Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

1. Scope and who we are

Hardware Club is a business-to-business retailer catalogue and ordering service for hardware retailers in India. This policy applies to the Hardware Club website, the Android applications with package names com.hardwareclub.app and in.hardwareclub.app, related support, account, ordering and fulfilment interactions, and any page that links to this policy.

The service is intended for hardware retailers, store owners and their authorised business representatives who are at least 18 years old. It is not directed to children or for personal household shopping.

2. Information we handle

• Account and authentication: registered mobile number, OTP request and verification status, login session information and account status. OTPs are used only for verification and are not placed in analytics.
• Retailer profile: store and owner name, district, city, state, pincode, billing and shipping address, preferred transporter and, when provided, GSTIN or PAN, business category, monthly purchase range, user type and language preference.
• Orders and support: selected products, quantities, prices, cart and PI-request details, order and payment status, invoice and delivery information, confirmation-call notes, sourcing requests and support history.
• Optional submissions: product suggestions, notes and photos you choose to provide. If community, local-rate, review, referral or similar contribution features are made available, we process the content you deliberately submit through them.
• Technical and security data: request time, browser or app version, device class, IP address and security logs that our infrastructure providers may process to deliver and protect the service.
• Google Play information: Google may provide aggregated installation, crash, performance, ratings and review information under Google's own terms. We do not receive your Google Account password.

3. Why we use information

We use information only as reasonably necessary to:

• send and verify OTPs, create and secure retailer accounts and maintain login sessions;
• provide the catalogue, retailer pricing, MOQ rules, carts, account features and order history;
• prepare and confirm PI or order requests, invoices, Cash on Delivery, transport and dispatch;
• respond to support, assistance, product-sourcing, correction and deletion requests;
• operate, troubleshoot, secure and improve the website, Android app and business operations;
• prevent fraud, misuse or unauthorised access and enforce these terms; and
• meet applicable tax, accounting, regulatory, legal and dispute-resolution obligations.

Where consent is required, we ask for it in clear language and you may withdraw it. Withdrawal does not affect processing already completed and does not prevent processing that is otherwise required or permitted by law.

4. Website analytics, browser storage and Android access

Optional website analytics

First-party website analytics remain off until you choose Allow analytics. When allowed, we use random visitor and 30-minute session identifiers to measure page and section views, product and category interactions, cart and PI-request steps, safe login-stage outcomes, device class and performance measurements such as LCP, INP, CLS, FCP and TTFB.

The analytics store does not contain your mobile number, OTP, catalogue search words, GSTIN, PAN, address, payment details, login token, keystrokes, cursor movement, session recordings, the full URL query string or raw IP address. Campaign source, medium and campaign labels may be recorded when present. After login, later events may be linked to the verified retailer account using server-generated identifiers so we can understand the guest-to-login journey. Raw analytics events are normally retained for up to 90 days, while aggregated business reports may be kept longer.

Necessary local storage

The website stores necessary login, cart and preference information on your device. The Android app stores the login session, language and other preferences, and limited catalogue or market-rate cache needed for reliable use. Logging out or clearing app/browser data removes local information but does not itself delete the server account.

Android permissions and user-selected media

The Android app uses internet access to communicate with Hardware Club. It does not request access to contacts, precise location, SMS, call logs or microphone. When you choose to add an optional product photo, Android may open the system camera or photo picker for that action. We do not use an advertising SDK or session-replay SDK in the current Android app.

Website users can change analytics permission at any time through Analytics choices in the website footer or account area.

5. When information is shared

We do not sell personal information. We may share only what is needed with:

• authorised Hardware Club sales, operations, support and administration staff;
• participating suppliers, invoice teams, transporters and logistics partners involved in a request or order;
• service providers supporting OTP delivery, website and API hosting, database storage, product images, security, communications and support;
• professional advisers, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies when reasonably necessary or legally required; and
• a successor organisation in a genuine merger, acquisition or business transfer, subject to applicable safeguards.

Service providers may process information in India or another country where they operate. We use them only for relevant service purposes and expect appropriate contractual, organisational and technical safeguards.

6. Retention and security

• Account and retailer-profile information is kept while the account is active and for a reasonable period needed to operate or close it.
• OTP verification records are short-lived. Login sessions expire and can be ended by logging out.
• Orders, invoices, tax, fraud-prevention and audit records may be retained or anonymised for the period required by law or legitimate dispute and accounting needs.
• Support and optional submission records are kept only as long as reasonably necessary for the request, safety, moderation or legal obligations.
• Deletion requests are applied to active systems; residual copies may remain temporarily in restricted backups until those backups are securely overwritten or deleted.

We use HTTPS in transit, access controls, role-based administration, signed sessions, restricted production access and hashed analytics identifiers. No internet service can guarantee absolute security, so please protect your device, OTP and account session and notify us if you suspect unauthorised access.

7. Your choices, rights and account deletion

Subject to applicable law, you may ask us to:

• confirm what personal information we hold and provide relevant information about its processing;
• correct, complete or update inaccurate account or profile information;
• withdraw optional analytics consent or another consent you previously provided;
• delete your account and associated personal information, except records we must retain; and
• review and resolve a privacy grievance, and nominate another person to exercise rights where applicable.

Uninstalling the Android app, logging out or clearing browser data does not delete the server account. We may decline or limit a request where identity cannot be verified or retention is required by applicable law, and we will explain the reason where permitted.

8. Children and policy changes

Hardware Club is a retailer service for adults and does not knowingly offer accounts to children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

We may update this page when the website, Android app, service providers or legal requirements change. Material changes will be communicated through an appropriate notice. The effective date below identifies the current version.

10. Catalogue, prices and orders

• Catalogue descriptions, images, availability, recommended selling prices, margins, offers and delivery estimates are informational and may change.
• MOQ and pack-size rules shown at the time of a request apply unless our team confirms an adjustment.
• Adding items or sending a PI request is a request for business follow-up, not automatic acceptance of an order.
• An order becomes confirmed only when Hardware Club or the relevant seller confirms stock, final price, taxes, freight, invoice, payment and delivery terms.
• The current service uses Cash on Delivery or another offline method expressly agreed during confirmation. Never send an OTP, UPI PIN or banking password to anyone claiming to represent Hardware Club.
• Any cancellation, return, replacement, warranty, risk or delivery terms supplied with a confirmed quotation or invoice apply to that order. Ask our team for those terms before confirming if they have not been provided.

Nothing in these terms removes rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

11. Rates, community features, submissions and rewards

Market rates, supplier information, reviews, learning content and community contributions are for business information only and are not financial, tax or legal advice or guaranteed quotations. Verify important information before relying on it.

You retain ownership of content you submit. You give Hardware Club a limited, non-exclusive permission to host, copy, review, moderate and share that content only as needed to operate the feature, respond to your request and protect the service. You must have the right to submit it and must not upload unlawful, misleading, confidential, infringing or harmful material.

Promotional credits, rewards or ToolCoins, where offered, are promotional benefits rather than cash unless expressly stated. Eligibility, validity and redemption may be governed by the offer details shown at the time.

12. Acceptable use

You must not:

• impersonate another person or business, submit false tax or delivery information, or use the service for fraud;
• interfere with security, probe accounts or systems, introduce malicious code or bypass access restrictions;
• scrape, copy or commercially reuse catalogue or user content at scale without written permission;
• reverse engineer the service except where applicable law expressly permits it; or
• use the service or its communications to harass others or violate applicable law or third-party rights.

13. Ownership and third-party services

Hardware Club's software, design, branding, catalogue compilation and original content are owned by or licensed to Hardware Club. Product names, photographs and trademarks may belong to their respective owners. No ownership rights are transferred to you except the limited right to use the service under these terms.

The service may open or depend on third-party services such as Android, Google Play, OTP, hosting, image or logistics providers. Their terms and privacy practices govern their own services. Hardware Club is not responsible for an independent third party's service outside our control. Loading content from an external image host may provide that host with ordinary connection information such as IP address and browser or device headers.

14. Availability and responsibility

We work to keep Hardware Club accurate and available, but the service may be interrupted for maintenance, network, supplier, hosting or security reasons. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, permanent availability of a product, or that every third-party listing or contribution is error-free.

Nothing in these terms excludes rights or responsibilities that applicable law does not allow either party to exclude. Any responsibility for loss or damage will be determined under the applicable law and the confirmed terms of the relevant order.

15. Suspension, termination and disputes

We may restrict or suspend access where reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, protect users or systems, comply with law, address material breach or discontinue a feature. You may stop using the service and request account deletion at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive—such as retained-record obligations, ownership, disclaimers and dispute terms—continue after access ends.

Before starting formal proceedings, please contact us so we can try to resolve the issue. These terms and any dispute are handled under the applicable laws of India and before the court, tribunal or other forum having lawful jurisdiction.

16. Privacy, grievance and support contact

Include enough information for us to understand your request, but never email an OTP, password, UPI PIN or full bank credentials. We may ask for proportionate information to verify account ownership before acting on an account request.