Privacy Policy

TENT Outdoor Marketplace (“TENT,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the online marketplace at https://tentoutdoors.com. We respect your privacy and are committed to transparent data practices. This Privacy Policy explains in detail what personal information we collect, how we use and protect that information, with whom we share it, and how you can access, update, or delete your data.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration: Full name, email address, and password (hashed using bcrypt with 12 salt rounds; we never store plaintext passwords).
• Profile Information: Optional display name, biography, city/state location, phone number, and profile avatar image.
• Shipping & Billing Addresses: Recipient name, street address, city, state, postal code, and country (up to 5 saved shipping addresses per account).
• Seller & Storefront Information: Storefront name, description, craft categories, location (city and state), shipping/return policies, website URL, and optional social media links.
• Seller Tax & Payout Verification: Sellers onboarding via Stripe Connect provide identity verification, W-9 tax information (SSN/EIN), and bank payout details directly to Stripe. TENT does not store full SSNs, EINs, or bank account numbers on our servers.
• Newsletter & Vendor Inquiries: Email address, name, and optional phone number submitted through our newsletter signup, vendor interest, or contact forms.

1.2 Information Collected via Google Sign-In (Google OAuth 2.0) and Apple Sign-In

If you choose to sign in or register using Google Sign-In or Sign in with Apple, we request only basic account authentication scopes (openid, email, and profile) and receive the following data from your identity provider:

• Google Account Identifier (sub) or Apple Subject ID: A unique identifier used solely to link your social login to your TENT account.
• Email Address: Your primary email address and email verification status, used to create or sign into your TENT account and send transactional order notifications.
• Name & Profile Picture URL: Your display name and optional profile avatar URL provided by Google or Apple to populate your TENT account profile.

We do not request access to your Google Contacts, Google Drive, Gmail messages, Google Calendar, or any other sensitive or restricted Google API scopes.

1.3 Transaction & Order Data

• Order Details: Order numbers, items purchased, quantities, item prices, shipping rates, carrier tracking numbers, and delivery confirmation status.
• Payment Information: All credit card and payment credentials are collected and processed directly by Stripe. TENT never collects, stores, or has access to your full credit card number, CVV, or bank credentials.

1.4 Community & Communication Data

• Direct Messages & Custom Orders: Messages and attachments sent between buyers and sellers through our in-app messaging and custom order system.
• Reviews & Brag Board Posts: Product ratings, written reviews, and community field photos uploaded to the TENT Brag Board.
• Dispute Records: Claim descriptions, supporting photos, and resolution notes submitted under the TENT Buyer Guarantee.

1.5 Automatically Collected Technical Data

• Cookies & Authentication Tokens: We use secure HTTP-only cookies and JSON Web Tokens (JWT) to keep you signed in and maintain your shopping cart.
• Log & Device Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages viewed, used for security monitoring, rate limiting, and fraud prevention.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect strictly for the following purposes:

• Account Authentication & Management: Creating and authenticating your buyer or seller account via email/password, Google OAuth, or Apple Sign-In.
• Order Processing & Fulfillment: Processing checkout payments, calculating real-time shipping rates, generating shipping labels, and sharing delivery details with the fulfilling seller.
• Escrow & Seller Payouts: Holding order funds in escrow until delivery is confirmed, releasing seller payouts via Stripe Connect, and supporting annual 1099-K tax reporting.
• Transactional Communications: Sending order confirmations, shipping and tracking updates, password reset links, email verification codes, and dispute notifications.
• Customer Support & Dispute Resolution: Investigating and resolving buyer-seller claims under the TENT Buyer Guarantee.
• Platform Security & Anti-Spam Protection: Detecting bots, preventing fraudulent transactions, and enforcing rate limits and terms compliance.

3. Google API Services User Data Policy & Limited Use Disclosure

TENT Outdoor Marketplace's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:

• We only use Google user data (your name, email address, profile picture URL, and Google account ID) to authenticate you and display your user profile within TENT Outdoor Marketplace.
• We never sell, rent, or trade Google user data to any third party.
• We never use Google user data for targeted advertising, credit worthiness evaluation, or training external artificial intelligence models.
• Human access to Google user data is strictly prohibited except where necessary for security investigations, to comply with applicable law, or with your explicit consent for customer support.

4. How We Share and Disclose Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share personal data only in the limited circumstances described below:

• Between Buyers and Sellers: When you purchase an item, we share your shipping name, delivery address, and order notes with the specific seller fulfilling your order so they can ship your gear.
• Stripe (Payment Processing & Tax Compliance): Processes buyer payments, seller payouts, identity verification (KYC), and IRS Form 1099-K tax reporting.
• Shippo (Shipping Rates, Labels & Tracking): Receives sender and recipient shipping addresses, package dimensions/weights, and carrier tracking numbers to calculate postage rates, generate shipping labels, and provide delivery tracking updates.
• Mapbox (Location Geocoding): Converts seller city/state locations and shipping address autocomplete queries into geographic coordinates.
• Vercel & Render (Cloud Infrastructure): Host our web application, backend API, and encrypted PostgreSQL database in the United States.
• Legal & Safety Obligations: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or court order, or when necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of TENT, our users, or the public.

5. Data Storage, Security & Protection

We implement technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:

• Encryption in Transit: All traffic between your browser, our APIs, and third-party providers is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.
• Password Security: Account passwords are salted and hashed using bcrypt (cost factor 12).
• Cryptographic Token Verification: Google and Apple OAuth identity tokens are cryptographically verified against Google and Apple public JSON Web Key Sets (JWKS) prior to session issuance.
• Access Controls & Rate Limiting: API endpoints enforce strict authentication, role-based access control, HTTP security headers (Helmet), and IP rate limiting.

6. Data Retention & Account Deletion

• Account & Profile Data: Retained while your account remains active. You may update your profile data at any time from your Account Settings page.
• Requesting Data Deletion: You may request complete deletion of your TENT account and associated personal data (including any linked Google OAuth or Apple Sign-In data) at any time by emailing support@tentoutdoors.com. Verified deletion requests are processed within 30 days.
• Revoking Google OAuth Access:You can also revoke TENT's access to your Google account at any time at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
• Transaction & Tax Records: Order invoices, payout records, and dispute logs are retained for up to 7 years as required for accounting, tax, and legal compliance.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction (including US state privacy laws), you have the right to:

• Access and receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Request deletion of your account and personal information.
• Opt out of marketing or newsletter emails at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at support@tentoutdoors.com.

8. Children's Privacy

TENT Outdoor Marketplace is intended for users who are at least 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a minor under 18, we will promptly delete that account and data.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our platform or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.