Swappa launched in 2010 because of a Craigslist deal gone bad. Swappa has grown tremendously since that time. And while many things have changed, the core of who we are remains the same.
Swappa is people-powered — both on the staff side and community side. The Swappa community of buyers and sellers makes this all possible, and we take great pride in our customer support and in keeping buyers and sellers safe.
Swappa is the safest marketplace for buying and selling used tech.
Table of contents:
- Swappa provides real 24/7/365 customer support
- Swappa doesn’t allow junk or jerks
- Swappa reviews listings to prevent problems before they happen
- Swappa fights fraud
- Swappa’s policies protect buyers and sellers
An online marketplace needs to be easy-to-use, and it also needs to keep buyers and sellers safe and secure. Swappa provides all of this through a combination of customer support, listing reviews, fraud prevention, policies, and more.
Swappa provides real 24/7/365 customer support
If you reach out to Swappa, you get real support from real people, with response times that are measured in minutes. Our support team isn’t going to make you wait days or weeks for a reply like you might get with other marketplaces. If you need help or have a question — we’re here to help.
- Our support team can be reached by opening a support ticket from our help desk.
- You can also alert our support team by checking the “Swappa I need Help!” option when leaving a comment on a listing page or sale page.
Read more: Swappa also has a detailed FAQ section (in case you’re the type that enjoys finding an answer yourself).
Swappa doesn’t allow junk or jerks
If you visit the main Swappa homepage you’ll be greeted with the name of a key policy — No Junk, No Jerks. This one may sound like it is more on the playful side, but we stand by it — Swappa doesn’t allow junk to be sold in the marketplace, and we don’t allow jerks to use Swappa.
Read more: Swappa’s “No Junk, No Jerks” policy
Swappa reviews listings to prevent problems before they happen
Swappa prevents problems before they happen. This begins with our device criteria requirements and our listing review process. We wouldn’t want to buy a phone only to find out it doesn’t work properly, so we don’t allow junk to be sold on Swappa. Our device criteria requirements are strict by design and make it clear that:
- Devices must be fully functional (including the screen, buttons, ports, camera, Touch ID, etc). Essentially, if the device had a feature when it was new, that feature must be working when it gets listed on Swappa.
- Devices must have a fully functional battery, they cannot have any water damage, and they cannot have any cracked or chipped glass.
- Devices must be ready for activation with a carrier (with a clean non-blocklisted ESN/IMEI), and they cannot have an outstanding financial obligation with a carrier.
Of course, these are just a few of the overall requirements, so make sure you tap the read more link below to see the full list.
Read more: What criteria does a product have to meet to be listed on Swappa?
Along with the device criteria requirements, Swappa staff also reviews listings before a device gets approved for sale. Our criteria requirements are strict, and our listing reviews are thorough. The listing review process begins with the moderator giving the review an overview to make sure nothing immediately stands out — but then goes much more in-depth. Each listing review has the moderator reviewing the following items:
- Verification photo: A verification photo is a low-tech, but very effective way for us to prevent fraud. This verification photo makes sure the seller actually has the item they are listing for sale. Basically, by checking the verification image, a fraudster will not be able to find device images in another marketplace and create a scam listing in our marketplace.
- ESN/IMEI/Serial number check: When a seller creates a listing they are required to enter the device IMEI/ESN or Serial Number. Our moderation team runs a number of checks to make sure the device is not on a blocklist and that it does not have any outstanding balance with a carrier.
- No Junk: We wouldn’t want to buy junk ourselves, and we know buyers don’t want to buy junk either. Our moderation team reviews listings to make sure every device is fully functional, free from cracked and broken screens, and ready for activation.
- Seller history: We don’t want any junk to be listed on Swappa, and we also don’t want any jerks hanging around. If a seller is found to be spammy or abusive, or they have frequent complaints that never get addressed and resolved — they will be shown the door.
Read more: What steps does Swappa take to review and approve a listing?
Swappa fights fraud
Swappa does more to prevent and fight fraud than the other marketplaces. Fraudsters, whether on the buyer side or the seller side — have absolutely no place on Swappa. And, we fight to keep fraudsters from even making an attempt.
Our fraud protection efforts begin with the listing review process, which was noted in the previous section, but that is just the beginning. In addition to listing reviews;
- Swappa staff monitors sales after a buyer has purchased an item.
- Swappa staff reviews incoming payments.
- Swappa also uses advanced fraud prevention measures with powerful machine learning tools that leverage tens of thousands of data points.
Don’t forget that our support team works 24/7/365. If you ever have a concern or feel that something just doesn’t seem right — we encourage you to reach out and let us know so we can dive in and begin researching your concern.
The bottom line is that if you come to Swappa thinking you’ll get over on someone, you’ll quickly be deemed a fraudster and shown the door under our “No Junk, No Jerks” policy.
Swappa’s policies protect buyers and sellers
At a top level, our policies have been designed to protect buyers and sellers. The Swappa Marketplace Policies page outlines the policies in an easy read and easy-to-understand format. We strive to make sure everything is clear and can be understood by everyone.
Our policies cover topics such as communication between buyers and sellers, product listings, payment transactions, sale fulfillment, shipping, cancellations, returns, refunds, and more. For example:
- Our shipping policy states that sellers must ship and provide tracking information within two business days. This sets a clear expectation for the buyer. Our shipping policy also states that sellers must ship with tracking and insurance. This goes to protect the seller, just in case the item is damaged or lost during shipment.
- Another example comes from the returns and refunds section, which makes it clear that a buyer is entitled to a refund if an item is not as described. And, flipping that over to the seller side, sellers are never obligated to cancel a sale and issue a refund based on buyer remorse.
You can review Swappa’s Marketplace Policies by tapping the green button below.
With that all being said, you can get started buying or selling in the safest marketplace for used tech. You can also reach out to our support team if you have any questions. And, if you still need some convincing — check out the Trustpilot reviews being left by those who have bought and sold on Swappa.
