Privacy Policy

Last updated October 19, 2026

Build a Gift is a small, US-based online marketplace. Independent shops in the United States and Canada sell handmade and curated gifts, and shoppers buy directly from those shops. Build a Gift doesn't sell its own products. Gifts are personal, and so is the information you trust us with. This policy explains, in plain language, what we collect on buildagift.com (the “Platform”), why we collect it, who sees it, how long we keep it, and what you can do about it.

Before you read on: the key points

• We keep it small. We only collect what we need to run the marketplace: accounts, shops, orders, and messages.
• No card numbers here. Payments go through Stripe. Your full card or bank details never reach our servers.
• Shops see what they need to ship. When you order, the shop that sells the item gets your name, email, and shipping address, and nothing else about you.
• No ad tracking. We don’t use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics tools, and we don’t sell your information or share it for targeted ads. To show shops how they’re doing, we count visits to each shop and listing on our own server. We keep only daily totals, never who visited.
• You’re in control. You can ask for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it by emailing [email protected].

This policy applies to everyone who uses the Platform: visitors, shoppers who check out with an account or as a guest, and sellers. It is part of our Terms of Use. It doesn’t cover what independent shops do with information on their own (Section 8 explains the rules they must follow on Build a Gift), or websites run by other companies that we link to.

Contents

1. The information we collect
2. Why we use it
3. Who we share it with
4. What other people can see
5. How we protect it
6. How long we keep it
7. Your rights and choices
8. Responsibilities of sellers
9. Cookies
10. Children and teens
11. Extra details for US state residents
12. Where your information lives
13. Updates to this policy
14. Who we are and how to reach us

1. The information we collect

We’ve grouped what we collect into named types. The rest of this policy refers back to these names.

Information you give us

• Account Information: your name, email address, and password when you create an account. Passwords are stored hashed, so no one at Build a Gift can read them.
• Guest Checkout Information: if you buy without an account, your name, email, phone number if given, and shipping address.
• Order Information: what you bought and from which shop, prices, shipping choice, shipping address, phone number if given, and the order’s status and tracking.
• Shop Information (sellers): shop name, shop photo and bio, listings and listing photos, prices, ship-from address, processing times, return settings, and Reply preferences such as saved replies and email alerts.
• Messages Information: the text and photos you send or receive in Messages, the date and time of each message, and private notes you keep on a conversation. Guests who message a shop also give their name and email.
• Reviews and Reports: reviews and ratings you post, and anything you report to us about a listing, shop, or message.
• Support Information: what you send through our contact form or by email, including any order details you include.
• Favorites: items you save with the heart button. These are private: they’re stored on your account, or in your browser session if you aren’t signed in.

Information collected automatically

• Device and Log Information: like nearly every website, our hosting provider automatically records basic technical details when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type, the page requested, and the time.
• Spam Protection Codes: when you message a shop or file a report, we store a one-way scrambled code made from your IP address to stop repeated spam. It can’t be turned back into your IP address.
• Cookie Information: the small number of required cookies described in Section 9.

Information we get from other companies

• Payment Information from Stripe: for shoppers, whether a payment went through, the card brand, and the last four digits. For sellers, whether your payout account is verified and the status of your payouts. Stripe keeps full card numbers, bank details, and seller ID documents; we never receive them.
• Shipping Information from carriers: shipping rates, address checks, and tracking updates from carriers such as USPS, UPS, and Canada Post.

We don’t collect Social Security numbers, government ID, biometric data, precise device location, or information about your health, race, religion, or similar sensitive traits.

2. Why we use it

Each use below shows the information involved and the reason we’re allowed to use it.

Messages are private. Build a Gift staff don’t browse your conversations. We only look at one when it’s reported to us, when we’re investigating fraud or a safety problem, or when the law requires it.

No profiling or automated decisions. We don’t build advertising profiles, and we don’t make decisions about you by computer alone that have legal or similarly serious effects. When we suspend a shop or account, a person makes that decision.

Marketing: we don’t send marketing emails today. If we ever do, we’ll ask first, and each one will include an unsubscribe link.

3. Who we share it with

• The shop you buy from: your name, email, shipping address, phone number if given, and what you ordered, so it can make and send your gift. If your order includes items from several shops, each shop only sees its own part.
• The people you message: your name and what you send.
• Companies that help us run the Platform. Each may use your information only to do its job for us:
  • Stripe, for payments, fraud checks, sales tax, and seller payouts;
  • Google Maps, which suggests addresses as you type at checkout and in your account. Google receives the text you type and your IP address, under Google’s Privacy Policy;
  • shipping carriers such as USPS, UPS, and Canada Post, for rates, address checks, labels, customs forms, and tracking;
  • Zonos, our customs partner, when you buy from a Canadian shop and ship to the US. Zonos receives the items, their prices, and your shipping address, to work out US duties and import fees at checkout and to prepay them to US customs;
  • our web hosting and email providers, which store our data and send our emails.
• Authorities and legal matters: when a law, court order, subpoena, or other valid legal request requires it; to protect someone from fraud or physical harm; or to protect the rights and safety of our users or Build a Gift.
• A future owner: if Build a Gift is sold, merged, or reorganized, your information may transfer to the new owner. We’ll tell you first, and the new owner must keep honoring this policy.
• Anyone else, only with your permission.

We don’t sell personal information, and we don’t share it with advertisers or data brokers.

4. What other people can see

5. How we protect it

• The whole site uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS).
• Passwords are hashed, and sign-in cookies can’t be read by scripts on the page.
• Orders, messages, and account files are kept in storage that can’t be opened from the web. Photos sent in Messages can only be opened by the people in that conversation.
• Forms are protected against forged requests, and messaging and reporting are rate-limited to stop spam.
• Only Build a Gift staff can reach the admin tools.

No website can promise perfect security. Please use a strong password you don’t use anywhere else, and tell us right away at [email protected] if you think someone has gotten into your account. If a breach affects your personal information, we’ll let you know as the law requires.

6. How long we keep it

We keep information only as long as we have a real reason to. That means providing the service, meeting legal and tax rules, settling disputes, or preventing fraud.

7. Your rights and choices

Whatever state you live in, Build a Gift gives you these choices:

• See your information: ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Take it with you: ask for that copy in a common, machine-readable format.
• Fix it: update most details yourself in My Account or the Seller Dashboard, or ask us to correct anything else.
• Delete it: ask us to close your account and delete your personal information. We’ll keep only what the law requires, such as completed order records.
• Limit it: ask us to stop or limit a particular use of your information, and we’ll honor it where we can still run your account.
• Turn off alerts: sellers can switch off new-message emails in Reply preferences.

How to make a request: email [email protected] from the address on your account and tell us what you’d like. We’ll confirm we received it, may ask you to verify that the account is yours, and will respond within 30 days. You won’t be charged, and you won’t be treated differently for asking. If we say no, we’ll explain why. You can appeal by replying to that email, and someone will review the decision again.

8. Responsibilities of sellers

When someone orders from your shop, you receive their personal information. That makes you responsible for how your shop handles it. By selling on Build a Gift, you agree to:

• use buyer information only to make, ship, and support that order, including returns;
• never add buyers to a mailing list or send them marketing unless they clearly asked for it;
• never sell, rent, share, or post buyer information;
• keep it secure, and delete it once you no longer need it for the order or for your own tax records;
• follow any privacy laws that apply to your business.

Misusing buyer information can lead us to suspend or close your shop under our Terms of Use.

9. Cookies

Cookies are small files that a website saves in your browser. Build a Gift uses only cookies the site can’t work without:

Stripe may also set cookies during checkout to process payment securely and catch fraud. We don’t use advertising, social media, or analytics cookies, so there are no optional cookies to switch off. If you block all cookies, you can still browse, but your cart, sign-in, and checkout won’t work. If we ever add optional cookies, we’ll update this policy first and give you a way to say no.

10. Children and teens

Build a Gift isn’t meant for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their information. Teens aged 13 to 17 may only use the Platform through a parent or guardian’s account, as our Terms of Use explain. If you think a child under 13 has given us personal information, email [email protected] and we’ll delete it.

11. Extra details for US state residents

Several states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Oregon, Texas, and Nevada, have privacy laws that give residents specific rights. These include the rights to know, access, correct, and delete personal information, and to opt out of its sale, targeted advertising, or profiling. You can use any of them as described in Section 7, yourself or through an authorized agent with your written permission.

Over the past 12 months, Build a Gift has collected the following:

We have not sold personal information, shared it for cross-context behavioral (targeted) advertising, or used it for profiling. We don’t collect sensitive personal information as these laws define it, and we don’t knowingly sell or share the information of anyone under 16. Nevada residents: we don’t sell covered information, but you may still email [email protected] to record an opt-out request.

12. Where your information lives

Build a Gift is a US marketplace. Its sellers are in the United States and Canada, and some shops also ship to shoppers in other countries. Wherever you shop from, your information is stored and processed in the United States. When you order from a shop in Canada, the shop, and Canada Post if it ships with them, receive your order and shipping details in Canada. Some of the companies listed in Section 3 may process it in other countries under their own privacy commitments, and information held in another country can be reached by that country’s courts and authorities under its laws.

If you’re in Canada: we handle your personal information under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and any provincial law that applies. You can ask to see or correct the information we hold about you, or withdraw your consent, as described in Section 7. If you’re not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

13. Updates to this policy

As Build a Gift grows, this policy will change too. If we make a significant change, such as using your information for something new, we’ll post a notice on the Platform or email you before it takes effect. The date at the top always shows the latest version.

14. Who we are and how to reach us

Build a Gift is operated from Nevada, USA, and is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. Questions, requests, or worries about your privacy? Email [email protected], or use our contact page. A real person reads every message.