Cookie Policy
Cookie Policy
A clear explanation of what cookies VSTore.me uses, why we use them, and the controls you have over your own data.
Strictly Necessary
- Cart & session management
- Secure account login
- Checkout functionality
- Always active — no consent needed
- Never used for tracking
Analytics & Marketing
- Google Analytics (aggregated, anonymous)
- Meta retargeting (with consent)
- Helps us improve the store
- No individual identification
- Opt-out available at any time
Your Controls
- Manage via browser settings
- Google Analytics opt-out add-on
- Industry opt-out tools (DAA, NAI)
- Withdraw consent by clearing cookies
- GDPR & UK GDPR compliant
A cookie is a small text file that a website saves to your browser or device when you visit. Nothing alarming — cookies cannot run programs, carry viruses, or access your files. They simply store a small amount of information so the website can remember things about your visit, such as the items in your shopping cart or whether you have already dismissed a notice.
VSTore.me is a digital marketplace operated by a team of music enthusiasts, developers, and audio technicians. We provide hand-picked VST plugins, virtual instruments, audio effects, DAW software, and music production tools to producers, artists, and sound engineers worldwide.
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These are non-negotiable. Without them, the store simply does not work — your cart would empty on every page, checkout would fail, and you would not be able to log in. We do not need your consent to use these because they are essential to delivering the service you are actively requesting.
| Cookie | What It Does | Duration |
|---|---|---|
woocommerce_cart_hash | Keeps track of what is in your cart | Session |
woocommerce_items_in_cart | Checks whether your cart has any items | Session |
wp_woocommerce_session_* | Manages your session data during checkout | 2 days |
wordpress_logged_in_* | Keeps you signed into your account | Up to 14 days |
wordpress_test_cookie | Confirms your browser accepts cookies | Session |
PHPSESSID | Standard server-side session management | Session |
3.2 Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember your preferences and make the site feel more personalised. They only apply to your experience here on VSTore.me — they do not follow you around the internet.
| Cookie | What It Does | Duration |
|---|---|---|
woocommerce_recently_viewed | Shows plugins and software you recently browsed | Session |
currency | Remembers your selected display currency | Session |
3.3 Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to understand how people use VSTore.me — which product pages are popular, where visitors arrive from, and how they move through the store. All data is aggregated and anonymous. We cannot identify you as an individual from analytics data, and we never try to.
| Cookie | Provider | What It Does | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics | Identifies unique visitors | 2 years |
_ga_* | Google Analytics | Maintains GA4 session state | 2 years |
_gid | Google Analytics | Tells visitors apart within a 24-hour window | 24 hours |
_gat | Google Analytics | Limits request rate to Google servers | 1 minute |
3.4 Marketing and Retargeting Cookies
With your consent, we may use marketing cookies to show relevant adverts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram after you have visited VSTore.me. These cookies build an anonymous interest profile based on the pages you have viewed. You can withdraw consent at any time — see Section 5 for how.
| Cookie | Provider | What It Does | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_fbp | Meta (Facebook) | Enables ad delivery and retargeting | 3 months |
fr | Meta (Facebook) | Ad measurement and frequency management | 3 months |
Some features on VSTore.me are powered by external services. When those services load, they may set their own cookies. We do not control these — each provider’s own privacy policy governs what they collect and how.
Stripe / PayPal — Payment processors set cookies as part of their fraud prevention and secure transaction systems.
Google Fonts — Fonts are served from Google’s servers, which may log the request.
YouTube — Some product pages include embedded demo videos. YouTube may set cookies when you interact with those videos. We use privacy-enhanced embed mode wherever possible.
5.1 Browser Settings
Every modern browser lets you view, block, or delete cookies from its settings menu. Keep in mind that blocking strictly necessary cookies will break core site functions including the cart, checkout, and account login.
5.2 Opt Out of Google Analytics
5.3 Opt Out of Interest-Based Advertising
To manage your advertising preferences across multiple networks, use one of these industry tools:
If you are based in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, applicable data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis before placing non-essential cookies on your device. For analytics and marketing cookies, that basis is your consent — given when you interact with the cookie notice on your first visit to VSTore.me.
Strictly necessary cookies are exempt from this requirement because they are needed for the service to function at your request.
We revise this Cookie Policy when our technology changes, when legal requirements are updated, or when new third-party services are added to the site. The date at the top of this page always reflects the latest version.
If something in this policy is unclear, or if you have any question about how VSTore.me handles your data, our team is here to help. We read every message personally and will respond promptly.
Questions About Cookies?
We believe you deserve to know exactly what runs on our site. If anything here is unclear, reach out and we will explain it in plain language.