An online swap shop is a fairly easy-going place – list the items you want to sell, take a look at what’s available to buy, and hope that something matches up so you can make a swap.
But there are a couple of tips for online swap shop etiquette that can help newcomers to make the most of the process, and avoid falling foul of the common mistakes made by first-timers.
First of all, check the ‘buy’ section before you add your item to the ‘sell’ section – the exact thing you’re looking for might already be available.
If you do find what you’re looking for, do your best to match the seller’s request when you put forward an offer to swap – if for no other reason than because it makes it more likely that they’ll say yes.
Similarly, scan through people’s requests and see if someone is looking for the exact item you’re planning to list.
Even if the item in their listing doesn’t match what you’re looking for, it might still be worth getting in touch, just to see if they have something else they might be willing to swap.
Finally, if you’re confident that (a) nobody has already said they want your item and (b) you don’t want any of the items already listed, then it’s time to add your goods to the online swap shop for future searchers to hopefully find.
Try to be realistic and fair in your expectations of what people will give you in exchange for your item – don’t try to swap a penny for a pound.
Realistic requests, like realistic offers, are much more likely to meet with approval from another user of the online swap shop, and increase everybody’s chances of a satisfactory outcome.
With these three simple rules of thumb – check the buy section, check sellers’ requests, and make realistic requests of your own – you can rest assured of a positive experience, as a buyer, seller, or swapper.
Buy Swap Sell is an online swap shop that allows you to list unwanted items for sale or swap on the website free of charge.
