Cookie Policy

1. What this covers

This policy explains every cookie and piece of browser storage (such as localStorage) that VarsityHub uses, what each one does, and the choice you have over the ones that aren't essential. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.

2. Strictly necessary (always on)

These cookies are required for the site to function and may not be disabled.

• Login session cookies (set by our authentication provider) keep you signed in between page loads and requests.
• Cookie choice (vh_cookie_consent, stored in your browser's local storage, not a cookie) remembers whether you chose "Accept all" or "Necessary only" so we don't ask again every visit.

3. Functional (on by default, not tracking)

These make the site work the way you'd expect, but aren't strictly required; we treat them as part of ordinary site functionality rather than tracking, since they only ever store information about your own actions on this device and are never used to build a profile of you or shared with anyone.

• Shopping cart / wishlist (varsityhub_cart_<id>, local storage) remembers what you've added to your cart on this device, so it's still there if you come back later.
• Install prompt (vh_pwa_installed, local storage) remembers if you've already dismissed or accepted the "install this app" prompt, so we don't keep showing it.

4. Optional analytics, needs your consent

We use a privacy-focused analytics tool to understand overall traffic and page performance (e.g. how many people visit a page, roughly how fast pages load). It does not use tracking cookies, does not build an advertising profile of you, and is not shared with advertisers.

On the sign-up, log-in, and account-recovery pages specifically, we also use a session-replay tool that records on-screen activity (clicks, typing into fields other than your password, page navigation) so we can see where people get stuck and fix it. It never records your password field. It does not run anywhere else in the app, and stops recording the moment you leave those pages.

Both of these only run if you choose "Accept all" in the cookie banner. If you choose "Necessary only", neither loads. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser's site data for varsityhub.co.za and reloading the page.

5. What we don't use

We do not use advertising cookies, third-party tracking pixels, or cross-site tracking of any kind. We don't sell or share browsing data with advertisers.

6. Third-party services that receive some data directly

Some parts of VarsityHub necessarily involve a third-party service handling data directly, outside of cookies:

• PayFast, when you buy a subscription, your name, email address, and the amount are sent directly to PayFast to process the payment. See PayFast's own privacy policy.
• WhatsApp, when you tap "Connect" or "Chat on WhatsApp" on a listing, your browser opens a WhatsApp chat with the seller's number and a pre-filled message containing the listing's title and price. This happens directly in your browser and is governed by WhatsApp's own privacy policy once the chat opens; VarsityHub's server is not involved in that conversation.
• Error monitoring, if something breaks while you're using VarsityHub, a technical error report (what went wrong, and your IP address) is sent to an error-monitoring tool we use to fix bugs. This is not cookie-based and runs regardless of your cookie choice, in the same way it would for any website working to keep itself running reliably.

7. Changes to this policy

If what we use changes, we'll update this page and, for anything material, show the cookie banner again.

8. Contact

Questions about cookies or tracking: privacy@varsityhub.co.za