Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 1, 2026 | Last Updated: April 28, 2026

1. Introduction

YardHop LLC ("YardHop," "we," "us," or "our") operates the YardHop mobile application (the "App") and the website at yardhop.org (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our services.

YardHop is a map-based marketplace that connects yard sale buyers and sellers in their local neighborhoods. We take your privacy seriously. In particular, we designed YardHop Pay so that buyers and sellers never need to exchange usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, or any other personal contact information to complete a transaction.

By using YardHop, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App or Site.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create a YardHop account, we collect:

Phone Number: Required for account verification via SMS. Your phone number is cryptographically hashed and stored for ban evasion prevention. Your actual phone number is never displayed to other users.
Display Name: The name you choose to show on your profile and listings. This can be any name you choose and does not need to be your legal name.
Date of Birth: Collected solely to verify you are at least 18 years old.
Profile Photo: Optional. If provided, stored on your device and associated with your account.

2.2 Location Data

Location data is central to how YardHop works. We collect location information in the following contexts:

Map Browsing: When you use the map feature, we access your device's GPS to show nearby sales. This data is used in real time and is not stored on our servers.
Sale Creation: When you create a sale, we verify via GPS that you are physically within 100 meters of the sale address.
Payment Transactions: When a YardHop Pay transaction occurs, we capture the GPS coordinates of both the buyer and seller at the time of payment. This data is stored permanently as evidence for chargeback dispute resolution.
Check-In: When you check in to a sale, we verify you are within approximately 200 feet of the sale location.
QR Code Payments: When you scan a seller's payment QR code to pay through YardHop Pay, we record the timestamp and the seller's GPS coordinates at the time the QR was generated as part of the transaction record.
Proximity Alerts: If you are within 100 meters of a sale while browsing the map, we may show you a proximity banner. This calculation is performed on your device.

2.3 Transaction Data

When you make or receive a payment through YardHop Pay, we collect:

Transaction amount, itemized breakdown, and processing fees
Reference code (unique identifier for each transaction)
Buyer and seller account identifiers
Timestamp of the transaction
GPS coordinates of both parties at time of payment
Items purchased (descriptions and prices)
Payment QR details (amount, sale, seller display name) shown to the buyer on the pay page

Transaction records are retained indefinitely for tax compliance, fraud prevention, and legal obligations.

2.4 Listing and Content Data

When you create a sale or list items, we collect:

Sale type, title, description, and address
Item names, descriptions, prices, and photos
Sale schedule (dates and hours of operation)
Multi-day discount schedules, if applicable
Verification photos taken during sale creation

2.5 Communication Data

When you use YardHop's in-app chat feature, we collect:

Chat messages between buyers and sellers
Timestamps of messages
Reports filed against messages or users
Block actions taken by users

Chat messages are scanned for safety keywords (e.g., attempts to move transactions off-platform). This scanning is automated and is used solely to display safety warnings. We do not read or review chat messages unless a report is filed.

2.6 Device and Usage Data

We automatically collect certain technical information:

Device type, operating system, and app version
Interaction data (features used, screens viewed, searches performed)
Sale views, direction requests, and RSVP actions (for seller analytics)
App performance data and crash reports

2.7 Security Data

For fraud prevention and payment security, we may collect:

Biometric authentication events (we never store your actual biometric data, only whether authentication succeeded)
Jailbreak or device modification detection results
GPS accuracy and consistency measurements

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Provide Core Services: Display nearby sales on the map, facilitate communication between buyers and sellers, process payments, and deliver the marketplace experience.
Payment Processing: Process transactions through our payment processor (Stripe), calculate fees, generate receipts, and manage seller payouts.
Fraud Prevention: Detect and prevent fraudulent activity, fake listings, payment fraud, ban evasion, GPS spoofing, collusion, and abuse of the reporting system.
Chargeback Defense: Automatically compile and submit evidence to dispute fraudulent chargebacks.
Safety and Moderation: Enforce community guidelines, process reports, manage the reliability score system, and maintain a safe marketplace.
Seller Analytics: Provide sellers with anonymized, aggregated data about how their listings perform.
Notifications: Send treasure alerts, price drop alerts, payment confirmations, and other service-related notifications.
Improvements: Analyze usage patterns to improve the App's features, performance, and user experience.

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

4.1 With Other YardHop Users

Your display name and profile photo (if provided) are visible to other users.
Your sale listings, including item photos, descriptions, and prices, are publicly visible on the map.
Your reliability score and achievement badges are visible to other users.
Buyers who are more than 0.5 miles from your sale see only your approximate neighborhood, not your full address.
Your phone number, email address, and personal contact information are NEVER shared with other users.

4.2 With Service Providers

Stripe, Inc.: Our payment processor. Stripe receives transaction amounts, buyer payment information (entered directly into Stripe's secure form — YardHop never sees or stores card numbers), and seller payout information.
Google / Firebase: Our backend infrastructure provider. Firebase stores account data, sale listings, chat messages, transaction records, and analytics data.
Google Maps Platform: Provides geocoding services (converting addresses to map coordinates).
Open-Meteo: Provides weather forecast data for sale locations. We send only GPS coordinates (no personal information) to this service.
Apple: Processes subscription payments through Apple's In-App Purchase system.

4.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect rights or safety, or detect and prevent fraud.

4.4 Business Transfers

If YardHop LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. Address and Location Privacy

Buyers located more than 0.5 miles from a sale see only the general neighborhood, not the full street address.
Buyers within 0.5 miles can view the full address and get directions.
Address views are rate-limited to 10 views per hour per user to prevent scraping.
Community sale venues display their full address to all users, as these are public events.
We do not publish or index sale addresses in search engines.

6. Payment Privacy

YardHop never sees, stores, or processes your credit card, debit card, or bank account numbers.
Sellers never see buyer names, phone numbers, or payment details. Buyers appear as anonymized reference numbers.
Buyers never see seller bank account or payout details.
Transaction receipts are visible only to the buyer and seller involved.
Seller payout information is managed entirely through Stripe Connect and is never visible to other users.

7. Data Retention

Account Data: Retained while your account is active. If you delete your account, we perform a "soft delete" — your profile is deactivated and your phone number hash is retained to prevent ban evasion.
Transaction Records: Retained indefinitely for tax reporting, legal compliance, and fraud prevention.
Chargeback Evidence: GPS data, timestamps, and transaction details captured during payments are retained permanently.
Chat Messages: Retained while your account is active. Deleted when you delete your account, except for messages that are part of an active report investigation.
Sale Listings: Active listings are retained while posted. Archived listings are retained for 90 days, then permanently deleted.

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 All Users

Access: You can view your account information, transaction history, and sale listings at any time within the App.
Correction: You can update your display name and profile photo at any time through the Settings screen.
Deletion: You can delete your account through Settings > Delete Account.
Notification Preferences: You can control which notifications you receive through the Settings screen.
Location Permissions: You can revoke location access through your device's system settings at any time.

8.2 Washington State Residents

The Washington My Health My Data Act (MHMDA) provides Washington residents with specific rights regarding health-related data. YardHop does not intentionally collect health data. To the extent any data we collect could be construed as health data under the MHMDA, Washington residents have the right to request access to, deletion of, or withdrawal of consent for such data. Contact us at support@yardhop.org.

8.3 California Residents

If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA provides you with additional rights including the right to know what data we collect, the right to delete your data, and the right to opt out of data sales. We do not sell your personal information. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@yardhop.org. We will respond within 45 days.

9. Children's Privacy

YardHop is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We enforce this through a date-of-birth verification gate during account creation. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will delete that information and terminate the associated account.

10. Data Security

All data transmitted between the App and our servers is encrypted using TLS.
Payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI DSS Level 1 certified.
Phone numbers are cryptographically hashed before storage using SHA-256.
Firebase security rules enforce deny-by-default access control.
Biometric authentication is required for all payments. YardHop never accesses or stores your biometric data.
Jailbreak detection prevents use of YardHop Pay on compromised devices.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the App or by posting a notice on yardhop.org at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or need to report a privacy concern, contact us at:

YardHop LLC
Email: support@yardhop.org
Website: yardhop.org
Location: Vancouver, Washington, United States