Privacy policy.

1. Who we are

Lost Watches is a registered business name of Lost Designer Pty Ltd (ABN 94 683 102 721), Second-Hand Dealer Licence SHD-0018083. This policy explains how Lost Designer Pty Ltd trading as Lost Watches (“Lost Watches”, “we”, “us” or “our”) handles personal information in connection with our website and direct watch-buying service.

We seek to handle personal information consistently with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles where they apply, together with our other legal and dealer-record obligations.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you deal with us, we may collect:

• your name, email address, telephone number, postcode and address;
• watch details, including brand, model, reference, serial number, age, condition, service history and accessories;
• photographs and videos of the watch, packaging, documents and identifying marks;
• messages, call notes, appointment details, valuation history and other communications;
• proof-of-identity details, proof of address, ownership or provenance documents, signatures and transaction records;
• payment details needed to pay you, such as the verified account name, BSB and account number;
• website information such as landing page, referring page, session data and campaign identifiers including UTM parameters, gclid and fbclid; and
• technical, security and anti-abuse information that may include browser, device, network and IP-related data processed by our hosting and security providers.

Please do not include unrelated personal information in watch photographs or documents. Where practical, cover information that is not relevant to the valuation or transaction.

3. How we collect information

We usually collect information directly from you when you complete a form, upload photographs, call, email, use WhatsApp, visit our Toorak location, arrange collection or complete a direct sale. We may also collect information from an authorised representative, delivery provider, authentication specialist, public record, fraud-prevention service, law-enforcement body or another source where permitted by law.

If you give us personal information about another person, you must have authority to do so and, where appropriate, make them aware of this policy.

4. Why we collect and use it

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:

• receive and assess valuation enquiries;
• identify, inspect and authenticate a watch and its documentation;
• contact you, discuss an offer and arrange an appointment or collection;
• verify identity, ownership, provenance and payment instructions;
• complete and administer a direct watch purchase;
• meet second-hand dealer, taxation, accounting, anti-fraud, court and law-enforcement requirements;
• protect our customers, staff, systems and business from theft, fraud, misuse and security threats;
• measure enquiry sources and improve our website, service and marketing;
• manage complaints, disputes, insurance matters and legal claims; and
• send marketing where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

5. Identity and second-hand dealer records

Victorian second-hand dealer laws require us to obtain acceptable seller identification and keep prescribed records when we acquire second-hand goods. These records can include your full name and address, identification details, the watch description and identifying numbers, the date and time of receipt, the price paid and the staff member handling the transaction.

We may be unable to buy your watch if you do not provide information required by law or reasonably necessary to verify the proposed transaction. Dealer records may need to be retained and made available to Victoria Police or another authorised body even if you later ask us to delete your information.

6. Valuation photographs and documents

Watch photographs and documents may contain personal information, serial numbers or other unique identifiers. We use them for valuation, authentication, ownership checks, fraud prevention, transaction records, staff review and related legal purposes.

If a transaction does not proceed, we may still retain relevant enquiry material for a reasonable period for security, duplicate-enquiry management, complaint handling and record keeping. Where the law requires a longer period, the legal period applies.

7. Lost Cloud and our systems

Enquiries may be stored on our website systems and delivered to Lost Cloud, our internal lead and workflow-management software. Lost Cloud helps authorised team members manage photographs, valuation work, contact history and transaction stages.

We use access controls and other reasonable safeguards designed to limit access to people who need the information for their work. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

8. Who we may share information with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose relevant information to:

• our staff, contractors and related operations that support Lost Watches;
• hosting, cloud storage, form security, communications and software providers;
• DHL or another collection, courier, logistics or insurance provider;
• watchmakers, authentication specialists and technical advisers;
• banks, payment providers, accountants, auditors, insurers and professional advisers;
• Victoria Police, regulators, courts, tribunals and government authorities where authorised or required; and
• a buyer or adviser involved in a genuine sale, merger or restructure of our business, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.

We require service providers to handle information only for the relevant service and in accordance with their contractual and legal obligations.

9. Overseas processing

Some technology, communications and cloud providers may process or store information outside Australia or across global infrastructure. The locations can change depending on the provider and service configuration. Where required, we take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle personal information consistently with applicable Australian privacy requirements. You may contact us for current information about relevant providers and locations.

10. Website data, cookies and security tools

Our website records the page from which an enquiry was submitted, referral information and advertising campaign identifiers so we can understand enquiry sources. We also use Cloudflare Turnstile and related security measures to distinguish genuine submissions from automated abuse. These services may process technical data and use limited browser storage necessary to operate or protect the website.

We use Google Analytics to understand visits, pages viewed, referral source, broad device and location information, engagement, contact-link clicks and whether a valuation request was completed. Google may process device, browser, network and usage data to provide this service. Our custom analytics events do not intentionally include your name, email address, telephone number, watch serial or reference number, notes, photographs or enquiry reference.

We also use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use the website through interaction analytics, click and scroll heatmaps, dead-click and rage-click detection, JavaScript error information and session recordings. Clarity masks sensitive content and information entered into form fields so that those details are not included in recordings. We do not intentionally send watch photographs or enquiry contents to Clarity.

Advertising storage and personalised advertising signals remain disabled through our analytics configuration. You can restrict or clear browser storage using your browser settings and contact us if you have questions about our website analytics.

11. Direct marketing

We may contact you about your enquiry or transaction. We will only send unrelated promotional electronic messages where we have permission or another lawful basis. You can opt out using the unsubscribe method in the message or by contacting us. We may retain a minimal suppression record so we do not contact you again for that marketing purpose.

12. Automated decisions

We may use software to organise enquiries, detect spam, identify duplicate submissions and assist workflow. We do not currently use a computer program to make the final decision to purchase your watch or determine the final purchase price without human review.

13. Storage, security and retention

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical measures designed to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Measures can include access restrictions, secure hosting, file controls, submission verification and staff procedures.

We retain information for as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy and to meet dealer-record, accounting, fraud-prevention, dispute and legal obligations. Retention periods vary by record. When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to delete it or de-identify it, unless the law permits or requires continued retention.

14. Access and correction

You may ask for access to personal information we hold about you or request a correction if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. Contact us using the details below and describe your request. We may need to verify your identity first.

In some cases the law permits us to refuse access or correction. If that occurs, we will ordinarily give you written reasons and available complaint options, unless it would be unlawful or unreasonable to do so. We do not charge for making a request, although the law may permit a reasonable charge for providing access in some circumstances.

15. Privacy complaints

Please send a privacy complaint to enquiries@lostwatches.com with enough detail for us to investigate. We will acknowledge and assess the concern and aim to respond within a reasonable time.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Other regulators or dispute bodies may also be available depending on the issue.

16. Links and third-party services

Our website may link to third-party websites or open third-party services such as WhatsApp. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. We recommend reviewing those policies before providing information.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our practices, systems or legal obligations change. The current version and update date will always be published on this page.

18. Contact us

You may request a copy of this policy in another reasonably accessible form by contacting us.

Related: Terms for selling your watch