Privacy policy
How we use the details and photos you send us, in plain English.
This policy explains how Off Road Buyers Ltd ("we", "us") uses personal information when you use offroadbuyers.co.uk, ask us for an offer, contact us or sell us a machine. It's written to meet the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. If anything isn't clear, please contact us.
Who we are
Off Road Buyers Ltd is the controller of your personal information. That means we decide how it's used and we're responsible for looking after it. You'll find our company number and registered address in the footer of every page. You can contact us about anything in this policy using the details on our contact page.
What we collect
When you ask for an offer
Your first name and surname, mobile number, email address (optional) and the postcode where the machine is. Details of the machine: type, make, model, year, engine size or version, hours or miles, whether it's registered and its registration number if it has one, condition, faults, modifications, battery details for e-bikes, write-off history, paperwork, whether there's finance outstanding and how many keys there are. Also the price you're hoping for, when you'd like it gone and how you heard about us, if you tell us, whether you'd like occasional news and offers, the web page you came from, and any photos you upload (up to 8).
When you send a message or ask for a callback
Your name, phone number, email address and postcode, what you're selling, your message and any photos (up to 4). For a callback, your name, phone number, the best time to call and what you're selling.
When you call, email or WhatsApp us
Your phone number or email address and whatever you tell us or send us.
When you sell us a machine
On collection day we check your photo ID and your proof of ownership (such as the V5C, invoice, receipt or finance settlement letter), and the frame or VIN number. We keep a record of the sale and of the checks we made. To pay you, we need your bank details. If you sell on behalf of a business, we also record who you are and your authority to sell.
Technical information
To stop spam, our form handler uses your IP address to limit how many forms can be sent from one connection. It keeps a scrambled (hashed) version of the address for about an hour for that purpose, and a shortened hashed version alongside your enquiry. Our web host may keep standard server logs. If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects information about how you use the site. See our cookie policy.
How we use it, and our lawful basis
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Make and follow up your offer, answer your message or call you back | Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract, and our legitimate interest in replying to enquiries |
| Buy your machine, pay you, and settle any finance with your lender | Performing our contract with you |
| Check ID, ownership and frame or VIN numbers | Our legitimate interest in preventing fraud and not buying stolen machines, and legal obligations where they apply |
| Keep records of machines we buy | Legal obligation (tax and accounting records) |
| Send occasional news and offers | Your consent, only if you ticked the box. You can withdraw it at any time |
| Keep the site and forms secure and stop spam | Our legitimate interest in running a safe website |
| Analytics | Your consent, given through the cookie banner |
We don't make decisions about you based only on automated processing.
Who we share it with
We never sell your information. We share only what's needed, with:
- our web hosting and email providers, who store and deliver enquiries on our behalf;
- Google, if you accept analytics cookies;
- your finance company, if we're settling finance for you;
- our bank, to make the payment;
- our accountants and professional advisers;
- the police or other authorities, where the law requires or allows it, for example if a machine may be stolen.
If you contact us on WhatsApp, your messages are also handled by WhatsApp under its own terms and privacy policy.
International transfers
Some of our providers, including Google, may process data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on the protections UK law requires, such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum.
How long we keep it
- Offer requests, messages and callback requests, including photos, that don't lead to a sale: 12 months, then deleted.
- Records of machines we buy: as long as the law requires for tax and accounting, which is normally six years from the end of the financial year of the sale.
- Marketing consent: until you withdraw it.
- Spam-protection data: about an hour.
Your photos
Photos you upload are stored privately on our web server, outside the public part of the site, and sent to us with your enquiry. We use them only to price your machine. We never publish them without your permission. If you agree to appear on our recently bought page, we show the machine, the nearest town and the price we paid, never your name, address or number plate.
Phones often save your location inside photos. If you'd rather not share it, switch off location tagging in your camera settings before you take them.
Keeping it safe
Our forms are sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Enquiries and photos are stored outside the public part of our web server, and only the people who need them to deal with your enquiry can see them.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct anything that's wrong;
- ask us to delete your information;
- ask us to restrict how we use it;
- object to how we use it, including an absolute right to object to marketing;
- ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere;
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
To use any of these rights, contact us. It's free in most cases. We'll reply within one month, and we may ask you to confirm your identity first. Some rights have limits: for example, we must keep records of completed sales for as long as the law requires.
Complaints
If you're unhappy with how we've used your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. Contact us with the details. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, look into it without undue delay and tell you what we find.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection, at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Children
Our service is for adults. If you're under 18 and want to sell a machine, please ask a parent or guardian to contact us.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this policy if the way we use personal information changes. If we change how we use your data, we'll update this policy and the date at the top will change. See also our terms and conditions.