Privacy Policy

1. What we collect

• Account details — your name, email, and the area/city you choose.
• Listings & messages — the photos, descriptions and chats you create on the platform.
• Verification data — if you choose to verify your ID, the document you upload (stored privately, see below).
• Usage data — basic, mostly anonymous information about how the app is used, to keep it running and improve it.
• Approximate location — only the area you pick, or device location if you explicitly allow it, to show what's near you.

2. How we use it

• To run your account, show your listings, and connect you with buyers and sellers.
• To power "near you" results and relevant categories.
• To send transactional notifications (such as a new message) — not marketing spam.
• To keep the marketplace safe: verification, reviews, reporting and moderation.

3. We don't sell your data

We do not sell or rent your personal information. Because we never handle payments, we also never see or store your card or banking details — those stay between you and the person you're dealing with.

4. Who we share it with

We share data only with the service providers that make the app work — for example our hosting and database provider (Supabase), email delivery (Resend), and app distribution platforms. They process data on our instructions under their own security commitments. We may also disclose information where the law requires it.

5. Where your data is stored

Our database and storage are currently hosted in the European Union (Ireland). This means your personal information may be processed outside South Africa. The EU provides data-protection safeguards broadly comparable to POPIA, and we rely on those protections for this cross-border transfer. If you'd prefer your data stay in-region, let us know — we keep this under review.

6. ID verification documents

If you verify your identity, your document is stored in a private bucket that only you and our moderation team can access (via short-lived, signed links). We use it solely to confirm your identity and award the verified badge, and you can ask us to delete it once verification is complete.

7. Your rights under POPIA

• Ask what personal information we hold about you, and request a copy.
• Ask us to correct or delete your information.
• Object to certain processing, or withdraw consent.
• Complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these, email privacy@sellsomething.co.za.

8. Keeping data & keeping it safe

We keep your information for as long as your account is active, then delete or anonymise it within a reasonable period unless the law requires us to keep it longer. Access is protected by row-level security so users can only reach their own data. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

9. Changes & contact

We'll update this policy as the product grows and change the date above. Questions about your privacy? Email privacy@sellsomething.co.za. See also our Terms of Service.

This is a good-faith plain-language policy and a starting template. Before public launch, have it reviewed by a South African attorney, confirm your final hosting region, and register your Information Officer with the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.