Privacy policy
How Scale 3PL collects, uses and protects personal data, in plain English. Last updated 1 October 2026.
1.Who we are
Scale 3PL is a fulfilment and freight business with warehouses in the UK and the Netherlands. Two companies are responsible for your personal data, depending on which part of our business you deal with:
In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean whichever of these companies is responsible for your data. If you’re a UK client, a UK enquiry or a website visitor, that’s usually Startup Logistics Limited. If you’re an EU client, it’s Scale 3PL Fulfillment B.V.
For any privacy question or request, email hello@scale3pl.co.uk or write to us at the Thame address above.
2.What we collect and why
We only collect what we need. This table shows the personal data we collect, why, and the legal basis we rely on under UK and EU data protection law (the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR).
| When | What we collect | Why we use it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| You ask for a quote or contact us | Name, email, phone, company, and details about your business and products | To reply, prepare a quote and follow up on your enquiry | Legitimate interests, or steps before entering a contract |
| You download a guide | First name, work email, company, and which guide you downloaded | To give you the guide and understand which topics interest you | Legitimate interests |
| You ask to hear from us | Name, email and company, and the topics you’ve shown interest in | To send you new guides, news and offers by email | Consent. You can withdraw it at any time |
| You become a client | Contact details for your team, company and director details, VAT, EORI and other registration numbers, and payment details | To set up and run your account, invoice you and collect payment | Contract |
| We check new clients | Company, director and registration details, and supporting documents | To meet our legal duties, including HMRC’s Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme, customs rules and our Authorised Economic Operator obligations | Legal obligation |
| You visit our warehouses | CCTV images | Security, health and safety, and proof of how orders were packed | Legitimate interests |
| You use our website | Device, browser and usage information, through cookies | To run the website and, if you agree, to understand how it’s used | Necessary cookies: legitimate interests. Analytics cookies: consent |
| You’re a supplier or partner | Contact details and business information | To work with you and manage the relationship | Contract or legitimate interests |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we’ve balanced our interests against yours. Our interests are running and growing our business, keeping our sites secure, and showing clients what happened to their orders. You can object at any time (see your rights).
3.If you bought from one of our clients
We store, pack and send orders for other businesses. If you ordered from one of our clients’ online shops, that business is responsible for your personal data, and we process it on their behalf, following their instructions, to deliver your order and handle any return.
Their privacy policy explains how they use your data. If you have a question or want to use your rights, contact the business you bought from. If you contact us, we’ll pass your request on to them.
4.Marketing emails
We’ll only send you marketing emails, such as new guides, news and offers, if you’ve asked us to, or if you’re a business contact and we have a legitimate reason to think our services are relevant to your business. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can also email us to stop them at any time.
When you unsubscribe, we keep a note of your email address so we don’t contact you again.
5.Who we share it with
We never sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted organisations that help us run our business, under contracts that require them to keep it safe and use it only as we instruct:
- Website and forms: Squarespace (our website), Formspree and Typeform (our online forms)
- Email marketing: Mailchimp
- Warehouse system: Mintsoft, which runs our warehouse management system and client portal
- Payments: GoCardless, which collects Direct Debit payments
- Couriers and freight partners: to deliver orders and shipments
- Professional advisers: such as our accountants, lawyers and insurers
- Our group companies: Startup Logistics Limited and Scale 3PL Fulfillment B.V. share information where needed to serve clients in both the UK and EU
- Authorities: such as HMRC, Dutch Customs and the Dutch Tax Administration, or the police, where the law requires it
6.International transfers
Some of our providers, such as Mailchimp and Squarespace, are based in or use servers in the United States or other countries outside the UK and the European Economic Area. When your data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we make sure it’s protected by an approved safeguard, such as an adequacy decision (including the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and the UK extension to it) or standard contractual clauses.
7.How long we keep it
| Type of data | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Enquiries and guide downloads | Up to 2 years after we were last in touch, unless you become a client |
| Marketing list | Until you unsubscribe, then a suppression record so we don’t email you again |
| Client records | For as long as you’re a client, then 7 years for accounting, tax and legal reasons |
| Order and delivery data we process for clients | As agreed with each client, usually up to 7 years after despatch |
| CCTV footage | At least 60 days, then overwritten, unless it’s needed for a claim or investigation |
8.Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- ask us to correct anything that’s wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete your data
- ask us to limit how we use your data
- object to how we use your data, including an absolute right to stop direct marketing
- ask for your data in a format you can take elsewhere
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it
To use any of these rights, email hello@scale3pl.co.uk. We’ll reply within one month. We may need to confirm who you are first. There’s usually no charge.
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority: in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk); in the Netherlands, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl).
9.Keeping your data safe
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including access controls on our systems, secure providers and limits on who can see what. Our warehouses are secured and monitored. No system is completely secure, but if something does go wrong, we’ll act quickly and tell you and the authorities where the law requires it.
10.Cookies
Our website uses cookies. Some are needed to make the site work. Others, such as analytics cookies, are only used if you agree to them through the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time using the cookie settings link on our website, or through your browser settings.
11.Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we start using a new service. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If we make significant changes, we’ll let our clients know.
Questions about your data?
Email us and we’ll get back to you within one month, usually much sooner.