Privacy Policy

1.1 Auction Now (Private) Limited is responsible for personal information processed through the Platform and acts as the data controller where that term applies under Applicable Law. We are incorporated in Pakistan and have our registered office at 107 Fairways Commercial, 1st Floor, DHA Phase 6, Lahore, Pakistan.

1.2 For questions, complaints or requests about personal information, contact privacy@auctionnow.com or legal@auctionnow.com, or write to our registered office. For general account or Platform support, contact support@auctionnow.com.

2.1 We collect information when you visit or use the Platform, register or manage an Account, submit Requests or Bids, use shop or team features, communicate with another User, or contact us. The information collected depends on the feature you use.

• Account and profile information: your name, WhatsApp-enabled phone number, optional email address, and other profile details, such as an image, location, date of birth, gender, preferences or description, where the relevant form requests them and you provide them.

• Authentication information: your phone number, verification-code request and verification records, and device session tokens. App sign-in uses WhatsApp verification.

• Seller and verification information: shop and business names, business type, address, service areas, contact details, business hours, identity or business documents and qualifications, where requested for onboarding or verification. Seller profiles may also include bank or mobile-wallet contact details provided for direct dealings. Collecting those details does not mean that AuctionNow processes purchase payments.

• Marketplace activity and Content: Requests, product or service specifications, Bids or Offers, prices, Auto Bid inventory and configuration, selection, pickup and completion records, ratings, reviews and support reports.

• Communications and attachments: messages, shared photos, audio, documents, locations and other Content you send through the available communication features, and information you provide when reporting another User or contacting support.

• Shop team information: invitations, joining codes, membership, permissions, assignments, account actions and shop performance records.

• Feedback and marketing interactions: information you choose to provide in surveys, promotions, feedback or communications with us.

• Device and connection information: device type and model, operating system, browser, app version, language, IP address, session and installation identifiers, push-notification tokens, and advertising identifiers where available and permitted.

• Usage and diagnostic information: screens or pages viewed, navigation, taps, searches, feature use, Request and Bid activity, conversion events, performance information, crash reports and technical logs.

• Location information: approximate location from connection or area information, locations you select or share, and device location when you grant the relevant permission and use a feature that requests it.

• Cookies and related technologies: cookies, local storage, pixels, tag-management tools, software development kits and conversion APIs, as described in Clause 9.

• Session replay: where enabled, tools such as Microsoft Clarity collect taps, scrolling, navigation and representations of displayed content for diagnostics and product improvement. Information you display or enter may be included to the extent it is not masked or excluded by the relevant tool and configuration.

• Other Users may provide information when they message, rate, review, invite, assign work to, or report you.

• Providers used for hosting, messaging, analytics, diagnostics, advertising measurement and other Platform functions may provide delivery information, technical events or service records.

• We may receive information supplied in response to a specific verification request, complaint, investigation or lawful request.

2.2 The current marketplace is free and Users arrange purchase payments directly. AuctionNow does not collect payment-card details to run a purchase checkout, wallet, escrow or subscription billing service for those deals. If we introduce a paid feature or a materially different collection purpose, we will provide the relevant information and obtain any required acceptance or consent before collecting the new information for that purpose.

3.1 We use information for the following purposes:

• To provide and operate Accounts, seller verification, Requests, Bids, Auto Bid, matching, chat, pickup scheduling, QR completion, ratings, shop teams and related Platform features.

• To communicate with you, deliver verification codes and available service notifications, respond to enquiries, investigate complaints and provide support.

• To check accounts and shops, investigate suspected fraud or abuse, protect Users and the Platform, enforce the Terms, and preserve relevant evidence.

• To personalise relevant content and matching, assess performance and feature use, diagnose errors and improve the Services.

• To deliver permitted promotional communications and to measure advertising and campaign performance, including conversion measurement and audience matching, subject to applicable choices and consent requirements.

• To comply with Applicable Law and lawful requests, meet applicable legal, tax, accounting or evidentiary obligations, and establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

• For another purpose explained at collection or separately agreed with you, where permitted by Applicable Law.

3.2 AuctionNow may review relevant communications and attachments through authorised personnel and, where reasonably necessary, service providers to assess reports, investigate fraud or abuse, protect Users or the Platform, or respond to lawful requests. Access and use are limited to the relevant purpose and applicable safeguards. The availability of reporting or review does not mean that every message is read or every scam is detected or prevented.

4.1 Depending on the processing and the Applicable Law that applies, we rely on providing the Services and performing our arrangements with you, consent where required, compliance with legal obligations, and lawful interests such as security, fraud prevention, service improvement and the protection of legal rights. Where a law requires a particular legal basis, permission or consent, that requirement applies.

4.2 Agreeing to the Terms or acknowledging this Policy does not, by itself, provide every optional advertising, marketing, location or device permission. Relevant choices are handled through the applicable process. Withdrawing a consent does not affect processing already lawfully carried out before withdrawal.

5.1 We do not sell your personal information. We share information in the following circumstances: Requests and offers are made available through eligible discovery, comparison and deal features. Public request feeds do not display the Buyer’s name, phone number or email as contact fields, but descriptions or images you provide may reveal identity or private information. Seller shop details may appear during bid and deal flows, and selected offer amounts may appear in eligible closed-request feeds. Contact details may be revealed through the selected-deal features.

Messages and attachments are available to the recipients and to people authorised to manage the relevant shop activity. Shop owners can access and manage their shop’s team Bids, chats, assignments and performance records, and may take over eligible employee-managed chats. Removing a team member can transfer ongoing work to the owner; historical activity may remain. A chat managed for a shop is not visible only to the individual employee who first handled it.

Do not place unnecessary sensitive information in Requests, descriptions, images or messages. Recipients may retain or further share information you send them, and AuctionNow cannot guarantee the conduct of another User. The Content licence in the Terms does not authorise publishing private chats, voice notes, verification documents or private contact information in public advertising. We use providers for hosting, storage, messaging and WhatsApp verification delivery, push notifications, diagnostics, analytics, session replay, mapping, support and other technical functions. We share information reasonably needed for the relevant service and subject to applicable safeguards. Current integrations include Google and Firebase for analytics and related services, Firebase Crashlytics for diagnostics, and Microsoft Clarity for session replay where enabled. We may share relevant information with legal, accounting, audit, tax and other professional advisers, and with parties and advisers involved in an actual or proposed investment, financing, merger, acquisition or business transfer, subject to appropriate confidentiality and Applicable Law. We may preserve and disclose relevant records to courts, regulators, law-enforcement bodies or other competent authorities where required or permitted by Applicable Law, including in response to lawful requests or to address fraud, security issues or threats to rights or safety. This does not authorise unrestricted public disclosure of private communications. We may share information for another purpose with your specific consent, where required. We may share statistics or other information that cannot reasonably identify you. Advertising identifiers and matchable hashed identifiers are not treated as anonymous merely because their direct values have been transformed. Where enabled and permitted, we use Google, Meta and TikTok services to measure campaign performance, attribute registrations and other Platform events, and support audience matching. Depending on the integration, shared information can include interaction and conversion events, device or installation identifiers, IP address, app or browser information, and identifiers derived from account or contact information, including phone numbers and, where used by the relevant integration, email addresses. Delivery may occur through browser tags, native app integrations or server-side conversion APIs.

Hashing reduces direct exposure of an identifier, but a partner may match it against information it already holds. Hashed identifiers remain matchable and are not treated as anonymous. The relevant providers’ practices are also described in their own privacy notices. Controls available to you and their scope are explained in Clauses 9 and 10; a website cookie choice does not automatically control every app or server-side flow.

6.1 Hosting and other providers may process information outside Pakistan. Where information is transferred internationally, we apply the requirements of Applicable Law and the safeguards relevant to the provider and transfer, which may include contractual restrictions, access controls and secure transmission. Using an overseas provider does not remove AuctionNow’s responsibilities for processing described in this Policy.

7.1 We use technical and organisational measures designed to protect information, including access and authentication controls and secure connections. No internet service or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

7.2 Protect your phone number, WhatsApp account, device and signed-in session. Never disclose your login OTP or let another person use your login. Shop employees should use their own authorised accounts. Contact support promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.

7.3 We handle security incidents and notifications to affected people or competent authorities in accordance with applicable requirements. We do not publicly disclose details of security controls where doing so could reasonably assist an attacker.

8.1 We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for its purpose and applicable legal, accounting, security, dispute and evidentiary requirements. The appropriate period depends on the category of information, the relevant activity, any open complaint or claim, applicable limitation periods and any required preservation or legal hold.

8.2 Account information is used while your Account is active. Relevant Request, Bid, deal, message, review, report and shop activity records may remain after account closure where needed for transaction history, complaint handling, fraud prevention or legal claims. Diagnostic and advertising records are retained according to those purposes; limited suppression information may be retained to honour an opt-out.

8.3 You can request account deletion through Profile, Settings and Delete Account, following the verification steps, or contact support for assistance. Deletion removes or anonymises identifying profile details as part of the account-closure process. Temporary deactivation is different from permanent account deletion.

8.4 Deleting an Account does not necessarily erase every message, completed-deal record or historical record already held or shared with another User. Relevant records, copies held by recipients, and information subject to a complaint, security investigation or legal requirement may remain for those purposes. Data in backups or provider systems may take additional time to be removed through their applicable deletion processes. Retained identifiable information remains subject to this Policy and Applicable Law.

8.5 When information is no longer needed and no longer required to be retained, we delete it or irreversibly anonymise it. Closing an Account does not erase obligations to another User or guarantee recovery of money.

9.1 We use cookies and similar technologies such as local storage, pixels, tag-management tools, SDKs and conversion APIs on the Website and in the App. These technologies serve different purposes and are not all controlled by the same setting.

9.2 Relevant categories include:

• Necessary technologies for sessions, authentication, security and core functionality.

• Functional technologies for preferences such as language or display settings.

• Analytics and diagnostic technologies for understanding feature use, performance and errors, including Google, Firebase and session replay where enabled.

• Advertising and measurement technologies for conversion tracking, attribution and audience matching, including the integrations described in Clause 5.1(g).

9.3 Browser cookie controls apply where the Website presents them. Browser or device settings may also let you restrict cookies, permissions or advertising identifiers, although doing so may affect functionality. On iOS, App Tracking Transparency permission controls the tracking within its scope. App settings control the specific choices they describe. Each control applies to the activities it describes; other processing may require a separate choice or request.

9.4 Where a separate permission or consent is required for a collection or sharing activity, it must be obtained through the applicable process. You may contact privacy@auctionnow.com about the information we process or an objection or withdrawal request, subject to Applicable Law.

10.1 Subject to Applicable Law, you may request access to personal information, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, a copy in a commonly used format where applicable and technically feasible, or information about our processing. You may object to direct marketing and other processing where the relevant right applies, and withdraw consent where processing depends on that consent. You may raise a complaint with us or with a competent authority having jurisdiction over the matter.

10.2 Contact privacy@auctionnow.com to make a request. We may need to verify your identity and clarify the scope before acting. We will respond within the period required by Applicable Law and, in any case, within thirty days of receipt unless an extension is permitted. Some requests may be subject to lawful exceptions or retention obligations, which we will explain where appropriate.

10.3 You can turn off the push-notification categories available in your current app mode. In-app notification history remains available through the relevant features. Disabling a promotional push category is separate from advertising or analytics permissions and does not disable login or security OTPs.

10.4 Promotional communications are separate from verification and security messages. Use an unsubscribe or withdrawal option supplied with a promotional message where available, or contact privacy@auctionnow.com to request that we stop direct marketing. Essential verification and security messages needed to use an account or feature are handled separately.

11.1 The Platform is intended for people aged eighteen or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under eighteen. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has supplied personal information, contact privacy@auctionnow.com so that we can investigate and take appropriate steps, including deletion where appropriate and subject to Applicable Law.

12.1 The Platform may link to or integrate with independently operated third-party websites, apps or services. Their own terms and privacy notices govern their practices. Review those notices before sharing information. This clause does not remove AuctionNow’s responsibilities for service providers used to operate the Platform or for processing described in this Policy.

13.1 We may update this Policy to reflect changes in practices, technology, legal requirements or the Services. We will notify registered Users of material changes through an available Platform or account contact channel at least seven days before the change takes effect, and identify the updated version and effective date. The date at the top shows when this text was last updated.

13.2 Continued use after an update takes effect is subject to Applicable Law. It does not replace a separate consent or affirmative choice required for a new purpose or activity. Where required, we will request that choice through the applicable process. If you disagree with an update, you may stop using the affected Services and exercise the rights described in Clause 10.

14.1 This Policy is governed by the laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, including applicable privacy, consumer protection and electronic-crime laws. Subject to the Terms and Conditions and any non-excludable rights or jurisdiction under Applicable Law, the competent courts at Lahore shall have jurisdiction over matters arising from this Policy.

15.1 For questions, complaints or requests about this Policy or personal information, contact:

Auction Now (Private) Limited (trading as “AuctionNow”)

Attention: Privacy Officer

Email: privacy@auctionnow.com / legal@auctionnow.com

Post: 107 Fairways Commercial, 1st Floor, DHA Phase 6, Lahore, Pakistan

Platform support: support@auctionnow.com