Legal & Policies

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, registering for, or using ScanBids ("Service", "Platform", "we", "us", "our"), you ("you", "User") enter into a legally binding agreement with ScanBids LLC, an Arizona limited-liability company. If you do not agree to these Terms in full, you must not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into binding contracts. By using the Service, you represent that you meet these requirements and that all information you provide is accurate, current, and complete.

3. The Service — What ScanBids Is and Is Not

ScanBids is an informational research tool. It uses artificial intelligence and publicly available pricing data to produce estimates of market value, sold-comparable items, recommended sales platforms, and bid/skip suggestions for collectible, listing, and resale items.

ScanBids is NOT:

• ▸A licensed financial advisor, broker, dealer, appraiser, or investment advisor
• ▸A guarantee of profit, loss prevention, or accurate valuation
• ▸A substitute for professional grading, authentication, or independent due diligence
• ▸An auction house, marketplace, escrow service, or payment processor
• ▸A source of legally binding price determinations

Recommendations such as "BID", "CAUTIOUS", or "SKIP" are algorithmic suggestions only, not directives. You bear full responsibility for any purchase, bid, sale, or financial decision you make.

4. Account Responsibility

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use. We are not liable for losses caused by unauthorized account use.

5. Subscription & Payment

Paid tiers (Scout, Analyst, Pro+) are billed in advance through Stripe. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled before the renewal date. You authorize ScanBids LLC and Stripe to charge your payment method on each renewal cycle. Prices may change with 30 days' notice. Failed payments may result in suspension or downgrade.

6. License Grant

ScanBids LLC grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service for personal or business reselling activities. You may not: (a) reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service or extension; (b) sell, sublicense, or redistribute access; (c) use the Service to build a competing product; (d) scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the Service; (e) use the Service for any unlawful purpose.

7. User Content & Conduct

You grant ScanBids LLC a worldwide, royalty-free license to use, store, and process content you submit (scan inputs, item names, photos, etc.) to provide the Service. You retain ownership. You may not submit content that is unlawful, infringing, defamatory, or that violates third-party rights.

8. Intellectual Property

All Service content (excluding your User Content) — including software, algorithms, designs, AI models, brand marks, the "ScanBids" name and logo, the "Market Advisor" persona, and proprietary databases — is owned by or licensed to ScanBids LLC and is protected by trade secret, copyright, and trademark laws.

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any breach of these Terms, suspected fraud, abuse, or any conduct we determine in our sole discretion to be harmful to the Service or other users. On termination, your access ends immediately; data may be retained for legal compliance.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or in-app notification. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Arizona, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any non-arbitrable dispute shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona, and you consent to personal jurisdiction therein.

12. Entire Agreement & Severability

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, AI Disclaimer, Affiliate Disclosure, Fair Use Policy, and any other policies referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force.

1. Information We Collect

• ▸Account info: email, name, hashed password (never stored in plaintext), Google OAuth profile data if you log in via Google
• ▸Usage data: scans you run, watchlist items, inventory entries, chat messages, IP address, browser/device info
• ▸Payment data: handled exclusively by Stripe; we store only the last 4 digits and a customer ID, never full card numbers
• ▸Cookies & local storage: session tokens, preferences, onboarding state
• ▸First-party anonymous click attribution cookie (sb_anon_id): a random 16-character identifier set on first visit, httponly, secure, SameSite=Lax, 90-day max-age. Used only to attribute outbound clicks to a session — never used for cross-site tracking and contains no personally-identifying information.

1a. Cookies We Set

• ▸sb_anon_id — first-party, httponly, secure, SameSite=Lax, 90-day. Random anonymous-visitor identifier used for outbound click attribution on /api/r/{id} only.
• ▸Authorization (Bearer JWT) — held in memory or local storage, identifies your logged-in session.
• ▸Onboarding/preference flags — local storage only, never transmitted.

1b. Outbound Click Routing

All outbound marketplace links in the Live Market Signals module on the homepage and product pages route through ScanBids' server-side redirect at /api/r/{id}. We log the listing id, source marketplace, category, your sb_anon_id (or user_id if logged-in), and timestamp before redirecting to the source. We never log IP address or user-agent fingerprints against individual clicks. Some outbound links may support ScanBids via affiliate networks; this routing exists to ensure accurate attribution while preserving your privacy.

2. How We Use Information

• ▸Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• ▸Process payments and prevent fraud
• ▸Communicate transactional notices, alerts, and (with consent) marketing
• ▸Train and improve our AI models on aggregated, anonymized data
• ▸Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms

3. Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with: (a) service providers under contract (Stripe, Resend, Mongo, AI providers, analytics) who process data on our behalf; (b) legal authorities when required by law; (c) successor entities in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale.

3a. Subprocessors

The following third-party processors handle limited categories of personal data on ScanBids' behalf under written data-processing terms. We update this list when we materially change a processor; check the effective date above for the last revision.

Email legal@scanbids.com if you object to a specific subprocessor; we'll work with you on alternatives where feasible.

4. Your Rights (GDPR, CCPA, & State Laws)

You have the right to: access your data, request correction or deletion, port your data (CSV export available in Settings), opt out of marketing, and lodge a complaint with a regulator. Email legal@scanbids.com to exercise any right; we respond within 30 days.

5. Data Retention

Account and scan data are retained while your account is active. After account closure, we retain data for up to 90 days for backup purposes, then delete or anonymize. Some data may be retained longer if required by law (tax, accounting, dispute resolution).

6. Security

We use industry-standard encryption (TLS 1.2+ in transit, encrypted at rest), bcrypt for passwords, scoped API keys, and least-privilege access controls. No system is perfectly secure; you use the Service at your own risk.

7. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us data, contact us for deletion.

8. International Transfers

Your data may be processed in the United States and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. We rely on standard contractual clauses for cross-border transfers where required.

1. Estimates Are Algorithmic, Not Authoritative

All value ranges, opportunity scores, recommendations (BID/CAUTIOUS/SKIP), grade estimates, sold-comp matches, and platform suggestions are produced by artificial intelligence systems, including third-party large language models (such as Gemini, Claude, and GPT-family models) and pricing aggregation algorithms.

These outputs are estimates only. They are not guarantees, appraisals, or financial advice. AI systems can hallucinate, misclassify items, mislabel grades, miss data, and produce contradictory results. Market conditions change rapidly and unpredictably.

2. The "Market Advisor" Chat Persona

The Market Advisor is an AI-generated character. It does not represent the views of any human expert. Its statements are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute professional advice in any field, including but not limited to investment, tax, legal, business, or grading advice.

3. Required Independent Diligence

For any item over US$500, or for any decision involving meaningful financial commitment, you are required by these Terms to: (a) obtain professional grading or authentication where applicable; (b) cross-check at least three independent sources of comparable sale data; (c) consult a licensed appraiser, dealer, or other qualified expert; (d) bid only what you can afford to lose.

4. AS-IS & NO WARRANTY

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR ACCURACY. ScanBids LLC EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR PRODUCE PROFITABLE OUTCOMES.

ScanBids participates in affiliate marketing programs, including but not limited to: eBay Partner Network (EPN), TCGplayer (Impact), Amazon Associates, and select third-party auction houses and resale platforms.

This means: when you click a link to a marketplace from within the Service (Recent Sold Comps tables, "Where to Sell" recommendations, AI chat suggestions, watchlist alert emails, etc.) and complete a qualifying purchase, ScanBids may earn a commission, typically 1.5%–8% of the sale price, at no additional cost to you.

Our recommendations are not influenced by commission rate. Platforms are ranked algorithmically based on net profit potential, sell-through rate, and time-to-sell — not on what pays us most. We disclose this relationship in compliance with FTC guidelines (16 CFR Part 255).

You are under no obligation to use our affiliate links and may freely visit any platform directly without affecting your account or data.

To keep the Service fast and equitable for all users, the following are prohibited:

• ▸Automated access (bots, scrapers, headless browsers) outside of explicitly supported APIs
• ▸Excessive scan volume that suggests data resale or competitive intelligence harvesting
• ▸Account sharing across more than the seats explicitly purchased
• ▸Reverse engineering or decompiling the extension, web app, or API responses
• ▸Republishing or reselling our pricing estimates, comp data, or AI outputs in bulk
• ▸Circumventing rate limits, paywalls, or abuse-prevention systems
• ▸Using the Service to facilitate illegal sales, counterfeits, stolen goods, or sanctioned-jurisdiction transactions

Violations may result in immediate suspension, termination, IP/device banning, and (where applicable) civil action for damages.

1. No Refunds on Subscriptions

Subscription fees are non-refundable. Cancelling a subscription stops future billing but does not refund the current billing period. You retain access until period end.

2. No Refunds on Vehicle Credits

Vehicle credit packs are non-refundable once consumed. Unused credits expire 12 months after purchase.

3. Exceptions

We may, in our sole discretion, issue refunds for: duplicate charges, billing errors, prolonged Service outages exceeding 72 consecutive hours, or where required by applicable consumer-protection law.

4. Disputes & Chargebacks

Before initiating a chargeback, contact legal@scanbids.com. Unauthorized chargebacks may result in account termination and collection actions for the disputed amount plus any chargeback fees we incur.

5. Trial Period

The 3-day Explorer trial is free and requires no credit card. No charges occur until you affirmatively upgrade to a paid tier.

1. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SCANBIDS LLC, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, AND DATA PARTNERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, ARISING FROM:

• ▸Your use of or inability to use the Service
• ▸Any decision made or action taken in reliance on AI-generated estimates
• ▸Inaccuracies in pricing data, sold comps, grade estimates, or recommendations
• ▸Failures of third-party APIs, marketplaces, or payment processors
• ▸Unauthorized access to your account or User Content
• ▸Loss on any auction, bid, purchase, or resale transaction

OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE FEES YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS ($100).

2. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless ScanBids LLC and its officers, directors, employees, contractors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including intellectual property, privacy, or contract rights; (d) any decision you make based on AI-generated output; (e) any transaction you enter into through links or platforms referenced in the Service.

1. Binding Arbitration

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Service, or your use thereof — except for claims of intellectual-property infringement and small-claims-court matters — shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules.

Arbitration shall take place in Maricopa County, Arizona, before a single neutral arbitrator. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.

2. Class-Action Waiver

YOU AND SCANBIDS LLC EACH AGREE TO BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate claims of more than one person and may not preside over any form of representative proceeding.

3. Opt-Out

You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing legal@scanbids.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, with the subject line "ARBITRATION OPT-OUT" and including your account email. Opting out does not affect any other provision of these Terms.

4. Severability

If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to any claim, that claim shall be severed and litigated in court; the remainder of the arbitration agreement remains in force.

5. Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, war, terrorism, pandemic, government action, internet outages, third-party API failures, AI provider outages, or natural disasters.