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.

This document is a general template and does not replace tailored legal advice. You are responsible for ensuring it accurately reflects how Sealabid operates and for keeping it up to date with UK data protection law.

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

Email: support@sealabid.com

1. Who we are and role as data controller

Sealabid is a UK-based 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 the personal information you provide to us.

We process your 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, password (hashed), and basic profile information you choose to add.
• Listing data – the items you list for sale, descriptions, categories, photos and any optional "make me happy" target you set (this target is private and not shown to other users).
• Sealed bids – the amount you offer, any message you send to the seller, and internal status (submitted, winner, not selected).
• Usage data – basic logs such as pages visited, dates and times, and actions taken (for example, creating a listing or updating an envelope).
• Technical data – IP address, browser type, device information and similar data collected by our hosting and security providers to run and protect the site.
• Communications – messages you send us by email or through support channels, plus any abuse reports you submit about another user.

3. How we use your data

We use your personal data to run Sealabid and keep the marketplace safe and fair. This includes:

• Creating and managing your Sealabid account.
• Letting you create listings, upload photos and set deadlines.
• Allowing you to place sealed bids and send optional messages to sellers.
• Showing sellers the bids they have received once the listing ends, so they can choose a buyer.
• Detecting and responding to abuse, fraud or misuse (for example, threatening messages or spam).
• Running analytics to understand how the site is used and to improve features, layouts and performance.
• Complying with our legal obligations, including responding to lawful requests from authorities 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 create your account, enable listings and sealed bids, and operate the marketplace features you use.
• Legitimate interests – to keep the platform secure, prevent abuse and fraud, run analytics, and improve Sealabid in ways that are reasonable and expected.
• Consent – where we use optional cookies or send you marketing communications that you explicitly sign up for.
• Legal obligation – where we are required to keep certain records or share information with authorities.

5. Who we share your data with

We don't sell your personal data. We do share it with:

• Technical providers – such as our hosting, storage and database providers (for example, services like Vercel and Appwrite) who help us run the site.
• Payment and fraud providers – if and when online payments are integrated, we will share limited data with a payment processor to take payments securely and detect fraud.
• Analytics providers – if we use tools like analytics, they may collect anonymised or pseudonymised information about how the site is used.
• Law enforcement or regulators – where we are legally required to do so, or to protect our rights and other users (for example in cases of threats, fraud or serious abuse).

Each provider is only given the data they need to perform their service and is required to keep it secure.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as it is genuinely needed:

• Account details are kept while you have an active account and for a reasonable period afterwards if needed for legal or accounting purposes.
• Listing and sealed-bid records may be kept for several years to help resolve disputes, prevent abuse and maintain a reliable transaction history.
• Abuse reports and security logs may be retained longer where necessary to protect the platform and other users.

When data is no longer needed, we either delete it or anonymise it so it no longer identifies you.

7. Where your data is stored

Our service providers may store or process your data in the UK, the European Economic Area (EEA) or other countries. Where data is transferred outside the UK / EEA, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, 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 the 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 of your data, especially where we rely on legitimate interests.
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format (where technically possible).

To exercise these rights, contact support@sealabid.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your data.

9. Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, keep the platform secure and understand how people use Sealabid. Some cookies are strictly necessary for the site to work; others (like analytics) are optional and only used with your consent.

For more detail on the specific cookies we use and how to manage your choices, please 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 date shown here and, where reasonable, let you know through the site or by email.

Last updated: 2025