Privacy Policy

Effective date: December 5, 2025

Welcome to Willow Street Books. Protecting your privacy is a core value of our small online bookstore. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, the choices available to you, and the steps we take to safeguard your information when you visit willowstreetbooks.com (“Site”). Please read this policy carefully to understand our practices.

What Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly and information collected automatically when you use the Site. We limit collection to what is necessary to deliver services, process orders, communicate with you, and improve the Site experience.

Information You Provide

  • Account and profile data: name, email address, username, password, billing and shipping address when you create an account or place an order.
  • Order and payment details: items purchased, order history, and transactional data. Payment card data is processed by our payment processor and is not stored on our servers unless explicitly stated at checkout.
  • Customer support: messages, feedback, reviews, and other communications you send us through forms, email, or chat.
  • Newsletter and marketing: when you sign up for our mailing list, we collect your email address and preferences.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Device and usage data: IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system, pages visited, time spent on pages, referral sources, and clickstream data collected via server logs and analytics tools.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: see the Cookies section below for details on cookies, local storage, and pixels.

How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for legitimate business purposes, including to provide and improve our services, fulfill orders, communicate with you, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations. Specific uses include:

  • Order processing: to fulfill purchases, send order confirmations, manage returns and refunds, and communicate shipment status.
  • Account management: to create and maintain your account, authenticate access, and provide customer support.
  • Service improvement: to analyze Site usage, perform research, and make product, layout, and functionality improvements.
  • Marketing and communications: to send newsletters, promotional offers, and personalized recommendations when you opt in.
  • Security and fraud prevention: to detect and prevent malicious activity, enforce our terms, and protect user data.
  • Legal compliance: to respond to legal requests, comply with laws, and defend our legal rights.

Legal Bases for Processing (for EU/UK users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data on the following legal bases depending on the purpose:

  • Performance of a contract: necessary to process your orders and provide the Shop services.
  • Consent: where you have expressly consented to receive newsletters or tracking beyond essential cookies.
  • Legitimate interests: for fraud prevention, site analytics, and to improve our services — balanced against your rights and interests.
  • Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We and our service providers use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar technologies to collect usage data, support essential Site functions, and deliver personalized content and ads. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help the Site recognize your browser and remember certain settings.

Types of Cookies We Use

  • Essential cookies: required for core site functionality such as cart persistence, login sessions, and secure checkout. These cannot be turned off without affecting the Site experience.
  • Performance and analytics cookies: collect anonymous information about how visitors use the Site to help us improve navigation, content, and speed.
  • Functionality cookies: remember choices you make on the Site (e.g., language, region) to provide a more personalized experience.
  • Advertising and targeting cookies: used by third parties to deliver ads and measure advertising effectiveness. They remember that you visited the Site and may be used to present relevant ads on other sites.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings and, where available, via on-site preference controls. Disabling cookies may limit some Site features and prevent a smooth browsing or purchasing experience.

Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, apps, or services (for example, publisher sites, social media platforms, or review services) and may embed content hosted by third parties. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of those sites or services. When you follow links to other sites, we encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing personal information.

  • External storefronts: links to suppliers or publisher pages may direct you to third-party checkout or order flows. Those transactions are subject to the third party’s terms and privacy policy.
  • Social media: sharing tools and social widgets may place cookies and collect data in accordance with their respective policies.

Affiliate Links and Advertising

Willow Street Books participates in affiliate programs and may display affiliate links to partner sites. When you click certain links or make purchases through affiliated links, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We disclose affiliate relationships where required and do not allow affiliate arrangements to influence editorial content or product recommendations.

We also work with advertising partners to serve ads on the Site. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your visits and to provide targeted advertising. Opting out of targeted advertising is possible through your device settings or via industry opt-out mechanisms provided by advertisers and analytics providers.

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We will only share personal information in limited circumstances necessary to operate the business and fulfill our obligations:

  • Service providers: third-party vendors who perform functions on our behalf, such as payment processors, shipping carriers, hosting providers, marketing platforms, and analytics services.
  • Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will require any successor to use personal information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
  • Legal requirements: when required by law, regulation, legal process, or to respond to lawful requests by public authorities.
  • Protecting rights: to protect the rights, property, or safety of Willow Street Books, our users, or others, and to detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Retention periods vary by data type and the purpose for which data was collected. When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

International Transfers

Willow Street Books is based in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S., personal information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S. or other countries where our service providers operate. When we transfer personal data internationally, we employ safeguards consistent with applicable law, such as contractual protections or other appropriate mechanisms to protect your information.

Security Measures

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. Security measures include encryption in transit (e.g., HTTPS), access controls, and regular security assessments. No system is 100% secure; while we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or maintain personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information of a child under 13 in violation of law, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data. We aim to respect and facilitate those rights.

  • Access: you can request access to the personal information we hold about you and request a copy of that information.
  • Correction: you may request that inaccurate or incomplete personal information be corrected.
  • Deletion: you can ask us to delete your personal information, subject to legal exceptions and our need to retain certain information for compliance or legitimate business purposes.
  • Restriction or objection: you can request restrictions on certain processing or object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
  • Data portability: where applicable, you may request a portable copy of certain personal information in a commonly used electronic format.
  • Marketing opt-out: you can opt out of marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages or by adjusting your preferences in your account. Please note that transactional messages (order confirmations, shipping notices) are necessary for service delivery and cannot be opted out of.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the methods available on the Site or in the account settings. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling requests and may charge a reasonable fee where permitted by law.

Analytics and Performance Tools

We use third-party analytics services to understand how our Site is used and to improve user experience. These services may collect information such as page views, time on site, referrers, and device data. Aggregated or pseudonymized analytics data may be retained for longer-term trend analysis.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or business operations. When we make material changes, we will update the “Effective date” at the top and, where required, provide reasonable notice before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Site after changes indicates acceptance of the updated policy.

How We Handle Legal Requests

Willow Street Books may disclose personal information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, court orders, or legal processes. We review such requests for legal sufficiency and take reasonable steps to limit disclosure to what is necessary. Where permitted, we will notify affected users of requests unless prohibited by law.

Third-Party Service Providers

We rely on trusted third-party service providers to operate the Site and run our business. These providers are contractually bound to handle data on our behalf and only process personal information for specified purposes. Examples include hosting providers, payment processors, email and marketing platforms, analytics vendors, and shipping partners.

Non-Discrimination

Willow Street Books will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights. If applicable law permits, we may require verification of identity to process requests and will inform you of any legal limitations or exemptions that restrict our ability to fulfill a request.

How to Learn More

This Privacy Policy summarizes key aspects of our privacy practices. If you would like more detailed information about specific processing activities, cookie use, or data retention schedules, please review the Site’s help resources and privacy preference tools, where available. For any formal requests regarding your rights, follow the account and preference mechanisms provided on the Site.

Thank you for trusting Willow Street Books. We are committed to handling your information responsibly and transparently so you can enjoy our site with confidence.