Last updated 24 September 2026
The short version
We collect as little as we can. If you join the monthly email, we keep your email address. If you send us a message, we keep what you send. Shopify, which runs this site, and Google Analytics count visits, and clicks on the buttons that take you to makers, so we can see what people read and which makers they visit.
We don't sell, rent or swap your email address or anything you send us.
Who we are
Frances Simmons and Shane look after Made Down South (madedownsouth.com.au) from Busselton, Western Australia. Made Down South is run by Wild Urban Organics (ABN 85 543 288 407). You can reach us through the contact page.
What we collect, and why
The monthly email
When you sign up, we collect your email address. We use it only to send the Made Down South email, about once a month.
Your address is kept in our Shopify customer list, with a record that you agreed to receive the email and when.
Messages and the claim form
If you use the contact form or the Is this your business? form, we receive what you send. That's usually your name, email address and message, and for makers, the business name and your role in it.
We use it to reply and to do what you've asked, such as correcting or removing a page. The forms send your message to our inbox through Shopify.
If a maker asks us to remove their page, we keep the business name on a short list so it isn't listed again by mistake.
Visits
Shopify uses cookies and similar technology to keep the site working and to count visits. Its analytics shows us things like which pages were viewed, what was searched for on the site, the type of device, the approximate location (down to city) and which website sent the visitor.
We also use Google Analytics, run by Google, to count page views, clicks on the "Is this your business?" link, and sign-ups to the monthly email (the fact that someone signed up, never the address). Google Analytics sets cookies and records details such as the page address, your device and browser, and your approximate location.
We use these numbers to see what people read and to make the guide better. We don't use them to work out who you are.
Links to makers
The "Visit" buttons that take you to a maker's shop carry a short tracking tag, so the maker can see in their own analytics that the visit came from this site. The tag describes the link, not you: it holds no name, email address or other detail about you.
We also count clicks on those buttons, as totals: which maker and product, which button, and on which page. Google Analytics does this counting for us, and Google processes that information under its own terms and privacy policy.
If we share click numbers with a maker, they're totals only, never names or email addresses.
Amazon links
Some articles on this site link to Amazon Australia. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
When you click one of those links, Amazon can tell the visit came from us. Third parties, including Amazon and other advertisers, may serve content and advertisements, collect information directly from visitors, and place or recognise cookies on your browser. Amazon's own privacy notice covers what happens on its site.
Cookies
You can block or clear cookies in your browser settings. Most of this site works without them, although we won't be able to count your visit.
Who else handles your information
- Shopify, our website platform, holds the email list and its own visit counts, and passes form messages on to our email inbox. Shopify is a Canadian company and may process your information outside Australia, including in the United States. Shopify also uses some information for its own purposes, under its own privacy policy (shopify.com/legal/privacy).
- Our email provider, which holds the messages the contact and claim forms send us.
- Google, through Google Analytics, which counts page views, clicks on the Visit and "Is this your business?" links, and email sign-ups for us.
- Amazon, only if you click an Amazon link.
We don't give your details to makers, and we don't sell, rent or swap them with anyone.
If you ordered from this site before
Before it became Made Down South, this site was Down to Earth Organics and sold its own products. If you ordered then, your order details are held in our Shopify account. We keep records of past orders only as long as Australian tax law requires, and then delete them.
The old shop also asked some customers to fill in a questionnaire about their health. We no longer hold any of those answers.
You can ask us to see, correct or delete any of your records at any time.
Unsubscribing
Every email we send has an unsubscribe link. Use it and you're off the list. You don't need to sign in or give any other details.
You can also ask through the contact form, and we'll take you off. Unsubscribing takes effect within five working days, and usually straight away. After that we keep only a note that you unsubscribed, so you aren't emailed again.
Seeing, correcting or deleting your information
Use the contact form and tell us what you'd like. We'll tell you what we hold about you, fix anything that's wrong, and delete it if you ask. There's no charge.
Sometimes we need to keep a short record that you asked. For example, a business that asked to be removed stays on the list that keeps it off the site.
How long we keep it
- Your email address: until you unsubscribe.
- Messages: for as long as we need to deal with your request and keep a record of what we did.
- Visit and click counts: in Shopify's and Google Analytics' reports, which we use as totals.
- Orders from the old shop: only as long as Australian tax law requires.
Questions and complaints
Use the contact form and we'll look into it and reply. If you're not satisfied with our answer, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au) has information about privacy rights and how to make a complaint.
Changes to this page
If we change what we collect, we'll update this page and the date at the top first. If the site starts selling goods directly, checkout will need more details from buyers, and this page will be updated before that happens.