Privacy Policy – Carbarn Malta

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") sets out how Carbarn LLC ("Carbarn", "we", "us" or "our"), a company established in Japan, collects, uses and protects personal data when you use this website or our services to import a vehicle from Japan to Malta.

Carbarn LLC operates from Japan. Where this Policy refers to Carbarn Malta, it refers to the Malta-facing service operated by Carbarn LLC and not to a separate company established in Malta.

Because our services are directed at buyers in Malta, we process personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Maltese data protection law.

2. What Information We Collect

2.1 Personal information

Full name
Contact details — email address, telephone number, delivery address
Identification document details where these are required for export and customs documentation
Purchase history and saved vehicle preferences
Website usage data, including pages viewed and device information

2.2 Payment information

Card payments are handled by a third-party payment provider. We receive confirmation that a payment has been made; we do not store full card numbers on our systems. Bank transfer details are exchanged only through an official Carbarn proforma invoice.

3. Why We Process Your Data, and on What Basis

To perform our contract with you — processing your order, preparing export documentation, arranging shipping and issuing invoices.
To meet legal obligations — Japanese vehicle export requirements, customs and tax record-keeping.
For our legitimate interests — operating and securing the website, preventing fraud, and improving our service.
With your consent — optional marketing messages and non-essential cookies, which you may withdraw at any time.

4. Who We Share Your Data With

Shipping lines and logistics partners — to book and document the sailing
Inspection bodies in Japan — to obtain the odometer certificate Malta requires before shipment
Your clearing agent in Malta, where you ask us to send documents directly to them
IT and hosting providers — to operate the platform securely
Government authorities — where disclosure is required by law
Google — where you have consented, to provide website analytics and advertising measurement (see section 8)

We do not sell personal data.

5. International Transfers

Your personal data is transferred to and processed in Japan, where Carbarn LLC is established, and may be shared with partners in the countries a shipment passes through. Transfers of personal data out of the European Economic Area are made only on a transfer basis permitted under the GDPR.

6. Data Retention

We keep order, export and customs records for as long as we are required to by Japanese export and tax law, and we keep enquiry and marketing data only for as long as it remains relevant to the purpose it was collected for.

7. Data Security

Encrypted connections across the platform
Access to personal data restricted to staff who need it
Hosting on managed, access-controlled servers
No storage of full payment card credentials

We maintain these measures on an ongoing basis. No method of transmitting data over the internet is entirely free of risk.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies on this website. Strictly necessary cookies are always active because the website cannot function without them. All other cookies are optional and are used only if you consent to them, in accordance with the GDPR and Maltese law on electronic communications.

Strictly necessary cookies. These enable core functions of the website, such as signing in to your account, remembering your chosen currency and keeping the vehicles you have saved.

Analytics cookies (“Help us improve”). With your consent, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, to understand how visitors use our website, including which vehicles, pages and searches are viewed, so that we can improve the website and the vehicles we offer. We do not send your name, telephone number or email address to Google Analytics.

Advertising cookies (“Ads for cars you’d like”). With your consent, Google may use information about your visits to our website to show you advertisements for vehicles that may interest you on Google services and other websites, and to help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising.

Measurement from our systems. If you have consented to analytics cookies, we may also send Google Analytics a record of certain actions connected with your visit, such as when an enquiry, order or payment is recorded. These records are linked to the pseudonymous identifier that Google Analytics has assigned to your browser and, if you are signed in, to an internal customer reference. They do not include your name or contact details. If you have not consented, no such records are sent.

Legal basis and your choices. Our legal basis for using optional cookies, and for the related measurement, is your consent. When you first visit the website you can accept or reject optional cookies, or choose individual categories, and you can change or withdraw your consent at any time by selecting “Cookie settings” at the bottom of any page. Withdrawing your consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew it. We remember your choice for six months, after which we will ask you again. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Retention and international transfers. Google Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months. Google may process this information in the United States and in other countries outside the European Economic Area. Google states that such transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards, including the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses. For more information, please see Google’s Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from websites that use its services.

9. Your Rights Under the GDPR

As a person whose data we process, you have the right to:

be told what personal data we hold about you, and obtain a copy of it
have inaccurate data corrected
have your data erased where the law allows
ask us to restrict how we use your data, or object to a particular use
receive the data you gave us in a portable format, or have it sent to another provider
withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@carbarn.mt. We respond within the period the GDPR allows.

10. Complaints

If you believe your data has been handled incorrectly, please contact us first so we can resolve it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC), Malta's supervisory authority for data protection.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from people under 18, and we delete such data if we become aware of it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in law, in our services, or in how we operate. The current version is always the one published on this site.

13. Governing Law

This Policy is governed by the laws of Japan, where Carbarn LLC is established. This does not affect the data protection rights available to you under the GDPR and Maltese law as a person located in Malta.

Contact

Email: info@carbarn.mt

Operated by: Carbarn LLC, Japan

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