This site uses only the cookies and browser storage it needs to work. There is no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. We do count page views, as one total per day — with no cookie, no connection address and nothing that could identify a visitor.
Cookies we set
- the-balance-wheel-session — signs you in and keeps your basket and security checks working. Essential. It lasts while you browse and ends after 2 hours without activity.
- XSRF-TOKEN — protects forms against forged requests. Essential. Removed when your session ends.
- remember_web_… — set only if you tick “Remember me” when signing in, to keep you signed in on that device (up to five years) until you sign out. Your choice; never set otherwise.
- bab-cookie-consent — remembers that you have seen the cookie notice so it doesn’t come back. Kept for 12 months.
Stored in your browser, never sent to us
- ccm-theme — whether you chose light or dark mode.
- bab-cookie-consent — the same “seen the notice” marker, kept in local storage as well.
- ccm-draft:… — a forum reply you are part-way through writing, kept on your device so a closed tab doesn’t lose it. It is deleted when you post.
Other companies
Some things involve another company seeing your connection address, and possibly setting its own cookies. We don’t control those:
- Paying by card happens on Stripe’s own checkout page, which sets cookies for payment security. See Stripe’s cookie policy.
- Cloudflare sits in front of this site to protect it from attacks and may set a short-lived security cookie for that purpose.
- Pictures in forum posts. Members can embed a picture from another website; your browser fetches it from there, so that site sees your connection address.
- The Privacy Policy page displays a policy written with Usercentrics’ policy generator and loads it from their servers, so Usercentrics sees your connection address when you open that page — and only that page.
The cookie notice
Because the cookies above are essential, or set only because you asked for them, the notice is an acknowledgement rather than a consent choice — there are no optional cookies to switch on or off. It appears once per browser; clear this site’s data to see it again. You can also set your browser to block cookies, but then you won’t be able to sign in or check out.
If this changes
If analytics or marketing cookies are ever added beyond what's described above, they will be off until you choose to allow them, and this page and the Privacy Policy will be updated first.