Equip-Bid is an online auction marketplace that connects bidders and sellers. We collect the information needed to run the marketplace, take payments, calculate tax, prevent fraud, and support you. We do not sell your personal information for money. We do use analytics and advertising tools that some state laws treat as sharing, and you can opt out. You control your marketing emails and texts, and you can ask us to access or delete your information at any time.
1 Information we collect
Information you give us
When you create an account, bid, buy, sell, or contact us, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, billing and pickup or shipping address, username and password, and the contents of messages you send through the site, including chat with sellers. Sellers also provide the business details needed to list and run their auctions.
Payment information for bidders
To bid you must have a valid payment card. Your card details are collected and processed by Stripe, our payment processor, which is certified to the PCI Data Security Standard. Equip-Bid does not store your full card number. When you register we may place a small temporary authorization on your card to confirm it is valid, and as bidding rises we may place a refundable hold to confirm available funds. After an auction closes, the amount you owe is charged through Stripe.
Seller payouts and tax information
Sellers are paid through Stripe Connect. To receive funds, a seller creates and connects their own Stripe account and provides identity, taxpayer identification such as an SSN, ITIN, or EIN, and bank account details directly to Stripe. Stripe verifies seller identity and reports seller earnings to the IRS, including issuing tax forms such as a 1099-K where required. Equip-Bid collects buyer payments and transfers seller funds to the seller's connected Stripe account, and Stripe then pays out to the seller's bank by ACH.
Information we collect automatically
When you use the site we automatically collect device and connection information such as your IP address, browser type, the pages and items you view, items you watch, and your bidding activity, using cookies and similar technologies described in the Cookies and tracking section below.
Information from others
We may receive information from our service providers, such as fraud and risk signals from our payment processor and aggregated usage data from our analytics partners.
2 How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Operate and provide the marketplace and your account.
- Process bids, sales, payments, settlements, and refunds.
- Verify identity and prevent fraud, including card authorizations and holds.
- Calculate and remit sales tax through Avalara, which receives the purchase and location data needed to do it.
- Provide bidder and seller support and respond to your messages.
- Send transactional messages about your account, bids, invoices, and pickups.
- Send marketing emails and texts when you have opted in.
- Improve, secure, and troubleshoot the site.
- Comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations and enforce our terms.
3 How the marketplace shares information
Equip-Bid is a venue that connects two sides of a transaction, so some sharing is part of how the platform works.
Between bidders and sellers
When you win an item, we share the information the seller needs to complete the sale, such as your name and contact details, so they can confirm payment and arrange pickup. A seller's business and contact details are shown to bidders on the auction. Your username and bidding activity, including bid amounts and history, are visible to other users as part of how the auction runs.
Service providers
We share information with the companies that help us run the business, including Stripe for payments and seller payouts, Avalara for tax calculation, Braze for email and text messaging, our analytics and advertising partners, and our hosting and support tools. They may use the information only to provide their services to us.
Advertising and analytics partners
We use analytics and advertising technologies, including Google Analytics, the Meta (Facebook) pixel, and Braze, and we may add others over time. Under some state privacy laws, including California's, using these technologies can count as sharing or even a sale of personal information, even though we do not exchange your data for money. You can opt out as described in the Cookies and tracking and Your privacy rights sections.
Legal, safety, and business transfers
We may disclose information to comply with the law, respond to lawful requests, enforce our terms, protect the rights, property, or safety of Equip-Bid, our users, or others, and in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets.
4 Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies in three broad categories. Strictly necessary cookies keep you signed in, secure your session, and make core features work. Analytics cookies help us understand how the site is used so we can improve it. Advertising cookies and pixels help us measure and deliver marketing, including through Google and Meta. We may use additional tools over time.
You can control cookies through your browser settings, opt out of many advertising cookies through industry tools such as the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance, and submit an opt out of the sale or sharing of your information as described in the Your privacy rights section. Turning off some cookies may affect how the site works.
Some pages include embedded YouTube content, which uses YouTube API Services and may set cookies or collect data through the embedded player. Your use of that content is also subject to YouTube's Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy.
5 Marketing emails and texts
With your consent, we send marketing emails and text messages, currently through Braze. You can opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link in any message, and you can opt out of marketing texts by replying STOP. Message and data rates may apply to texts, and message frequency varies. Opting out of marketing does not stop important transactional messages about your account, bids, invoices, or pickups. If you subscribe to a newsletter or take part in a survey we may offer from time to time, the same controls apply.
6 Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, receive a copy in a portable format, and opt out of the sharing or sale of your information for advertising. You also have the right not to be treated differently for exercising these rights.
To make a request, email us at support@equip-bid.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting, and you may use an authorized agent where the law allows. We will respond within the time required by the laws that apply to you. Residents of California and of other states with comprehensive privacy laws have these rights under those laws.
7 How long we keep information
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy. We keep account information while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward. We keep transaction, invoice, tax, and settlement records longer where we are required to for tax, accounting, chargeback, and legal reasons. Payment card data is retained by Stripe under its own schedule, not by us.
8 How we protect information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including encryption of data in transit using current TLS standards and reliance on Stripe, a PCI certified processor, for card data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affecting your information occurs, we will notify you as required by applicable law.
9 International and offshore access
Equip-Bid is based in the United States and stores information here. Some of our team members, contractors, and partners are located outside the United States, including development staff and suppliers, and they may access information to provide services to us. Where we transfer or allow access to information across borders, we take steps to protect it consistent with this policy.
10 Children
Equip-Bid is intended only for adults. You must be at least 18 years old to register, bid, or sell, in part because placing a bid creates a binding commitment and a valid payment card is required. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it.
11 Third-party links
Our site may link to third-party sites and services, including our payment processor and others. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices. We encourage you to review their policies before sharing information with them.
12 Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version here and update the effective date. If the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice. This policy is provided by Equip-Bid.com, Inc. and is governed by the laws of the State of Kansas, except where the privacy laws of your state apply.
13 Contact us
If you have questions about this policy or want to exercise your privacy rights, contact us: