AutoSold Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 May 2025

Introduction

Welcome to AutoSold. We value your privacy and handle your personal data with care. In this privacy policy, we explain which personal data we collect and use, for what purposes, and on what legal basis. We also explain how long we retain your data, with whom we share it, and what rights you have regarding your data. This privacy policy applies to all services of AutoSold, including our website and the platform through which we connect private car sellers with professional car dealers. AutoSold complies with applicable privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant national legislation.

Note: Under 16 years old?

If you are under 16, you need permission from a parent or legal guardian to use our website and services. AutoSold’s services are primarily intended for adults (since selling a car typically requires you to be 18 or older), but we include this clause to protect minors in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Data Controller – Who are we?

AutoSold B.V. is the data controller responsible for the processing of personal data as described in this policy. Our contact details are provided at the end of this document. If you have any questions or requests regarding your data or this privacy policy, please feel free to contact us.

What personal data do we process?

When you use AutoSold, we may collect or receive the following categories of personal data:

• Identification and contact details: Your name, address, city, telephone number, and email address.

• Vehicle details: Information about the car you wish to sell, such as the license plate number, make, model, year of manufacture, mileage, technical specifications, and any description you provide. This also includes photos of the vehicle (please avoid including personal items or identifiable features in the background of your photos).

• Transaction details: Information related to the sale process of your car via our platform. For example, the offers (bids) made by dealers on your car, the final agreed sale price, and the identity of the dealer who purchases your car. (Note: the financial transaction (payment) for the sale is typically handled directly between you and the dealer; AutoSold generally does not receive your payment details as a private seller, except perhaps bank details if there were any payout or fee through us – which is not applicable in the current setup.)

• Communication data: Content of communications you have with or through AutoSold. This includes any inquiries or support requests you send us via email, phone or chat, and our responses, as well as possible recordings of phone conversations. If you contact us via social media (for example, via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp), we will process the information you provide there as well.

• Usage and device data: When you visit our website or use our platform, we automatically collect some data via cookies and similar technologies. This includes your IP address, browser type, device type, time of visit, pages viewed, and your navigation behavior on our site. (See the Cookies section below for more details.)

In principle, we do not collect special categories of personal data (such as data about race, health, religious beliefs, etc.), and we kindly ask you not to provide such information as it is not needed for our services.

For what purposes and on what legal basis do we process your data?

AutoSold will only process your personal data when we have a valid legal basis to do so, and solely for the following purposes:

• Mediating the sale of your car: Our primary service is to connect you (the seller) with certified car dealers who may buy your vehicle. We use your contact details and vehicle information to enable dealers in our network to make an offer on your car and to put you in contact with the dealer of your choice. Legal basis: performance of a contract (or steps taken at your request prior to entering into a contract). By using our platform to request offers, you are effectively entering into an agreement with us to facilitate that process; we cannot provide the service without processing these details.

• Communication and customer support: We use your data to communicate with you. This includes confirming your registration or car submission, providing information about offers or appointments, responding to your questions or complaints, and offering user support. We may also call or email you or contact you by Whatsapp upon your request or if needed to assist you (for instance, to clarify details about your car or an offer). Legal basis: performance of the contract (if the communication is necessary for our service) or our legitimate interest in delivering good customer service and ensuring user satisfaction.

• Verification and fraud prevention: We might use your information to verify the accuracy of data provided (for example, verifying the car’s details via public databases) and to prevent or detect fraud, scams, or misuse of our platform. Additionally, if we suspect a violation of our terms of use or unlawful activity, we may process and potentially share relevant data with law enforcement authorities as required. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in maintaining a safe and trustworthy platform and/or a legal obligation if applicable (e.g., complying with a law enforcement request).

• Personalization and user experience: We may process certain data (like your previous interactions with our service or preferences) to personalize our service for you. For example, we might use information from your account and past listings to pre-fill forms or to provide targeted tips to help you sell your car more effectively. Legal basis: legitimate interests (to enhance and tailor our services to user needs).

• Marketing and newsletters: With your explicit consent, we will use your contact information (e.g., email address) to send you newsletters, promotional offers, or updates about our service or related services. For instance, after you’ve sold a car through us, we may email you about new features, or if you registered your car with us, you’ll receive periodic news from AutoSold. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time (see Your rights below). Legal basis: your consent. (In some cases, if you are an existing customer, we might send you marketing about similar services based on legitimate interest, but we will always provide a clear opt-out option – see the Right to object below.)

• Personalized advertisements (remarketing): With your permission, we use analytical and tracking cookies from third parties (such as Google and Meta/Facebook). Data collected via these cookies (like your IP address or a hashed email) may be used to show you targeted ads on other platforms. For example, after you list your car on AutoSold, you might see an AutoSold advertisement on Facebook. This is known as remarketing. Legal basis: your consent via our cookie settings. You have full control to accept or refuse these cookies (see Cookies section), and you can withdraw your consent at any time.

• Analytics and improvements: We process usage data and cookies to analyze how our website and services are used. This helps us understand what parts of our site are working well and what might need improvement. For example, we track the number of visitors, which pages are most popular, how users navigate through the site, etc. Based on these insights, we improve our website, features, and overall user experience. Where possible, we use this data in an aggregated or anonymized form. Legal basis: legitimate interests (to optimize and improve our services). If we use any analytics cookies that are not strictly necessary, we will rely on your consent for those cookies.

• Legal obligations: AutoSold may process or retain certain personal data to comply with our legal obligations. For instance, we may need to keep certain records for tax and accounting purposes (such as invoices if any commission or fee is charged) or to comply with a court order or lawful request from authorities. Legal basis: compliance with a legal obligation. In these cases, we will limit the data processed to what is legally required.

No automated decision-making: AutoSold does not make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects for you. In other words, there are no important decisions about you being made by a computer without human involvement. The matching of your car to potential dealers is partly automated (based on criteria you and the dealers provide), but any actual transaction or offer involves human review (the dealer decides what to offer, and you decide whether to accept).

How long do we keep your data?

We do not retain your personal data longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. In practice, this means:

• Account and listing data: If you create an account or submit a vehicle listing on AutoSold, we retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and/or your listing is live. If you have not logged into your account for 24 months (2 years) and you have no active listings or ongoing transactions, we may deem your account inactive and delete or anonymize your personal data. We will send you a notice before we do this, giving you the opportunity to keep your account active (for example, by logging in). Of course, you can also request deletion sooner (see Your rights). If you request account deletion, we will remove or anonymize your personal data, except for any information we are required to keep (see below).

• Sale transaction information: Data related to a completed sale (e.g., which vehicle was sold, which dealer bought it, the sale price) is kept for up to 7 years after the transaction is finalized. We retain this information for that period to handle any follow-up questions, disputes or after-sale issues and to derive statistical insights (for example, how many sales occur in a year, average prices, etc.). After this period, we will delete the data or irreversibly anonymize it, unless we are required by law to keep it longer.

• Communication data: Emails, chat logs, or notes from interactions with our customer service are kept for up to 2 years after the communication took place. This allows us to refer to past communications if you contact us again and to improve our support processes. AutoSold does may record telephone calls. If in we record a call (for training purposes, to verify information you provided or agreements we made, for example), we will keep such recording for no more than 3 months unless longer is required due to a dispute. In that fcase we will keep the recording until the dispute is resolved.

• Marketing data: Information used for marketing purposes (like your email address for our newsletter) is kept until you indicate that you no longer wish to receive those communications. If you unsubscribe from our newsletter, we will remove you from the mailing list immediately and may place your email on a suppression list to ensure you don’t inadvertently get added again.

• Cookies and analytics: Cookies have varying lifespans. Some cookies (session cookies) are deleted as soon as you close your browser, while others (like certain tracking cookies) may remain on your device for a few days up to several months. You can find specific cookie durations in our cookie policy or settings. You can also clear cookies from your browser at any time. Analytics data we collect is generally retained in aggregate form for a longer period (to identify long-term trends). For instance, Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months by default (unless we configure it otherwise).

• Legal retention requirements: Certain data must be kept for a longer period due to legal obligations. For example, tax laws may require that we keep financial records (e.g., invoices, if any) for 7 years. In such cases, we will retain the necessary data for the period mandated by law, possibly in an archived form separate from active user databases. We will not use this data for other purposes beyond fulfilling our legal obligations.

After the applicable retention period has ended, we will either delete your personal data or anonymize it. Anonymized data (which can no longer be linked back to you) may be retained for statistical analysis and business purposes without further notice to you.

With whom do we share your data?

AutoSold does not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We only share data with third parties in the following circumstances: when it is necessary for our services, when we are legally obligated to do so, or when we have your explicit consent. The types of third parties with whom we might share data include:

• Authorized car dealers (buyers): AutoSold’s core function is to introduce you to professional car dealers interested in purchasing your car. When you list your vehicle, the vehicle details (such as make, model, year, mileage, and any photos) are made visible to our network of vetted car dealers through a secure, members-only online platform. Only dealers that have been screened and approved by AutoSold can view your listing in this platform and submit an offer. Your personal contact information (like name, phone number, email) is not disclosed to dealers at this stage. Once you decide to accept a dealer’s offer and proceed with the sale, we will then provide your name and contact details to that specific dealer so that you can both arrange the transaction (e.g., schedule a viewing or pickup and complete the paperwork). The dealer will use your contact information to fulfill the purchase (including transferring the vehicle registration to their name). Please note: once your personal data is shared with the dealer for the purpose of buying your car, that dealer becomes an independent data controller of that information. In other words, the dealer is then responsible for handling your data in accordance with data protection laws (for instance, the dealer may need your details for mandatory registration with authorities like the DMV/RDW). If you have questions about how a dealer handles your data, you should refer to that dealer’s privacy policy.

• Service providers (processors): We use third-party companies to support our operations and services. These include web hosting providers (to host our website and database), cloud storage services, email service providers (to send transactional emails or newsletters), analytics services (like Google Analytics), and possibly customer relationship management (CRM) or other software tools. To the extent these providers have access to or process personal data, they do so solely on our behalf and under our instructions (they are our “data processors”). We have contracts (Data Processing Agreements) in place with these providers to ensure your data is handled with care. Such agreements stipulate, among other things, that the provider must keep the data confidential, implement adequate security measures, and not use the data for their own purposes. We share only the data necessary for the provider’s specific function. For example, our email service provider will process your email address and name to send out emails, but does not get any vehicle data; our hosting provider processes all data that resides on our systems but has no reason to access it unless required for technical maintenance.

• Analytics and advertising partners: As described in the Cookies and Marketing sections, with your consent we may share certain data with parties like Google and Meta (Facebook) through the use of cookies or pixels. These partners receive information such as your IP address and data about your activity on our site, which they may use to help us show you targeted ads on their platforms. In some cases, we might also share a hashed version of your email or other identifier with these platforms to create “custom audiences” or find similar potential customers (lookalike audiences). Importantly, this kind of data sharing for advertising purposes only happens if you have opted in via our cookie consent. You have full control over whether this data is shared (by accepting or rejecting marketing cookies). If you choose not to allow it, it will not affect your use of our platform aside from seeing more general, non-targeted ads.

• Public authorities and legal compliance: AutoSold will disclose personal data to government or law enforcement agencies only if required to do so by law or if you have violated our terms in a manner that necessitates such disclosure. For example, we might be compelled to provide information in response to a court order, subpoena, or a lawful request by a public authority (such as for law enforcement or national security). If we receive such requests, we will verify they are legitimate and only provide the minimum data necessary. Where permitted, we will try to inform you of such disclosure.

• Business transfer: In the event that AutoSold is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or other corporate transaction, your personal data might be transferred to the successor or new owner as part of that deal. The new entity will then assume the rights and obligations regarding your data as described in this privacy policy. If such a transfer of personal data occurs, we will ensure that your data remains subject to the same protections and will inform users if required. You will retain the right to request deletion or exercise other rights (to the extent applicable) after the transfer.

International data transfers: AutoSold processes and stores personal data within the European Economic Area (EEA). We make it a priority to choose service providers who operate within the EEA. We do not transfer your personal data to countries outside the EEA unless proper safeguards are in place. In the exceptional case that we might use a service based outside the EEA (for example, a specialized tool with U.S.-based servers), we will ensure that your data is protected to the standards of European law. This could involve using services that are certified under frameworks approved by the EU or signing EU Standard Contractual Clauses with the provider. However, as of now, our policy is to keep your data within the EEA.

Cookies and similar technologies

AutoSold uses cookies and similar technologies on its website. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device to store information. We use different types of cookies for various purposes:

• Functional and necessary cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and services. They enable core functionalities such as security, network management, and accessibility. For example, they remember your language preference or keep you logged in as you navigate through the site, and ensure that information you enter (like car details on a form) persists through the process. Without these cookies, the website may not function properly. We do not require your consent for these cookies, as they are necessary for delivering our service.

• Analytical cookies: These cookies help us understand how visitors use our website. We use them to collect statistics and insights, often via third-party analytics tools like Google Analytics. Through these cookies, we learn things like how many people visit the site, which pages are most popular, how users move through the site, and if any errors occur. We have configured Google Analytics in a privacy-friendly manner (for instance, by anonymizing IP addresses to the extent possible) and we do not allow Google to use the analytics data for their own purposes. The information from analytical cookies is used to improve our website and services. Where required by law, we will ask your permission before setting analytical cookies (in some regions, purely anonymized analytics might be exempt from consent; we adhere to local requirements). You can refuse these cookies without impacting the core functionality of the site.

• Tracking and marketing cookies: These cookies are used to track Browse behavior and to enable advertising networks to show you relevant advertisements based on your online activity. They include technologies like the Facebook Pixel and Google Ads cookies. With the help of these cookies, we (and third-party ad providers) can present you with targeted ads for AutoSold on other websites or social media platforms, and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns. We only set tracking/marketing cookies with your explicit consent. On your first visit to our site, you will see a cookie banner where you can accept or decline these cookies. You can always change your mind later by adjusting your cookie settings on our site. If you choose not to accept marketing cookies, you will not receive personalized advertising from us on external platforms – which is absolutely fine and will not affect your ability to use our services.

You have full control over cookies. Most web browsers allow you to delete existing cookies, block new cookies, or alert you when cookies are being set. Keep in mind, disabling all cookies (especially the functional ones) via your browser might affect the functionality of our site. For detailed information about the specific cookies we use and their lifetimes, you can refer to our cookie policy or cookie settings page on our website. There, we list all cookies by category, their purpose, and how long they are stored. If you have any questions about our use of cookies, feel free to contact us.

How do we protect your data?

AutoSold takes appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard your personal data against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access or disclosure. We are committed to keeping your data secure. Here are some of the measures we have in place:

• Access control: Personal data is only accessible by personnel who need access to perform their duties (principle of least privilege). Our staff are trained in data protection and are bound by confidentiality obligations.

• Technical security measures: We use industry-standard security technologies to protect our systems. For example, our website uses SSL/TLS encryption (you’ll notice the padlock in your browser, indicating that data transfer is encrypted). Sensitive information in our database may be stored in encrypted form. We employ firewalls and monitoring systems to guard against unauthorized access to our servers.

• Maintenance and testing: We keep our software, website, and backend systems up to date to ensure we have the latest security patches. We also periodically test our infrastructure and processes (through security audits or penetration tests) to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

• Backup and recovery: We perform regular backups of data to prevent loss in case of technical issues or incidents. These backups are secured and only accessible to authorized personnel. In the event of a hardware failure or other issue, we have the ability to restore data from these backups.

• Processor agreements: As mentioned under data sharing, any third-party service providers that process data on our behalf are required to implement adequate security measures. We ensure via contractual agreements that they handle your data with at least the same level of care that we do.

• Data breach procedures: Despite all precautions, security incidents can unfortunately happen. AutoSold has a response plan for dealing with data breaches. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights or freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority (such as the Data Protection Authority) as required by law, and we will take all necessary steps to mitigate the impact.

If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us or your data might no longer be secure (for example, if you suspect a vulnerability or you’ve become aware of a security incident), please contact us immediately. We will gladly investigate and take appropriate action.

Your rights

As a user of AutoSold, and under the GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. We want to make it easy for you to exercise these rights. Below we outline each right and how you can make use of it:

• Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation of whether we are processing personal data about you, and if so, to access that data. This means you can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will also provide you with information about what we use that data for, who we share it with, how long we plan to keep it, and the sources of the data (if you didn’t provide it directly).

• Right to rectification: If you believe that any personal data we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that we correct or update it. For instance, if you change your phone number or notice we misspelled your name, you can ask us to fix that. We encourage you to keep your information up to date, and we will act on correction requests as quickly as possible.

• Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You can request that we delete your personal data. We will honor such requests without undue delay when: the data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, you withdraw consent (if the processing was based on consent) and there’s no other legal ground to continue processing, you object to processing and we have no overriding legitimate grounds to continue, or if the data was processed unlawfully. Please note, this right is not absolute. Sometimes we may have to retain certain data even if you request deletion, for reasons such as:  

• Legal obligations: We might need to keep some data to comply with laws (e.g., record-keeping obligations).  

• Ongoing transactions: If you still have an ongoing car sale or pending transaction through AutoSold, we’ll likely need to retain necessary data until that is completed.  

• Legitimate interests: In rare cases, we might retain data if we have compelling legitimate grounds that outweigh your request, such as preventing fraud or enforcing our rights.

If we do need to retain data following your request, we will inform you of the reason. Otherwise, we will delete or anonymize your personal data and confirm once it’s done. Keep in mind that after deletion, we will not be able to recover your data (which includes your account information, if you requested account deletion).

• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to ask us to restrict (pause) the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. Essentially, this means we can store the data but not use it for a while. You might request this if you contest the accuracy of the data (until we verify or correct it), or if you object to our processing and we are evaluating that objection, or if the processing is unlawful but you prefer restriction over deletion. When processing is restricted, we will mark the data and ensure it’s only processed for specific reasons (like with your consent or for legal claims) as allowed by GDPR. We will inform you before lifting any such restriction.

• Right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data when that processing is based on our legitimate interests or those of a third party. If you raise an objection, we will review whether our legitimate grounds for processing override your privacy rights. However, if your objection is to processing for direct marketing purposes, we will honor it immediately. This means you can opt out of any marketing communications from us at any time, and we will stop using your data for that purpose. (For example, you can unsubscribe from our emails via the link in each message, or contact us to be removed from marketing lists.) If you object to other types of processing (not marketing-related), please explain your situation so we can consider it properly; we will stop the processing unless we have compelling reasons not to, in accordance with the law.

• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and you have the right to transmit that data to another service provider. This right only applies when the processing is based on your consent or on a contract, and when carried out by automated means. In practice, this would cover certain information in your AutoSold account and perhaps the data regarding your car listings and received offers. If you request it and it’s technically feasible, we can also transmit this data directly to another company at your direction.

• Right to withdraw consent: If we rely on your consent to process any of your personal data (for example, for sending newsletters or using certain cookies), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Once you withdraw consent, we will stop the processing that was based on it. For instance, if you withdraw consent for marketing emails, we will stop sending them. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal. You can withdraw consent by adjusting your settings (e.g., cookie preferences) or contacting us (for example, to be removed from the mailing list).

We will respond to your requests regarding any of these rights as soon as possible, and in any case within one month of receiving your request. If your request is particularly complex or if we receive many requests at once, we may extend this period by up to two further months. If an extension is needed, we will let you know within the first month and explain why.

Typically, we will fulfill your request or inform you of the outcome free of charge. However, if a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive (for example, repetitive requests), the GDPR allows us to either charge a reasonable fee or refuse the request. We will of course inform you if such a situation arises, and it’s our aim to find a satisfactory solution.

Exercising your rights: To exercise any of your rights, you can contact us using the contact information provided in this policy. For certain rights (access, portability), we may need to verify your identity to ensure we’re releasing data to the right person – we might ask for additional information or identification. This is to protect your privacy and prevent someone else from impersonating you. We may also ask for clarification if your request is unclear (e.g., if you ask for “all data”, we might respond asking if you’re looking for certain types of records).

Complaint to authorities: If you have concerns about how AutoSold is handling your personal data, we would appreciate the chance to address them directly. However, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority. In the Netherlands, this is the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. If you live in another EEA country, you can contact your national DPA. They will advise you on your rights and may investigate your concern. We hope it never comes to that, and we commit to resolving any issues in good faith.

Contact Information

EG Advisory Address: Kon. Wilhelminastraat 8862SH, Harlingen, The Netherlands Email: privacy@autosold.nl Phone: +31 (0)20 - 3333 871

If you have general questions about your account or the car sale process, you can also email us at contact@autosold.nl or call our customer service. For specific privacy-related inquiries or requests (such as accessing or deleting your data), it’s best to use the privacy contact email above. We are here to help and typically respond within a few business days.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. If we make significant changes, we will notify you either by prominently posting a notice on our website or by sending you a notification (if we have your email on file, for example). The “Last updated” date at the top of this policy indicates when the latest changes were made. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. By continuing to use AutoSold after those changes become effective, you acknowledge and (if applicable) consent to the updated policy.