Privacy policy

Privacy Policy

Culture of the Sun ABN 88 513 037 647 Torquay, VIC 3228, Australia hello@cultureofthesun.com.au

Last updated: 24 July 2026

About this policy

Culture of the Sun is a sole trader business based in Torquay, Victoria. We make and sell handmade sterling silver jewellery online at cultureofthesun.com.au.

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and how you can access or correct it.

We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). As a small business we are not currently required to comply with the Privacy Act, but we follow it anyway — it sets a sensible standard and we'd rather meet it.

Our store runs on Shopify, which means some of your information is also handled by Shopify under its own privacy terms.

What we collect

We only collect what we need to make and send you a ring.

When you place an order: your name, email address, phone number (if you give one), shipping address, billing address, and your ring size or measurements.

Payment information: we do not see or store your full card number. Payments are processed by Shopify Payments and other payment providers, who handle your card details directly. We receive confirmation that a payment succeeded, the last four digits, and the card type.

When you contact us: whatever you include in your email or in the chat assistant on our site — usually your name, email and what you're asking about.

When you sign up to our mailing list: your email address, and your name if you give it.

Automatically when you visit the site: your IP address, device and browser type, pages you viewed, how you arrived at the site, and similar analytics data. This is collected through cookies and similar technologies.

We don't collect sensitive information (health, racial or ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, criminal record) and we ask that you don't send it to us.

Why we use it

To make, package and post your order
To take payment and issue you a receipt
To answer your questions and handle returns, exchanges and faults
To send order confirmations and tracking
To send marketing emails, if you've opted in
To show and measure advertising, including on Instagram and Facebook
To detect and prevent fraudulent orders
To improve the site and understand what people are looking at
To meet our legal and tax obligations

Who we share it with

We don't sell your personal information. We share it only with the businesses we need to in order to run the store:

Shopify — hosts our store and processes orders and payments
Australia Post — your name and shipping address, so your parcel can be delivered
Payment providers — to process your payment
Google Workspace — our email runs through it, so anything you email us is stored there
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) — for advertising. We use Meta's Conversions API, which sends a hashed, non-readable version of your email address and order details to Meta so it can measure whether an ad led to a sale. Hashing means Meta receives a scrambled value, not your actual email
Email marketing and site tools — to send our newsletter and run the chat assistant on the site
Our accountant, and government agencies — where we're required to by law

Information sent overseas

Some of these providers store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States, Canada, Ireland and Singapore. This is normal for online stores, but you should know it happens.

We take reasonable steps to use established providers with their own privacy obligations, but we can't control how overseas laws apply to them.

The chat assistant on our site

Our site has an automated chat assistant. Conversations may be stored so we can improve how it answers.

Please don't type card numbers, passwords, or anything sensitive into the chat. If you need to send us something private, email hello@cultureofthesun.com.au instead.

Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep your cart working, understand how people use the site, and measure our advertising.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of the site — the cart and checkout in particular — may not work properly if you do.

You can also limit ad tracking through your Facebook and Instagram ad settings, and through your device's privacy settings.

Marketing emails

We only send marketing emails to people who have opted in. We don't buy, rent or scrape email lists.

Every marketing email identifies us as the sender, carries our ABN and contact details, and has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Click it and you're off the list — usually straight away, and within five business days at the latest, as required by the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Once you've unsubscribed we won't send you marketing again unless you opt back in.

Unsubscribing from marketing doesn't stop order confirmations, tracking emails, or replies to something you've asked us. Those aren't marketing and we'll still send them.

If you started an order and didn't finish it, we may email you about that incomplete order. You can opt out of those the same way.

How we keep it safe

Your information is held in the systems listed above, which use encryption and access controls. Our accounts are protected with strong passwords and two-factor authentication where it's available.

No system is completely secure. If we ever have a data breach that is likely to cause you serious harm, we'll tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.

How long we keep it

Order and payment records: at least five years, because the ATO requires it
Email correspondence: while it's useful for supporting you, then deleted
Marketing list: until you unsubscribe
Analytics data: as set by the tools we use, usually 12–26 months

When we no longer need something, we delete it or de-identify it.

Accessing, correcting or deleting your information

You can ask us to:

Tell you what personal information we hold about you
Correct anything that's wrong
Delete your information
Stop sending you marketing
Give you a copy of your data

Email hello@cultureofthesun.com.au and we'll respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm who you are first.

We can't always delete everything — order and tax records have to be kept for five years by law. If that applies we'll tell you what we're keeping and why.

Children

Our store isn't aimed at children and we don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you're a parent or guardian and think we hold information about your child, email us and we'll delete it.

Complaints

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your personal information, email hello@cultureofthesun.com.au with the details. We'll investigate and get back to you within 30 days.

If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: