Privacy policy

1. Who we are

First Coast Auto Export ("we", "us") sources vehicles in the United States and exports them to West Africa through the port of Lomé, Togo. We operate from Jacksonville, Florida, USA and Lomé, Togo. This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website and our services, how we use it, and the choices you have.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us:

• Car requests and contact forms: your name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, country, city, and your vehicle preferences (make, model, year, budget, timeline) and any message you send.
• Newsletter: your email address and preferred language.
• Purchases: details needed to complete a sale and export, such as your legal name, address, ID or passport details required for export and customs documents, and payment records.
• Electronic signatures: your typed name, drawn signature, the date and time you signed or declined, your IP address and your browser/device description. These are kept as an audit trail that proves the document was signed.

Information collected automatically: when you visit the site we record anonymous statistics — the page viewed, the referring site, campaign tags (UTM), approximate country, device type (mobile or desktop) and language. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not store your IP address for analytics. A short visitor code derived from your connection is used to count unique visits and changes every day, so it cannot be used to follow you over time.

3. How we use your information

• To respond to your request, search for vehicles and send you quotes.
• To process your purchase, prepare export and shipping documents, and send you shipment updates and your tracking link.
• To send our newsletter, only if you subscribed.
• To keep records required by law (for example, export, tax and accounting records) and to prevent fraud.
• To understand how the site is used and improve it, using the anonymous statistics described above.

4. How we share information

We never sell or rent your personal information. We share it only as needed to deliver our services:

• Service providers who run the site for us: Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database and staff login) and Resend (email delivery). They process data only on our instructions.
• Partners involved in your shipment, such as auctions and sellers, towing companies, freight forwarders, shipping lines, customs brokers and our partner office in Lomé, limited to what each needs.
• Government authorities when required by law, for example US export filings or Togolese customs.

5. International transfers

We operate in the United States and Togo, and our service providers store data in the United States. By using our services you understand that your information will be processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. We take reasonable steps to protect it wherever it is processed.

6. Emails and communications

Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also unsubscribe by contacting us. Even after you unsubscribe, we will still send messages about a purchase or shipment in progress. We track whether our emails are delivered and opened so we can keep our mailing list healthy.

7. Cookies

The public site does not use advertising, analytics or tracking cookies. Cookies are used only in the staff administration area to keep authorized team members logged in.

8. How long we keep information

We keep enquiries and newsletter subscriptions until you ask us to delete them or they are no longer useful. We keep sales, export, payment and signature records for as long as required by law and for our legitimate business needs (generally at least seven years). Anonymous statistics are kept indefinitely because they do not identify you.

9. Security

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls that limit staff access to the data they need, and reputable infrastructure providers. Tracking and signing links are private and hard to guess, so please do not share them. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your rights

You can ask us at any time to access, correct or delete your personal information, to object to certain uses, or to stop marketing messages. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local law, including Togo's Law No. 2019-014 on the protection of personal data. To make a request, email hello@firstcoastautoexport.com. We may need to verify your identity, and we may keep records we are legally required to keep.

11. Children

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make significant changes, we will tell you through the site or by email.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data: hello@firstcoastautoexport.com · +1 (904) 568-2854 · +228 92 43 03 49. First Coast Auto Export, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.