SSL and Encryption
Our site is protected with 256 bit SSL and 2048 bit CSR encryption. Any computer in between you and the server can see your credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, and other sensitive information if it is not encrypted with an SSL certificate. When an SSL certificate is used, the information becomes unreadable to everyone except for the server you are sending the information to.
Username and Password
With our site as with all websites, your password is to protect your information from others who are trying to abuse your information. It is your first line of defense for all of your web activity. Protect your username and password and only use it yourself. You may change your password at any time by selecting the new password link on the login page. If we detect any suspicious or inappropriate activity has occurred with your account you will be notified via email.
Sessions and Cookies
Our cookies do not contain any sensitive data or adverting information. Cookies are files that your browser saves on your hard drive. A Web server transmits information to the browser so that the Web server can keep track of the user’s activity on a specific Web site. The information that the Web server sends to the browser is in the form of an HTTP header that consists of a text-only message. The information is used by the web page program to interact with your input on some pages of the site. When the browser is closed and reopened at a later date the cookie information is still available.
Cookies do not act maliciously on computer systems. They are merely text files that can be deleted at any time by you. They are not plugins and they are not programs. Cookies cannot be used to spread viruses and they cannot access your hard drive.
Personal Data
We do not keep financial information from your purchases on line. The data you provide for your account is the only data retained. We will not sell your information or transaction history.
Purchase
When you decide to make a purchase you will have to create an account with us. We would rather not require this however with the threats from hacking and other potential issues we have decided to make this a requirement. You may request us to remove you from our database if you have not purchased anything on line. Just email us at [email protected] or use our contact page and let us know your request.
Sales Tax
If you receive a shipment from us in the state of Washington we will charge sales tax for that shipping address. On the shopping cart page, you may click on sales tax if you plan to receive your shipment within the state of Washington. You may then enter the shipping address and sales tax will be presented as a line item.
We will not charge sales tax to in-state shipments for resale, or legal residents of tax exempt states. Note a valid id from that state will be required in this instance.
PayPal and Credit Cards
We’ve selected PayPal for our credit card transactions for their security and quality of service. More than 192 million people worldwide use PayPal for online purchases and sales. They offer the same protections as a credit cards. They have world class fraud and consumer protections in place to protect us both. You can use your PayPal account or use your credit card directly for your purchase.
We found a resource that has more information on PayPal and how to protect your personal account here: PayPal Information
Contact us First
We ask that if you have a question, problem, or considering a return, please contact us directly first. We strive to earn your business and trust with fair and honest service. You may reach us from our contact page, email us at [email protected], or call us directly at 253-216-9038. We appreciate your business.
Browsing
You are free to shop our site without obligation.
Improper Use
This site is part of our livelihood and we will not permit abuse of this site by hacking techniques. Your account will be locked and your access blocked if it is determined that you are attempting to circumvent our security measures.
Copyright
All photographs, site design, logos, and verbiage are the property of Maple Tree Lapidary, LLC. and may not be used without permission.
Subscribe
You may subscribe at anytime to receive our newsletters. We haven’t begun to publish them as of yet and intend to email them quarterly. To subscribe create a user account and check the news letter opt-in check box. You may unsubscribe by logging and deselecting the check box or in the newsletter on the footer click the link to unsubscribe.
Our news letters are open to contributors who wish to share material for the rock hound hobby. We will entertain stories of trips, tutorials on how to use our lapidary tools, make or create jewelry. We will post pictures of events, trips, creations or anything you may want to share.
Business License
We encourage business owners to sign up and create a business account. A resale certificate will be required for the state of Washington businesses. For other states a copy of your business license is required. When registering you may take a picture with your smart phone or upload a scanned image of your document. When we review the document we will activate your business account. You may upload a new image to keep your image current on line by reviewing my account. If the license expires we will send you an email message requesting a new certificate or license.