Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

1) Introduction and contact details of the controller

1.1 We are pleased that you are visiting our website and thank you for your interest. Below, we inform you about how your personal data is handled when using our website. Personal data in this context includes all data that can be used to personally identify you.

1.2 The controller responsible for data processing on this website within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Marek Helmdach, ReturnTreasures, Leuschnerstr. 36, 30457 Hannover, Germany, Tel.: 015568379043, E-Mail: info@returntreasures.de. The controller responsible for the processing of personal data is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data.

2) Data collection when visiting our website

2.1 When using our website for informational purposes only, i.e., if you do not register or otherwise transmit information to us, we only collect data that your browser transmits to the page server (so-called "server log files"). When you visit our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display the website to you:

  • Our visited website
  • Date and time at the time of access
  • Amount of data sent in bytes
  • Source/reference from which you reached the page
  • Browser used
  • Operating system used
  • IP address used (if applicable: in anonymized form)

Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website. There is no disclosure or other use of the data. However, we reserve the right to check the server log files subsequently if there are concrete indications of unlawful use.

2.2 For security reasons and to protect the transmission of personal data and other confidential content (e.g., orders or inquiries to the controller), this website uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the character string "https://" and the lock symbol in your browser line.

3) Hosting & Content Delivery Network

3.1 Shopify

For hosting our website and displaying the page content, we use the system of the following provider: Shopify International Limited, Victoria Buildings, 2nd Floor, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland ("Shopify")

Data is also transmitted to: Shopify Inc., 150 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1L4, Canada

All data collected on our website is processed on the provider's servers. We have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our site visitors' data and prohibits unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

In the case of data transmission to Canada, an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed by an adequacy decision of the European Commission.

3.2 Shopify

We use a Content Delivery Network from the following provider: Shopify International Limited, Victoria Buildings, 2nd Floor, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland ("Shopify")

Data can also be transmitted to:

  • Shopify Inc., 150 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1L4, Canada
  • Cloudflare Inc., 101 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

This service allows us to deliver large media files such as graphics, page content, or scripts faster via a network of regionally distributed servers. Processing is carried out to protect our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our site visitors' data and prohibits unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

In the case of data transmission to Canada, an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed by an adequacy decision of the European Commission.

For data transfers to the USA, the data recipient has committed to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection based on an adequacy decision by the European Commission.

4) Cookies

To make visiting our website attractive and to enable the use of certain functions, we use cookies, i.e., small text files that are placed on your device. Some of these cookies are automatically deleted after closing the browser (so-called "session cookies"), while others remain on your device for longer and enable the saving of page settings (so-called "persistent cookies"). In the latter case, you can check the storage duration in the overview of your web browser's cookie settings.

Insofar as personal data is also processed by individual cookies used by us, processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR either for the performance of a contract, in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR in the event of consent granted, or in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR to safeguard our legitimate interests in the best possible functionality of the website as well as a customer-friendly and effective design of the site visit.

You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and decide individually on their acceptance or exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general.

Please note that the functionality of our website may be restricted if cookies are not accepted.

5) Contacting us

5.1 WhatsApp Business

You have the option to contact us via the messaging service WhatsApp from WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. We use the so-called "Business version" of WhatsApp for this.

If you contact us via WhatsApp in connection with a specific transaction (for example, an order placed), we will store and use the mobile number you use on WhatsApp and, if provided, your first and last name in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR to process and answer your request. On the basis of the same legal basis, we may ask you via WhatsApp to provide further data (order number, customer number, address, or email address) in order to assign your request to a specific transaction.

If you use our WhatsApp contact for general inquiries (such as regarding the range of services, availability, or our website), we store and use the mobile number you use on WhatsApp and, if provided, your first and last name in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in the efficient and timely provision of the requested information.

Your data is always used only to answer your request via WhatsApp. It is not shared with third parties.

Please note that WhatsApp Business gains access to the address book of the mobile device we use for this purpose and automatically transmits telephone numbers stored in the address book to a server of the parent company Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA. For the operation of our WhatsApp Business account, we use a mobile device in whose address book only the WhatsApp contact details of those users who have also contacted us via WhatsApp are stored.

This ensures that every person whose WhatsApp contact details are stored in our address book has already consented to the transmission of their WhatsApp telephone number from the address books of their chat contacts in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR upon initial use of the app on their device by accepting the WhatsApp terms of service. A transmission of data of such users who do not use WhatsApp and/or have not contacted us via WhatsApp is thus excluded.

For the purpose and scope of data collection and the further processing and use of the data by WhatsApp, as well as your related rights and setting options for the protection of your privacy, please refer to the privacy policy of WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?eea=1#privacy-policy

We have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider, which protects the data of our site visitors and prohibits disclosure to third parties.

Within the scope of the aforementioned processing operations, data may be transferred to servers of Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA.

For data transfers to the USA, the provider has committed to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection based on an adequacy decision by the European Commission.

5.2 When contacting us (e.g., via contact form or email), personal data is processed—exclusively for the purpose of processing and answering your request and only to the extent necessary for this purpose.

The legal basis for the processing of this data is our legitimate interest in answering your request in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. If your contact aims at a contract, then an additional legal basis for processing is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Your data will be deleted when it is clear from the circumstances that the relevant matter has been conclusively clarified and provided that there are no statutory retention requirements to the contrary.

6) Comment function

As part of the comment function on this website, in addition to your comment, information about the time the comment was created and the commentator name you chose are saved and published on this website. Furthermore, your IP address is logged and saved. This saving of the IP address occurs for security reasons and in the event that the data subject infringes the rights of third parties or posts illegal content through a submitted comment. We require your email address in order to contact you if a third party should object to your published content as illegal.

The legal bases for the storage of your data are Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR. We reserve the right to delete comments if they are objected to by third parties as illegal.

7) Data processing when opening a customer account

In accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, personal data will continue to be collected and processed to the extent necessary if you provide it to us when opening a customer account. You can see which data is required for opening an account from the input mask of the corresponding form on our website.

Deletion of your customer account is possible at any time and can be done by a message to the above-mentioned address of the controller. After deletion of your customer account, your data will be deleted, provided that all contracts concluded through it have been fully processed, no statutory retention periods stand in the way, and there is no legitimate interest on our part in further storage.

8) Use of customer data for direct marketing

8.1 Registration for our email newsletter

If you subscribe to our email newsletter, we will regularly send you information about our offers. The only mandatory information for sending the newsletter is your email address. Providing further data is voluntary and is used to address you personally. For the sending of the newsletter, we use the so-called Double Opt-in procedure, which ensures that you only receive the newsletter if you have expressly confirmed your consent to receive the newsletter by clicking on a verification link sent to the provided email address.

By activating the confirmation link, you grant us your consent for the use of your personal data in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. In this process, we store your IP address entered by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) as well as the date and time of registration in order to be able to trace a possible misuse of your email address at a later time. The data collected by us during registration for the newsletter is used strictly for this purpose.

You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time via the provided link in the newsletter or by sending a corresponding message to the controller mentioned at the beginning. After unsubscribing, your email address will be immediately deleted from our newsletter distribution list, unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data or we reserve the right to further data usage that is permitted by law and about which we inform you in this statement.

8.2 WhatsApp newsletter

If you register for our WhatsApp newsletter, we will regularly send you information about our offers via WhatsApp. The only mandatory information for sending the newsletter is your mobile number.

To subscribe to the newsletter, you must add our provided mobile number to the contacts of your mobile device and send us the message "Start" via WhatsApp. By sending this WhatsApp message, you grant us your consent for the use of your personal data in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR for the purpose of sending the newsletter. We will then add you to our newsletter distribution list.

The data collected by us during registration for the newsletter is processed exclusively for the purpose of promotional contact via the newsletter. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by sending us the message "Stop" via WhatsApp. After unsubscribing, your mobile number will be immediately deleted from our newsletter distribution list, unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data or we reserve the right to further data usage that is permitted by law and about which we inform you in this statement.

Please note that WhatsApp Business gains access to the address book of the mobile device we use for this purpose and automatically transmits telephone numbers stored in the address book to a server of the parent company Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA.

For sending our WhatsApp newsletter, we therefore use a mobile device in whose address book only the WhatsApp contact details of our newsletter recipients are stored. This ensures that every person whose WhatsApp contact details are stored in our address book has already consented to the transmission of their WhatsApp telephone number from the address books of their chat contacts in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR upon initial use of the app on their device by accepting the WhatsApp terms of service. A transmission of data of such users who do not use WhatsApp and/or have not contacted us via WhatsApp is thus excluded.

For the purpose and scope of data collection and the further processing and use of the data by WhatsApp, as well as your related rights and setting options for the protection of your privacy, please refer to the privacy policy of WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?eea=1#privacy-policy

We have concluded a data processing agreement with WhatsApp, which protects the data of our newsletter recipients and prohibits disclosure to third parties.

Within the scope of the aforementioned processing operations, data may be transferred to servers of Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA.

For data transfers to the USA, the provider has committed to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection based on an adequacy decision by the European Commission.

9) Data processing for order processing

9.1 Insofar as required for contract fulfillment for delivery and payment purposes, the personal data collected by us will be passed on to the commissioned transport company and the commissioned credit institution in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

If we owe you updates for goods with digital elements or for digital products on the basis of a corresponding contract, we process the contact details provided by you during the order process in order to personally inform you within the scope of our statutory information obligations in accordance with Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Your contact details are used strictly for this purpose for notifications about updates owed by us and are only processed by us for this purpose to the extent necessary for the respective information.

9.2 Disclosure of personal data to shipping service providers

- DPD

As a transport service provider, we use the following provider: DPD Deutschland GmbH, Wailandtstraße 1, 63741 Aschaffenburg, Germany

We pass on your email address and/or telephone number in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR before delivery of the goods for the purpose of coordinating a delivery date or for delivery notification to the provider, provided you have given your express consent for this during the ordering process. Otherwise, we only pass on the recipient's name and the delivery address to the provider for the purpose of delivery in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. The disclosure only occurs insofar as it is necessary for the delivery of goods. In this case, prior coordination of the delivery date with the provider or delivery notification is not possible.

Consent can be revoked at any time with effect for the future towards the controller designated above or towards the provider.

9.3 - Anthropic Claude

To provide our services, we use software with artificial intelligence from the following provider: Anthropic Ireland Limited, 6th Floor, South Bank House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, D04 TR29, Ireland

Information provided by you within the scope of a contractual relationship may be fed into the provider's software in order to organize, analyze, aggregate, modify, evaluate, or process it for the purpose of providing our services.

Information may also be transmitted to: Anthropic PBC, USA

The collection and further processing of this information is strictly purpose-bound for the fulfillment of the contract. Processing for the purposes of training and further developing the provider's AI language models is expressly prohibited.

Insofar as personal data is also subject to processing, this is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest in the efficient design of our services and the optimal use of existing resources and technologies in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

We have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of personal data processed by the provider and prohibits unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

For the transmission of data to the USA, the provider relies on standard contractual clauses of the European Commission, which are intended to ensure compliance with the European level of data protection.

9.4 Use of payment service providers (payment services)

- PayPal

One or more online payment methods from the following provider are available on this website: PayPal (Europe) S.a.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg

If you select a payment method from the provider where you make an advance payment, your payment data provided during the ordering process (including name, address, bank and payment card information, currency, and transaction number) as well as information about the content of your order will be passed on to the provider in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR. In this case, your data will be passed on exclusively for the purpose of payment processing with the provider and only to the extent necessary for this purpose.

If you select a payment method for which we make an advance payment, you will also be asked to provide certain personal data (first and last name, street, house number, zip code, city, date of birth, email address, telephone number, and, if applicable, data on an alternative means of payment) during the ordering process.

In order to safeguard our legitimate interest in determining your solvency in such cases, this data will be forwarded by us to the provider for the purpose of a credit check in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. Based on the personal data provided by you and other data (such as shopping cart, invoice amount, order history, payment experience), the provider checks whether the payment method you have selected can be granted with regard to payment and/or default risks.

The credit report may contain probability values (so-called score values). Insofar as score values are included in the result of the credit report, they are based on a scientifically recognized mathematical-statistical method. The calculation of the score values includes, among other things, but not exclusively, address data.

You can object to this processing of your data at any time by sending us a message or by contacting the provider. However, the provider may remain entitled to process your personal data if this is necessary for contractual payment processing.

- Shopify Payments

One or more online payment methods from the following provider are available on this website: Shopify International Limited, Victoria Buildings, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland

If you select a payment method from the provider where you make an advance payment (such as credit card payment), your payment data provided during the ordering process (including name, address, bank and payment card information, currency, and transaction number) as well as information about the content of your order will be passed on to the provider in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR. In this case, your data will be passed on exclusively for the purpose of payment processing with the provider and only to the extent necessary for this purpose.

9.5 Electronic withdrawal function for distance contracts

Consumers who conclude contracts on this website for which a statutory right of withdrawal exists have the option of declaring their withdrawal via an electronic withdrawal function in accordance with the applicable withdrawal provisions.

To provide the electronic withdrawal function, we use a solution from the following provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, D04 E5W5, Ireland.

When using the withdrawal function, in addition to information for identifying the contract to be withdrawn, other personal information such as the consumer's first and last name and email address must be provided or confirmed.

This information is initially collected by the provider based on our legitimate interest in a user-friendly, stable, and process-optimized solution in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, then used to confirm receipt of the withdrawal declaration on our behalf via email, and finally transmitted to us. We subsequently process the transmitted information for the proper handling of the withdrawal in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR and Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR on the basis of our legal obligation to provide an electronic withdrawal function for distance consumer contracts subject to payment.

The information collected by the provider is routinely deleted after the final processing of a withdrawal, provided that there are no statutory retention obligations to the contrary.

We have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider that protects data processed within the scope of the withdrawal function and prohibits unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

10) Page functionalities

Trustami trust seal

Graphic elements from the following provider are embedded on our website to display external customer reviews and/or an externally awarded quality seal: Trustami GmbH, Schröderstraße 5, 10115 Berlin, Germany

When you access a page on our website that contains such graphic elements, your browser establishes a direct connection to the provider's servers in order to load the elements correctly. In the process, certain browser information, including your IP address, is transmitted to the provider.

Insofar as personal data is processed in this process, this is done in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in the optimal marketing of our offer and the appealing design of our website.

11) Tools and other items

Cookie consent tool

This website uses a so-called "cookie consent tool" to obtain effective user consent for cookies and cookie-based applications that require consent. The "cookie consent tool" is displayed to users when they access the page in the form of an interactive user interface on which consent can be given for certain cookies and/or cookie-based applications by checking boxes. By using the tool, all cookies/services requiring consent are only loaded if the respective user gives their consent by checking the appropriate box. This ensures that such cookies are only placed on the user's respective end device if consent has been given.

The tool sets technically necessary cookies to save your cookie preferences. Personal user data is generally not processed in this process.

If, in individual cases, personal data (such as the IP address) is processed for the purpose of saving, assigning, or logging cookie settings, this is done in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in legally compliant, user-specific, and user-friendly consent management for cookies and thus in a legally compliant design of our website.

A further legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR. As the controller, we are subject to the legal obligation to make the use of technically unnecessary cookies dependent on the respective user consent.

Where necessary, we have concluded a data processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our site visitors' data and prohibits unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

Further information on the operator and the settings of the cookie consent tool can be found directly in the corresponding user interface on our website.

12) Rights of the data subject

12.1 Applicable data protection law grants you the following data subject rights (rights of access and intervention) vis-à-vis the controller with regard to the processing of your personal data, whereby reference is made to the stated legal basis for the respective requirements for exercising these rights:

  • Right of access pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR;
  • Right to rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR;
  • Right to erasure pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR;
  • Right to restriction of processing pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR;
  • Right to be informed pursuant to Art. 19 GDPR;
  • Right to data portability pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR;
  • Right to withdraw consent granted pursuant to Art. 7 (3) GDPR;
  • Right to lodge a complaint pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR.

12.2 RIGHT TO OBJECT

IF WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A BALANCING OF INTERESTS ON THE BASIS OF OUR OVERRIDING LEGITIMATE INTEREST, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO OBJECT TO THIS PROCESSING WITH EFFECT FOR THE FUTURE ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION.

IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED. HOWEVER, FURTHER PROCESSING REMAINS RESERVED IF WE CAN DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING WHICH OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS, AND FREEDOMS, OR IF THE PROCESSING SERVES TO ASSERT, EXERCISE, OR DEFEND LEGAL CLAIMS.

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS PROCESSED BY US FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA CONCERNING YOU FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ADVERTISING. YOU CAN EXERCISE THE OBJECTION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES.

13) Duration of storage of personal data

The duration of the storage of personal data is determined by the respective legal basis, the purpose of processing, and – if applicable – additionally by the respective statutory retention period (e.g., commercial and tax retention periods).

When processing personal data on the basis of express consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR, the data concerned will be stored until you revoke your consent.

If there are statutory retention periods for data that are processed within the scope of legal or quasi-legal obligations on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR, this data will be routinely deleted after the expiry of the retention periods, provided it is no longer required for the fulfillment of the contract or for contract initiation and/or we have no legitimate interest in continued storage.

When processing personal data on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, this data is stored until you exercise your right to object pursuant to Art. 21 (1) GDPR, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When processing personal data for the purpose of direct marketing on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, this data is stored until you exercise your right to object pursuant to Art. 21 (2) GDPR.

Unless otherwise stated in the other information in this declaration regarding specific processing situations, stored personal data will otherwise be deleted when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed.