Last updated: 18 July 2026
Car Boot Hub respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This notice explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used and the rights available to you.
This notice applies when you visit Car Boot Hub, create an account, operate a stall, create or respond to a listing, communicate with another member or otherwise use our services.
We process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and relevant electronic communications laws.
Car Boot Hub is a community-first online marketplace which helps people and organisations buy, sell, swap and give away items locally.
For data protection purposes, the data controller is Car Boot Hub. Questions about this notice or the way we use personal information can be sent to info@carboothub.com.
Trading name: Car Boot Hub. Email: info@carboothub.com.
Depending on how you use Car Boot Hub, we may collect account information, location information, listing and transaction information, communications, payment references, technical and usage information, identity or organisation verification information and information received from other people.
Account information may include your name, username or stall name, email address, telephone number if provided, password in securely encrypted or hashed form, preferred language, account settings, profile photograph, stall logo, biography, profile details and whether an account represents an individual, business, charity, school, college or community organisation.
Location information may include your town, city, county, postcode or general area, selected local car boot location, collection or delivery information supplied as part of a listing or transaction, and approximate location derived from your IP address where used.
Listing and transaction information may include listing titles, descriptions, photographs, categories, item condition, price, collection or delivery options, offers, bids, purchases, swaps, expressions of interest, questions, reviews, ratings, feedback, completed, cancelled or disputed transaction records and reports made about listings or other members.
Communications may include messages sent through Car Boot Hub, enquiries sent to us and communications relating to support, complaints, disputes, safety or suspected misuse.
Payment information may include payment status, transaction reference, amount and currency, payment date, limited account or card information supplied by the payment provider, and information relating to refunds, chargebacks or disputed payments. Car Boot Hub should not normally receive or store complete debit or credit card details.
Technical and usage information may include IP address, browser type and version, device and operating system information, login dates and times, pages viewed, features used, referring website, cookie identifiers, error reports, diagnostic information and security, access and activity logs.
Where necessary, we may request information to verify a person or organisation, such as proof of identity, age, address, business status or charitable status. We will only request information that is reasonably necessary and will explain why it is required.
We may also receive information from another member involved in a transaction or dispute, a person reporting suspected fraud or unsafe activity, payment, identity verification or delivery providers, publicly available sources, law enforcement bodies, regulators or other authorities.
We recommend that members do not publish their full home address in a public listing. Exact collection details should only be shared privately when necessary.
We use personal information to create and manage accounts, display public profiles, stalls and listings, enable members to buy, sell, swap and give away items, provide messaging, bidding, offers, reviews and notifications, help members find items within their selected area, process payments, refunds or charges where applicable, provide support, respond to enquiries, complaints and disputes, verify accounts or organisations where necessary, detect and prevent fraud, scams, abuse and misuse, moderate listings, messages, reviews and member activity, enforce our terms and marketplace rules, keep the website safe, reliable and secure, measure and improve performance, meet legal, tax, accounting and regulatory obligations, and send service messages or permitted marketing communications.
We must have a lawful basis whenever we process personal information. We rely on lawful bases including performance of a contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests and consent.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests may include operating and improving Car Boot Hub, protecting the community, preventing fraud, securing the service and dealing with disputes. We consider whether our interests are necessary and balanced against the rights and reasonable expectations of members.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.
| Purpose | Usual lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Creating and managing an account | Performance of a contract |
| Publishing profiles, stalls and listings | Performance of a contract |
| Supporting transactions and member communications | Performance of a contract |
| Processing payments or refunds | Performance of a contract and legal obligation |
| Providing customer support | Performance of a contract or legitimate interests |
| Preventing fraud, scams and misuse | Legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligation |
| Moderating content and enforcing our rules | Performance of a contract and legitimate interests |
| Maintaining website and account security | Legitimate interests |
| Keeping financial and transaction records | Legal obligation |
| Handling legal claims and disputes | Legitimate interests or legal obligation |
| Optional marketing communications | Consent or legitimate interests, where legally permitted |
| Optional, non-essential cookies | Consent |
| Verifying an account or organisation | Contract, legitimate interests or legal obligation, depending on the reason |
Car Boot Hub is a public marketplace. Information you choose to publish may be seen by other members, visitors and search engines. Public information may include your username or stall name, profile photograph or stall logo, general location, stall description, listings, listing photographs, reviews, ratings, feedback, the date you joined and publicly displayed activity or seller information.
Do not include private or sensitive information in listings, photographs, stall descriptions, reviews or other public areas.
Before uploading photographs, check that they do not reveal addresses, vehicle documents, identification documents, children, number plates or other information you do not wish to make public.
We may share relevant information with other members where necessary to support a transaction or communication, website hosting, cloud storage and technical support providers, email, notification and communication providers, payment processors, identity or organisation verification providers, delivery or collection service providers if offered, analytics and cookie providers subject to your choices, professional advisers including accountants, insurers and solicitors, regulators, courts, law enforcement bodies and public authorities, and a purchaser, investor or successor if the business is sold, transferred or reorganised.
Service providers acting on our behalf may only use personal information in accordance with our instructions and contractual data protection requirements. We do not sell members personal information.
To protect the marketplace, we may use account, device, transaction, listing, location and communication information to identify suspicious activity, restrict listings, suspend accounts or refer activity for human review.
Unless stated otherwise, we do not make decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects solely through automated processing.
Information may be shared with law enforcement bodies, regulators, payment providers or other relevant organisations where permitted or required by law.
Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will use an appropriate safeguard where required. This may include an adequacy decision, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses or European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses.
You may contact us for further information about the safeguards used for international transfers.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, fraud-prevention and dispute-resolution requirements.
These periods may be shortened or extended where appropriate. For example, information may be retained for longer if required by law, needed to resolve an active dispute or necessary to prevent a person whose account was removed for serious misuse from immediately returning.
When information is no longer required, it will be deleted, anonymised or securely disposed of.
| Information | Intended retention |
|---|---|
| Active account information | While the account remains active |
| Deleted or closed account information | Normally up to 12 months after closure |
| Listings and related transaction records | Normally up to 6 years after the transaction or listing ends |
| Financial and payment records | Up to 6 years, or longer where legally required |
| Private messages | Normally up to 2 years after the conversation ends |
| Customer support enquiries and complaints | Normally up to 3 years after resolution |
| Fraud, safety and enforcement records | Up to 6 years, depending on seriousness and legal requirements |
| Technical and security logs | Normally between 30 days and 12 months |
| Marketing consent records | While consent remains valid and for a reasonable period afterwards as evidence |
| Cookie information | As described in our Cookie Policy |
Car Boot Hub may use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, protect accounts, prevent misuse, operate essential website features, understand how the website is used, measure and improve performance and provide optional personalised content or advertising if introduced.
Essential cookies may be used without consent where they are strictly necessary to provide the service. Non-essential cookies should only be placed after you have made a choice through the cookie controls.
Further information is provided in our Cookie Policy, including the names, providers, purposes and expiry periods of the cookies in use.
We may send essential service communications about your account, listings, transactions, security or changes to the service. These are not marketing messages and may be necessary to provide your account.
We will only send promotional emails or messages where we have an appropriate lawful basis. You can stop marketing communications at any time by selecting the unsubscribe link in an email, changing notification or marketing preferences, or contacting us at info@carboothub.com.
You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
Measures may include password hashing and secure authentication, encryption during transmission, restricted administrative access, security logging and monitoring, software updates and vulnerability management, back-ups and recovery procedures, staff or contractor confidentiality requirements and data processing agreements with relevant providers.
No online service can guarantee complete security. Members are responsible for keeping passwords confidential and should contact us immediately if they believe their account has been accessed without permission.
Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the right to be informed about how your information is used, request access to your personal information, correct inaccurate or incomplete information, ask for information to be erased, ask us to restrict how information is used, object to certain processing including direct marketing, receive certain information in a portable format, withdraw consent at any time, ask for human intervention where a significant decision has been made solely by automated means, and complain to a data protection authority.
These rights do not apply in every circumstance. For example, the right to erasure is not absolute where information must be kept to comply with the law, prevent fraud or deal with a legal claim.
To exercise a right, contact info@carboothub.com, explain which right you wish to exercise and provide enough information for us to identify the relevant account or records. We may request reasonable evidence of identity before releasing or changing personal information.
We will normally respond within one month, although the law allows additional time in certain complex circumstances.
Please contact us first if you have concerns about how we use your information, so that we have an opportunity to investigate.
In the UK, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. Contact details: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: 0303 123 1113. Website: ico.org.uk.
If you live in the European Economic Area, you may also have the right to complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live or work.
Car Boot Hub is not intended for children under the minimum age stated in our Terms and Conditions. Schools, colleges, Scouts and other youth organisations should operate accounts through an authorised adult representative.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child who is not permitted to hold an account. If you believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate permission, please contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.
Children's names, photographs, contact details or other identifying information should not be included in public listings.
We do our best to identify and remove unauthorised or inappropriate website links from listings and other member-generated content. However, because listings are created and updated by members, it may not always be possible to detect or remove every external link immediately.
Listings or pages may contain links to websites operated by other people. Car Boot Hub does not control external websites and is not responsible for their content, security or privacy practices.
You should take care when following external links and read the website's privacy notice before providing personal or payment information. If you find a suspicious, misleading or inappropriate link in a listing, please report it to us.
We may update this notice when Car Boot Hub changes or when legal requirements develop. The latest version will be published on this page with its revision date.
If a change significantly affects how we use personal information, we will provide an appropriate notice through the website, by email or through your account.