Privacy Policy

*Last updated: September 2026*

1. Who we are

RedHot Reptiles is a sole trader based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information. It applies to all visitors and customers of this website.

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

2. What we collect

We collect the following personal information:

Information you provide directly:<br/>- Name<br/>- Email address<br/>- Phone number<br/>- Wildlife licence number and state<br/>- Delivery address (suburb, postcode, and optional full address) if you choose delivery<br/>- Marketing consent preference

Information collected automatically:<br/>- Session cookies for authentication and cart functionality<br/>- IP-anonymised analytics data (Google Analytics)

Payment information:<br/>- Payment is processed by Stripe. We do not collect, store, or have access to your credit card number, CVV, or banking details. Stripe processes this data under their own privacy policy and PCI-DSS compliance.

Order information:<br/>- Purchase history, order references, and licence details associated with your account.

3. Why we collect it

We collect your personal information for the following purposes:

• Processing orders — to confirm your purchase, verify your licence, and arrange collection or delivery of your animal.
• Licence verification — to confirm you hold a valid licence before handover, as required by law.
• Communication — to contact you about your order, arrange collection times, send delivery quotes, and respond to your enquiries.
• Legal compliance — to maintain records required by Queensland wildlife regulations and Australian tax law (order and licence records retained for 7 years).
• Marketing — only if you have opted in. You will receive updates about new animals and clutches. You can opt out at any time.

4. How we store it

• Your personal information is stored in our database, hosted on Railway (PostgreSQL).
• Payment processing is handled by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor.
• Email communications are sent via Resend, a transactional email service.
• Animal listing photos may be hosted on imgBB, a third-party image hosting service.
• We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.

5. Who we share it with

We share your personal information only with the following service providers, and only as necessary to operate our business:

| Service provider | Purpose | Data shared |<br/>|-----------------|---------|-------------|<br/>| Stripe | Payment processing | Name, email, payment details (processed — we do not receive card numbers) |<br/>| Railway | Database hosting | All data stored in our database |<br/>| Resend | Transactional email | Name, email, order details |<br/>| imgBB | Photo hosting | Animal listing images only |

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third party for marketing purposes.

6. Your rights under the Australian Privacy Principles

Under the APPs, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details on our Contact page. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

7. Marketing communications

• Marketing emails are sent only if you have given explicit consent (opt-in at checkout or in your account settings).
• Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link.
• You can update your marketing preference at any time in your account settings, or by contacting us directly.
• Opting out of marketing does not affect transactional emails about your orders.

8. Cookies

We use the following cookies:

• Session cookies — for authentication (keeping you logged in) and cart functionality. These are essential for the site to work and do not expire until you close your browser or your session times out.

We do not use third-party tracking cookies. Google Analytics is configured with IP anonymisation, meaning your IP address is not stored.

9. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymised data about your browsing behaviour (pages visited, time on site, referral source).

• IP addresses are anonymised.
• No personal information (name, email, licence number) is sent to Google Analytics.
• You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

10. Data retention

| Data type | Retention period | Reason |<br/>|-----------|-----------------|--------|<br/>| Order and payment records | 7 years | Australian tax and consumer law obligations |<br/>| Licence details | 7 years | Queensland wildlife regulation compliance |<br/>| Account information | Until you request deletion | Service provision |<br/>| Marketing consent records | Until you withdraw consent | Proof of consent |<br/>| Cart data | 30 days | Session persistence |<br/>| Notification logs | 2 years | Service records |

11. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data in transit (HTTPS)
• Database access restricted to our application
• Payment processing handled by PCI-DSS compliant Stripe (we never handle card data directly)
• Regular password hashing with bcrypt

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Third-party links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (for example, the Queensland Government's wildlife licensing pages). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

13. Children's privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are under 16, please do not provide personal information to us.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on this page with the date at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to exercise your rights under the Australian Privacy Principles, contact us using the details on our Contact page.