Privacy Policy

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Last updated: May 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Auction247 Ltd (“Auction247”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects personal information when you visit our website, register an account, bid in or consign to our auctions, or otherwise interact with us. It should be read alongside our Terms & Conditions, in particular clause 49 (Copyright and Data Protection).

1. Who We Are

1.1 Auction247 Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

1.2 Company details:

Company name: Auction247 Ltd, trading as Auction247.
Registered office: 124 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX.
Company number: 14924085.
Administrative seat: Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

1.3 Contact for privacy matters: info@auction247.online or our priority contact number 0871 671 0087.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 We collect personal information that you provide directly, that is generated through your use of our services, and that we lawfully receive from third parties.

2.2 The categories of personal information we collect include:

Identity data: name, date of birth where required, company name and director details where bidding on behalf of a business.
Contact data: postal address, email address, telephone numbers.
Verification data: identification documents, proof of address, incorporation documents, bank details and other information required for compliance, anti-money laundering and fraud prevention checks.
Account data: username, password (stored in hashed form), bidding history, preferences and communication settings.
Transaction data: bids placed, Lots won, invoices, payments, refunds, deposits, dispatch and delivery records.
Payment data: payment card details are processed directly by our payment provider (see Section 4) and we do not store full card numbers on our systems.
Technical data: IP address, device identifiers, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL and timestamps.
Usage data: pages viewed, links clicked, search queries, time spent on the site and other interactions with our services.
Communications data: emails, telephone calls, SMS messages, WhatsApp messages and other correspondence with us.
Marketing data: your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.

2.3 We may also receive information about you from third parties, including identity verification providers, fraud prevention agencies, credit reference agencies, couriers, payment processors and public sources such as Companies House.

3. How and Why We Use Your Information

3.1 We use your personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

3.2 The lawful bases on which we rely are:

Performance of a contract — to register your account, accept bids, form sale contracts, process payments, arrange dispatch and provide our auction services.
Legitimate interests — to operate, maintain and improve our website and services, prevent fraud, manage risk, protect our staff and property, recover debts, defend legal claims and conduct day-to-day business administration.
Legal obligation — to comply with anti-money laundering, tax, accounting, regulatory, court order and other legal requirements.
Consent — where you have opted in to optional marketing communications or to non-essential cookies.

3.3 Specifically, we use your information to:

verify your identity and complete onboarding, AML and fraud checks;
register and administer your bidding account;
accept and record bids and form contracts of sale;
issue invoices, take payment and arrange refunds where applicable;
arrange packaging, dispatch, courier collection or pallet freight;
communicate with you about auctions, Lots, invoices, dispatch and disputes;
handle complaints, claims and chargebacks;
enforce our Terms, recover debts and pursue legal remedies;
detect, investigate and prevent fraud, collusion, manipulation and other prohibited activity;
comply with legal, tax, accounting and regulatory obligations;
operate, maintain, secure and improve our website and services;
send you service messages relating to your account or transactions;
send you marketing communications where you have consented or where we are otherwise lawfully entitled to do so.

4. Sharing Your Information

4.1 We do not sell, lend or trade your personal information.

4.2 We may share personal information with the following categories of recipient where necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy:

payment processors and acquirers (including Stripe) to take payment, process refunds and manage chargebacks;
identity verification, AML, sanctions screening and fraud prevention service providers;
couriers, parcel networks, pallet freight providers and other logistics partners to arrange delivery;
warehouses, ports and third-party fulfilment locations used in the storage, packing or dispatch of Goods;
professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants and auditors;
debt recovery agents, tracing agents and enforcement officers;
IT, hosting, email, telephony, CRM and other technology service providers acting as our processors;
third-party auction, advertising and listing Platforms where you choose to engage with us through them;
regulators, law enforcement, courts and other public authorities where we are legally required or permitted to do so;
any prospective buyer, transferee or successor of all or part of our business or assets.

4.3 We require all third parties acting as our processors to respect the security of your personal information and to handle it in accordance with the law.

5. International Transfers

5.1 We are based in the United Kingdom and primarily process personal information here.

5.2 Where personal information is transferred outside the United Kingdom (for example, where a third-party service provider operates internationally), we ensure an appropriate level of protection through one or more of:

UK adequacy regulations covering the recipient country;
the International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses;
another safeguard recognised under UK data protection law.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

6.1 Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, remember your session, secure your account and understand how visitors use our services.

6.2 The categories of cookie we may use are:

Strictly necessary cookies — required to deliver core site functionality, including login, bidding, basket and checkout. These cannot be switched off in our systems.
Functional cookies — remember your preferences and settings, such as language and display options.
Analytics cookies — help us understand how the site is used so that we can improve it.
Marketing cookies — used to deliver advertising that is relevant to you and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, where applicable.

6.3 Non-essential cookies are only set with your consent where required by law.

6.4 You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of our site from functioning correctly.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

7.1 We retain personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, tax, regulatory or reporting requirements.

7.2 Indicative retention periods are as follows:

account records: for the life of the account and for up to 6 years after closure;
transaction records, invoices and supporting documentation: at least 6 years from the end of the relevant tax year, in line with HMRC requirements;
AML and identity verification records: 5 years from the end of the business relationship, in line with the Money Laundering Regulations;
complaints and dispute records: 6 years from resolution;
marketing preference records: until you withdraw consent or object;
website analytics and technical logs: typically up to 26 months.

7.3 Where information is no longer required, we will either securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.

8. Security

8.1 We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

8.2 These measures include access controls, encryption in transit, secure hosting, staff training and contractual controls on our processors.

8.3 No internet transmission or storage system is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights

9.1 Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you have the following rights under UK data protection law:

Right of access — to obtain a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Right to rectification — to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction — to ask us to limit how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability — to receive certain personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Right to object — to object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time.
Rights in relation to automated decision-making — we do not currently make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

9.2 To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9.3 Some rights are subject to legal exceptions, including where we must retain information to comply with a legal obligation, defend legal claims, prevent fraud or recover debts.

10. Marketing

10.1 We may send you marketing communications about our auctions, Lots and services where you have consented to receive them or where we are otherwise lawfully entitled to do so.

10.2 You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, by updating your account preferences or by contacting us.

10.3 Opting out of marketing does not affect service messages that are necessary to operate your account or fulfil a transaction.

11. Children

11.1 Our services are intended for business users and adults aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

11.2 If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can remove it.

12. Contact Us

12.1 If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

by email at info@auction247.online;
by telephone on 0871 671 0087;
by post at Auction247 Ltd, 124 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX.

13. Complaints

13.1 We hope to resolve any concern you have about how we handle your personal information. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

13.2 ICO contact details:

Website: ico.org.uk.
Helpline: 0303 123 1113.
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

13.3 We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

14. Changes to This Policy

14.1 We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, legal obligations or for other operational reasons.

14.2 The “Last updated” date at the top of this Policy indicates when it was most recently revised.

14.3 We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so that you are aware of how we process your personal information.