Opening the mail room…
When you create an account (via Google, Discord, or email/password), we collect your email address, username, and display name. When you upload cars, we store the images you provide and the data generated by our AI identification system.
We also automatically collect basic usage data such as page visits, feature usage, and device information to improve the platform experience.
We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:
Each service has its own privacy policy. We share only the minimum data necessary for each service to function.
We use essential cookies for authentication and session management. We do not use third-party tracking cookies or advertising cookies.
The app also stores data on your device using your browser's built-in storage: interface preferences (theme, accent color, dismissed prompts) live in localStorage; photos you queue for upload are staged in IndexedDB until they finish uploading; and recently viewed pages and collection data are kept in Cache Storage so the app loads fast and works offline. This data stays on your device. Your Parts Counter wishlist is saved to your account on our servers — not on this device — so it follows you across devices. Signing out clears the cached collection data and this device's push notification registration; interface preferences remain until you clear your browser data.
Your account data and collection are retained as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your active profile, collection, credentials, and account-linked social records are removed from our database immediately. Limited records may remain where needed for transaction integrity, safety, moderation, or historical community context: completed trade and economy records, administrator audit records, abuse-report snapshots, historical Car of the Month crowns and comments, and delivery or security receipts. We remove or tombstone account links from those records where that does not defeat their purpose. Operational error records are retention-bounded to 90 days, or 30 days once resolved. Images you uploaded are queued for removal from our image-hosting provider (Cloudinary) and are deleted as that queue is processed; to confirm removal of a specific image, contact privacy@thecollectorsgarage.net. Aggregated, anonymized data may be retained for analytics.
You have the right to:
The Collectors Garage is a social platform. Your public garage — including your display name, collection, podium, stats, badges, and customizations — is visible to anyone, including visitors who are not signed in. Content that requires an account (such as wall notes, car stories, trade activity, and reactions) is shared with the audience each of those features describes. Notifications are sent to other users when you interact with their content.
To power features like the value graph and seasonal standings, we keep daily aggregate readings of your collection (total cars and total estimated value) and activity records tied to your account.
Settings → Privacy gives you direct control: make your entire profile private (friends only), hide your collection's dollar value from visitors, and opt out of the leaderboard, discovery suggestions, and the weekly collector spotlight. Private profiles also hide your cars, history, and visitor wall from non-friends.
For privacy questions, email us at privacy@thecollectorsgarage.net.
For anything else — bugs, ideas, general questions — sign in and drop a note in the suggestion box.