Data Handling Policy
Technical detail on how AuctionHelper stores, uses, and disposes of data.
This page documents the technical practices AuctionHelper follows in handling marketplace data retrieved from eBay and other integrated services. It supplements our Privacy Policy and is intended to give both users and partner marketplaces (particularly eBay) transparency into our data-handling posture.
Data classification
- User account data — email, password hash, preferences. Stored indefinitely while the account is active; deleted on account termination.
- OAuth credentials — refresh tokens encrypted at rest with Fernet symmetric encryption. Keys held in AWS SSM SecureString. Never logged.
- Marketplace cache (active listings) — refreshed within 24 hours of display. Stored indefinitely as historical record but never displayed to users beyond 30 days without a fresh re-fetch.
- Marketplace cache (sold comps) — subject to eBay's Marketplace Insights API terms. Cached for the retention window specified in the API license. Purged on cache expiry.
- Query logs — every API call to eBay is logged with timestamp, calling user ID, query parameters, response summary. Retained for up to 24 months for audit compliance. Never sold or shared.
- Account-deletion log — records of every eBay account-deletion notification received and every deletion action executed. Retained indefinitely as compliance evidence.
Per-user data isolation
Every stored row containing marketplace data is bound to a specific user account. There is no cross-user aggregation, no shared data pool, and no market-intelligence dataset built from users' queries. If User A queries comps for their listing, User B cannot see those comps.
eBay marketplace-account-deletion handling
We operate an endpoint at api.jerryland.com/ebay/notification that receives eBay's marketplace-account-deletion notifications. On receipt, we:
- Validate the notification's SHA-256 challenge response against our verification token.
- Identify all rows in our data stores tied to the affected eBay user.
- Delete those rows within the required window.
- Log the deletion action in our compliance audit trail.
Cache retention
Cached marketplace data has a maximum retention marker (fetched_at_utc) recorded on every row. Display logic checks this marker and either serves from cache (if within the applicable retention window) or triggers a fresh API call. Nightly maintenance jobs enforce hard purge on data past its retention window.
Encryption in transit and at rest
- All external traffic (browser → AuctionHelper, AuctionHelper → eBay) uses TLS 1.2 or higher.
- Database (RDS) storage is encrypted at rest with AWS-managed KMS keys.
- OAuth refresh tokens use application-layer Fernet encryption on top of RDS encryption.
- S3 buckets are encrypted at rest with AES-256.
Access controls
Production database and infrastructure access is limited to a small operations team. All administrative actions are logged. Third-party sub-processors are bound by data-processing agreements.
Data-subject requests
You may request a copy of your data, correction of inaccurate data, or deletion of your data at any time. Email info@auctionhelper.com with your request; we respond within 30 days.
Changes to this policy
Material changes will be communicated by email or in-product notice.
Contact
Data handling questions: info@auctionhelper.com