Privacy Policy
This policy describes what StoneMandi does with information today. It reflects how the service actually operates rather than what it may do in future, and we will update it as the service changes.
Information we collect
From businesses applying to sell. When a business applies, we collect the contact person's name, business name, location, phone number, email address, and optionally GST number, years in business and a description of the business. We also store a username and a securely hashed password — we never store your password itself.
From buyers. There is no buyer account and no buyer form on this website. When you contact us about a requirement, you reach us on WhatsApp. During and after that conversation, our team records the details of your requirement in our internal system: typically your name, phone number, city, the stone you are interested in, quantity, timeline and notes about the project. This record is created manually by a person, not automatically by the website.
Product media. Photographs uploaded by sellers are stored with Cloudinary, our image hosting provider, and served publicly on listing pages.
Technical information. Our hosting provider processes standard request information such as IP address, browser type and timestamps for reliability and security. We use a session cookie to keep sellers and administrators signed in. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.
Why we collect it
- To review seller applications and operate business profiles
- To understand a buyer's requirement and respond to it
- To connect buyers with suppliers relevant to that requirement
- To follow up on an ongoing enquiry
- To keep the service secure and working
Who we share information with
Connecting buyers with suppliers is the core of what StoneMandi does, so we want to be direct about this rather than claim your information never goes anywhere.
Relevant buyer requirement details are shared with selected supplier businesses for sourcing purposes. That typically includes the stone required, quantity, city, timeline and the contact details a supplier needs to quote. We share this only with businesses we consider relevant to the specific requirement, not with every listed seller.
Seller contact details are never published on the website. Buyers reach a business through StoneMandi.
We also rely on service providers who process data on our behalf: Cloudinary for image hosting, our PostgreSQL database provider for data storage, and Render for application hosting. We do not sell personal information to anyone.
WhatsApp conversations
Enquiries reach us through WhatsApp. That conversation happens on a platform operated by WhatsApp and Meta and is governed by their own terms and privacy policy, not ours. What we control is the record our team creates from that conversation, which this policy covers.
Where information is stored
Application data is held in a managed PostgreSQL database. The application runs on Render. Uploaded images are held by Cloudinary. These providers may store or process data outside India.
How long we keep it
Seller account and business information is kept while the account exists on StoneMandi. Enquiry records are kept while the enquiry is active and for a reasonable period afterwards so we can follow up and understand what buyers need. When information is no longer needed for those purposes, we delete it or stop using it.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS, passwords are stored hashed rather than in plain text, and the internal enquiry system is restricted to authenticated StoneMandi staff. We take reasonable steps to protect information, though no online service can promise absolute security. We do not hold any compliance certification, and we would rather say so than imply one.
Your choices
You can ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Contact us using any Get Sourcing Help link on the site and tell us what you would like. If you ask us to delete your details, we may keep the minimum needed for legal or record-keeping reasons.
Children
StoneMandi is a business service and is not intended for use by children.
Changes to this policy
As StoneMandi grows, this policy will change. The current version is always the one published on this page. Significant changes will be reflected here.
Contact
Questions about privacy can reach us through any Get Sourcing Help link on the site.