Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Sealabid (“we”, “us”, “our”) handles your personal data when you use our website, create an account, list an item or place a sealed bid.

If you have questions about this policy, or want to exercise your data rights, contact:

Email: support@sealabid.com

Last updated: 29 December 2025

1. Who we are and role as data controller

Sealabid is an online sealed-bid marketplace where people can list items and buyers submit one private “envelope” offer. When you use Sealabid, we act as the data controller for personal information you provide to us.

We process personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What personal data we collect

We may collect and store:

• Account details – your name, email address, and profile information you choose to add.
• Listing data – items you list, descriptions, categories, photos, and listing deadlines.
• Sealed bids (“envelopes”) – the offer amount, optional message to the seller, and internal status (submitted, winner, not selected).
• Usage data – basic logs such as pages visited and actions taken (e.g., creating a listing or updating an envelope).
• Technical data – IP address, browser/device info and similar data collected by hosting/security services to run and protect the site.
• Communications – emails/support messages, and any abuse reports you submit.
• Payments (where applicable) – we do not store full card numbers; we may store payment-related identifiers (e.g., a customer/payment method reference) needed to process a transaction or handle disputes.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data to run Sealabid and keep the marketplace safe, including:

• Creating and managing your account.
• Letting you create listings, upload photos and set deadlines.
• Allowing you to place sealed bids and send optional messages.
• Showing sellers the envelopes after the listing ends so they can choose a buyer (or no sale).
• Operating payment flows when a deal is agreed (where applicable).
• Detecting and responding to abuse, fraud or misuse.
• Improving features and performance.
• Complying with legal obligations and responding to lawful requests where required.

4. Legal bases we rely on

Under UK GDPR we must have a legal basis for using your data. We mainly rely on:

• Contract – to provide the marketplace features you use (account, listings, envelopes, deal flow).
• Legitimate interests – to keep the platform secure, prevent abuse, and improve Sealabid in reasonable ways.
• Consent – where we use optional cookies/analytics or send marketing you explicitly sign up for.
• Legal obligation – where we must keep certain records or respond to lawful requests.

5. Who we share your data with

We don’t sell your personal data. We may share limited data with:

• Hosting / infrastructure providers – to run the website and store data securely (e.g., hosting, database, file storage).
• Payment processors – to process payments securely (e.g., Stripe). We do not receive or store full card details.
• Email / notification providers – to send account and deal-related emails where enabled.
• Law enforcement / regulators – where legally required or to protect users and the platform in serious cases (fraud/threats/abuse).

Each provider only receives what’s necessary and is required to keep it secure.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep data only as long as genuinely needed, for example:

• Account details while your account is active and a reasonable period afterwards if needed.
• Listing/envelope records for dispute resolution, marketplace integrity, and transaction history.
• Abuse reports/security logs where necessary to protect users and the platform.

When data is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it.

7. Where your data is stored

Our service providers may store or process data in the UK, the EEA, or other countries. Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we take reasonable steps to use appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections).

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have rights, including to:

• Request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
• Ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
• Object to certain uses (especially where we rely on legitimate interests).
• Request your data in a portable format (where technically possible).

To exercise these rights, email support@sealabid.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

9. Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, keep it secure, and understand how people use Sealabid. Some cookies are strictly necessary; others (like analytics) are optional and used with your consent.

For more detail, see our Cookies Policy.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date and, where reasonable, notify you through the site or by email.