Privacy Policy

Last updated 6 August 2026

This policy explains what personal information Spare Parts Finder collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and what rights you have. It is written to meet our obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

Who we are

TJ Spares (Pty) Ltd, trading as Spare Parts Finder, of 472 Spionkop Ave, Kya Sand, Randburg, Johannesburg, 2163, is the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy. You can reach us at info@sparepartsfinder.co.za or +27 61 549 4504.

What we collect

Information	Why we need it
Name, email address, phone number	To create your account, and to let buyers and sellers contact each other about a part
Business name, address, trading details (sellers)	To verify sellers and display a shop profile to buyers
Enquiry and message content	To pass your enquiry to the relevant seller and to resolve disputes
Delivery address (orders)	To deliver the part you bought
Vehicle details you enter, including a VIN	To match parts to your vehicle. A VIN entered in the search box is used for that search only
Device and usage data (pages viewed, approximate location from IP)	To keep the site working, prevent abuse, and understand which parts people look for

We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18, and the marketplace is not directed at them.

How we use it

To operate the marketplace: listing parts, handling enquiries, processing orders
To connect buyers with sellers — this necessarily means sharing your contact details with the seller you enquire from
To verify sellers and reduce fraud
To respond to you when you contact us
To improve the site and understand how it is used
To meet legal, tax and accounting obligations

When you contact a seller

If you send an enquiry or start a WhatsApp conversation about a listing, the seller receives your name, your contact details and your message. That seller is a separate responsible party under POPIA and is responsible for how they use your information from that point. We are not able to control what an independent seller does with your details, and you should share only what you are comfortable sharing.

Who else we share it with

We use the following service providers, who process information on our behalf:

Provider	Purpose	Where
Supabase	Database and account authentication	Outside South Africa
Vercel	Website hosting and delivery	Outside South Africa
Cloudinary	Hosting of listing images	Outside South Africa
Google Analytics	Anonymised usage statistics	Outside South Africa
Payment provider	Processing card payments. We do not store your card details	South Africa

Because these providers operate outside South Africa, your information may be transferred across borders. We only use providers that commit to a level of protection comparable to POPIA. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or where it is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

How long we keep it

Account information — while your account is open, and for 12 months after you close it
Enquiries and messages — 3 years, so we can resolve disputes
Order and invoice records — 5 years, as required by South African tax law
Analytics — up to 14 months

Your rights

Under POPIA you may ask us to:

confirm what personal information we hold about you, and give you a copy
correct information that is wrong or incomplete
delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep
stop using your information for direct marketing
object to processing in certain circumstances

Email info@sparepartsfinder.co.za and we will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity first. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za.

Cookies and analytics

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your cart, and measure how the site is used through Google Analytics. You can block cookies in your browser settings, though parts of the site may then not work properly.

Security

Traffic to the site is encrypted with HTTPS. Access to the database is restricted by row-level security so that sellers can only reach their own listings, enquiries and orders. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that a breach will never happen — if one occurs that affects your information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change is significant, tell you directly.