1. Introduction
Carbuy.online ("we," "us," or "our") operates an online automotive marketplace that connects car buyers, sellers, and dealers. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit our website, use our mobile experience, or interact with our services.
We are committed to handling your personal information transparently and responsibly. By using Carbuy.online, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information:
- Account Information: Name, email address, password, phone number, and ZIP code when you create an account.
- Listing Data: Vehicle details, photos, asking price, condition, mileage, VIN, and contact preferences for sellers and dealers.
- Search History & Saved Items: Your saved vehicles, saved searches, comparisons, and browsing activity within the platform.
- Communications: Messages you send to dealers or sellers through our platform, and inquiries you send to our support team.
- Device & Usage Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, pages visited, referring URLs, and timestamps.
- Location Data: Approximate location derived from your IP address, or precise location when you grant browser permission to improve local search results.
- Financial Information: When you use financing tools, you may provide income, employment, and credit-related details that we transmit securely to lending partners.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
- Provide search results, listing pages, and vehicle recommendations.
- Personalize your experience based on prior searches and saved cars.
- Facilitate communication between buyers, sellers, and dealers.
- Process pre-qualification requests and route them to lending partners you choose.
- Send transactional emails (account confirmations, saved-search alerts) and, with consent, marketing emails.
- Prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access; enforce our Terms of Service.
- Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the platform.
- Comply with legal obligations.
4. Information Sharing
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for advertising.
We share information only in the following circumstances:
- With Dealers and Sellers: When you contact a dealer or seller about a listing, we share the information you submit (name, contact details, message) so they can respond.
- Service Providers: Hosting, analytics, email delivery, payment processing, and customer support vendors who process data on our behalf under contractual confidentiality obligations.
- Lending Partners: If you request financing, the information you provide is sent to the lender(s) you select.
- Legal Requirements: When required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Carbuy.online, our users, or others.
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, with appropriate confidentiality protections.
6. Data Security
We use industry-standard technical and organizational safeguards, including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), encryption at rest for stored credentials, role-based access controls, and routine security reviews. No system is perfectly secure, but we work continuously to protect your information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.
7. Your Rights & Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information through your account settings or by contacting us.
- Delete your account and associated personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Opt out of marketing emails by clicking "unsubscribe" in any marketing message or adjusting your account preferences.
- Restrict or object to certain processing of your personal information.
- Data portability: receive a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format.
To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in Section 11.
8. Children's Privacy
Carbuy.online is not directed at children under 13 (or 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
9. International Users & Data Transfers
Carbuy.online operates primarily in the United States. If you access the platform from outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S. or other jurisdictions where our providers operate. We rely on appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) for international transfers where required by law.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will revise the "Last Updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you by email or in-app notice. Continued use of Carbuy.online after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact our privacy team:
Email: privacy@carbuy.online
Mail: Carbuy.online Privacy Team