Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 1, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how Merrily LLC ("Merrily," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use the Merrily website, mobile interfaces, and related services (collectively, the "Service").
By using Merrily, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
If you are a California resident, please see Section 7 ("California Privacy Rights") for additional disclosures and rights specific to you.
1. Introduction
Merrily is a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects people who want to rent out party supply kits ("Hosts") with people who want to borrow them for their own gatherings ("Renters"). To make that work, we need to collect and process certain information about the people who use the Service.
We try to collect only what we need, share only what's necessary, and give you meaningful control over your information.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: (1) information you provide directly, (2) information collected automatically when you use the Service, and (3) information we receive from third parties.
2.1 Information You Provide to Us
When you create an account, list a Kit, book a Kit, or otherwise interact with the Service, you may provide:
Account information: name, email address, password, profile photo, phone number, and date of birth (to confirm you are 18+)
Listing information: Kit descriptions, photos, pricing, pickup location, availability, and any other details you choose to include in a Listing
Booking information: dates, party details (if shared with the Host), and messages you send through the Service
Payment information: payment card details, billing address, and bank account information for payouts. Payment card details are collected and stored directly by our payment processor (Stripe, Inc.) — Merrily does not store full payment card numbers on its own servers
Identity verification information: if we ask you to verify your identity, we may collect a government-issued ID, a selfie, or other documentation
Reviews and ratings: content you write about other Users
Communications: messages you send to other Users through the Service, and messages you send to Merrily customer support
Other information: anything else you voluntarily provide, including survey responses, feedback, or content you post on Merrily
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use the Service, we automatically collect certain information about your device and how you interact with us:
Device and connection information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, device identifiers, and time zone
Usage information: pages or screens you view, the actions you take, the dates and times of your visits, the referring URL, and search queries you enter
Location information: approximate location based on your IP address. If you grant permission, we may also collect more precise location information from your device to help you find Kits near you. Hosts must provide a Kit pickup location, which becomes part of the Listing
Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 5 ("Cookies and Tracking Technologies") for details
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from third parties, including:
Payment processors: Stripe shares limited transaction information with us, including whether a payment succeeded or failed, the last four digits of the card used, and any payout status
Identity verification services: if you go through identity verification, we receive the results of that verification
Social login providers: if you sign up or log in using a third-party account (such as Google or Facebook), we receive basic profile information from that provider, as authorized by you
Analytics providers: aggregated information about how Users interact with the Service
Other Users: information that other Users provide about you, such as messages or reviews
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
3.1 To Provide and Maintain the Service
Create and manage your account
Display Listings, process bookings, and facilitate communications
Process payments and payouts
Provide customer support
Send transactional messages (booking confirmations, password resets, etc.)
3.2 To Improve the Service
Understand how Users interact with Merrily
Test new features
Diagnose and fix bugs
Develop new products and services
3.3 To Keep the Service Safe
Verify identities and detect fraud
Investigate violations of our Terms of Service
Block unauthorized access
Protect Merrily, our Users, and the public from harm
Comply with legal obligations
3.4 To Communicate With You
Respond to your inquiries
Send notifications about your account, bookings, or messages
Send marketing emails (which you can opt out of at any time — see Section 6.2)
Conduct surveys or request feedback
3.5 To Comply With Legal Obligations
Respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other legal requests
Comply with tax reporting requirements (such as IRS Form 1099-K reporting for Hosts)
Enforce our Terms of Service
3.6 With Your Consent
For any other purpose disclosed to you at the time we collect the information, or for which you give us specific consent.
4. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information in the following limited circumstances.
4.1 With Other Users
The nature of a marketplace is that Users need certain information about each other to transact:
Profile information (name, profile photo, bio, member since date, reviews) is visible to other Users
Listings (including the Kit description, photos, and approximate pickup location) are public on the Service
Booking information is shared between the Host and Renter for that booking, including each party's full name, contact information when needed for pickup, and the precise pickup address (after the booking is confirmed)
Messages sent through the Service are visible to the recipient
Reviews you write about a User are publicly visible on that User's profile
You should not share information through the Service that you do not want made available to other Users.
4.2 With Service Providers
We share information with vendors who help us operate the Service, under contracts that require them to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify. These include:
Payment processing: Stripe, Inc.
Hosting and infrastructure: Render (cloud hosting) and Amazon Web Services (photo and document storage)
Email delivery: Postmark, alongside our Sharetribe-managed email infrastructure
Analytics: we use first-party analytics stored on our own infrastructure and do not currently share usage data with third-party analytics providers
Mapping and geolocation: Mapbox
4.3 For Legal Reasons
We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to:
Comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, subpoenas, or other legal processes
Enforce our Terms of Service or other agreements
Protect the rights, property, or safety of Merrily, our Users, or the public
Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues
Cooperate with law enforcement, regulators, or other government authorities
4.4 Business Transfers
If Merrily is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
4.5 With Your Consent
We may share your information with third parties when you give us your consent to do so.
4.6 Aggregated or De-Identified Information
We may share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you, for any purpose.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We and our service providers use cookies, pixels, local storage, and similar technologies to operate the Service, remember your preferences, analyze traffic, and (where permitted) deliver more relevant content.
Categories of cookies we use:
Strictly necessary cookies are required for the Service to work (for example, to keep you logged in). These cannot be turned off.
Functional cookies remember your preferences and choices to provide a better experience.
Analytics cookies help us understand how Users interact with the Service so we can improve it.
Advertising cookies: we currently do not run advertising on the Service or use advertising cookies.
Your choices:
Most browsers let you control cookies through your settings. You can usually block, delete, or be notified when cookies are being set. Disabling certain cookies may affect how the Service works for you.
You can also manage tracking through your device-level controls (such as iOS "Limit Ad Tracking" or Android "Opt out of Ads Personalization").
6. Your Privacy Choices
6.1 Access, Update, or Delete Your Account Information
You can access and update most account information directly in your Merrily account settings. To delete your account, follow the deletion option in your settings or email support@rentmerrily.com.
When you delete your account, we will delete or de-identify your personal information, except where we need to retain it for legitimate business or legal reasons (see Section 9, "Data Retention").
6.2 Marketing Communications
You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email we send. You will still receive transactional messages (booking confirmations, password resets, security alerts, etc.) that are necessary for the Service to function.
6.3 Push Notifications
If you receive push notifications from Merrily, you can disable them in your device's settings.
6.4 Location Information
You can disable precise location collection through your device's settings. We may still infer your approximate location from your IP address.
7. California Privacy Rights
This section applies to California residents and provides additional information required by the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA").
7.1 Categories of Personal Information We Collect
In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information:
Identifiers: name, email, phone number, IP address, account ID
Customer records information: payment information (collected by Stripe), billing address
Protected classification characteristics: age (to confirm 18+); other characteristics only if voluntarily provided
Commercial information: booking history, transaction records, Listings created
Internet or other electronic network activity: browsing history on the Service, interactions with Listings and Users, device information
Geolocation data: approximate location from IP address; precise location only if you grant permission
Audio, visual, and similar information: profile photos, Listing photos, photos in messages
Professional or employment information: generally not collected, except if voluntarily provided in a Host bio
Inferences: preferences and behaviors inferred from your use of the Service
Sensitive personal information: payment account credentials and government-issued ID (only when you go through identity verification). We do not use sensitive personal information for any purpose other than the limited purposes permitted under CCPA without first providing notice and obtaining any required consent.
7.2 Sources of Personal Information
We collect personal information from the sources described in Section 2.
7.3 Purposes for Collection and Use
We use personal information for the purposes described in Section 3.
7.4 Categories of Personal Information Disclosed for a Business Purpose
In the past 12 months, we have disclosed personal information in the categories above to the categories of recipients described in Section 4 (other Users, service providers, and third parties for legal or business transfer reasons).
7.5 Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
Merrily does not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. We also do not "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined by the CPRA: our analytics are first-party and run on our own infrastructure, and we do not use third-party advertising or cross-context tracking tools. If our practices ever change, we will update this policy and provide the required opt-out link.
7.6 Your California Privacy Rights
As a California resident, you have the following rights:
Right to know: the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it
Right to delete: request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions
Right to correct: request that we correct inaccurate personal information
Right to opt out of sale or sharing: as noted in 7.5, we do not sell your information; if our practices change, we will provide an opt-out mechanism
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: because we use sensitive personal information only for limited permitted purposes, no separate "Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information" link is required, but you may contact us to request restrictions
Right to non-discrimination: we will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights
7.7 How to Exercise Your California Rights
To exercise any of these rights, email support@rentmerrily.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request" and include enough information for us to verify your identity and process your request.
We will respond within 45 days of receiving a verifiable request, with one possible 45-day extension if reasonably necessary. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.
7.8 Authorized Agents
You may designate an authorized agent to make a privacy request on your behalf. The agent must provide written proof of authorization, and we may still ask you to verify your own identity directly.
7.9 Shine the Light
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 entitles California residents who have provided personal information to a business to request information about whether the business has shared their personal information with third parties for those third parties' direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
8. Children's Privacy
Merrily is not intended for, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from, anyone under the age of 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a person under 18, we will delete it promptly.
If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@rentmerrily.com.
9. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specific retention periods include:
Account information: for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterward to handle any post-termination matters
Transaction records: for at least 7 years after the transaction, to comply with tax and financial recordkeeping laws
Messages and reviews: retained as long as your account is active and may continue to be retained in de-identified or aggregated form thereafter
Identity verification records: retained as long as required for fraud prevention and legal compliance
Backups: information may persist in our backups for a reasonable period after deletion
When personal information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it.
10. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access. These include encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS), encrypted storage of sensitive credentials, access controls, and regular review of our security practices.
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your password and account information.
If we become aware of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by applicable law.
11. International Users
Merrily is currently offered only to Users in the United States. The Service is hosted and operated in the United States, and any information you provide is stored and processed in the United States.
If you access the Service from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and consent to the transfer of your information to, and processing in, the United States, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.
12. Third-Party Links and Services
The Service may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services that are not operated by Merrily. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you visit.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email and/or by prominent notice on the Service before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised.
Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or your privacy rights, please contact us:
Email: support@rentmerrily.com (use the subject line "Privacy" for faster routing)
Thank you for trusting Merrily with your information. We take that responsibility seriously, and we're committed to handling it with care.