Terms of use

1. Who we are

barter is operated as a sole trader from England. You can reach us at support@barterama.com.

2. What barter is, and is not

barter is an introduction service. We show you listings, propose swaps between two accounts based on what each has and wants, and give you a space to agree and arrange handover. We are not a party to any swap. When you accept a proposal, the contract for that exchange of goods is between you and the other user, not with us. We do not take ownership of, inspect, or guarantee any item at any point.

No money changes hands on barter, and we do not process payments of any kind. Value is shown only as a coarse band, never as a figure — see clause 6.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or take part in a swap. By registering you confirm that you are.

4. Your listings

You are responsible for the accuracy of anything you list: the description, the condition, the photos, and any claim about what it is. You are responsible for the legality of listing it — both generally and in your own circumstances (for example, an item you do not own outright, or are not entitled to give away).

You must not list, and we may remove without notice:

• stolen goods, or goods you do not have the right to dispose of;
• counterfeit goods, or goods that infringe someone else's trade mark, copyright or design right;
• anything illegal to own, sell or transfer in England and Wales, including weapons, drugs, and items requiring a licence you do not hold;
• live animals;
• anything whose listing would itself break the law — for example goods subject to a safety recall or an import restriction.

5. How a swap works

A proposal reserves nothing. When you accept one, both sides' items are held and a 48-hour posting window opens. Each of you is expected to post or hand over your side within that window; the swap only settles, and only affects either account's record, once both sides confirm receipt.

If neither side posts within the window, the swap is cancelled and both sets of items go straight back to the market — nothing is owed. If one side posts and the other does not, the item that has already been sent cannot be recalled, so the non-posting side's items stay reserved for that swap rather than being released, and the swap is flagged for us to resolve. A missed window is recorded against the account responsible and can lower its trust tier. Withdrawing before you post is always available to you and is treated differently from going silent: it releases both sides immediately and is recorded, but it is not a demotion.

You can withdraw from an accepted swap at any point before you have posted your side. Withdrawing after you have posted is not possible through the site — contact us.

6. Value bands

Every band shown against an item is an automated, advisory estimate produced by our valuation model from price-feed data, retail price and age, and the outcomes of past swaps on the platform. A band is not a valuation, an appraisal, or a price, and you should not rely on it as one. It exists only to help you judge whether a proposed swap is roughly even. We accept no liability for any band being wrong, out of date, or different from what an item would fetch elsewhere.

7. Suspension and removal

We may suspend or close an account, or remove a listing or message, where we reasonably believe this agreement, the law, or the rights of another user have been breached. Where practical we will tell you why.

8. Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else the law does not allow us to exclude or limit — including your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Nothing here restricts those rights.

Subject to that, and to the extent the law allows: barter is provided as is, we do not guarantee that any swap will complete, that any user or listing is genuine, or that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we are not liable for the condition, authenticity, safety or legality of any item exchanged between users, nor for any dispute between users arising from a swap. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of the kind that was not reasonably foreseeable to both of us when you started using the site.

Nothing above is a blanket waiver dressed up as a legal clause — where the law says a particular liability cannot be excluded, it isn't.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We will change the date at the top of this page when we do. Continuing to use barter after a change means you accept the new terms.

10. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them or from your use of barter.

11. Contact

Questions about these terms: support@barterama.com.