Privacy Policy

Last updated 7 October 2026

Who we are

fairfab is a 3D printing service run by Michael Sandford, a sole trader trading as fairfab. We are the controller of the personal data described here.

What we collect

• Files you upload for a quote — your 3D model files and the print settings you choose. You can get a quote without giving us any personal details.
• Order details — when you check out: your name, email address, phone number, order notes, and, if you choose delivery, your delivery address.
• Payment information — payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details; Stripe tells us whether the payment succeeded.
• Technical information — your IP address and basic request details, which our server records for security and to prevent abuse (for example, limiting excessive uploads).
• How you found us — if you reach us from another website or a tagged link, the name of that site or tag (for example “google.com”, “chatgpt.com” or “gbp”), but not the full address of the page you came from; and your answer to the optional “How did you find us?” question at checkout. We store this with your quote and order, and count it in weekly totals that contain no personal details.
• Website analytics — anonymous, aggregate statistics (such as page views) via Cloudflare Web Analytics, which does not use cookies or track you across sites.

How we use it, and our lawful basis

• To quote, make and deliver your order, and to email you about it — necessary to perform our contract with you.
• To keep financial and tax records — required by law.
• To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and fraud, understand how the site is used and which sites and links bring us customers — our legitimate interests in running a safe, working service.
• To ask how your order went — once your order is complete we send you one email inviting you to leave a Google review. We ask every customer, once, and offer nothing in return. This is our legitimate interest in hearing how we did.
• To remind you about an unpaid checkout — if you start a checkout but don't finish paying, we send you one email about a day later with your order and a link to finish paying. You can say no with the tick box at checkout, or with the unsubscribe link in the email. This is our legitimate interest in completing orders you started, and the law allows it because you gave us your email while placing the order.

We do not sell your data or use it for advertising. Apart from emails about your order, the checkout reminder and the review request above are the only emails we send: no newsletters or promotions.

Who we share it with

We share only what each provider needs to do its job:

• Stripe — payment processing.
• Resend — sending order confirmation and update emails.
• netcup GmbH (Germany) — hosting for our website and order files.
• Cloudflare — anonymous website analytics.
• Royal Mail — your name and address, if your order is delivered.
• Google — the map of our pickup location is provided by Google Maps. It only loads if you click “Show map”; Google then receives your IP address and may set its own cookies.

Some of these providers may process data outside the UK. Where they do, they rely on safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as UK adequacy regulations (including the UK–US Data Bridge) or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.

How long we keep it

Uploaded files are deleted automatically:

• Files checked with the cost calculator: straight after they are measured. Nothing from them is kept.
• STEP files opened in the STEP viewer: our server converts them into a 3D mesh for your browser, then deletes the file and the mesh before replying. Nothing from them is kept.
• Files converted with the STL converter: 3MF, OBJ and GLB files are converted in your browser and never sent to us. STEP files are converted on our server in the same way as in the STEP viewer, and deleted before we reply. If you ask for a print price, the STL is uploaded, measured and deleted straight away. We count downloads by file type only.
• Files uploaded for a quote that is not added to a checkout: after about 48 hours.
• Files in a checkout that is never paid: after 7 days.
• Files for completed orders: 7 days after the order is completed.
• Files sent for a manual quote: 14 days after we respond.

Records of paid orders — your contact details, order history and payment records — are kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires (normally six years). If you start a checkout but never pay, the contact details and notes you entered are deleted from our records after 30 days; we keep only the quote itself (such as material, quantity and price). Your name and email are also passed to Stripe to open the payment page, and Stripe keeps its own record of that checkout. Backups of our order system are kept for up to 30 days.

If you unsubscribe from reminders, we keep a scrambled, one-way code made from your email address (not the address itself) so we never send you another one.

Cookies and browser storage

We use one strictly necessary session cookie, which keeps your cart and protects the site from abuse. Your cart is also saved in your browser's local storage so it survives a page refresh. If you press “Order this part” in the cost calculator or STEP viewer, your browser keeps a copy of the file so the quote page can open it, and the quote page removes it straight away; that copy stays on your device. Links within our site may carry the name of the site you arrived from and the first page you visited (for example “?ref=google.com&lp=/pricing”) so we can tell where an order, or a use of our free tools, came from; we count these by source only, never by person, and nothing is stored on your device for this. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies, so we don't ask for cookie consent. If you choose to show the Google Maps pickup map, Google may set its own cookies.

Your rights

You can ask us to give you a copy of your data, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to how we use it, or transfer it to you in a portable format. Email orders@fairfab.org and we'll respond within one month. Some data, such as financial records, we must keep by law.

If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113.

Changes

We'll update this page if how we use your data changes, and change the date at the top.