Privacy Policy

1Scope and purpose

We take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how BQ tech collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information when you visit our website at www.pcboutlet.com (the "Site"), use our services, or communicate with us by email, chat, phone or other electronic means.

This policy applies to all personal information we process in connection with the Site and our services. It should be read together with our Terms of Service and other policies referenced on the Site, all of which are incorporated by reference.

2Key principles

We follow these core principles when handling your data:

• Lawfulness, fairness and transparency — we only collect data for clear, legitimate purposes and tell you what we do with it.
• Purpose limitation — we use data only for the purposes for which it was collected, or other compatible purposes you would reasonably expect.
• Data minimisation — we collect only what is necessary to provide our services.
• Accuracy — we take reasonable steps to keep your data accurate and up to date.
• Storage limitation — we keep data only as long as needed for the stated purposes, or as required by law.
• Integrity and confidentiality — we protect your data with appropriate technical and organisational measures.

3Information we collect

Personal information is any data that can be used to identify you directly or indirectly, or that can be linked to an identifiable individual. It does not include data that has been fully and irreversibly anonymised.

We may collect the following categories of information:

Information you provide to us directly

• Account details: name, email address, phone number, company name, billing and shipping addresses.
• Order information: the products you order, design files, BOM, technical specifications, delivery notes and payment-related data.
• Communication records: emails, chat transcripts, support tickets, survey responses and feedback you send us.
• Payment information: we do not store full card numbers. Payment data is handled by our payment processors through tokenisation (see Section 11).

Information collected automatically

• Log data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time and date of access.
• Usage data: which products and pages you view, how long you spend on the Site, search queries and other interaction patterns.
• Location data: approximate location derived from your IP address, or more precise location if you enable location services on your device.
• Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 7 for details.

4How we use your information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and deliver our services — processing orders, manufacturing custom PCBs and assemblies, arranging shipping, handling payments and sending order-related notifications (order confirmation, shipping notice, delivery updates, payment reminders).
• To support you — answering questions, handling returns and refunds, resolving quality issues and providing technical support.
• To improve our services — analysing how the Site is used, testing new features, optimising performance and developing new products.
• For security and fraud prevention — verifying accounts, detecting and preventing fraud, abuse and unauthorised access, and enforcing our Terms of Service.
• For marketing (with your consent) — sending you newsletters, product updates, promotions and personalised recommendations. You can opt out at any time by contacting us at market@pcboutlet.com or by using the unsubscribe link in marketing emails.
• For legal and compliance purposes — complying with applicable laws, regulations, court orders and government requests, and protecting our rights, property and safety, and those of our users and partners.

5Legal basis for processing (for EEA users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, we process your personal data only when we have a valid legal basis under applicable data protection law, which may include:

• Performance of a contract with you (for example, processing your order).
• Compliance with a legal obligation (for example, record-keeping or tax requirements).
• Our legitimate interests (for example, improving our services, preventing fraud and ensuring security), provided these do not override your rights and freedoms.
• Your consent (for example, for marketing communications or certain cookie uses), which you may withdraw at any time.

6Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your data only in the following circumstances, and only to the extent necessary:

Service providers and partners

We may share data with carefully selected third parties who help us operate our business, including:

• Manufacturing partners and suppliers who help produce your order.
• Logistics and shipping carriers (such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, EMS and postal services), to whom we provide delivery addresses, phone numbers and order details needed for shipment.
• Payment processors, who handle transactions on our behalf.
• IT and hosting providers, who support our systems and infrastructure.
• Compliance and screening providers, who help us meet export control and sanctions obligations.
• Customer support and communication tools.

We require all such recipients to process data only on our instructions, to keep it confidential and to apply appropriate security measures. We remain responsible for ensuring they handle your data in line with this Privacy Policy.

Legal and regulatory disclosures

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations or regulatory requirements.
• Protect our rights, property or safety, or those of our users or the public.
• Detect, prevent or address fraud, security or technical issues.
• Enforce our Terms of Service or other agreements.

Business transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, financing, reorganisation or similar transaction, customer data may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

7Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your browser or device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work properly, to remember your preferences and to understand how visitors use a site. We also use similar technologies such as pixel tags, local storage and device identifiers for the same purposes. Collectively, we refer to all of these as "cookies".

We use cookies to:

• Enable core site functionality (login, shopping cart, language settings).
• Remember your preferences and settings.
• Understand how visitors use the Site and measure performance.
• Deliver relevant advertising and measure its effectiveness.
• Enhance security and prevent fraud.

The specific cookies we use may change over time as we update the Site. Below is an overview of the main categories.

7.1 Essential cookies

These cookies are required for the Site to function properly and cannot be turned off. They are usually set in response to actions you take, such as logging in or filling in forms.

7.2 Preference and functionality cookies

These cookies allow the Site to remember choices you make (such as language or region) and provide enhanced, more personal features.

7.3 Analytics and performance cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

You can learn more about how Google uses data at: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

7.4 Advertising cookies

These cookies are used to deliver ads that are more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an ad and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They are usually placed by advertising networks with our permission.

You can manage or opt out of many third-party advertising cookies at:

• Google: https://adssettings.google.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies/
• Your Online Choices (EU): https://www.youronlinechoices.com
• Network Advertising Initiative (US): https://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.

8Data retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the purpose for which it is used. For example:

• Order and transaction records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws, typically several years.
• Account information is kept for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterwards for legal and operational purposes.
• Website logs are kept for up to 60 days, with personally identifying information masked after 7 days, except where needed for security or fraud investigation.
• Marketing communications data is kept until you opt out or withdraw consent.

9Data security

We use a combination of technical, administrative and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest where appropriate.
• Access controls and role-based permissions.
• Regular security assessments and audits.
• Employee training and confidentiality obligations.
• Secure payment processing through tokenisation (full card numbers are never stored on our servers).

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10International data transfers

Because we operate globally, your information may be transferred to, stored in or processed in countries outside your country of residence, including countries where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

When we transfer personal data internationally, we take steps to ensure that it receives an adequate level of protection, including through appropriate contractual safeguards, technical measures and compliance with applicable laws.

11Payment information

We work with established payment processors to handle transactions securely. When you make a payment:

• We do not store full credit or debit card numbers on our servers.
• Card details are captured by our payment processor and replaced with a unique token.
• Only the encrypted token is stored and used for future charges if you choose to save a card to your account.
• Each transaction is logged with the amount, customer name, billing address and phone number for accounting and fraud-prevention purposes.

12Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, which may include:

• Access — the right to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — the right to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
• Deletion — the right to request deletion of your data, where no longer necessary or where you withdraw consent.
• Restriction — the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
• Objection — the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Data portability — the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Withdrawal of consent — the right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
• Complaint — the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at market@pcboutlet.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe, and in any event within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request to protect your privacy and security.

In some cases, we may not be able to fulfil your request if required or permitted by applicable law (for example, where we have a legal obligation to retain certain records).

13Children

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16 (or the relevant age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under that age, we will take steps to delete it as soon as possible. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at market@pcboutlet.com.

14Third-party websites and services

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, tools and services (such as payment providers, shipping carriers, social media platforms and analytics services). These third parties have their own privacy policies and practices, which we do not control. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by BQ tech. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party services you use.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or actions of independent third-party websites or services that are not operated or controlled by BQ tech.

15Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or other factors. When we make material changes, we will post the updated version on this page and update the "Last updated" date below.

Your continued use of the Site or our services after the effective date of the revised policy means you accept the changes. If you do not agree with the updated policy, please stop using our services and contact us to close your account.

16Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Email: market@pcboutlet.com

17Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)

We understand that your design files and technical information may be highly sensitive. Both companies and individual customers may request a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing confidential information, and BQ tech is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of such information.

To request an NDA, please send your details to market@pcboutlet.com. Provide your own draft for our review.