Privacy Policy

Mercato is a cross-border marketplace that connects shoppers with independent makers. This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use mercato.homes, why we collect it, and the choices you have.

For any privacy question, contact us at privacy@mercato.homes.

Information you give us: your name, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), delivery addresses, phone number, and any messages you send to sellers or support.

Order and store information: the products you buy or list, order totals, coupons used, and your store profile if you sell on Mercato.

Payment information: card payments are processed by Stripe. We receive a payment reference and the last digits of the card, never your full card number or security code.

Information collected automatically: device and browser type, approximate location derived from IP address, pages viewed, and similar usage data.

To create and secure your account, process orders, arrange delivery, and show you order status.

To operate the marketplace: connecting buyers and sellers, calculating totals, transaction fees and payouts, and preventing fraud and abuse.

To communicate with you about your account, orders and support requests, and — where permitted — to send updates you can opt out of at any time.

To improve the platform, including understanding which features are used and diagnosing problems.

We use a small number of cookies that are necessary to run the site — for example to keep you signed in and to remember your cart. Blocking these cookies can prevent parts of the site from working.

We do not sell your personal information.

With sellers: the details a seller needs to fulfil and deliver your order, such as your name, delivery address and the items ordered.

With service providers: companies that help us run the platform, including payment processing (Stripe), email delivery and hosting. They may only use the data to provide their service to us.

For legal reasons: when required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of Mercato, our users or the public.

Business transfers: if Mercato is involved in a merger or acquisition, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We keep account and order records for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards, so that we can meet legal, accounting and fraud-prevention obligations. When information is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous.

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal information, or to object to certain processing. You can update most details from your account settings.

To make a request, email privacy@mercato.homes. We may need to verify your identity before acting on it.

We use industry-standard measures such as encrypted connections, hashed passwords and access controls to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Mercato is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Mercato is a cross-border service, so your information may be processed in countries other than your own — including where our service providers operate. We take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for those transfers.

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the date at the top of this page and, for significant changes, notify you through the platform or by email.