1. Who we are and how to contact us
Bid STOCS is operated by Inventory Recycling UK Limited, trading as STOCS, of 1 Premier Park, Lichfield Road, Branston, Burton on Trent, England, DE14 3HD ("we", "us", "our"). We are the controller of the personal data described in this policy for the purposes of UK GDPR.
You can contact us using the contact link published on bid.stocs.com, or at the address above.
This website uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect the transmission of personal data. You can recognise a secure connection by the "https://" prefix and the lock symbol in your browser address bar.
2. Data collected automatically when you visit the site
If you visit bid.stocs.com without registering, we only collect the data your browser automatically sends to our server (server log files), including: the page visited; date and time of access; volume of data transferred; the referring site, if any; browser and operating system used; and your IP address, anonymised where applicable.
This processing is carried out under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR, on the basis of our legitimate interest in keeping the website stable, secure, and functioning correctly. We do not otherwise use or transfer this data, save where we have a concrete indication of unlawful use of the site and need to investigate.
3. Pre-launch registration
Bid.stocs.com invites you to register your interest ahead of launch by providing your email address and ticking a single consent box confirming you are happy to be emailed about the Bid STOCS launch and to receive auction alerts. We collect:
- Your email address.
- Confirmation of your consent to be emailed about the launch and auction alerts, recorded at the time of registration together with the exact wording of the consent statement you agreed to.
Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR - your consent, given by ticking the consent box, which is required in order to submit the registration form. We do not currently rely on the PECR "soft opt-in" for this processing, as the form requires an affirmative tick rather than treating registration alone as sufficient; this also means the consent standard applied here is, if anything, higher than the regulatory minimum.
What you receive: updates about the Bid STOCS launch and auction alerts, until you unsubscribe or, if registration does not lead to launch, until we delete pre-launch registration data within a reasonable period of that decision being made.
Unsubscribing: you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send, or by contacting us using the details at section 1. We will action this without delay.
No sale or sharing of your data: we do not sell your data, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
4. Prize draw
Registering also enters you into our free early-bird prize draw, with no separate opt-in step beyond completing the registration form described in section 3.
- What we collect: your email address, as already described in section 3.
- Entry conditions: free entry, no purchase or bid required. Open to UK mainland residents aged 18 or over.
- Prize: a 100" Hisense QLED Smart TV.
- Draw date: one winner will be drawn on 1 September 2026.
- Legal basis: Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR, as necessary to perform the contract formed by entering the draw (running the draw and corresponding with the winner), together with the consent given at registration described in section 3.
- Winner contact: if you win, we will need to contact you to arrange your prize, which may involve asking for additional details (such as a delivery address) at that stage, solely for that purpose.
- Retention: prize draw entry data is kept until the draw has concluded and any related queries or complaints have been resolved, then deleted. Any additional details collected from the winner to arrange delivery are kept only for as long as needed for that purpose, then deleted.
5. Cookies and analytics
Bid.stocs.com uses Google Tag Manager to manage the website's tagging and analytics setup. When you submit the registration form, the page also creates a one-way cryptographic hash (SHA-256) of the email address you provide and records this, together with a unique event identifier, in the site's analytics layer. This is used to help us measure the effectiveness of our marketing, including matching website activity to advertising platforms, without exposing your actual email address to those platforms in readable form.
This processing is carried out under Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR, on the basis of your consent, since it is linked to the same registration action described in section 3. If you do not wish this hashed identifier to be generated, please do not submit the registration form; we are reviewing whether to offer a more granular cookie/analytics consent choice on this page going forward.
Where session or strictly necessary cookies are used to support core site functionality (for example, to remember that you have already registered), these are used under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR, on the basis of our legitimate interest in the site working properly for you.
6. How we use service providers
We work with a small number of service providers to operate Bid STOCS and, once live, to process payments. Personal data is only shared with these providers to the extent necessary for them to perform their role for us, and never for their own independent marketing purposes.
6.1 Payments - Stripe. Where payment is taken (for example, in connection with auction purchases once Bid STOCS launches), this will be processed by Stripe Payments Europe Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland, under Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR. Further information is available at https://stripe.com/gb/privacy.
6.2 Accounting - Xero. We use Xero (UK) Limited's cloud accounting software to manage invoicing and financial record-keeping. Where personal data is processed here, this is done under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR (our legitimate interest in efficient business administration) and Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR (compliance with our statutory accounting and tax obligations). Further information is available at https://www.xero.com/uk/about/legal/privacy/.
7. Relationship to other STOCS websites
Bid STOCS (bid.stocs.com), Bulk STOCS (bulk.stocs.com), and stocs.com are all operated by Inventory Recycling UK Limited, trading as STOCS. Data collected through Bid STOCS registration is used only for Bid STOCS purposes as described in this policy, and is not combined with or shared into Bulk STOCS or stocs.com marketing lists unless you separately consent to that.
8. Your rights
8.1 Under UK GDPR, you have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you (Article 15); have inaccurate data corrected (Article 16); request erasure of your data in certain circumstances (Article 17); request that we restrict our processing (Article 18); be informed where we have corrected, erased, or restricted your data (Article 19); receive your data in a portable format (Article 20); withdraw consent you have previously given, at any time (Article 7(3)); and lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator (Article 77).
8.2 Right to object. Where we process your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interests, you have the right to object to this processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. If you object, we will stop processing your data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, or the processing is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
8.3 Where we process your personal data for direct marketing purposes, you have an unconditional right to object at any time, and we will stop that processing without delay upon receiving your objection.
9. How long we keep your data
How long we keep personal data depends on the purpose for which it was collected and the legal basis relied upon, as set out in the relevant sections above. As a general principle: data processed on the basis of your consent is kept until you withdraw that consent; data processed to perform a contract is kept for as long as necessary for that purpose; and data processed on the basis of our legitimate interests is kept until you exercise your right to object, unless we have compelling grounds to continue.
Specific retention periods for pre-launch registration data and prize draw data are set out in sections 3 and 4 above.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example as Bid STOCS moves from pre-launch registration to a live auction platform, or if we introduce additional communication channels (such as WhatsApp or SMS alerts) that are not currently offered on this page. Where we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to bring this to your attention, such as a notice on the website or in an email to registered users.