Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2 June 2026
allthebooks is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.
1. Who We Are
- •allthebooks is a South African platform operated to facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand school textbooks between parents at participating schools.
- •For any privacy-related queries, contact us at hello@allthebooks.co.za
2. What Information We Collect
- •Registration information: Your name, email address, and mobile number when you create an account.
- •School information: The school and grade your child attends, used to match you with buyers or sellers at the same school. allthebooks does not collect, ask for, or store any personal information about your child, e.g. name, age, or date of birth.
- •Transaction information: Details of books you list for sale or request to buy, prices, and condition ratings.
- •Payment information: For seller payouts, allthebooks uses Paystack to process bank transfers. Paystack collects and verifies bank account details directly and securely. allthebooks does not ask for, capture, or store any banking credentials, e.g. bank name, account number, or any other banking details. allthebooks receives only a reference code from Paystack to confirm that a payout recipient has been set up.
- •Communication records: Records of disputes, support requests, and platform notifications sent to you.
- •Usage data: Basic information about how you use the platform, used to improve our service.
3. How We Use Your Information
- •To match you with buyers or sellers at your school based on your book requests and listings.
- •To facilitate secure payment and payout processing between buyers and sellers.
- •To share your contact details (name and mobile number) with your matched buyer or seller so you can arrange the handover of books directly.
- •To send you WhatsApp notifications about your matches, payments, and handovers. These notifications are a core part of the service.
- •To mediate disputes between buyers and sellers where necessary.
- •To comply with legal obligations under South African law.
4. Who We Share Your Information With
- •Your matched buyer or seller: When a match is confirmed, your name and mobile number are shared with the other party so you can arrange handover directly. No other personal information is shared.
- •Paystack: Our payment processing partner. Paystack processes all payments and payouts securely. Their privacy policy is available at paystack.com.
- •Airtable: Our data management platform, used to store your account and transaction information securely.
- •Supabase: Our authentication provider. When you sign in using a magic link, Supabase processes your email address to verify your identity. Their privacy policy is available at supabase.com.
- •We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third parties for marketing purposes.
5. How We Protect Your Information
- •All data is stored on secure, encrypted servers.
- •Access to personal information is restricted to authorised personnel only.
- •Payment information is handled exclusively by Paystack, a PCI-DSS compliant payment processor.
- •allthebooks does not hold any banking credentials whatsoever. All payment and banking information is handled exclusively by Paystack. allthebooks receives only a Paystack reference code to confirm payout setup.
6. Data Retention
- •We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services.
- •Transaction records are retained for a minimum of 5 years to comply with financial record-keeping requirements.
- •If you request deletion of your account, we will remove your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
7. Your Rights Under POPIA
- •Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- •Right to correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
- •Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
- •Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- •To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@allthebooks.co.za
8. WhatsApp Communications
- •By registering on allthebooks, you consent to receiving WhatsApp notifications related to your account activity, including match notifications, payment confirmations, and handover reminders.
- •These notifications are transactional in nature and form a core part of the platform's functionality.
- •We will not send you marketing messages via WhatsApp without your separate consent.
9. Cookies and Analytics
- •allthebooks may use basic analytics to understand how the platform is used and to improve our service.
- •We do not use advertising cookies or track your behaviour across other websites.
10. Changes to This Policy
- •We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to registered users via WhatsApp or email.
- •Continued use of the platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Questions about this policy? Contact us at hello@allthebooks.co.za