Privacy Policy

Overview

Stitch & Spec is an affiliate-supported research publication about sewing and embroidery machines. You can read the site without creating an account or submitting personal information. Like most websites, the site may collect limited technical, analytics, and referral information to operate the website, understand what content is useful, and support affiliate attribution.

Information we may collect

Depending on how you use the site, Stitch & Spec may collect the following categories of information:

• Technical information: browser type, device type, operating system, approximate location based on IP address, referring page, pages viewed, and timestamps.
• Analytics information: aggregated usage data that helps us understand which pages are visited, how readers move through the site, and which topics are most useful.
• Affiliate referral information: information needed by affiliate networks or merchants to attribute a click or qualifying purchase, such as referral URLs, click identifiers, cookie identifiers, and purchase attribution signals.
• Voluntary communications: if you email us, we receive the information you choose to include, such as your email address, name, page URL, question, correction, or partnership inquiry.

Why we collect this information

We use collected information for practical website and publication purposes:

• to keep the website working, secure, and accessible;
• to understand which guides, comparisons, and buyer questions are useful to readers;
• to improve page structure, navigation, and editorial coverage;
• to respond to reader questions, corrections, and partnership inquiries;
• to measure affiliate link performance and receive commissions when a qualifying purchase is attributed to Stitch & Spec; and
• to comply with legal, platform, affiliate network, or merchant requirements.

Cookies and affiliate tracking

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. Stitch & Spec and third parties may use cookies, pixels, referral parameters, or similar technologies for analytics, site performance, and affiliate attribution.

Affiliate tracking cookies help merchants and affiliate networks recognize that a reader clicked from Stitch & Spec to a retailer. If the reader later makes a qualifying purchase, the merchant or network may attribute a commission to Stitch & Spec at no additional cost to the reader. Cookie duration and tracking rules are controlled by the relevant merchant or affiliate network.

You can usually block, delete, or limit cookies in your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect analytics accuracy and affiliate attribution, but the core content on Stitch & Spec should remain readable.

Third-party relationships

Stitch & Spec may link to retailers, manufacturers, affiliate networks, analytics providers, hosting providers, and other third-party websites or services. These third parties have their own privacy practices and may collect information when you click a link, visit their site, or make a purchase.

Affiliate relationships may include networks and programs such as Awin, Impact, Amazon Associates, and other merchant or retailer affiliate programs. These networks and merchants may use cookies, click identifiers, transaction data, and similar technologies to track referrals and determine whether commissions are owed.

Stitch & Spec is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. Review the privacy policy of any retailer, merchant, affiliate network, or other website you visit from Stitch & Spec.

Analytics

Stitch & Spec may use privacy-conscious analytics or standard web analytics tools to understand aggregate reader behavior. Analytics data may include pages visited, referral sources, device and browser information, approximate location, and interaction patterns. We use this information to improve content quality, navigation, site performance, and editorial planning.

Analytics data is generally used in aggregate. We do not use analytics to make decisions about individual readers.

How information may be shared

Stitch & Spec does not sell personal information. Information may be shared with service providers, analytics providers, affiliate networks, merchants, hosting providers, or other third parties when necessary to operate the website, measure affiliate referrals, respond to communications, or comply with legal obligations.

Data retention

We keep information only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law, affiliate program rules, tax records, dispute resolution, or security needs. Emails may be retained so we can respond to questions, corrections, partnership inquiries, and follow-up messages.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or restriction of certain personal information. You may also have the right to object to certain processing or request a copy of information you provided.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings and avoid voluntary communications by not emailing the site. To make a privacy request, contact us using the email address below. We may need to verify your request before acting on it.

Children’s privacy

Stitch & Spec is intended for a general audience interested in sewing and embroidery machine research. The site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the site, analytics setup, affiliate relationships, or legal requirements change. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when the current version was published.