Global Prospecting
Global Prospecting
Sign In

Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 2, 2026

Global Prospecting ("we", "us") runs global-prospecting.com, an online store for opals and related merchandise with fixed-price (Buy It Now) sales, timed auctions, Best Offers and Live Sales. This policy describes what information the website collects, how it is used and who it is shared with.

1. Information we collect

Account information. When you create an account we collect your email address, a password (stored only as a secure hash by our sign-in service — we never see it in plain text), and the name you give us. If you sign in with Google, Google passes us your name, email address and Google account identifier. We do not receive your Google password and get no access to your Gmail, Drive, photos or any other Google data.

Shipping address. The address you save to your account or enter at checkout. It is used to ship orders, work out shipping charges, and check eligibility for bidding and international shipping, and to confirm a US shipping address for giveaways.

Orders and payments. Items purchased, prices paid, shipping charges, coupons used, order status, tracking numbers, and the payment reference PayPal gives us. Payments are handled by PayPal (see section 3). We do not receive or store your full card number, card expiry or PayPal login.

Auctions, offers and Live Sales. Bids you place (amount and time), auctions you win, Best Offers and counter-offers you make, items you watch, items in your cart, messages you send in Live Sale chat, and giveaway entries. In public auction bid history you are shown by an anonymous bidder alias, never your name or email.

Messages to us. The name, email address, subject and message you send through the Contact form.

Newsletter. If you subscribe, your email address, your name if you give one, when you signed up, and whether you confirmed the signup.

Notifications. If you turn on phone or browser notifications, we store a device token for that device and the alert types you chose.

Website usage. For basic visit statistics we record the page you visited, a random visitor number stored in your browser, a general device type (computer, mobile or tablet), and your country taken from your network connection. This random number is not your name or email and is not used for advertising. When you open a password-reset link, we also log a short technical note about that visit — the page it landed on and any error code — so we can fix reset emails that fail to open. We do not use advertising or social-media tracking scripts.

Security information. To help prevent auction fraud we record the internet (IP) address and time of the most recent action you take while signed in. We keep only the most recent one for each account, not a running history. It is visible to our administrators only, and is used only when we look into suspected fraud or compare two accounts at a customer's request.

2. How we use information

  • To create and run your account and let you sign in.
  • To process orders, auction wins and accepted offers, and to ship them.
  • To run auctions, Best Offers, Live Sales and giveaways, including deciding winners and eligibility.
  • To send you email about your own account and purchases — order confirmations, shipping notices, outbid and auction-won notices, payment reminders, and Best Offer decisions.
  • To send our newsletter, only to people who subscribed and confirmed.
  • To answer your messages.
  • To prevent fraud, abuse and non-payment.
  • To understand overall site traffic in general terms.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. Who we share information with

  • PayPal processes all payments, including card payments taken through PayPal's own card form. PayPal receives the payment details and order information it needs to complete the transaction. PayPal's privacy policy applies to what you give them.
  • Google, only if you choose Google sign-in, and only for sign-in as described above.
  • MailerLite, our newsletter provider, receives subscribers' email addresses and names.
  • Our hosting, database, email-sending and notification providers, who process data for us under our direction.
  • Shipping carriers, who receive your name and address to deliver your order.
  • Authorities, if we are required by law to disclose information.

4. How long we keep information

  • Order, payment and sale records are kept for as long as accounting, tax and dispute rules require.
  • Bid, offer and auction history is kept so auction results stay accurate and verifiable.
  • Newsletter details are kept until you unsubscribe; after that we keep a small record of the unsubscribe so you are not emailed again.
  • Sign-in address records can be viewed and used only while they are less than 30 days old; we never use older ones.
  • Completed orders disappear from your own account list 30 days after they ship, and resolved Best Offers 30 days after they close, but they remain in our records.

5. Your choices

  • Change your name and shipping address in My Account.
  • Turn phone and browser alerts for outbid notices, auction wins and shipping updates on or off in My Account. Email about your own orders, bids and payments continues, because those messages are needed to complete a purchase.
  • Stop the newsletter at any time using the unsubscribe link in every newsletter.
  • Closing your account: ask us through the Contact page and we will close it. We then delete or anonymize the personal information we no longer need. Records we must keep for legal, tax and accounting purposes — such as completed orders, payments, and any unpaid obligation — are retained for as long as those rules require, even after your account is closed.

6. Children

The site is not intended for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children.

7. Changes

We may update this policy. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.

8. Contact

Email: globalprospecting1@gmail.com
Contact page: global-prospecting.com/contact