Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 October 2026

We respect your privacy. This notice explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and your rights. We follow the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable laws.

1) Who we are

Essential Stationeries Co. provides standardised school stationery packs and related services to parents and schools.

2) Information we collect

• Parents placing orders: school, grade, pack selection, student name (for labelling), parent/guardian name, email, mobile number, delivery/collection preferences (for home delivery, the delivery address and postal code), payment references, and the proof-of-payment file you upload.
• School partners: school name, province/city, contact person, email, phone, uploaded stationery lists and onboarding details.
• Website & support: pages viewed, device/browser info, approximate location, support messages and call booking details.

3) How we use your information

• Provide and deliver stationery packs and services you request.
• Sign you in with a one-time code sent to your email address.
• Respond to queries, onboarding, and support.
• Send operational emails/SMS (order confirmations, updates, invoices). You can opt out of non-essential marketing at any time.
• Improve our site, services and operations, including fraud prevention and security.

4) Lawful basis

We process data as needed to perform a contract with you (e.g., fulfill an order), to comply with law, and for our legitimate interests (e.g., secure and efficient operations). Where required, we obtain consent (e.g., optional marketing).

5) Sharing & processors

• Service providers: we use reputable providers to host, store and send communications (for example, Amazon Web Services, where our data is stored in Cape Town, South Africa, and Amazon SES, which sends our emails, including your sign-in code, from Ireland). They are bound by contract and only process data for us.
• Address suggestions: when you type your home street address at checkout, the text you type there is sent to Google (Google Maps Platform) so it can suggest matching addresses; Google also receives your IP address, as with any web request. We do not send your name, phone number or email address to Google, and you can ignore the suggestions and type your address yourself.
• Schools: for partnered schools, we may share order summaries needed to coordinate delivery and reconciliations.
• Legal/Protection: we may disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights, users, and the public.

6) Cookies

We use necessary cookies for basic site functionality. We may use analytics (anonymous/aggregated) to improve the site. You can control cookies via your browser settings.

7) Security

We use administrative, technical, and organisational measures to protect data (TLS in transit, access controls, least-privilege, and encrypted storage offered by our providers). No method is 100% secure; please keep your devices and emails safe.

8) Retention

We retain information only as long as necessary for the purposes above and to meet legal/accounting obligations, then delete or anonymise it. Proof-of-payment files you upload are deleted automatically 400 days after upload.

9) Your rights

You may request access, correction, deletion, or restriction of your personal information, and object to certain processing. To exercise your rights, contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity.

10) Children

Our services are for parents/guardians and schools. If we learn we collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent, we will delete it.

11) International transfers

Our providers may process data in other countries: for example, the emails we send you (order messages and sign-in codes) pass through Amazon SES in Ireland. We rely on appropriate safeguards (contractual clauses, secure infrastructure) to protect your information when it is transferred. The address text you type for suggestions is processed by Google, which may handle it outside South Africa.

12) Contact us

Questions or requests: sales@essentialstationeries.com

This notice may be updated from time to time. Material changes will be posted here.