEA”) Member States, and other countries all have different laws. When their information is moved from their home country to another country, the laws and rules that protect their personal information in the country to which their information is transferred may be different from those in the country in which you live. For example, the circumstances in which law enforcement can access personal information may vary from country to country. In particular, if their information is in the US, it may be accessed by government authorities in accordance with US law.

To the extent that V-Bazaar is deemed to transfer personal information outside of the EEA, we rely separately, alternatively, and independently on the following legal bases to transfer their information:

Model Clauses

The European Commission has adopted standard contractual clauses (also known as Model Clauses), which provide safeguards for personal information that is transferred outside of Europe. We often use these Model Clauses when transferring personal information outside of Europe. You can request a copy of our Model Clauses by emailing [email protected].

Privacy Shield

V-Bazaar, Inc. does not participate in Privacy Shield at this time. However, V-Bazaar Ireland UC may rely on the EU-US Privacy Shield to transfer personal information to some of our third party service providers in the United States, where they are certified to receive such information under the Privacy Shield Program.

Necessary for the Performance of the Contract between V-Bazaar and its Members

V-Bazaar provides a voluntary service; you can choose whether or not you want to use the Services. However, if you want to use the Services, you need to agree to our Terms of Use, which set out the contract between V-Bazaar and its members. As we operate in countries worldwide (including in the US) and use technical infrastructure in the US to deliver the Services to you, in accordance with the contract between us, we need to transfer their personal information to the US and to other jurisdictions as necessary to provide the Services. Simply put, we can’t provide you with the Services and perform our contract with you without moving their personal information around the world. 

9. Security

V-Bazaar places the security of its users’ personal information at the highest priority. The company adheres to the generally-accepted standards in order to protect the personal information submitted by users to the site. This applies both during transmission and after the information is received. The user’s account information is password-protected. The user is advised of the importance of protecting themselves against any unauthorised access to their account and information. Users are advised to choose their password carefully and to maintain their computer’s security, along with that of the aforesaid password. For example, users should sign out of their V-Bazaar account after they are finished using it. Any queries regarding the security of user personal information should be sent to <legal dept. email address>

Particular types of information (such as credit card numbers) are encrypted by V-Bazaar using secure socket layer technology (SSL). V-Bazaar adheres to generally-accepted industry standards in relation to the protection the personal information submitted by users, both during its transmission to the site and after its receipt. Users are advised that the security of methods of internet-based transmission or electronic storage can never be 100% guaranteed. As such, while V-Bazaar aims to protect its users’ personal information under all possible circumstances, the company cannot guarantee the information’s definite security. V-Bazaar provides advanced security features, settings and options for its users, including two-factor authentication sign-in, plus sign-in history and notifications. The user is able to view more information in their V-Bazaar account settings options.

10. Information Retention

Users are advised that V-Bazaar will retain their information only for as long as necessary in accordance with the stipulations of this privacy policy, for as long as that user’s account is active as described in this policy, or as required to maintain V-Bazaar’s platform and provide the products and services thereon. If the user no longer wants V-Bazaar to use their information for these purposes, they are advised to close their account. V-Bazaar will retain and use users’ information to the extent necessary to remain in compliance with the company’s legal obligations. For example, V-Bazaar needs to retain user information to comply with applicable tax or revenue laws. This information will also be retained to potentially resolve any issues or disputes and in other ways otherwise stipulated in this privacy policy. Furthermore, vendors using V-Bazaar may also need to retain and use users’ information to remain in compliance with their own legal obligations. Users are advised that closing a V-Bazaar account may not free up their email address, username, or shop name (if any) for reuse if a new account should be opened. V-Bazaar also retains log files for internal analysis purposes. These log files are generally retained for a brief period of time, except in cases where they are used in relation to website safety and security, to improve website operations functionality, or when the company is legally obligated to retain the files for longer periods.

11. Users’ Rights

The user may benefit from several rights with respect to information belonging to them that V-Bazaar processes. The user can manage, change, limit, or delete their personal information, by way of their V-Bazaar account settings options, or alternatively by contacting V-Bazaar directly. Upon such requests, V-Bazaar will provide the user with information relating to whether the company holds any of that user’s personal information. The user can access, amend and delete certain personal information associated with their account by visiting their account settings options. In certain cases in which V-Bazaar processes user information, the user may have a further right to restrict or limit the ways in which V-Bazaar uses this personal information. Under particular circumstances, the user also has the right to request the deletion of their personal information, and to acquire a copy of the personal information held by V-Bazaar in a format that is easily accessible. The user is advised to read their available options under Section 3 of this privacy policy. For further assistance, the user can contact V-Bazaar through one of the channels listed in Section 15 of this policy. V-Bazaar aims to respond to all requests and queries within a reasonable timeframe.

If V-Bazaar processes user information based on the company’s legitimate interests as explained above, or in the public interest, the user has the right to object to this processing under certain circumstances. In these cases and scenarios, V-Bazaar will stop processing this information unless the company cites compelling legitimate grounds to continue, or in cases where the information is required for legal reasons. Where V-Bazaar uses users’ personal data for purposes relating to direct marketing, the user retains the right to object by way of the “Unsubscribe” link in such communications, or by changing their account settings. The user is advised that some account settings amendments may take a few days to take effect.

12. Users’ Responsibilities

If the user is a vendor using V-Bazaar’s retail platform for business purposes, they may receive and determine what to do with certain personal information, such as when communicating with and entering into transactions with other V-Bazaar users. This means the vendor will process personal information (e.g. customer name, email address, and delivery address) and, to the extent the user does so, as per UK law, the user is regarded as an independent controller of data relating to other users that they may have acquired through V-Bazaar.

Vendors are responsible for protecting personal information they receive or process in compliance with all relevant and applicable legal requirements when using V-Bazaar’s platform. This includes any and all applicable laws relating to data protection and privacy, which govern the ways in which vendors may use a user’s information. Such laws may require that vendors make publicly accessible, and remain in compliance with, their own separate privacy policy. This must be accessible to V-Bazaar users that may interact with the vendor, and compatible with this policy and V-Bazaar’s Terms of Use. For more information on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), users are advised to refer to the guides available at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/.

As an independent data controller, to the extent that they process user personal information outside of V-Bazaar, the vendor may be required, under applicable laws relating to data protection and privacy, to honour requests received from such users for data access, portability, correction, deletion and objections to processing. Also, vendors are advised that if they disclose personal information without the customer’s proper given consent, the vendor is solely responsible for that unauthorised disclosure. This includes but may not be limited to disclosures or unintentional data breaches made by the vendor. To give an example, the vendor may receive a customer’s email address or other personal information as a consequence of entering into a transaction with that customer. The vendor is advised that such customer information may only be used for communications or transactions relating to or facilitated by V-Bazaar. Vendors may not use such information for sending unsolicited commercial communications or for unauthorised transactions. Without the customer’s consent, and subject to other applicable policies and laws upheld by V-Bazaar, vendors may not add any V-Bazaar account holder to an email or physical mailing list, use that customer’s identity for marketing, or obtain or retain any payment information. Vendors submit acknowledgement that they are solely responsible for being aware of the standard of consent required in any given instance.

If V-Bazaar and the vendor are found to be joint data controllers of personal information, and if V-Bazaar is sued, fined, or otherwise incurs expenses because of something the vendor did in their capacity as a joint data controller of customer personal information, the vendor hereby submits that they will indemnify V-Bazaar for any expenses it incurs in connection with the vendor’s processing of customer personal information.

13. Withdrawing Consent

The user may opt to withdraw their consent to our processing of their information and their use of V-Bazaar at any time by way of permanently closing and deleting their account via their account settings options. Providing that user’s account does not have any open or outstanding issues, e.g. unpaid bills, unfulfilled orders, unresolved disputes, or policy violations, the user will receive an email with instructions to confirm their deletion request. This process may take up to approximately 14 days, following which, the account in question will be deleted to the extent permitted. Depending on whether the user is a customer or a vendor, V-Bazaar may be required to retain certain information for legal, regulatory, tax, security, or compliance reasons for a limited period of time. After this limited period has elapsed, the information will be deleted permanently. The user is advised that, after deletion, their account cannot be reinstated.

14. Changes, Amendments and Updates to the Privacy Policy

On occasion, V-Bazaar may make changes and/or updates to this policy. If the company’s opinion is that the amendments in question are material, V-Bazaar will notify its users in one (or more) of the following ways:

• The changes will be published on the V-Bazaar website.
• Users will be sent an email or communication regarding the changes.

Users are advised to refer to this and all other policies on V-Bazaar regularly and take note of any amendments or updates.

15. Contact V-Bazaar

If the user has any questions or queries, they may contact V-Bazaar’s Support team via the Help Centre.

To contact V-Bazaar via email, send to: [email protected]

To contact via post, send to: Vbazaar, Bayside Business Centre, Poole BH15 3TB