PickupPal — Privacy Policy
Effective date: April 2026
This is the privacy policy for **PickupPal**, an iOS app that helps you find collection-only
listings on eBay UK near your postcode. PickupPal is built and operated by **Matthew Drayton**,
a sole developer based in the United Kingdom.
This policy explains, in plain English, what data the app handles, why, and what you can do
about it. The short version: **PickupPal stores nothing about you on any server, has no user
accounts, runs no analytics, and includes no advertising or tracking SDKs.**
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1. What PickupPal stores on your device
When you first open PickupPal you're asked for your **UK postcode**. The app saves this
locally on your device using the operating system's standard preference store (UserDefaults).
You can change or remove it at any time from the Settings screen inside the app.
The app may also store a temporary **OAuth access token** in the iOS Keychain. This token is
issued by eBay's developer platform to PickupPal as a whole (not to you personally) and is
used only to authorise PickupPal's anonymous search requests to eBay's public API. It contains
no information about you. It expires roughly every two hours and is then refreshed
automatically.
That is the complete list of what PickupPal stores. There are no user accounts, no profiles,
no usage history, no saved searches, no favourites, and no synchronisation with any cloud
service operated by PickupPal.
2. What PickupPal sends to eBay
When you perform a search, PickupPal sends a request to **eBay's public Browse API**
(`api.ebay.com`). The request includes:
- Your **postcode** (so eBay can return items available for collection near you)
- Your **search keyword**, if any
- Your **filter values** — distance radius, sort order, listing types
These are the same parameters you would send if you used eBay's "Local Pickup" filter on
[ebay.co.uk](https://www.ebay.co.uk) in a web browser. The request is anonymous: PickupPal
does not authenticate you with eBay and does not transmit any device identifier, advertising
ID, name, email address, phone number, or location captured from your device's GPS.
eBay's handling of the requests it receives is governed by **eBay's own privacy policy**,
available at:
PickupPal has no visibility into, or control over, what eBay does with that data on its
servers. Like any web service, eBay may keep server logs containing the source IP address and
request parameters of incoming requests.
Tapping a listing in PickupPal opens that listing in the eBay app (or, if the app isn't
installed, in Safari). At that point you're interacting with eBay directly and any data you
provide is between you and eBay.
3. What PickupPal does *not* do
To be explicit, PickupPal does **not**:
- Run any servers or backend infrastructure
- Maintain any database of users, searches, or activity
- Use Google Analytics, Firebase, Mixpanel, or any other analytics SDK
- Use any crash-reporting SDK
- Use any advertising SDK or display any ads
- Use Apple's Advertising Identifier (IDFA) or request App Tracking Transparency permission
- Track you across other apps or websites
- Sell, rent, or share data with third parties
- Read your contacts, photos, calendar, location (via GPS), microphone, or camera
- Send you any push notifications, emails, or marketing messages
4. Data retention and deletion
The postcode you enter remains on your device until you change it inside the app or delete
the app entirely. Uninstalling PickupPal removes all local app data, including the postcode
and any cached OAuth token.
Because nothing is stored on PickupPal-controlled servers, there is no retention period to
disclose and nothing for the developer to delete on your behalf. Your data lives on your
device, end of story.
5. Your rights
Under the UK GDPR, the EU GDPR, and similar regulations elsewhere (including the California
Consumer Privacy Act), you have rights including the right to access, correct, delete, and
restrict processing of personal data held about you.
Because PickupPal does not collect or hold any personal data on its own servers, there is
nothing for the developer to access, correct, or delete on your behalf. To exercise the
equivalent right in this app, simply uninstall PickupPal — this removes the only data the app
ever stored, which lived on your own device.
If you wish to exercise these rights with respect to data eBay holds (resulting from search
requests PickupPal makes on your behalf), please contact eBay directly using the link in
section 2.
6. Security
The OAuth access token stored in the Keychain uses iOS's hardware-backed secure enclave where
available. All network requests from PickupPal to eBay are made over HTTPS. PickupPal does
not transmit any data over unencrypted connections.
7. Children
PickupPal is rated 4+ in the App Store. The app does not knowingly collect data from anyone,
including children under 13 (or under 16, in some jurisdictions). The app does not contain
in-app purchases, advertising, or any feature that targets children specifically.
The eBay listings displayed in PickupPal originate from eBay's marketplace and the categories
shown reflect eBay's own content policies. Parents and guardians should supervise use of the
app if they have concerns about marketplace content.
8. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes in a way that affects how data is handled, the updated version will
be published at the same URL with a new "Effective date" at the top. Material changes will
also be summarised at the top of this document so you can see at a glance what changed.
9. Contact
Questions, concerns, or requests about this privacy policy can be sent to:
PickupPal is operated by an individual, so please be patient with response times. Most
questions can be answered within a few days.
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*PickupPal is not affiliated with eBay Inc. eBay® is a trademark of eBay Inc.*