Privacy policy

Privacy Policy

At CapeThreads, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit our website or purchase our products, why we collect it, with whom we share it, and what rights you have. We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

We may update this policy from time to time by amending this page. We encourage you to check this page regularly to stay informed of any changes.

1. Who We Are
In this policy, “CapeThreads”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to CapeThreads, the responsible party for the personal information collected through this website. “You” and “your” refer to:

  • Visitors: individuals who visit our website
  • Customers: individuals who purchase, order or receive our products
  • Contacts: individuals who contact us via our website, email or other means

2. What Personal Information We Collect
From visitors:

  • IP address, device and browser information, and data collected through cookies

From customers:

  • Full name*
  • Email address*
  • Billing address*
  • Delivery address or chosen pickup point*
  • Payment information* (processed securely by our payment providers; we do not store your full card details)
  • Phone number
  • Username and password, if you choose to create an account

From contacts:

  • Full name*
  • Email address*
  • Any other information you choose to share with us

* Required information. If you do not provide it, we may not be able to process your order, deliver your products or respond to your enquiry.

3. How We Use Your Personal Information
We use your personal information only for the following purposes:

  • To process, fulfil and deliver your orders
  • To create and manage your account, if you choose to register one
  • To process payments and prevent fraud
  • To send you service messages about your order, such as order confirmations, shipping updates and tracking information
  • To respond to your questions, feedback and support requests
  • To analyse and improve our website, products and shopping experience
  • To show you relevant advertisements on social media platforms (see section 6)
  • To keep our website and your information secure
  • To comply with legal obligations or lawful requests from authorities

We do not send marketing emails or newsletters. We will not use your personal information for any other purpose unless you have given your consent, the purpose is directly related to the original purpose, or the law permits or requires it.

4. Who We Share Your Personal Information With
We only share your personal information where necessary for the purposes above, with:

  • Shopify Inc., which hosts our online store and processes orders
  • Our third-party payment processors, which handle your payments securely
  • Our fulfilment partners and couriers, to prepare and deliver your order
  • Meta Platforms, Inc., for advertising and website analytics (see section 6)
  • IT, cloud and software service providers that help us run our business
  • Our professional advisors, such as accountants and legal advisors
  • Government authorities, regulators or law enforcement, where required by law
  • A potential buyer or successor, in the event of a merger, sale or restructuring of our business

When you pay through a payment processor, its own terms and privacy policy also apply. We require all third parties we work with to keep your personal information confidential and secure.

We will never sell your personal information.

5. International Transfers
Some of our service providers, including Shopify, Meta and our fulfilment partners, are located outside South Africa. This means your personal information may be transferred to and stored in other countries. We only transfer personal information where the recipient is subject to laws, binding agreements or policies that provide a level of protection comparable to POPIA, or where the transfer is necessary to fulfil your order.

6. Cookies and Tracking
Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you visit our website. We use them to make our website work properly and to improve your experience. We use the following types of cookies:

  • Necessary cookies, which allow the website and checkout to function
  • Functionality cookies, which remember your preferences, such as your login details and shopping cart
  • Performance cookies, which help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
  • Marketing cookies, including the Meta Pixel, which helps us measure the effectiveness of our advertising on Facebook and Instagram and show you relevant ads

You can refuse or withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time through our cookie settings, where available, or through your browser settings (usually found under “Settings”, “Options” or “Preferences”). Please note that disabling cookies may affect how our website works.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep your personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as we are legally required to (for example, for tax and accounting purposes). After that, we securely delete or anonymise it.

8. How We Protect Your Information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. In the unlikely event of a security breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.

9. Your Rights
Under POPIA, you have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction or deletion of your personal information
  • Object to the processing of your personal information
  • Withdraw your consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (www.inforegulator.org.za)

You can exercise these rights free of charge by contacting our Information Officer at service@capethreads.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

10. Contact
For any questions, concerns or complaints about this policy or your experience with CapeThreads, please contact us:

Information Officer: service@capethreads.com
Email: service@capethreads.com
Response time: within 1–2 business days
Returns: please contact customer service for our return address before sending any items.

We sell exclusively to consumers in South Africa. Our contracts are governed by South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.