Privacy Policy

Who we are

House of Sisyphus (“House of Sisyphus,” “we,” “us”) is a private natural-history specimen dealer based in Washington State, USA. This policy covers the houseofsisyphus.com website, our Waiting List, our customer correspondence, and our live-sale channels on Whatnot, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

What we collect

We collect only what we need to run the House.

From the Waiting List form (the only form currently active on the site):

• Name
• Email address
• A short note on what kind of pieces draw you in
• Approximate price range you collect at
• How you collect (occasional, steady, serious, gift)
• How you found us
• Region (optional)
• Anything else you choose to tell us (optional)

From customer purchases (when the Cabinet opens):

• Shipping address and name
• Email address
• Payment confirmation from Stripe, PayPal, or Venmo (we do not see or store full card numbers)

From live-sale platforms (Whatnot, TikTok):

• Only the information those platforms share with us about a winning bidder — typically a username, shipping address for fulfillment, and any messages you send through their chat. We do not pull additional data from your profile.

We do not run analytics, advertising pixels, or third-party tracking on the website. The only third-party assets loaded by the site are Google Fonts (for typography) and the form endpoint that records Waiting List submissions to our own Google Sheet.

How we use it

• Sourcing decisions. Your answers on the Waiting List form shape what we hunt for. If several people on the list collect Tsumeb minerals, that’s where we look next.
• Sale invitations. When a piece comes in that matches your stated interest, we may reach out directly before it goes to the public shop. Infrequent — not a marketing newsletter.
• Order fulfillment. Shipping addresses and contact details are used to deliver what you bought and reach you if there’s a problem with the order.
• Required correspondence. Damage claims, return processing, customs documentation, and basic customer support.

We do not sell, rent, lease, or share your data with marketing companies, data brokers, or third-party advertisers.

Who we share data with

A small set of service providers handle pieces of the operation on our behalf. They only receive what they need to do their job.

• Cloudflare — hosts the website and routes traffic. They see the same request metadata any web host would (IP address, browser type, page requested). They do not see Waiting List submissions.
• Google (Apps Script, Sheets, Drive) — stores Waiting List submissions in a private spreadsheet that only the owner can read. Google’s privacy terms apply to that storage layer.
• Stripe — processes credit/debit card payments on the website once the Cabinet opens. They handle card data directly; we do not see it.
• PayPal, Venmo — alternate payment routes when arranged directly with us.
• Pirateship — generates shipping labels. They receive the shipping address.
• Whatnot, TikTok — our live-sale platforms. They handle their own checkout and share the winner’s shipping address with us for fulfillment.

We disclose information only when a service provider above genuinely needs it to perform their function, or when we are legally compelled to (court order, lawful subpoena, fraud investigation by law enforcement).

Cookies and tracking

The website itself sets no analytics or advertising cookies. Standard hosting-platform cookies from Cloudflare may be used for security and basic performance. Google Fonts requests may register access in Google’s own logs — we cannot turn that off without dropping our typography.

We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, TikTok Pixel, or any retargeting tools on the site.

Your rights

You can:

• Ask what we have on you. Email us at houseofsisyphus@gmail.com from the address on file, and we’ll send you everything in our records within thirty days.
• Correct anything wrong. Reply with corrections to that same email and we’ll update it.
• Leave the Waiting List. Email us and we’ll delete your entry within seven days. Past order records may be retained for tax and customs purposes (see Retention below).
• Opt out of sale invitations. Tell us once; we won’t write again.

If you’re a resident of California, the EU/EEA, the UK, or another jurisdiction with specific privacy rights (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), the rights above apply to you and we will respond to formal requests within the statutory time frame.

Retention

• Waiting List entries are kept until you ask us to remove them or until the list goes inactive for an extended period.
• Order records (purchases, shipping addresses, invoices) are retained for at least seven years to satisfy U.S. tax and customs documentation requirements.
• Customer correspondence is kept as long as the relationship is active.

Security

The website is served over HTTPS. Payment processing happens on Stripe’s servers under PCI compliance — full card numbers never touch ours. The Waiting List Google Sheet is private, with access limited to the owner. We use unique, strong passwords with multi-factor authentication on the accounts that hold this data. No system is perfectly secure; we treat your information with the same care we treat the specimens.

Children

The site and the Waiting List are not directed at children under thirteen. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under thirteen. If you believe a child has submitted information, email us and we’ll remove it.

Changes to this policy

If we change anything material, we’ll update the “Effective” date at the top of this page and, where reasonably possible, notify active Waiting List members by email. Continued use of the site or the list after a change indicates acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact

Questions, requests, or formal privacy notices:

House of Sisyphus
houseofsisyphus@gmail.com