Cookie Policy
Effective Date: March 12, 2026
1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit them. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to website owners.
First-party cookies are set by the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies are set by a service other than the website you are visiting, such as an analytics provider.
In addition to cookies, we use similar technologies such as browser local storage to store authentication information. This Cookie Policy covers both cookies and these similar technologies.
2. How We Use Cookies
ShippingCostCalculator.com uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the Service, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve the user experience.
Authentication. We use browser local storage (not a cookie) to keep you logged in to your account between visits.
Security. We use Google reCAPTCHA v3 to protect against automated abuse on our rate comparison and label purchasing features. reCAPTCHA may load JavaScript and set cookies to verify that requests come from real users.
Payments. Stripe.js is loaded in your browser to process payments securely. Stripe may set cookies for fraud detection.
Google Sign-In. If you choose to sign in with Google, a temporary CSRF protection cookie (
g_csrf_token) may be set during the authentication flow. This cookie is essential for secure sign-in and is cleared after the session.
We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or social media tracking.
3. Cookies and Technologies We Use
The table below lists the specific cookies and storage technologies used on the Service:
| Name | Category | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
jwt | Essential | First-party (localStorage) | Stores your authentication token to keep you logged in | Until you log out or token expires (7 days) |
_ga | Analytics | Third-party (Google) | Distinguishes unique users for analytics | 2 years |
_ga_<ID> | Analytics | Third-party (Google) | Maintains session state for Google Analytics | 2 years |
_gid | Analytics | Third-party (Google) | Distinguishes unique users for analytics | 24 hours |
scc-theme-mode | Essential | First-party (localStorage) | Remembers your preferred color theme (light or dark mode) | Persistent until cleared |
cookie_consent | Essential | First-party (localStorage) | Remembers your cookie preference choice (accepted or declined) | Persistent until cleared |
ship_portal_state | Essential | First-party (sessionStorage) | Preserves label purchase form state when navigating to payment settings | Session (cleared on tab close or use) |
ship_draft | Essential | First-party (sessionStorage) | Auto-saves label purchase form data to prevent data loss | Session (cleared on tab close) |
_GRECAPTCHA | Essential | Third-party (Google) | Used by Google reCAPTCHA v3 to assess user behavior for bot protection | 6 months |
__stripe_mid / __stripe_sid | Essential | Third-party (Stripe) | Used by Stripe for fraud detection and secure payment processing | __stripe_mid: 1 year; __stripe_sid: 30 minutes |
g_csrf_token | Essential | Third-party (Google) | CSRF protection during Google Sign-In authentication flow | Session |
4. Essential Storage
When you log in to ShippingCostCalculator.com, we store a JSON Web Token (JWT) in your browser’s local storage. This token is essential for the Service to recognize you as a logged-in user.
It contains only your user identifier and session expiration—no tracking or advertising data.
It is automatically removed when you log out.
It is not a cookie and is not sent to third parties.
You can clear it at any time by logging out or clearing your browser’s site data.
We also use browser session storage to temporarily preserve form data during the label purchasing flow (for example, when navigating to update payment settings and returning to the purchase form). Session storage data is automatically cleared when you close the browser tab and is not sent to third parties.
The Service uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 to protect against automated abuse. reCAPTCHA loads a script from Google that analyzes user behavior (such as mouse movements, scrolling, and interaction timing) to distinguish humans from bots. Google reCAPTCHA may store cookies on your browser for this purpose. This is essential for Service security and cannot be disabled. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Stripe.js is loaded in your browser for secure payment processing. Stripe may set its own cookies (such as __stripe_mid and __stripe_sid) for fraud detection and payment security. These cookies are essential for processing payments and cannot be disabled. For details, see Stripe’s Privacy Policy.
5. Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about how visitors use the Service. Google Analytics cookies are only set after you accept analytics cookies via the cookie consent banner that appears on your first visit. If you decline, no analytics cookies will be set and Google Analytics will not be loaded.
The data collected includes pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, browser type, and device information. This data is aggregated and does not personally identify you.
Google processes this data in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
6. How to Manage Cookies
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically set your browser to block or delete cookies, or to alert you when a website attempts to set a cookie. The following links provide instructions for the most common browsers:
Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect the functionality of the Service. If you block analytics cookies, we will not be able to collect anonymized usage data, but the Service will continue to function normally.
To opt out of Google Analytics specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
A cookie consent banner appears on your first visit, allowing you to accept or decline analytics cookies. Your preference is saved in your browser and will be remembered on future visits. Essential cookies (authentication, security, and payment processing) are always active because they are necessary for the Service to function. To change your cookie preference, clear the cookie_consent item from your browser’s local storage using the steps above, and the banner will appear again on your next visit.
7. Do Not Track
Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting that sends a signal to websites requesting that your browsing activity not be tracked. There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals.
We do not currently alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals. However, you can opt out of analytics tracking at any time using the methods described in Section 6 above.
8. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies and technologies we use. The “Effective Date” at the top of this page will be updated to reflect the date of the most recent changes.
For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to provide notice on the Service. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Cookie Policy.
9. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at support@shippingcostcalculator.com.
For more information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.