Privacy Policy

What we collect, why we collect it, and how to make us delete it.

Last updated July 29, 2026

We're a small operation and we collect as little as we can get away with. This page describes what we actually do — not a template of what a larger company might do. If something here is unclear, ask us and we'll fix the wording.

Who we are

Appalachian Tarantulas, LLC is a Tennessee limited liability company based in Mountain City, Tennessee. We operate this site and the husbandry apps Tarantuverse and Herpetoverse. We are the data controller for information collected here.

Reach us any time at cory@appalachiantarantulas.com.

What we collect

If you only read care guides

Nothing that identifies you. The care guides need no account, no email address, and no purchase. Our host (Vercel) keeps standard server logs including IP addresses for security and to keep the site running.

If you create an account

Your email address, name, and a password. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt before storage — we never hold the password itself and cannot recover it for you.

If you contact us

Whatever you put in the form or the email: your name, email address, and message. We keep it so we can answer you and refer back to the conversation.

If you place an order (once the shop opens)

Your shipping and billing address, phone number if you provide one, and what you ordered. We also record how much you have spent with us in total, because our loyalty discount is calculated from it.

We never see or store your card number. Card details go directly to Stripe. We receive only a confirmation and the last four digits.

What we don't do

  • We don't sell or rent your personal information. Ever.
  • We don't run advertising or advertising trackers on this site.
  • We don't email you marketing unless you asked us to — and every such email has a working unsubscribe link.
  • We don't require an account for anything you can already do without one.

Cookies

We use cookies for things that break without them, not for tracking:

  • Session cookie — keeps you signed in, and keeps your cart attached to you if you shop as a guest. Encrypted and HTTP-only, so scripts can't read it.
  • Preview cookie — set only if you were given a preview link while the site was behind its coming-soon page.

We don't use third-party advertising cookies, which is why there's no consent banner to click through.

Who we share it with

Only the services that make the site work. Each gets the minimum it needs, and none of them may use your information for their own marketing:

  • Stripe — payment processing. Handles card data directly so we never hold it.
  • Resend — sends order, shipping and contact-form email.
  • Twilio — optional SMS shipping alerts, only if you give us a phone number and ask for them.
  • Neon and Cloudflare R2 — database and image hosting.
  • Vercel — website hosting.
  • FedEx / USPS — the delivery address, so your package arrives.

We would also disclose information if the law actually required it of us. If our business is ever sold or merged, your information may transfer with it, and this policy continues to apply until you are told otherwise.

How long we keep it

Order records are kept for seven years, because tax and business law requires it. Account information is kept until you ask us to delete it. Contact-form messages are kept for two years. Server logs roll off within 30 days.

Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to show you what we hold, correct it, delete it, or send you a copy. We don't require you to be in a particular state or country to ask — drawing that line felt worse than simply honouring the request.

Email cory@appalachiantarantulas.com and we'll respond within 30 days. We will never charge you for a request, and we won't treat you differently for making one.

One limit worth stating plainly: we can't delete order records we're legally required to retain. We can delete everything else.

Children

This site isn't directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us information, email us and we'll remove it.

Security

Traffic is encrypted in transit, passwords are hashed, card data never reaches our servers, and admin areas require authentication. No system is perfectly secure, and we'd rather say that than promise otherwise. If we ever discover a breach affecting your information, we will tell you.

Changes

If we change this policy we'll update the date at the top. For a change that materially affects how we handle information already collected, we'll email account holders rather than quietly swapping the page.

Questions

Email cory@appalachiantarantulas.com or use the contact form. A real person reads it.