The short version
Fobble has no accounts, no cookies, no analytics and no adverts. It keeps nothing about you or the listings you look at. Your postcode and search words pass through to eBay to get your results, and are forgotten as soon as the answer is sent.
Who runs it
Fobble is run by Sean Gallagher, an individual, and is not affiliated with eBay. Questions or requests: privacy@fobble.bid.
What happens when you search
- Your postcode, search words and filters go from your browser to Fobble's server, which asks eBay for matching listings and sends them back. Nothing is written down: no database, no cache, no logs of searches.
- To stop one visitor using up eBay's daily allowance, Cloudflare counts searches per IP address for one minute. That is a short-lived counter, not a record of what you searched for.
- Fobble is hosted on Cloudflare, which handles every request to the site and may process your IP address to run and protect its network, under its own privacy policy.
- Listings, prices and photos come from eBay. Photos load straight from eBay's servers, so eBay sees your IP address when they do.
Other services the page can talk to
- Use my location (the pin button) only runs when you press it, and your browser asks first. Your coordinates go from your browser to postcodes.io to be turned into a postcode. They do not go to Fobble.
- The map loads map tiles from MapTiler (made from OpenStreetMap data), which sees your IP address and the area you are looking at. It also sends the first half of listings' postcodes (such as N16) to postcodes.io to place pins.
- Links out to eBay and to Google Maps directions (which include your searched postcode) are ordinary links. Once you follow one, that site's own privacy policy applies, including eBay's.
Commission
Fobble is not yet in the eBay Partner Network. If it joins, links to eBay will carry a tracking ID, so eBay can pay Fobble a commission on a sale, and eBay may set a cookie on its own site when you click. Fobble sets none, and this page will say so when it happens.
What stays on your device
Nothing is saved in cookies or browser storage. "Watch for new listings" remembers what it has shown only while the tab is open. "Share this search" makes a link that contains your postcode and filters, so only send it to people you are happy to tell them to.
Your rights
Because Fobble holds no personal data about you, there is nothing to access, correct or delete. If you think that is wrong, or you are unhappy with how your data is handled, write to the address above. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.