Privacy policy

Last updated: April 10, 2026

Curated Selection of Teaware (operated by MIDWEST TEA MERCHANTS LLC, together referred to as "we", "us", "our", or "the Company") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website householdsitem.com (the "Site") or make a purchase from Curated Selection of Teaware. Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with any part of this Privacy Policy, you must not use our Site or provide us with any personal information.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information from and about you:

Personal Identifiers
When you place an order, create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us, we may collect your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, phone number (optional), and payment information.

Order and Transaction Information
Details of products you purchase, order history, shipping preferences, and any communications related to your orders. All transactions on our Site are processed in Euros (EUR).

Device and Usage Data
We automatically collect certain information about your device and how you interact with the Site, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time and date of visits, and clickstream data.

Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. For more information, see Section 6 (Cookies) below.

Information You Provide Voluntarily
Any information you submit through our contact form, email (shopping@householdsitem.com), customer support interactions, product reviews, or surveys.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To process and fulfill your orders, including payment verification, shipping, and providing order confirmations and tracking updates.

  • To communicate with you about your orders, returns, exchanges, or customer service requests. Our primary method of communication is email via shopping@householdsitem.com.

  • To manage your account on householdsitem.com.

  • To improve our product selection, website functionality, and customer experience.

  • To prevent fraudulent transactions, unauthorized access, and other security incidents.

  • To comply with legal obligations, such as tax and accounting requirements.

  • To send you promotional emails, newsletters, or special offers only if you have given your explicit consent. You may opt out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

  • To analyze usage trends and aggregate statistics to optimize our Site performance.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (for users in certain jurisdictions)

When we process your personal information, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases: your consent (e.g., for marketing emails), performance of a contract (e.g., to deliver your order), compliance with a legal obligation (e.g., tax laws), or our legitimate business interests (e.g., fraud prevention, site analytics).

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. However, we may share your information with the following categories of third parties:

Service Providers
We share your information with third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, including:

  • Payment processors (e.g., credit card processing companies, PayPal, and other payment gateways). These processors handle your payment information according to their own privacy policies.

  • Shipping carriers (such as USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, or local postal services) to deliver your orders.

  • Email service providers for sending transactional and marketing emails.

  • IT and cloud hosting services that store and manage our website data.

  • Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) to help us understand Site traffic.

Legal and Regulatory Authorities
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others, or to investigate fraud or security violations.

Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, your personal information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on our Site of any change in ownership or control of your personal information.

With Your Consent
We may share your information for any other purpose disclosed to you and with your explicit consent.

5. International Data Transfers

Our business is based in the United States, and we primarily serve customers in the US market. However, we accept orders from around the world. If you are accessing our Site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from your country of residence. By using our Site and providing your information, you consent to such transfer, storage, and processing. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies to distinguish you from other users, remember your preferences, and analyze how you use householdsitem.com. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies, but doing so may affect certain features of our Site.

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Strictly necessary cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., shopping cart, checkout).

  • Performance and analytics cookies: Help us count visits and traffic sources to measure and improve Site performance.

  • Functional cookies: Enable enhanced functionality, such as remembering your login details or language preferences.

  • Targeting/advertising cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements to you. We do not currently serve third-party ads, but we may use analytics cookies from providers like Google.

You can learn more about managing cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for data transmitted during checkout, restricted access to personal data within our organization, and regular security reviews. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account password (if any) confidential and for logging out after each session.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only 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 (e.g., tax, accounting, or legal compliance). For order records, we typically retain information for seven (7) years from the date of the last transaction to comply with tax obligations. Marketing preferences and consent records are kept until you withdraw your consent or request deletion. After the retention period expires, we will securely delete or anonymize your information.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction (particularly if you are a resident of California, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or certain other regions), you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

  • Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

  • Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal exceptions (e.g., we may need to retain data for tax or fraud prevention purposes).

  • Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your information.

  • Right to Data Portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your information to transfer to another service provider.

  • Right to Object: Object to certain processing activities, such as direct marketing.

  • Right to Withdraw Consent: If we rely on your consent to process data, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at shopping@householdsitem.com with the subject line "Privacy Request". We will respond within thirty (30) days or as required by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with additional rights, including:

  • The right to know what personal information we have collected, used, disclosed, or sold about you over the past 12 months.

  • The right to request deletion of your personal information (subject to exceptions).

  • The right to opt-out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell your personal information, so no opt-out is required.

  • The right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights.

To make a CCPA request, email us at shopping@householdsitem.com. Authorized agents may submit requests on your behalf with written proof of authorization.

Nevada Privacy Rights
Nevada residents have the right to opt out of the sale of certain personal information. We do not engage in such sales. If you have questions, please contact us.

10. Children‘s Privacy

Our Site and products are not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at shopping@householdsitem.com, and we will take steps to delete that information. For users under 18, please obtain parental or guardian consent before using our Site.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, such as payment gateways or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third parties. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. For material changes, we will notify you by email (to the address associated with your account) or by placing a prominent notice on householdsitem.com. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact us at:

Email: shopping@householdsitem.com
Postal Mail: MIDWEST TEA MERCHANTS LLC, 554 CARPENTER ST, COLUMBUS, OH 43205, United States

Please allow 1-2 business days for a response to email inquiries.

Effective Date: April 10, 2026