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Frequently asked questions
 
This is a list of frequently asked questions for using SwapThing. Click on a question to view the answer. Your satisfaction with the SwapThing experience is important to us. If you do not find the answer to your question, or if you need technical support assistance, please contact us at Support
 
 
• SwapThing Basics
• Getting Started
• Partner Program
• ShareThing Nonprofit Program
• Other Issues
• Tax Issues
 
• Business
• Personal
• Services
• SwapThing Affiliate Program
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SwapThing Basics
• What is SwapThing?
• I am not in the US. Can I still use SwapThing?
• What is the difference between Offering and Seeking?
• Are there any types of items that cannot be listed?
• What is a Swap Negotiation?
• What is the Item Detail page?
• What is Swap Tracker?
• How much does it cost?
• What is the Swap Confirmation?
• What is ShareThing?
• What is SwapForum?
• What are SwapCircles?
• What is My Profile?
• What are Tags?
   
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Getting Started
• How do I list items?
• How do I upload a photo of my item?
• Why is my photo not appearing?
• Why doesn’t my email show up on my item?
• How do I manage swaps using Swap Summary?
• How do I propose a Swap?
• How do I make an offer using SwapThing's Swap Offer Wizard?
• How do I Accept an offer?
• How do I Modify an offer?
• How do I Reject an offer?
• How do I ask the other party questions?
• How do I pay?
• How do I give feedback ratings?
• How do I read the Swap Status information?
• How do I get help and more information?
   
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Partner Program
• What is the SwapThing Partner Program?
• How do I become a member of the SwapThing Partner Program?
• Are there requirements for being a partner?
• What is the cost of becoming a SwapThing Partner?
• What are the benefits of being a partner?
• Can I sell my items as well as swap them?
• How do I upload my items?
   
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ShareThing Nonprofit Program
• What is the ShareThing Nonprofit Program?
• How do I become a member of ShareThing?
• What is a verified member of ShareThing?
• What is the cost of becoming a ShareThing member?
• What are the benefits of ShareThing?
• How to I donate to a ShareThing member?
   
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Other Issues
• What do I do if my item is about to expire?
• What do I do if the item from the other party never shows up?
• What do I do if the item is not what the other party says it is?
• How does SwapThing help assure that the items I get in trade are as they were presented?
• How does SwapThing help me determine if the person I am swapping with will deal with me honestly?
• I have something to trade, but it is too big to ship. Can people in my general area find me?
• I have some things that I don't want, and don't want anything in return. Can I donate items through SwapThing?
   
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Tax Issues
Business Barter Tax and Accounting FAQ
  The following is presented for informational purposes only and is based on rules in the United States. Consult a qualified tax accountant to ensure proper treatment of taxable events regardless of your location. US laws and regulations change frequently and may not apply at all to your business location.
• Are Barter transactions taxable?
• What value does my business report as income when the company barters?
• What about barter purchases?
• When does my business record bartering income and deductions?
• What if my business uses barter as compensation?
   
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Individual and Self-employed Barter Tax FAQ
  The following is presented for informational purposes only and is based on rules in the United States. Consult a qualified tax accountant to ensure proper treatment of taxable events regardless of your location. US laws and regulations change frequently and may not apply at all to your location.
• Are Barter transactions taxable?
• What value do I report as income when bartering?
• Where and when do I report bartering income and deductions?
• What about my expenses?
• Examples
   
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SwapThing Services
• How does it work?
• What do I swap for?
• Why are services a subscription instead of a per-item charge?
• How much does it cost?
• What is the difference between Local and National?
• How do you manage reputations?
• What is the difference between SwapServices and a Skill?
• See Sample SwapServices Listing
   
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SwapThing Affiliate Program
• What is the SwapAffiliate program?
• Who is a SwapAffiliate partner?
• How do I sign-up to be a Swap Affiliate partner?
• How long does it take to install the widget?
• My widget?s tag cloud is empty, why?
• What is a SwapCircle?
• How many SwapCircles can I own?
• Can anyone join my SwapCircle?
• Can I customize my SwapCircle?
• How does it work?
• How much commission will I earn?
   
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 Answers to frequently asked questions
 SwapThing Basics
 
What is SwapThing?
SwapThing is a new and exciting way to get the things you want and get rid of the things you don’t want. Browse the items and services offered by other Swappers just like you. You simply list the items/services you are offering, as well as the items/services you are seeking. SwapThing maintains satisfaction information on all transactions to help maintain a safe and secure swapping environment where you can develop trusting relationships with other swappers.
    
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I am not in the US. Can I still use SwapThing?
SwapThing is based in the United States and facilitates swaps in 31 countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and all current members of the European Union.
    
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What is the difference between Offering and Seeking?
Items/Services that you are Offering are those that you own and are willing to part with in a swap transaction. The Items/Services you are Seeking are those that you would like to receive in exchange for the items you are Offering.
    
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Are there any types of items that cannot be listed?
Yes. Certain dangerous, illegal, offensive, and perishable items are not allowed on SwapThing. For a complete list, please review our list of restricted items. To report an item that should not be listed, please use the "Flag this item" feature at the bottom of each Item View page. You may also send an email to help@swapthing.com and include the Item ID.
    
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What is a Swap Negotiation?
The communication between users during which a proposed swap is either accepted, modified or rejected. Once you have proposed a swap, the Swap Negotiation process begins when an email is sent to the owner of the item/service notifying them of your proposal. After the proposal has been reviewed, you will be notified of the owner's intent to accept, modify or reject. The Swap Negotiation process continues until an offer has been rejected or accepted and payment has been confirmed.
    
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What is the Add a Thing page?
The Add a Thing page appears when you select a category from the drop-down lists to add a new item from the My SwapThing page, or from the “Add Item” link on the left side off all SwapThing pages. This is where you enter the information about the items and submit them to inventory
    
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How much does it cost?
Registering an account with SwapThing is free and easy, and you may list as many items as you like without any charges, as well. For successful transactions, each party involved in the swap will be charged a low $1.00 fee. Those swapping services will be charged a $10.00 transaction fee.
    
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What is the Swap Confirmation?
The Swap Confirmation is the final record of the swap transaction. It contains all the details of the swap agreement, including the items, any additional cash offering, delivery information, and message history.
    
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What is the SwapForum?
SwapForum is a place where you can discuss issues that interest you. Click the link in the main navigation on the left of your screen to check it out now.
    
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What are SwapCircles?
SwapCircles are groups, usually organized by interest or geography, where you can swap among people who you know. Organize a group and earn a portion of the swap fees. Consider a SwapCircle for your swap club, school, collector's club, or any other group with a common interest in swapping. Learn more about SwapCircles by clicking the link in the main navigation bar on the left of this screen.
    
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What is My Profile?
My Profile is an area where you can personalize your account and let other swappers know about your interests and personality. You can even upload a picture or avatar that will appear next to your items so that other swappers can see who you are.
    
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What are Tags?
Tags are descriptive words that relate to an item. They will make your item easier to find in SwapThing searches, as well as general web searches.
    
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   Getting Started
 
How do I list items?
On the My SwapThing page there are two drop-down lists of categories for Items/Services you are offering and seeking. Simply select the category you want and complete the information on the Add a Thing page, then click the SUBMIT button. You may also access the Add a Thing page by clicking the “Add Item” link on the left side off all SwapThing pages.
    
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How do I upload a photo of my item?
At the time you add an item: Enter the information about your item on the Add a Thing. On that page you have the option of browsing your local files for an image to upload. Select the image you wish to use from your computer.
    
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What if my photo doesn’t appear?
Your photo probably does not meet the image restrictions. All uploads must be a GIF or JPEG file, and they cannot exceed 320 pixels by 240 pixels, 100dpi, or 512k. Open the image on your local computer and modify it to meet our specifications. Then try the upload again.
    
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Why doesn’t my email show up next to my item; how can people do a swap with me without my email address?
SwapThing never reveals your email address to protect your privacy and to protect you from receiving unwanted emails from spammers. You can communicate with other swappers by asking a question about their item or by proposing a swap. Both methods open up a communications channel on SwapThing so that you can discuss a deal without revealing your email address.
    
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How do I manage swaps using Swap Summary?
The Swap Summary is your view of the swap record. Open a Swap Summary by clicking the Swap ID for any transaction listed in your Swap Tracker. Use the Swap Summary page to accept, modify, or reject an offer. The actions that are available from the Swap Summary depend on the status of the swap (new offer, pending action, modified, accepted, complete).

* To accept the offer, click ACCEPT, and complete the PayPal steps.
* To reject the offer, click REJECT.
* To modify the offer, click MODIFY.
* To send a message to the other swapper, type your message in the New Message text box, and click SEND.
* To close the Swap Summary without taking any action, click BACK.
    
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How do I propose a Swap?
Search or Browse the SwapThing database to find an item. When you discover an item you want, click on the item link to view the item. From the Item View page, click PROPOSE OFFER. Follow the instructions in the Swap Offer Wizard to submit your offer. Remember, multiple items can be included in a single swap transaction, as well as cash to even out a side of the deal.
After you submit an offer, the other swapper receives and email notification of your proposal.
    
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How do I make an offer using SwapThing's Swap Offer Wizard?
The Swap Offer Wizard is a simple four-step process for proposing a new swap offer. The Swap Offer Wizard appears when you click PROPOSE OFFER from the Item View page.

Step 1: View all the items the other swapper is offering, and select the item(s) you want. The default is the item from which you clicked PROPOSE OFFER.
Step 2: View all of your items, and select the items you wish to offer in this swap.
Step 3: Enter a US Dollar amount if you wish to add cash to this offer. The default is $0.
Step 4: Select a shipping method. The default is personal delivery.

Once you have completed the all the steps in the Wizard, the Swap Offer Summary appears where you can review and/or modify the offer before submitting. After you submit an offer, the other swapper receives and email notification of your proposal.
    
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How do I Accept an offer?
When someone proposes an offer, you will receive an email notification, and the new offer will appear in your Swap Tracker. To view the Swap Summary, you may either click the link in the email, or click the Swap ID in your Swap Tracker.
To accept the offer, click ACCEPT from the Swap Summary, and complete the PayPal steps.
    
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How do I Modify an offer?
When you receive an offer, you may accept the offer as-is, or change any of the details and propose an alternative offer. For example, the offer may specify “each pays” as the shipping method, but you would prefer personal delivery. You may modify any of the details (add, remove or change items, alter the shipping method, or change the “plus cash” value).
To modify an offer, click MODIFY from the Swap Summary. Follow the instructions on the Modify Swap page to change the details of the swap offer. After you submit a modified offer, the other swapper receives and email notification of your proposal.
    
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How do I Reject an offer?
To reject an offer, click REJECT from the Swap Summary. After you reject a swap offer, the other swapper receives and email notification of your rejection.
    
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How do I ask the other party questions?
If you have a question about an item/service before a swap transaction has been started, click the ASK A QUESTION button at the bottom of the Item View page. To send a message to the other swapper after a swap transaction has been started, type your message in the New Message text box on the Swap Summary, and click SEND. After you send a message, the other swapper will receive an email notification, and the conversation will appear in the Message History window of the Swap Summary.
    
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How do I pay?
You must have an existing PayPal account to complete a swap transaction. When you click ACCEPT from the Swap Summary, a PayPal screen appears. Sign in to PayPal and follow the online instructions to make your payment. When you are done, a Thank You page will appear. After completing PayPal, you will receive an email receipt of the transaction.
PayPal is a secure online payment system developed by eBay. Go to https://www.paypal.com/ to open a PayPal account.
    
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How do I give feedback ratings?
Once the online portion of the swap transaction is complete, the Swap Summary becomes a Swap Confirmation. Open the Swap Confirmation by clicking the Swap ID from your Swap Tracker. A Rate Swapper form remains available on the Swap Confirmation until you rate other swapper. Swapper feedback is important for building trust in our online bartering community. After you receive the items, please submit swapper feedback.
To provide feedback, complete the Rate Feedback form on the Swap Confirmation.
    
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How do I read the Swap Status information?

The Swap Status describes the stage in the swap process for a specific swap transaction. For example:
* New Offer: someone has proposed an offer to you. Please review the offer and respond.
* Pending Action: you have proposed an offer to someone else, and are awaiting a reply.
* Modified & Pending Action: you have modified an offer, and are awaiting the other swapper's reply.
* Accepted & Pending Action: you have accepted an offer. The online part of the swap transaction is complete. Please deliver the items as agreed.
* Modified & Needs Action: the other swapper has modified the offer and proposed an alternative. Please review the offer and respond.
* Accepted & Needs Action: the other swapper has accepted your offer. The online part of the swap transaction is almost complete. All that remains is for you to pay the transaction fee, and deliver the items as agreed.
* Complete: the online part of the swap transaction is complete. Please deliver the items as agreed. After receiving the items, please rate the other swapper.
    
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How do I get help and more information?

* These FAQs: Most of your questions should be answered on this page.
* SwapForum: We maintain an active forum where you can get answers from other users who have asked the same question. Review the information on our forum by clicking the SwapForum button in the main navigation bar on the left of this page.
* SwapThing Support: At SwapThing, customers always come first. If you don't find an answer on this page or in our SwapForum, send an email to support@swapthing.com for a personal response.
    
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   Patner Program
 
What is the SwapThing Partner Program?
This program is designed to help SwapThing partners easily create and manage a store on the web site. SwapThing expands partners’ market from the local level to a national level.
    
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How do I become a member of the SwapThing Partner Program?
After you create a free SwapThing account, complete the Partner application. Your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted within three business days, whether or not you are eligible.
    
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Are there requirements for being a partner?
Approved partners must list an average minimum of 100 items/services on their Offering page.
    
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What is the cost of becoming a SwapThing Partner?
Zero. Zilch. Zippo. Becoming a partner is absolutely free of charge.
    
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What are the benefits of being a partner?
Your current market presence will be expanded to include the SwapThing user base. Partners’ items/services will also be picked up as part of keyword-related natural search results. Partners also have access to our Partner Tools, which make the bulk uploading of your inventory much easier. Additionally, you will receive a discount on transaction fees based on the number of transactions you complete each month:

* Up to 24 transactions per month: no discount
* 25 – 49 transactions per month: 10% discount
* 50 – 99 transactions per month: 15% discount
* 100 or more transactions per month: 20% discount
    
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Can I sell my items as well as swap them?
Yes. The items and services you are offering can be sold, swapped, or a combination of both (exchange an item/service for another item/service plus cash). It’s up to you to designate your listings as Cash Only, Swap Only, or Swap/Cash.
    
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