Privacy Policy

WindyCityClearance.com is owned and operated by Secondhand Solutions, Inc., an Illinois corporation. We operate a wholesale liquidation auction marketplace specializing in commercial, industrial, and surplus equipment.

When this policy refers to “Windy City Clearance,” “we,” “us,” or “our,” it refers to Secondhand Solutions, Inc. and its authorized agents and service providers acting on our behalf.

We collect several categories of personal information depending on how you interact with our platform:

We collect information through the following means:

• Directly from you — when you register an account, place a bid, complete a purchase, list an item, fill out a form, or contact our support team
• Automatically — through cookies, web beacons, and server logs as you browse our site
• From payment processors — tokenized transaction data from our payment gateway partners (e.g., Stripe, PayPal)
• From third-party services — analytics providers, advertising platforms, and fraud detection services
• From communications — when you email us, reply to our emails, or respond to our SMS messages
• From public sources — publicly available business information where relevant to verifying seller or buyer accounts

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Account Management — creating, maintaining, and securing your account
• Auction Operations — processing bids, recording results, and administering sales
• Payment Processing — billing winning bids, issuing invoices, and processing refunds
• Order Fulfillment — coordinating pickup, shipping, and removal of purchased items
• Communications — sending transactional emails, SMS notifications, auction alerts, and marketing messages (with your consent where required)
• Customer Support — responding to inquiries, disputes, and feedback
• Fraud Prevention — detecting and preventing unauthorized access, bid manipulation, and payment fraud
• Platform Improvement — analyzing usage patterns to improve site functionality and user experience
• Legal Compliance — meeting our obligations under applicable law, including tax reporting and record-keeping
• Marketing — sending promotional content about upcoming auctions, new inventory, and special offers (opt-out available at any time)

We will not use your information for purposes materially different from those listed above without providing notice and, where required, obtaining your consent.

By creating an account or making a purchase on WindyCityClearance.com, you consent to receive the following types of email communications from us:

To unsubscribe from marketing emails, click the “Unsubscribe” link in any marketing email or update your communication preferences in your account settings. Please allow up to 10 business days for opt-out requests to take effect. Unsubscribing from marketing emails will not affect transactional or administrative emails.

Windy City Clearance may send SMS (text message) communications to users who have provided a mobile phone number and opted in to receive text messages. By providing your phone number and checking the opt-in box during registration or checkout, you expressly consent to receive text messages from us.

SMS messages we may send include:

• Outbid notifications and auction closing alerts
• Payment confirmations and invoice reminders
• Pickup scheduling confirmations and reminders
• Account security alerts (e.g., login from a new device)
• Promotional messages about upcoming auctions or featured lots (marketing SMS, consent required)

We will not sell or share your mobile number with third parties for their own marketing purposes. Your number may be shared with SMS platform providers solely to facilitate message delivery on our behalf.

As an ecommerce auction platform, we necessarily collect detailed transaction data to operate our marketplace. This includes data related to both buying and selling activity:

Buyer Data:

• All bids placed, including amounts, timestamps, and lot identifiers
• Won auction records and associated invoices
• Payment method type (card type, last four digits — full card numbers are never stored)
• Billing address and shipping/pickup address
• Purchase history and total spend over time
• Dispute or return requests and their resolutions

Seller Data:

• All listings created, including item descriptions, photos, and pricing
• Auction results and final sale prices
• Payout history and banking information (where applicable, stored by our payment processor)
• Seller performance metrics (completion rate, dispute history)

Transaction records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with applicable tax, accounting, and legal requirements, even if you close your account.

WindyCityClearance.com uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, remember your preferences, and analyze traffic. The types of cookies we use include:

• Essential Cookies — required for the site to function (e.g., session cookies, cart/bid state, login authentication). Cannot be disabled.
• Functional Cookies — remember your preferences such as language, currency, and saved searches.
• Analytics Cookies — help us understand how visitors use the site (e.g., Google Analytics). Data is aggregated and anonymized where possible.
• Marketing Cookies — used to deliver relevant advertising and track campaign effectiveness. Only set with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent tool. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality. For more information, refer to your browser’s help documentation.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers — third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, SMS delivery, email marketing platforms, fraud detection, analytics, and hosting. These parties are contractually bound to use your data only to perform services for us.
• Auction Counterparties — limited information necessary to complete a transaction (e.g., a seller may receive buyer pickup contact information to coordinate removal).
• Legal Obligations — when required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Secondhand Solutions, Inc., its users, or the public.
• Business Transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy commitments.
• With Your Consent — for any other purpose with your explicit prior consent.

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

When data is no longer needed and retention obligations have been met, we securely delete or anonymize it.

Secondhand Solutions, Inc. implements industry-standard technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Encrypted storage of sensitive account data at rest
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing via third-party processors
• Role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal data
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Multi-factor authentication for administrative access

Despite our efforts, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users in accordance with applicable law.

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion — request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Portability — request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
• Opt-Out of Marketing — unsubscribe from marketing emails or SMS at any time
• Restriction — request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to verifiable requests within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

WindyCityClearance.com is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

Upon confirmation, we will promptly delete such information from our records. Our platform requires users to affirm they are 18 or older during the registration process.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, payment processors, shipping carriers, or other services that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or data handling of any third-party sites or services linked from our platform.

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you specific rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know — the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the business purpose, and any third parties we share it with
• Right to Delete — request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to Opt-Out — direct us not to sell your personal information (we do not sell personal data)
• Right to Non-Discrimination — we will not deny service, charge different prices, or provide a different level of service because you exercised your privacy rights

To submit a CCPA request, email [email protected] with “CCPA Request” in the subject line. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days, with a possible 45-day extension where reasonably necessary.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page
• Send a notification to your registered email address for significant changes
• Display a prominent notice on our website for a reasonable period

Your continued use of WindyCityClearance.com after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with any changes, please discontinue use of the site and contact us to close your account.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us through any of the following channels:

We are committed to resolving privacy concerns promptly. For formal complaints that we are unable to resolve directly, you may contact your applicable state attorney general’s office or a relevant data protection authority.