Privacy Policy

Personal Information

When you create an account, we collect information such as your name, email address, phone number and billing details. Address fields use Google Maps services to suggest locations, which means your input may be sent to Google for processing. This information is necessary to provide our auction services and process transactions.

Social Login Information

If you choose to sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive basic profile information such as your name, email address, and the provider account identifier so we can create or link your account. We do not receive your password from these providers.

Identity Verification Information

If you choose to verify your identity, we collect a photo of you holding your government-issued ID and related verification metadata (submission time, status, reviewer, and any rejection reason).

Usage Information

We automatically collect certain details about your interactions with our platform such as IP address, browser type, device identifiers and pages visited. This data helps us safeguard your account and improve our services. When permitted, we store a device identifier cookie on your browser to detect trusted devices.

Transaction Information

We collect information about your bidding activity, purchases, and sales to facilitate transactions and provide customer support.

Banned User Records

For fraud prevention, we maintain a hashed record of email addresses associated with accounts that have been banned. This information is stored separately and used solely to block further sign-ups from those addresses.

• To provide and maintain our auction platform services
• To process transactions and send transaction-related communications
• To verify identity and meet payment processor requirements
• To send you important updates about your account and our services
• To provide customer support and respond to your inquiries
• To detect and prevent fraud and ensure platform security
• Maintain a hashed list of banned user email addresses to block fraudulent or abusive registrations
• To improve our services and develop new features
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service

With Other Users

When you participate in auctions, certain information like your username and bidding activity may be visible to other users. We do not share your personal contact information without your consent.

With Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our platform, including payment processors, infrastructure providers, and customer support tools. These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements.

• Stripe for payment processing, payouts, and fraud prevention.
• Resend for transactional email delivery (account, security, and service emails).
• Google Maps for address autocomplete when you use location suggestions.

With Payment Processors

We share necessary information with payment processors (such as Stripe) to process payments and payouts. Payment processors may require identity verification (KYC) and may collect additional information directly from you during onboarding.

We do not share your identity verification images with other users. Access to verification images is limited to authorized reviewers.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users and the public.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

• All data transmission is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols
• Payment information is processed through PCI-compliant payment processors
• We regularly update our security practices and conduct security audits
• Access to personal information is restricted to authorized personnel only
• We use secure servers and databases with regular backups

Account Information

You can access, update, or delete your account information at any time through your account settings page.

Communication Preferences

You can control the types of emails you receive from us through your notification settings. However, we may still send you important transaction-related and security communications.

Data Portability

You have the right to request a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.

Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time from the settings area of your profile. Deleting your account will remove your personal data, bids, listings and saved addresses. Transaction and payment records are kept indefinitely at this time.

Rights Under the GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have rights under the GDPR including the rights to access, correct, erase, or restrict the processing of your personal data, and the right to data portability. You may also object to processing or withdraw consent at any time. You can exercise these rights through your privacy settings or by contacting us at support@onlyauctions.co.uk. You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Pending Deletion Window

When you request account deletion, your account enters a pending deletion period. Your account will be deleted after 14 days, or sooner once all outstanding obligations are cleared. If there are outstanding obligations (e.g., winning bids or unpaid invoices), we retain necessary account, payment reference, and address data to fulfill legal obligations and complete transactions. We may attempt off-session charges using your default payment method via our payment processor and may provide your default shipping address to sellers to enable shipment.

Inactive Accounts

An account is considered inactive if there is no sign-in or transaction activity for 24 months. We will email you before deletion. If you do not respond within 30 days, we delete or anonymize the account unless we must keep certain records for legal, tax, or fraud-prevention reasons.

Verification Data Retention

Identity verification images are stored for 5 years for audit and compliance purposes. We retain verification metadata such as submission time, reviewer, decision, and any rejection reason for as long as your account exists.

Retention Periods

• Transaction and payment records: retained indefinitely unless we adopt retention limits in the future.
• Security and access logs: retained for up to 12 months to protect the platform.
• Device identifiers: retained for as long as session records exist.
• Banned user hash: retained for as long as needed to prevent repeat abuse.

Immediate Deletion

If there are no outstanding obligations, we may delete your account immediately without the 14-day delay. Certain records may be retained as required by law.

Your Rights

You can access or update your data in settings, and you can request deletion at any time. Even after a deletion request, we may retain limited data to comply with legal obligations, prevent fraud, or enforce contracts.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. When you first visit the site we present a cookie banner where you can choose which categories of cookies to allow. Your preferences can be changed at any time from the privacy settings page.

We do not run advertising pixels or set advertising cookies at this time. If that changes, we will update this policy and request your consent.

Analytics cookies are disabled by default and only set if you opt in. If you do not opt in, we do not use analytics cookies.

Types of Cookies We Use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the platform to function properly
• Performance Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our platform
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings and enable additional features such as saved devices
• Analytics Cookies: Provide aggregated usage statistics so we can improve the site
• Advertising Cookies: Used by us and our partners to deliver relevant advertisements

Our platform is not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws and that your information receives adequate protection.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our platform and sending you an email notification.

Your continued use of our platform after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days of receipt.