Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how VMA Global Trade LLC ("VMA", "we", "us") handles personal information collected through vmaglobaltrade.com (the "Site") and in the course of providing sourcing advisory and representation services (the "Services"). It covers visitors to the Site, our clients and the contact persons at the suppliers we deal with on their behalf.

We work with businesses. We do not sell personal information and we do not share it for advertising.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Information you give us

• Contact details: name, business name, job title, email, phone, business address.
• Project information: product descriptions, drawings, specifications, target prices, volumes, deadlines and the markets you sell into.
• Commercial and billing data: invoices, payment records and tax identification where required. Card details are handled by our payment processor and never stored by us.
• Correspondence: messages sent through our forms, by email, by phone or through messaging applications.

2.2 Collected automatically on the Site

• IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page and pages viewed.
• Date and time of the visit and an approximate location derived from the IP address.
• Information stored through the technologies described in our Cookie Policy.

2.3 Information from third parties

In the course of supplier verification we collect business information about manufacturers, including company registration data, export records, certifications and the names and contact details of their staff. We process it to advise you and to keep a record of the checks performed.

3. Your commercial information

Your designs, specifications, prices and volumes are the most sensitive thing you give us, and they are treated as confidential under our Terms of Service, not merely as personal data.

• We disclose to a supplier only what is necessary to obtain a quote or produce the goods, and no more.
• We never disclose your identity, your prices or your volumes to another client, and we never use one client's specification to serve another.
• Where a design justifies it, we ask suppliers to sign confidentiality undertakings before we share it.

4. How we use information

• To respond to enquiries, prepare proposals and open and manage your account.
• To search, screen and verify suppliers, negotiate on your behalf and coordinate samples, inspections and shipments.
• To screen parties against U.S. sanctions and denied-party lists as required by law.
• To invoice, collect payment and keep accounting and tax records.
• To secure the Site and our systems and prevent fraud and abuse.
• To send operational messages, and occasional service updates you may opt out of at any time.

5. Why we are allowed to use it

Where required by applicable law, we process personal information because it is necessary to perform a contract, to comply with a legal obligation such as sanctions and tax rules, for our legitimate interest in operating and securing the business, or with consent where consent is the applicable basis.

6. How we share information

• Suppliers and agents in China - only the specification and quantities needed to quote or produce, plus a delivery or courier address when samples are shipped to you.
• Inspectors and laboratories engaged for your project.
• Forwarders and customs brokers you have engaged, where you ask us to coordinate with them.
• Service providers - hosting, email, payment processing, accounting and document storage vendors, bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Professional advisors, and any party to whom disclosure is required by law, subpoena or court order.

We do not sell personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

7. Retention

• Project files, supplier verification records and inspection reports: five (5) years, so that a later claim or a repeat order can be supported by evidence.
• Accounting and tax records: seven (7) years.
• Website enquiries that do not lead to an engagement: twenty-four (24) months.
• Confidential designs and specifications are deleted on written request once the engagement has ended, unless a legal obligation requires us to keep them.

8. Security

We use encrypted transport (TLS) for the Site, access controls, limited-privilege accounts and vendor due diligence. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your information, we notify you without undue delay.

9. U.S. state privacy rights

Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may have the right to know what we collect, access a copy, request correction, request deletion, and opt out of sale or targeted advertising. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of. We do not discriminate against anyone for exercising these rights.

To exercise a right, email legal@vmaglobaltrade.com with the subject line "Privacy Request". We verify identity before acting and respond within forty-five (45) days, extendable once where the law permits.

10. International visitors

The Site is operated from the United States and information is processed there, and by our agents and inspectors in China for the limited purpose of performing your project. Privacy laws in those countries differ from those in your own. Where the EU or UK GDPR applies to our processing, you may also have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability and objection, and the right to complain to your supervisory authority.

11. Children's privacy

Our Services are directed to businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under sixteen (16) years of age. If you believe a minor has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The revised version takes effect when posted, with a new "last updated" date. Material changes affecting active clients are also communicated by email.

Questions about this document

Write to legal@vmaglobaltrade.com or mail us at VMA Global Trade LLC, 1200 Brickell Ave, Suite 1950, Miami, FL 33131, United States. We respond to written requests within thirty (30) days.