Privacy Notice
Effective date: 2026-11-07 · Version 3
This notice explains how Auction Direct, Inc., a California corporation ("Auction Direct") collects, uses, and shares personal information through auctiondirectnetwork.com and the Auction Direct apps (the "Platform"). It replaces the earlier Privacy Notice and the 2021 Privacy Policy.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
1. What we collect
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers and contact details | Name, email, phone, mailing and pickup address, account ID | You |
| Launch list and "Sell my car" forms | Name, email, phone, ZIP code, vehicle details (VIN, or license plate and state; year, make, model, mileage), and whether you asked for help listing your car. You can fill in these forms without an account. | You |
| Texting and calling consent | The consent wording and version you were shown, when you agreed, and your IP address and browser, kept as a record of your consent | Automatically, when you submit a form |
| How you found us | Campaign tags in the link you followed (such as utm_source or utm_campaign), ad click IDs (from Google: gclid, gbraid, wbraid; from Meta: fbclid), the page you landed on, the referring page, and your language | Automatically, from the link you followed and your browser |
| Identity and ownership documents | Driver's license or other photo ID, and the name and date of birth you enter from it; vehicle title or registration, including a registration card while a duplicate title is pending (private sellers); the result of our review (approved or rejected, when, and any reason given); documents you give us for the title help service; dealer license, business documents, seller permits (businesses) | You, and our review |
| Phone verification | Whether and when your phone number was confirmed with a one-time code sent by text message. The code itself is created and checked by our SMS provider (Twilio); we don't keep it. | You, and our SMS provider |
| Payment information | Card details are collected and stored by our payment processor, Stripe. We keep only the card type, last 4 digits, and payment history, including your bidder deposit (amount, buying-power tier, and every payment, top-up, application to a purchase, refund, and forfeiture), buyer fees, listing fees, cancellation fees, and non-payment fees. Payouts use Stripe bank details for dealer sales. | You, and Stripe |
| Transaction information | Listings, bids, offers, purchases, sales, fees, pickup times, documents you sign (including the bill of sale, with your typed name, timestamp, and IP address), DMV release-of-liability confirmation numbers and optional screenshots, non-payment, non-performance, and pickup reports and their outcomes, and strikes | Your use of the Platform, and other users' reports |
| Pickup report evidence | Photos and video taken at pickup, such as the VIN plate, odometer, title, or a vehicle that won't start | You, or the other party to your sale |
| Vehicle content | Photos, engine audio, condition reports, VIN, license plate and state (if you look up your car by plate), mileage | You (Sellers) |
| Messages | Support chat and email with our team | You |
| Location | Approximate or precise location, if you allow it, to show distance to vehicles and fill in addresses | Your device |
| Device and usage information | IP address, device and browser type, app version, pages and screens viewed, crash reports, push notification token | Automatically, through Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, and Cloud Messaging |
| Sign-in information | If you sign in with Google, Facebook, or Apple: your name and email from that service | Those services |
| Legal acceptance records | Which documents and versions you accepted, when, and your IP address and device | Automatically |
2. How we use it
- Running the Platform: to create and verify accounts, approve listings, run auctions, process deposits, deposit refunds, and fees, apply buying-power limits, and send notifications and emails about bids, offers, and sales.
- Connecting a Buyer and Seller after a sale (see Section 3).
- Launch list and listing help: to contact you about selling your car by phone call, text message (if you agreed), and email; to tell you when the Marketplace opens in your area; and to arrange a visit if you asked us to help photograph and list your car.
- Measuring our advertising: to see which ads, campaigns, and pages bring people to us, using the campaign tags and ad click IDs described in Section 1.
- Verifying phone numbers: to confirm that the phone number on a Marketplace account belongs to its owner, which helps keep out fake and repeat accounts.
- Reviewing reports: to review non-payment, non-performance, and pickup reports and decide fees, refunds, and strikes.
- Title help: if a Seller chooses the title help service, to coordinate the paperwork.
- Preventing fraud: to verify identity and ownership, prevent fraud and shill bidding, and enforce our Terms, including bans. When an account is permanently banned, we record the phone number and the name and date of birth from the ID, to detect attempts to register again.
- Support: to provide customer support and respond to requests.
- Improving the Platform: to fix crashes and analyze usage.
- Legal and business purposes: to meet legal, tax, and record-keeping duties, and to protect our rights.
3. Who we share it with
Other users, only to complete a sale.
- After a Marketplace Buyer's buyer fee is paid, we share the Seller's name, phone number, and pickup address with the Buyer, and the Buyer's name and phone number with the Seller.
- In Dealer Auctions, we share the business details needed to complete the sale and the title transfer.
- Your ID and title documents are never shown to other users.
Service providers who work for us under contract:
- Stripe: payments, deposits, and refunds
- Google Cloud and Firebase: hosting, analytics, crash reports, notifications
- SendGrid: email, and our contact list for launch-list sign-ups
- Twilio: sending and checking phone verification codes by text message
- Our SMS provider: sending texts about your car or your account, only if you agreed to receive them
- Vehicle data providers: to find a vehicle's VIN from the license plate and state you enter (Marketplace listings), and to decode a VIN into year, make, and model (the VIN decode is sent from your browser to the U.S. government's free NHTSA service)
- Google Maps: maps and addresses
- Apple, Google, and Facebook: sign-in
- Transport partners: only if you choose Auction Direct transport
- Licensed registration services: only if you choose the title help service, and only the information and documents needed for your title paperwork
Advertising. We keep ad click IDs to measure our own ads. We don't currently send them, or anything else about you, back to Google, Meta, or any other ad network.
When the law requires it. To respond to legal requests, to protect users or the public, or to investigate fraud.
In a business transfer. If Auction Direct is merged or sold, your information may transfer to the new owner under this notice.
4. How long we keep it
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Account information | While your account is open |
| Transaction, fee, deposit, report, and acceptance records (including bills of sale and pickup report evidence) | At least 7 years after the transaction, for legal and tax reasons |
| ID and title documents | While your account is open, then up to 3 years for fraud prevention, unless the law requires otherwise |
| Launch list sign-ups (if you never open an account) | Up to 2 years after we last hear from you, or until you ask us to delete them |
| Texting and calling consent records, and opt-outs | At least 5 years after you opt out, so we can show what you agreed to and honor your opt-out |
| Phone verification status | While your account is open |
| Information of banned users | As long as needed to enforce the ban |
5. Your choices and rights
- Access, correction, or deletion.
- Update your profile in the app or website, or delete your account at auctiondirectnetwork.com/delete-account.
- Some records are kept after deletion, as described in Section 4.
- Location and notifications. Turn these off in your device settings.
- Marketing emails. Use the unsubscribe link. Messages about your account and transactions can't be turned off while your account is open.
- Texts and calls. If you agree on a form, we may call and text you about your car, including by automated means. Agreeing is never required to buy or sell. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies. Reply STOP to any text to stop texts, reply HELP for help, or tell us on a call that you don't want more calls. We keep a record of your consent and of any opt-out (Sections 1 and 4). Phone verification codes are sent only when you ask for one.
- Launch list. To be removed, email support@auctiondirectnetwork.com.
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose, and to request access, correction, and deletion. You can also limit our use of sensitive personal information, such as government ID. We use it only to verify identity, prevent fraud, and enforce bans, which the law permits.
- To make a request, email support@auctiondirectnetwork.com or call (619) 929-7347. We'll verify your identity before acting on it.
- You may use an authorized agent.
- We won't treat you differently for using these rights.
- "Shine the Light": we don't share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing.
6. Security
We use encryption in transit, access controls, and reputable providers. The ID documents, titles, and registration cards you upload for Marketplace seller verification, release of liability screenshots, and pickup report evidence are kept in private storage that only authorized Auction Direct staff can open, through links that expire after a few minutes. They are never public and never shown to other users. No system is perfectly secure. Keep your password private, and tell us right away if you suspect unauthorized access.
7. Children
The Platform is for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
8. Changes
We'll post updates here with a new effective date. If a change is material, we'll notify you and may ask you to accept the updated notice.
9. Contact
Auction Direct, Inc., 455 Market St, Ste 1940 #446266, San Francisco, CA 94105 · support@auctiondirectnetwork.com · (619) 929-7347