Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Smart Bid ("we", "our", "us") operates the website at smartbid.me and the Smart Bid web application (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

By using Smart Bid, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and display name. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google.

Auction & Financial Data

When you use the auction tool, we store the data you enter including budget zones (comfort, caution, limit), bid events, bid increments, and session history. You may optionally enter financial details such as cash available and pre-approved loan amounts. This data is used solely to provide the Service to you.

Property Data

You may enter property addresses using our address autocomplete feature. This information is used to calculate state-specific stamp duty and is stored with your auction session.

Payment Information

Payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, bank account details, or other sensitive payment information on our servers. Stripe may collect information as described in their privacy policy.

Usage Data

We collect anonymous usage data including page views and performance metrics through Vercel Analytics to help improve the Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• To process payments and manage subscriptions
• To calculate stamp duty and financial estimates based on your inputs
• To store your auction history and settings
• To communicate with you about your account or the Service
• To detect and prevent fraud or abuse

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate Smart Bid:

• Supabase — Database and authentication
• Stripe — Payment processing
• Google — OAuth sign-in and Maps Places API for address autocomplete
• Vercel — Hosting and analytics

Each of these services has their own privacy policy governing how they handle your data.

5. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored securely using industry-standard practices. All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS. We implement access controls and security measures to protect against unauthorised access to your data.

6. Cookies & Local Storage

We use the following browser storage mechanisms:

• Session cookies — To maintain your authentication session
• Local storage — To save your theme preference (light/dark mode) and custom bid increment settings

We do not use third-party tracking cookies for advertising purposes.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Export your auction data

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@smartbid.me.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal data from our systems within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or regulatory purposes.

9. Children's Privacy

Smart Bid is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at support@smartbid.me.