Privacy Policy of Istanbul Online

Last Updated: 2025-03-22

Welcome to Istanbul Online (“we,” “us,” or “the Site”). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your personal information when you use our website and services. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Site, you consent to the data collection and use practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect different types of information from and about you when you use our Site, including:

  • Personal Information: This is information that can be used to personally identify you, such as your name, email address, shipping address, billing address, phone number, and payment information (such as credit card details, although we do not store them directly; they are processed through secure payment providers). We collect this information when you register on the Site, place an order, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us via email or contact forms.
  • Transaction Information: We collect information about transactions you make on our Site, including the products you purchase, purchase date, purchase amount, payment method, and shipping details.
  • Device and Usage Information: We collect information about the device and browser you use to access our Site, your IP address, operating system, browser type, and information about how you use our Site, such as the pages you visit, the links you click, and the time you spend on each page. This information is collected automatically through cookies and similar tracking technologies (described below).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Provide and Operate Our Services: To operate our Site and provide the services you request, such as processing purchase orders, shipping products, and providing customer service.
  • Improve Our Site and Services: To analyze how you use our Site, understand your preferences, improve the design and functionality of our Site, and develop new products and services.
  • Communicate with You: To communicate with you about your orders, provide shipping updates, respond to your inquiries, and send marketing and promotional messages (if you have consented to this, and you can unsubscribe at any time).
  • Personalization: To personalize your experience on our Site and display products and content that may interest you.
  • Legal Purposes: To comply with applicable laws and regulations, protect our rights and interests and yours, and prevent fraud and other illegal activities.

3. Sharing Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following third parties for the purposes described above:

  • Shipping and Delivery Service Providers: To share your shipping information with shipping and delivery companies such as [Shipping Company Name or examples of shipping companies] to deliver the products you have ordered to you.
  • Payment Service Providers: We use secure payment service providers to process your payments. When you make a purchase, you will be directed to a secure payment gateway of the payment service provider to process your payment information. We do not store your credit card information directly.
  • Product Suppliers (Dropshipping): We operate on a dropshipping basis and may share your order information (such as shipping address and products ordered) with our overseas suppliers (such as AliExpress and Trendyol) to fulfill your orders and ship products directly to you. Please be aware that the privacy policies of these suppliers may differ from our Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.
  • Marketing and Advertising Service Providers: We may share your information with marketing and advertising service providers to help us deliver targeted advertising to you, analyze the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, and send marketing messages to you (if you have consented to this).
  • Other Service Providers: We may share your information with other service providers who help us operate our Site and business, such as website hosting providers, analytics service providers, and customer support service providers.
  • Legal Authorities: We may disclose your personal information to legal authorities if required by law or in response to valid legal requests (such as a court order or subpoena).

4. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as web beacons and pixels) to collect information about your use of our Site and improve your experience. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. Cookies allow us to remember your actions and preferences (such as login, language, and font size) for a certain period, so you do not have to re-enter them each time you return to the Site or browse from one page to another.

We use different types of cookies, including:

  • Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our Site and enable you to use its basic features, such as adding items to your shopping cart and completing the checkout process.
  • Performance Cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use our Site, such as the pages you visit most frequently and the error messages you may receive. These cookies help us improve the performance of our Site.
  • Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow our Site to remember your choices (such as username, language, and region) and provide enhanced, personalized features.
  • Advertising and Targeting Cookies: These cookies are used to display advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. You can refuse all cookies or accept only some of them. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Site and you may not be able to use some features fully.

5. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These security measures include technical, administrative, and physical safeguards. Despite our efforts, please be aware that no security system is perfect and impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

6. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Right to Access: The right to request access to your personal information that we hold and obtain a copy of it.
  • Right to Rectification: The right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure: The right to request deletion of your personal information under certain circumstances.
  • Right to Restriction of Processing: The right to request restriction of processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
  • Right to Object to Processing: The right to object to the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
  • Right to Data Portability: The right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and transmit it to another party.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: If you have provided your consent to the processing of your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via [Method of contact available on your site – usually a “Contact Us” page or an email address mentioned in the footer]. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable laws.

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of [Minimum age – e.g., 16 years old]. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of [Minimum age]. If you become aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes to the Privacy Policy on this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any updates. Changes will be effective when they are posted on this page.

10. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates.

Thank you for trusting Istanbul Online.