Privacy Policy
Heritage Rug Buyers ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have. We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who we are
Heritage Rug Buyers is a specialist buyer of vintage and antique handmade rugs operating in the United Kingdom. Our website is rugbuyer.co.uk. You can contact us at hello@rugbuyer.co.uk.
2. What personal data we collect
When you submit a valuation request or enquiry through our website, we collect:
- Your full name
- Your email address
- Your telephone number (if provided)
- Your town or city and country
- Photographs of your rug or rugs
- Details you provide about the rug (size, description, condition, asking price)
- Information about existing offers or valuations you have received
We also collect limited technical data automatically when you visit our website, including your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, via Google Analytics 4.
3. How we use your data
We use your personal data to:
- Assess and respond to your valuation enquiry
- Make and communicate a purchase offer
- Arrange collection and payment if you accept an offer
- Correspond with you about your enquiry
- Improve our service (using anonymised analytics data)
We do not use your data for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. We do not sell your data to third parties.
4. Legal basis for processing
We process your data on the basis of:
- Contract performance — processing your valuation enquiry and potential purchase
- Legitimate interests — improving our service and preventing fraud
- Legal obligation — where required to comply with applicable law
5. How long we keep your data
Enquiry data and photographs are retained for up to 24 months from the date of submission, or until you request deletion. Completed transaction records may be retained for up to 7 years for accounting and legal purposes.
6. Who we share your data with
We share your data only with:
- Supabase — our secure database provider (data stored in the EU)
- Resend — our email delivery provider
- Google Analytics — anonymised website analytics only
We do not share your personal data with any other third parties without your consent, unless required by law.
7. Cookies and analytics
Our website uses Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised data about how visitors use the site. This involves setting cookies on your device. No personal information is passed to Google Analytics. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Erase your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Restrict or object to our processing
- Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@rugbuyer.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
9. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data from unauthorised access, disclosure or loss. Photographs are stored in a private, access-controlled storage bucket and are only accessible to authorised Heritage Rug Buyers staff.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of our website after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact us
For any privacy-related questions, please email hello@rugbuyer.co.uk.