Privacy policy

Last updated 27 October 2026

We collect the least we need to run the marketplace, we never sell your information, and you can ask us to show you or delete your data at any time. This policy follows South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

1. What we collect

  • Account details: your name, email address and the city you choose. Your email is never shown to other people.
  • What you post: listing photos, descriptions and messages.
  • Location: only the city you pick, or your device location if you allow it, to show nearby listings. We don't store your device location.
  • Technical data: your IP address and browser, used to keep accounts secure and stop abuse.

2. Photos

Phone photos can contain the exact place they were taken. We remove that information, and all other photo metadata, before a photo is stored or shown.

3. Verification photos

To get a verified badge you send a selfie holding a handwritten note. We never ask for ID documents or ID numbers. The photo is stored privately, only our moderators can see it, and it's deleted as soon as they decide.

4. Reports and moderation

If someone reports a listing, our moderators look at it. If someone reports a conversation, our moderators can read that conversation to decide what to do. Every moderation decision, and every time a moderator reads a reported conversation, is recorded.

5. Reviews

Reviews you leave show on the seller's profile with your first name.

6. How we use it

  • To run your account, show your listings and connect you with buyers and sellers.
  • To send emails you need, such as confirming your address or a new message. No marketing without your permission.
  • To keep the marketplace safe: reports, verification and moderation.

7. Who we share it with

We don't sell or rent your information. We use these providers to run the service: Cloudflare (hosting, database and photo storage), Resend (email) and PayFast (payments for promoted listings only). We may disclose information when the law requires it.

8. Where it's stored

Our database and photos are stored by Cloudflare in Western Europe, so your information is processed outside South Africa. The EU's data-protection laws give protection comparable to POPIA, and we rely on them for this transfer.

9. How long we keep it

We keep your information while your account is open. When you delete your account in Profile and account, your profile, listings, photos, saved items and any verification photo are deleted straight away. Reviews you left stay, under "Former member". Messages you sent stay with the people you sent them to.

10. Your rights

  • Ask what we hold about you and get a copy.
  • Ask us to correct or delete it.
  • Object to processing or withdraw consent.
  • Complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa.

Email privacy@sellsomething.co.za to use any of these rights.

11. Contact

Questions about privacy: privacy@sellsomething.co.za. See also the terms of service.

Draft for legal review. Before public launch, have a South African attorney review this policy and register an Information Officer with the Information Regulator.