Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 16, 2026 · Version 2026-10-16
1. Who we are
Online Trade-Ins ("we," "us") operates onlinetradeins.com, a marketplace where private sellers list vehicles and licensed dealers bid on them. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
2. Information we collect
Account information: name, email address, password (stored hashed by our authentication provider), phone number, home ZIP code, and, for dealers, business name, dealer license number, business address, and team member emails.
Listing information: vehicle identification number (VIN), year/make/model, mileage, photos you upload, condition answers, title and lien status, reserve price, and the ZIP code where the vehicle is located. Photos may incidentally include license plates, locations, or people; please avoid including anything you do not want dealers to see.
Bidding and transaction information: bids, maximum bids, timestamps, auction outcomes, appointment times, the outcome the dealer records at drop-off (including any price change, pass reason, and photo evidence), disputes, and fee payments.
Payment information: sellers save a card before submitting a listing, and dealers pay invoices through Stripe. Card numbers and security codes are collected and stored by Stripe, not by us. We store only the card brand, last four digits, expiry month and year, and Stripe identifiers for the customer, payment method, and each hold or charge. We also record the version, time, and IP address of your card authorization, and a log of every hold, charge, release, and refund on your deal.
Technical information: IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, and actions taken, collected through server logs and Google Analytics. We record the IP address and time when you accept our Terms or Dealer Agreement.
Communications: emails and messages you send us, and your notification preferences, including SMS consent.
3. How we use information
- To run auctions: match listings with eligible dealers by distance, process bids, extend clocks, and determine outcomes.
- To connect the parties once the seller's card hold is placed: share the winning dealer's details with the seller and the seller's contact details with the winning dealer.
- To process payments: place, renew, and release the seller's temporary card hold, charge seller fees from it as described in the Terms, issue refunds, and invoice dealer success fees.
- To send transactional notifications: new auctions, outbid alerts, results, appointment confirmations and reminders, invoices.
- To prevent fraud and abuse: detect shill bidding, duplicate listings, and policy violations; maintain an audit log.
- To improve the service and comply with law.
We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
4. Who we share it with
Dealers. During the auction, eligible dealers see the vehicle details, photos, condition answers, ZIP code, and approximate distance. They do not see your name, email, phone number, or street address. Once the auction ends with a winning bid you accept and the card hold is placed, the winning dealer receives your name, phone, and email so they can confirm the drop-off. Dealers never see other dealers' identities or bids, and never see your card details.
Sellers. Once the card hold is placed, the seller receives the winning dealership's name, legal name, phone, email, and lot address.
Service providers. Google Cloud / Firebase (hosting, database, authentication, file storage), Stripe (card storage, holds, seller fees, refunds, and dealer invoicing), Resend (email), Twilio (SMS, if enabled), Google Maps Platform (geocoding), the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration vPIC API (VIN decoding; VINs are sent to NHTSA), and Google Analytics. Each receives only what it needs to perform its function.
Legal. We may disclose information to comply with law, enforce our Terms, or protect the rights, property, or safety of users or the public.
Business transfers. If we are acquired or merge, information may transfer to the successor, subject to this policy.
5. Retention
Account and transaction records are retained while your account is active and for seven years afterward for tax, dispute, and legal purposes. Listing photos are deleted 12 months after the listing closes unless a dispute is open. Audit logs of bids are retained for the life of the platform because they underpin auction integrity. You may request deletion as described in Section 7; we will delete or de-identify what we are not legally required to keep.
6. Security
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access to production systems is limited to authorized personnel. Dealer and seller identities are never written to any document the other party's browser can read. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting your information we will notify you as required by law.
7. Your choices and rights
Access, correction, deletion. You can view and edit your profile in the app. Email hello@onlinetradeins.com to request a copy of your data, correct it, or delete your account.
Notifications. Opt out of SMS by replying STOP; manage email preferences in your profile. Transactional emails required to run an active auction or appointment cannot be disabled while they are in progress.
California residents (CCPA/CPRA). You have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; to delete it; to correct it; to opt out of sale or sharing (we do not sell or share for cross-context advertising); to limit use of sensitive personal information (we do not use it beyond what is necessary to provide the service); and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Submit requests to hello@onlinetradeins.com or through the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the footer. We will verify your identity by matching your request to your account email. You may designate an authorized agent. We respond within 45 days.
Categories collected in the preceding 12 months: identifiers; customer records (name, phone, address, card brand and last four digits); commercial information (listings, bids, purchases); internet activity; geolocation (ZIP and vehicle location); professional information (dealer license). Sources: you, your device, our service providers. Business purposes: as described in Section 3.
8. Children
The service is not directed to anyone under 18 and we do not knowingly collect information from children.
9. Changes
We will post changes here with a new effective date and email registered users about material changes.
10. Contact
Online Trade-Ins · hello@onlinetradeins.com