{"id":31582,"date":"2026-10-13T23:19:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/?p=31582"},"modified":"2026-10-13T23:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:19:55","slug":"swappa-fcc-equipment-authorization-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/swappa-fcc-equipment-authorization-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"How Swappa Complies With FCC Equipment Authorization Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>New federal rules now apply FCC equipment authorization requirements directly to online marketplaces, including Swappa. We&#8217;re updating how listings work so Swappa stays in compliance with FCC requirements. Here&#8217;s what changes for buyers and sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick Answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The FCC requires devices with a radio (phones, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, drones) to be FCC-authorized before they&#8217;re sold in the US. As of\u00a0<strong>October 13, 2026<\/strong>, those rules apply directly to marketplaces like Swappa. To comply,\u00a0<strong>Swappa will be disabling products and closing listings that do not meet FCC requirements<\/strong>, and high-volume sellers of new devices will be asked for an FCC ID. Most people selling used devices won&#8217;t see a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the FCC Requires<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three FCC requirements drive these changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Equipment authorization.<\/strong>\u00a0A device that emits radio frequency energy needs FCC authorization before it can be marketed, imported, or used in the US. The FCC explains this on its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/oet\/ea\/rfdevice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RF device page<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marketplace rules.<\/strong>\u00a0Starting October 13, 2026, the FCC treats online marketplaces that list devices and process payments as marketing those devices, and requires FCC IDs on some listings. The changes amend\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-47\/chapter-I\/subchapter-A\/part-2\/subpart-I\/section-2.803\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">47 CFR 2.803<\/a>. Read the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2026\/09\/11\/2026-18535\/protecting-against-national-security-threats-to-the-communications-supply-chain-through-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Register notice<\/a>\u00a0or the full\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/FCC-26-50A1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FCC order (FCC 26-50)<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Covered List.<\/strong>\u00a0The FCC restricts the marketing of certain equipment on its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/supplychain\/coveredlist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Covered List<\/a>. Read the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2026\/07\/06\/2026-13518\/prohibiting-importation-and-marketing-of-previously-authorized-covered-communications-equipment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FCC notice (DA 26-635)<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Changes on Swappa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Change<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Who It Affects<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">When<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Products that don&#8217;t meet FCC requirements are disabled<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">All sellers<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Starting now<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Listings that don&#8217;t meet FCC requirements are closed<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">All sellers<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Starting now<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">FCC ID entered and shown on the listing<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">High-volume sellers listing new devices<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">By June 1, 2027<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">No FCC ID needed<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Used devices and occasional sellers<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">No change<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A disabled product can&#8217;t be listed on Swappa. <strong>If your listing is closed, it&#8217;s because the device doesn&#8217;t meet FCC requirements for sale in the US.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why was my Swappa listing closed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Swappa is closing listings for devices that don&#8217;t meet FCC requirements, so it stays in compliance with FCC rules. A device that isn&#8217;t eligible for sale in the US under those rules can&#8217;t be listed on Swappa. If you have questions about a specific listing, contact Swappa support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I need to add an FCC ID to my Swappa listing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only if you&#8217;re a high-volume seller listing a new device. FCC rules exempt used devices and occasional sellers from the FCC ID requirement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which devices do the FCC rules cover?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The rules cover devices that send or receive radio signals, such as phones, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, routers, and drones. Swappa disables a product or closes a listing only when the device doesn&#8217;t meet FCC requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staying in Compliance With FCC Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These changes are how Swappa meets its obligations as a marketplace under FCC rules. If you have a question about a specific listing, Swappa&#8217;s support team can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New federal rules now apply FCC equipment authorization requirements directly to online marketplaces, including Swappa. We&#8217;re updating how listings work so Swappa stays in compliance with FCC requirements. Here&#8217;s what changes for buyers and sellers. Quick Answer The FCC requires devices with a radio (phones, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, drones) to be FCC-authorized before they&#8217;re sold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":26673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-parts\/wpb-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_swappa_custom_jsonld":"","_swappa_updated_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[],"products":[],"class_list":["post-31582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-news"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":31582},"pll_sync_post":{},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31582"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31584,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31582\/revisions\/31584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31582"},{"taxonomy":"products","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/products?post=31582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}