Data Handling & Processing Policy

1. Overview

This Data Handling Policy explains how SellerShipping LLC ("SellerShipping," "we," or "us") processes personal data and business information in connection with our fulfillment, warehousing, and distribution services. This policy supplements our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

1.1 Our Role as Data Processor

When providing fulfillment services, SellerShipping typically acts as a data processor on behalf of our clients (who are the data controllers). This means:

• We process personal data only on your instructions and for the purpose of providing services
• You remain the data controller responsible for compliance with data protection laws
• We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the data
• We assist you in fulfilling your obligations under applicable data protection laws

This applies equally to buyer data we receive through a marketplace integration you connect, such as Etsy: we act as your service provider and process that data only to fulfill your orders (see Section 4.4). SellerShipping is the data controller only for its own client account, billing, and website visitor data, as described in our Privacy Policy.

1.2 Applicable Laws and Standards

Our data handling practices comply with:

• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679
• CCPA: California Consumer Privacy Act
• KVKK: Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu)
• PIPEDA: Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
• PCI DSS: Payment card data is handled solely by our PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor (Stripe); we do not store card numbers

2. Data Collection in Fulfillment Operations

In the course of providing fulfillment services, we collect and process the following categories of data:

2.1 Order Data

• Order numbers and transaction IDs
• Order dates and timestamps
• Product information (SKU, quantity, description)
• Order status and tracking information
• Shipping method and service level
• Order notes and special instructions

2.2 Customer Shipping Information

We process end-customer information on your behalf to fulfill orders:

• Name: Recipient full name
• Address: Shipping address (street, city, state, ZIP, country)
• Contact: Phone number and/or email, when provided and needed for delivery (we do not store Etsy buyer email addresses)
• Delivery Instructions: Gate codes, building numbers, special requests

Important: We do not collect or store your customers' payment card information. All payment processing is handled directly between you and your payment processor or marketplace.

2.3 Inventory Data

• Product details and descriptions
• SKU numbers and barcodes
• Quantities and stock levels
• Product dimensions and weight
• Storage location within our facilities
• Product images (when provided)

2.4 Business and Account Data

• Your company name and contact information
• Account credentials and preferences
• Integration settings and API keys
• Communication preferences
• Service usage patterns and analytics

3. Purpose of Data Processing

We process data for the following specific purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery

• Receiving and storing inventory
• Processing and fulfilling orders
• Generating shipping labels
• Tracking shipments and deliveries
• Managing returns and exchanges

3.2 Communication and Support

• Providing order status updates to our clients
• Resolving delivery issues
• Answering customer service inquiries
• Sending system notifications

We do not send order, shipping, or tracking messages to Etsy buyers; Etsy notifies the buyer when tracking details are added to the order.

3.3 Compliance and Legal Obligations

• Customs documentation for international shipments
• Tax reporting and compliance
• Responding to lawful requests from authorities
• Maintaining records as required by law

3.4 Service Improvement

• Analyzing operational efficiency
• Improving fulfillment processes
• Identifying and resolving issues
• Developing new features and services

We do not use client or end-customer data for marketing, advertising, or training machine learning or AI models, and we never sell it.

4. Data Processing for Fulfillment Services

4.1 Order Processing Flow

4.2 Data Minimization

We adhere to the principle of data minimization:

• We collect only data necessary for fulfillment operations
• We do not request unnecessary personal information
• We anonymize or pseudonymize data where possible for analytics
• We regularly review and purge unnecessary data

4.3 Automated Processing

Our fulfillment operations involve automated processing for:

• Address validation and correction (to ensure successful delivery)
• Optimal carrier and service level selection
• Fraud detection and prevention
• Inventory allocation and routing

These automated systems do not make decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significantly affect individuals.

4.4 Etsy Integration

SellerShipping is building an integration that lets sellers who store inventory in our warehouses send their Etsy orders to us for fulfillment. It will be offered to client shops only after approval by Etsy. The integration works as follows:

• Authorization: The seller connects their shop through Etsy's official OAuth consent screen. We never ask for or store Etsy passwords, and the access tokens are encrypted at rest
• Permissions: Only transactions_r and transactions_w. We do not request listing, shop, profile, address book, or email permissions
• Data we read: Paid, unshipped orders (receipts): receipt number, order date, items, SKUs, quantities, the buyer's name and shipping address, and the selected shipping method
• Data we write: Carrier name and tracking number for each shipped order, using Etsy's createReceiptShipment endpoint. Etsy then notifies the buyer; we do not message or email Etsy buyers
• What we never do: Create, edit, or delete listings; change inventory or prices on Etsy; contact buyers; or use Etsy data for marketing, advertising, analytics, or AI model training
• Sharing: The buyer's name and shipping address are shared only with the shipping carrier to create the shipping label and deliver the package
• Security: TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest, role-based access limited to warehouse and support staff who fulfill the order
• Retention: Etsy buyer personal data (name, shipping address) is deleted 90 days after the order ships. Order records we keep for billing contain only the receipt number, SKUs, quantities, fees, and tracking number
• Disconnecting: The seller can disconnect at any time from their SellerShipping account or by revoking access in their Etsy account settings. We then stop all API calls, delete the access tokens immediately, and delete Etsy buyer data within 30 days
• Support: Sellers can reach us at support@sellershipping.com, which is monitored by our support team

The term 'Etsy' is a trademark of Etsy, Inc. This application uses Etsy's API, but is not endorsed or certified by Etsy.

5. Data Security Measures

5.1 Physical Security

Our warehouse facilities implement:

• Access Control: Key card systems and biometric authentication
• Video Surveillance: 24/7 CCTV monitoring of all areas
• Visitor Management: Sign-in procedures and escort requirements
• Restricted Areas: Limited access to data processing zones
• After-Hours Security: Alarm systems and security patrols

5.2 Digital Security

Our systems employ:

• Encryption: TLS 1.3 for data in transit, AES-256 for data at rest
• Authentication: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts
• Authorization: Role-based access control (RBAC) with principle of least privilege
• Network Security: Firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems
• Database Security: Encrypted databases with access logging
• API Security: API key authentication, rate limiting, and monitoring

5.3 Operational Security

• Employee Training: Regular security and privacy training programs
• Background Checks: Pre-employment screening for all staff
• Confidentiality Agreements: All employees sign NDAs
• Clean Desk Policy: No personal data left unattended
• Secure Disposal: Shredding of physical documents, secure data deletion

5.4 Monitoring and Auditing

• Continuous security monitoring and logging
• Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing
• Annual third-party security audits
• Incident detection and response systems
• Access log reviews and anomaly detection

6. Data Access and Confidentiality

6.1 Who Has Access

Access to customer data is strictly limited to:

• Warehouse Operations: Staff who need access to fulfill orders (name, address)
• Customer Support: Representatives resolving delivery issues
• System Administrators: IT staff maintaining systems (with logging)
• Management: Senior staff for audit and compliance purposes

6.2 Access Controls

• Individual user accounts (no shared credentials)
• Role-based permissions matched to job functions
• All access logged and monitored
• Regular access reviews and revocations
• Automatic session timeouts

6.3 Confidentiality Obligations

All SellerShipping personnel:

• Sign confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
• Receive training on data protection and privacy
• Are prohibited from using data for personal purposes
• Must report suspected data breaches immediately
• Face disciplinary action for violations up to and including termination

7. Subprocessors and Third Parties

We engage the following categories of subprocessors to assist in providing services:

7.1 Shipping Carriers

7.2 Cloud Infrastructure

7.3 Payment Processing

7.4 Website Analytics and Advertising

7.5 Business Productivity

7.6 Subprocessor Management

For all subprocessors, we ensure:

• Written data processing agreements are in place
• Adequate security and privacy measures are implemented
• Compliance with applicable data protection laws
• Regular audits and assessments
• Notification of subprocessor changes (30 days' notice)

8. Data Retention and Deletion

8.1 Retention Periods

8.2 Data Deletion Process

When data reaches end of retention period or upon deletion request:

• Data is permanently deleted from production systems within 30 days
• Backups are purged according to backup rotation schedule (90 days)
• Physical media containing data is securely destroyed or degaussed
• Deletion certificates are available upon request

8.3 Legal Hold

Data subject to legal proceedings, investigations, or disputes is retained until resolution, even if it exceeds normal retention periods.

9. Client Data Rights

As the data controller, you have the right to instruct us regarding data processing. We will assist you in fulfilling your obligations to end-customers:

9.1 Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR)

If your customer requests access to their data, we will provide you with the necessary information within 15 business days.

9.2 Rectification and Correction

You may update or correct data through your account portal or by contacting support.

9.3 Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten")

We will delete customer data upon your instruction, subject to legal retention requirements.

9.4 Data Portability

We provide export functionality for order data, inventory records, and other information in CSV and JSON formats.

9.5 Objection and Restriction

You may instruct us to restrict processing or object to certain uses of data, where legally permissible.

10. Compliance Certifications

10.1 Certifications

SellerShipping does not currently hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification. We are working toward ISO 27001 (Information Security Management) and SOC 2 Type II and will update this page when an audit is completed.

10.2 Compliance Framework

Our data handling practices are designed to comply with:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)
• KVKK (Turkish Personal Data Protection Law)
• PIPEDA (Canadian Personal Information Protection Law)

10.3 Regular Assessments

• Annual third-party privacy and security audits
• Quarterly internal compliance reviews
• Continuous monitoring and improvement programs
• Data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) for new processing

11. Incident Response and Data Breaches

11.1 Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to individuals' rights and freedoms, we will:

• Notify you within 24 hours of becoming aware of the breach
• Provide details about the nature, scope, and impact of the breach
• Describe the measures taken to address the breach
• Recommend actions you should take to mitigate harm
• Cooperate with your notification obligations to authorities and individuals
• For data accessed through the Etsy API, notify Etsy (dpo@etsy.com) and the affected seller no later than 24 hours after discovery

11.2 Incident Response Process

1. Detection: Incident detected through monitoring or report
2. Containment: Immediate action to stop further data exposure
3. Assessment: Evaluate scope, impact, and affected data
4. Notification: Notify affected clients and relevant authorities
5. Remediation: Fix vulnerabilities and implement preventive measures
6. Documentation: Document incident and lessons learned

11.3 Security Incident Support

We will:

• Preserve evidence for forensic analysis
• Cooperate with law enforcement if requested
• Provide detailed incident reports
• Offer affected individuals appropriate assistance

12. Contact for Data Matters

For questions, concerns, or requests related to data handling and processing:

12.1 Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

We offer a standard Data Processing Agreement (DPA) that includes Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international data transfers. Contact us to request a signed DPA for your records.