What Is SwapTreasures?

SwapTreasures is an unique kind of bartering site where members give away unwanted items in return for points. With points, members can get things for free! We make it easy for members to give away stuff they don't need anymore and get stuff they want in return for free. If you enjoy giving and getting items for free, then you'll love SwapTreasures!

The more popular your listing is, the more points will be offered for your item. You can then use those points offered on your item to get things you want. Normally, the best offer (highest points) on the item has the best chance to win the item but the seller has the final choice to decide which offer to accept at anytime. The seller may also want an offer from the person who has the best feedback too. Getting more points is easy, fun and most importantly, costs nothing!

How It Works

1. A user lists something they don't want anymore. (like an used TV)
2. Other users submits offers on the TV using points they received for signing up, inviting friends, listing their own stuff, and many other ways.
3. If the seller likes someone's offer (normally the one with the most points) the seller will accept it and the buyer automatically wins the item.
4. The buyer gets the TV, and the seller gets the points to use for something else on SwapTreasures.

When an offer is made on an item, the offer is valid for 10 days. If the seller accepts the offer within 10 days, the winner must receive the item within 10 days from the day it was accepted. The seller will receive the points by either the winner acknowledges that the item was received or the winner takes no action at all.

The following are the various scenarios and outcomes from a winning offer.

Winner: no response, Seller: no response
Seller will receive the points after 10 days from the date of acceptance.

Winner: receives item, Seller: delivers item or no response
The seller will immediately get their points if the winner acknowledges they received the item.

Winner: does not receive item, Seller: no response
The winner has 10 days from the date the offer was accepted to file a dispute for a refund. For more details on this please read about points refund.

Winner: does not receive item, Seller: delivers item
The winner has 10 days to file a dispute for a refund. For more details on this please read about points refund.

Monitoring Offers

We make it easy for our members to track their offers by clicking on "My Offers" to monitor offers as they progress from start to end. Below are the typical steps you will experience when making or receiving an offer.

1. Member submits offer on item.
2. Seller accepts the offer.
3. Seller ships the item to the winner.
4. The winner receives the item and updates the Offer status to 'Item Received'.

At this point, the points are credited to the Seller and the Seller can use those points to get something they want!


Points Refund

Winners may file a dispute for a points refund if the item is not received after 10 days from the offer was accepted. The seller has the choice to agree with the dispute and refund the points automatically or request for review by one of our SwapTreasures moderator. The outcome of the review will be based on shipping receipts and photos of the item. If the seller does not take action on the dispute, the winner will not lose any points for that offer.

Listed below are the possible outcomes of an offer dispute.

Winner: submits dispute, Seller: no response
The winner will not lose any points after the dispute has expired.

Winner: submits dispute, Seller: responds
The seller can approve the dispute or request for further review. If the seller approves, the winner will not lose the points. If the seller requests for review, then a SwapTreasures moderator will look at the details of the offer, including shipping receipts/photos and decide one way or the other.


Feedback Rating

A users feedback rating is a quick way to see how reputable a user is. User feedback is divided into three types: Positive, Neutral, and Negative. User with all positives is better than someone with only negative feedbacks. Along with the various types, a brief comment on the user can be posted to better describe how the experience went.


Abuse Policy
We do not edit feedback comments unless it contains:

• Personal information about another member
• Comments that do not reference the current auction
• Profane, vulgar, obscene or racist remarks

Feedback FAQ

When can I submit a feedback?
Feedback can be submitted only after an offer has been completed (item received by winner). Feedback on offers that have been cancelled, rejected, or disputed are not allowed.

Can I change feedback that I have already given?
If you need to change a feedback you already left due to an error, please contact us and submit a request. We will look at the circumstances and may be able to change it for you if the request is received within 30 days from the end of the offer. After 30 days have passed from the completion of the offer, we cannot change your feedback anymore.
Account Verification

To combat fraud, we have implemented an account verification system to help bidders avoid untrustworthy users. Verification is currently optional but highly recommended if you want to show that you are serious about your offers. Click Here to Get Verified

Currently, we offer "credit card or bank account verification" via PayPal, which means the user has successfully completed a small purchase on the site to prove that they have a working credit card or bank account. This also implies that they are willing to spend at least a small amount of money to show that they intend to be a constructive member of the SwapTreasures community.

Although verification does not necessarily mean a user is 100% trustworthy, it is an additional tool that we hope will go a long way in helping users decide for themselves whether or not to submit an offer on an item. For example, users who have completed all the verification steps and have good feedback on the site can be considered more trustworthy than those without one or the other.

Offer Disputes

The following set of guidelines is used when SwapTreasures needs to step in to solve a dispute over an offer that has ended. In some cases, we will refund points to the item winner, and in other cases we will award the points to the item lister.

Points Refunded to Item Winner

- Lister does not contact or respond to winner in a reasonable amount of time
- Lister changes the original terms stated in the offer
- Lister intentionally misrepresents the item being offered
- Lister sends an item that is different than the item being offered

Points Awarded to Item Lister

- Winner does not contact or respond to lister in a reasonable amount of time
- Winner refuses to pay stated shipping charges
- Winner backs out or does not want the item anymore
- Item Lister shows actual copy of shipping receipt

Avoiding Scams

You can avoid would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

- IF THE SELLER DOES NOT HAVE A REPUTATION YET, LOOK FOR AUCTIONS WITH FREE SHIPPING - most scams involve shipping money, so auctions with free shipping are your best bet if you are not sure you can trust the seller

- PAYPAL IS THE SAFEST WAY TO PAY FOR SHIPPING, BUT DO NOT USE THE GIFT OPTION - you can contact paypal to recover shipping money in case there is a problem, but not if you choose the "gift" or "personal payment" option

- IF YOU ARE PAYING FOR SHIPPING, AVOID SENDING CASH, CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS AND NEVER SEND WIRE TRANSFERS - these types of payments are extremely hard to recover in case the seller does not ship your item or there is some other dispute, and SwapTreasures is unable to help recover shipping money

- IF YOU DO SEND PAYMENT BY MAIL, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVIDENCE OF PAYMENT - these types of payments are extremely hard to track in case the seller claims they never received payment, and SwapTreasures is unable to refund credits unless you have definitive proof of payment (ie, bank statement showing personal check was cleared and a copy of the check)

- DO NOT CLICK THE "Received Item" BUTTON - until you actually receive your item.

- SWAPTREASURES IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL EXCHANGE OF GOODS - we provide an open community for listing items and transfer points between users, but do not handle any payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer protection against loss.

- NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION - bank accounts, credits cards, social security, etc.

- BID ON 'MYSTERY' OFFERS AT YOUR OWN RISK - some users like to post 'mystery offers' where you don't know what you are going to get for sure. If youclams offers on these, we cannot refund points if you do not like the outcome and the seller has technically given you what the offer describes.

- IF AN OFFER SEEMS FISHY OR 'TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE' - it probably is! Avoid these completely and stick with the auctions from the thousands of great SwapTreasures users out there

If you suspect an offer listed or a seller may be part of a scam, you can report it by contacting us.

FAQ

Why free stuff?
While doing some house cleaning we found that there was a bunch of stuff we didn't need, but couldn't bear to throw away because we were sure someone could find it useful. Listing my 20" CRT monitor on Ebay just wasn't going to work and who wants to answer dozens of phone calls, fake inquiries and emails on Craigslist?

Is everything REALLY free?
Yes. SwapTreasures charges no fees nor does it cost anything to participate. All items listed by SwapTreasures offer free shipping. It costs nothing to list a new offer. We encourage everyone who signs up to get involved by giving away items you no longer need, before receiving items for free from other users. However, no giving is required and no purchase is necessary. Every new user starts with free points that can be used to submit offers and win items (by the way, offering doesn’t cost anything either). SwapTreasures is very proud of the fact that it costs absolutely no money to participate, while providing an exciting new way for people give and get free stuff.

Why points?
The market decides what everything is worth. Points also make transactions much easier and void of fraud.

How do I get more points?
Read more here.

Can I return points that I buy?
At this time, we cannot refund any points that you have purchased via PayPal.

Who pays for shipping?
Because of the nature of the stuff being listed on SwapTreasures we assume all trades/offers are better suited for local exchanges. However, we recommend that all item owners pay for the shipping so that all members can enjoy the benefits of receiving the winning item at no cost. The Free Shipping tag will be specified in the item description if the owner is willing to pay for the shipping.

What do I receive when the offer is accepted?
When you either sell or win something and the offer ends, both parties are emailed the final details and you can arrange on a way to exchange the item. We've also built a tool that makes it easier to send emails notifying the other party about item exchange details. To use this tool just go to "My Offers" and locate the item you've won or gave away.

How do I add/advertise my unwanted item?
To add your unwanted item, click on "My Store" or from the top-right, click on My Tools, then "Add/Update my Items". Earn points each time you add an item!

How do I edit my item that I am offering?
You can modify your item by going to "My Store".You can only edit your item if there are no active offers on it. The reason for this is because it would be unfair for any previous offerers if the offer/item information changes. This applies to both item information and images. How do I cancel my offer?
To cancel your offer, go to "My Offers" and locate the item you've offered for. From there, click on the Cancel button.

Where can I see my point activity?
Once you are logged in, click on your Points from the top. This page shows a detailed list of all your point activity.

Scheduled Maintenance

From time to time, as we upgrade the usability and stability of SwapTreasures, it may be necessary to bring the site down momentarily while we make some changes. These brief downtimes should typically last no more than from minutes to an hour, and to the extent possible, will be scheduled to take place late in the evening (US time) to reduce the number of people affected.


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