Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ)

One difference between Swappa and alternatives is that other services don't have any rules against selling junk devices (Swappa does). And other services don't necessarily require disclosure of damage or state of the ESN (if a seller doesn't reveal that information, then it's the buyer's responsibility to ask).

Read more about this on our Reducing Risks with Swappa page...

If you are buying or selling an Android device, there is no better place to do it than Swappa.

• Streamlined listing and sale process tailored to Android devices
• Android aware community of buyers and sellers
• Swappa makes buying a pleasant, social experience

We use Facebook Connect for the following reasons:

• To reduce fake users and potential fraud
• Makes login incredibly easy for you
• You don't have to create and remember yet another username and password
• We can get the information we need for your profile without making you enter it again

Information we use from Facebook:

• Your name
• Your email address (kept private, never spammed)
• Your profile picture
• Your location (city)

Information we do NOT use:

• Any information about your friends
• Your wall posts or news feed
• Anything and everything else that is not relevant to the purpose of this site

PayPal is easy, secure and trusted. PayPal has extensive (and free) protections for buyers and sellers that automatically apply to most Swappa transactions:

• PayPal Purchase Protection Policy
• PayPal Purchase Protection Overview
• PayPal Seller Protection Guide
• PayPal Seller Protection FAQ
• PayPal Seller Protection Overview

We plan to add other payment options in the future, but for now PayPal is the best option.

Just leave a comment on the listing page. The seller will be emailed.

1. You (the Buyer) find a Listing offered by a Seller
2. Buyer pays the Seller for the listing (includes Swappa fees)
3. Seller will ship device to Buyer within two (2) business days

Currently, Swappa uses PayPal for payments.

We plan to add other payment options in the future.

PayPal has extensive (and free) protections for buyers and sellers that automatically apply to most Swappa transactions:

• PayPal Purchase Protection Policy
• PayPal Purchase Protection Overview

You will receive an email when the Seller provides your tracking information.

First, relax. It happens sometimes even to the best of us. While it sucks, you can get it fixed. Next, follow these steps:

1. Contact the Seller by leaving a comment on the listing's sale page.
2. Alert Swappa (help@swappa.com) so we can help.
3. If seeking a refund, use PayPal to start the process using the links below.

The good news is that you are most likely covered by PayPal's buyer protection policies (this is one big reason we use PayPal for transactions). Use the links below to figure out how to proceed:

• PayPal Purchase Protection Policy
• PayPal Purchase Protection Overview
• PayPal Dispute Resolution

Creating a listing is FREE on Swappa.

1. You (the Seller) create a Listing detailing the device and accessories being sold
2. Buyers view your listing and hopefully buy
3. The Buyer pays you and Swappa for your device (including shipping and other fees)
4. Swappa alerts you (the Seller) that your device has sold
5. The Seller ships the device to the Buyer within two (2) business days

Currently, Swappa uses PayPal for payments.

We plan to add other payment options in the future.

PayPal has extensive (and free) protections for buyers and sellers that automatically apply to most Swappa transactions:

• PayPal Seller Protection Guide
• PayPal Seller Protection FAQ
• PayPal Seller Protection Overview

Listings expire based on the last date you edited the listing, determined by the duration set by the Seller.

Listings have a maximum total duration of 30 days. (Subject to change.)

Yes, you can cancel a listing you created at anytime (before it is sold). There is no cost or penalty to canceling your listing.

Yes, rooted and modded devices are welcome on Swappa. Just please be sure to detail the rooting and/or mods in your listing's description.

A sale fee is that charged by Swappa to a Seller for selling a device. Unlike many sites, Swappa's sale fee is collected after a sale rather than as a pre-listing fee.

The sale fee is added to the ask price, determined by the Seller, to figure the total price paid by a Buyer.

All Swappa sales fees are only $10.

When a Buyer pays for a Listing using PayPal, the money is split and paid to the Seller and Swappa at the same time. The sale fee paid to Swappa is non-refundable (or refundable at Swappa's sole discretion).

Swappa makes use of PayPal's Adaptive Payments API. Technically speaking, in a Swappa sale the Seller is the primary receiver and Swappa is the secondary receiver in a chained payment.

Sellers will receive payment from Buyers for their sold listings via PayPal. PayPal determines and charges transaction fees for using their service. PayPals fees are deducted from the amount the Seller receives.

PayPal fees will be deducted from the Seller's payment for total amount of the listing, including the Ask Price and the Sale Fee.

PayPal's fees are typically 2.9% + $0.30 USD per transaction, but may vary. Please consult PayPal's site for more information.

The following table is given as examples that may or may not be completely accurate.

Go to Settings » SD & Phone Storage » Factory data reset

The UPS Store, Fedex Kinkos, or any U.S. Post Office can help you safely package your device.

The short answer is yes! Please do. But there are a few things to keep in mind...

For a specific listing, the seller of each device listing determines where they will ship. Please contact the seller via the comments section at the bottom of the listing page to ask if they will ship to where you are (before you buy). They may want to charge an extra shipping fee. It is up to you and the seller to communicate and work it out.

The short answer is that it depends.

If you are trying to convince a seller to ship to you in a far away land then help them out by figuring out how much it will cost to ship to you so they don't have to.

Each listing says where seller will ship from and usually what service they will use (e.g. UPS, FedEx). Use that information to learn how much it will cost to ship to your address by going to the carrier's website. Then tell the seller that you will pay the $XX amount extra it costs.

MEID, ESN, and IMEI are all codes used by manufacturers to uniquely identify each device. Each device will generally have one MEID or ESN or IMEI.

Your device identifier can be found via Android's settings:
Settings > About Phone > Phone Identity | Status > MEID (or similar)

More information:

• MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier)
• ESN (Electronic Serial Number)
• IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)

Your device identifier (i.e. MEID, ESN, IMEI) can be used to check with a device's carrier (e.g. Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T) to check if the device is "clean" (not reported lost or stolen) and not tied to an account in bad standing.