It’s no surprise that buying is an important component of how Swappa works. An online marketplace for buying and selling used tech, anyone new to the marketplace might be wondering what the buying process looks like, as well as any tips for shopping our crazy good deals.
When something finally catches your eye, you’ll need to know how to buy it and everything that’s involved. In this post, we’ll walk you through the entire buying process, providing some valuable tips and insight to help ensure you walk away happy, and with more money in your pocket.
Use your PayPal account
Swappa uses PayPal for all purchases made in our marketplace. A lot of this has to do with convenience and the rock-solid protections PayPal has in place to ensure everyone is happy throughout the transaction process. For those that don’t have a PayPal account you can always checkout using a PayPal guest account but if you ever plan on selling down the line, becoming a verified PayPal user is your best option.
Register for a Swappa account
Of course, in order to actually buy anything on Swappa you’ll first need to create an account. This will create a profile for buying/selling and uses a rating system that acts as a sort of trust score when dealing in the marketplace. Sign-up is extremely easy, requiring a minimal amount of info like a working email address. After that, you’re ready to start shopping.
Find the products you want
To get started shopping on Swappa, you can simply browse around for items on the home page which are separated into dozens of categories. Or, if you already know what you’re looking for, simply tap the big, green search bar at the top and begin typing. Products will begin populating as you type, allowing you to quickly choose from the list, or hit enter to view a search results page.
Search results
Search results are pretty straightforward, showing you everything related to what you typed into the bar. Tapping a specific product will show you listings for that product. For phones, there are a few more steps to narrow things down to a specific model since most smartphones are further separated by their wireless network.
Once a specific device has been selected, you’ll see a page showing you all the listings for that device. Listings are initially sorted by price (lowest to highest). Listings are also sorted by featured (listings denoted with an orange star) and non-featured with the Featured Listings appearing first.
Seller ratings
A star rating (1-5 stars) is shown underneath each seller’s name with a tiny number displaying the number of reviews they’ve received. You can find more details on their ratings by visiting their profile page. Just click on the listing and then the seller’s name.
These ratings and reviews are meant to give you a general idea of a seller’s trustworthiness. But don’t worry if a user doesn’t have any ratings — new sellers are common and everyone has to start somewhere, right? It is also important to note that Swappa only collects ratings for sellers, so there may be cases where a Swappa user does not have any stars or reviews because they have only bought items.
Making a lower offer
Many sellers are firm on their pricing but some are willing to lower the price if the product isn’t moving. You can always make an offer by leaving a comment on a listing requesting a lower price but here are a few things to keep in mind when making an offer on Swappa:
- Listing comments are public so anyone who has already left a comment or subscribed to a listing’s comments will be notified of all correspondence.
- If the seller agrees to an offer in the comments, this is made public and anyone can jump in and buy it for a lower price.
- When making an offer, stay on top of your email notifications and be prepared to act fast before another Swappa user swoops in on your offer.
Buy Now
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, you can either check out immediately by pressing the Buy Now button. Tapping the Buy Now button will take you to our checkout page where you can also purchase add-on items such as accessories or SIM cards.
To finish the checkout process, simply choose from the various payment options (PayPal, PayPal Credit, or PayPal Guest), after which you’ll receive email receipts for your purchase. Don’t forget that for every item purchased in the Swappa marketplace — you’ll receive two emails: one from Swappa confirming the purchase, and one from PayPal confirming the payment details.
Returns and refunds
It doesn’t happen often, but like most things in life, things don’t always work out quite the way we want. To help address these rare occurrences, Swappa has Return and Refunds policy that all sellers must adhere to. It’s pretty straightforward.
If the buyer receives a device that wasn’t as described, they’re entitled to a refund. Simple as that. Sellers will be required to refund the money for returned items (once they’ve been received) and are subject to PayPal’s refund policies and limitations.
Shipping costs on returned items can either be handled by the seller or buyer, depending on the situation. For instance, if the device sold is broken or not as described, of course, the seller would pay the return shipping fees. If the buyer received a device they no longer want and change their mind, then they will have to pay to ship it back. Just like when an item is initially purchased, any items being shipped back should have proper tracking and insurance.
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So there you have it. Buying items on Swappa is not only dead simple, but it’s also safe and fun. If you’re looking for more details, feel free to check out our FAQ. Now get out there and start shopping for the best tech deals around! Should you have any other questions, feel free to reach out via our support desk.
