Seller Agreement

1. Who can sell on SwapStage

Anyone with a registered SwapStage account may list gear for sale. Sellers under 18 must have parental or guardian consent. By listing an item, you confirm that you are the rightful owner of the gear, it is free of liens or encumbrances, and you have the legal right to sell it.

2. Seller tiers and listing limits

SwapStage uses a two-tier seller system:

• Member (Tier 1): May list up to 3 items at a time, up to $750 per listing.
• Verified Seller (Tier 2+): Identity verified via Stripe Identity Verification. No price ceiling. May list up to 25 items at a time.

Listings priced at $5,000 or above are held for admin review before going live, regardless of tier.

3. Selling fees

SwapStage charges a 3.5% selling fee on the item sale price (excluding shipping and tax). Stripe's payment processing fee (3.4% + $0.30, which includes Stripe's 0.5% tax handling fee) is also deducted from your payout. These fees are calculated on the item price only — not on sales tax or shipping. All fees are deducted automatically — you never pay out of pocket.

Where SwapStage facilitates shipping label purchase on your behalf through the seller dashboard, the actual carrier cost of that label is deducted from your escrow payout at the time of release. SwapStage does not mark up shipping — you pay the carrier rate exactly. The label cost deduction is shown transparently in your payout breakdown before and after release.

The selling fee and payment processing fee are separate from the one-time $4.99 identity verification fee, which is charged to unlock Verified Seller status and is non-refundable once the identity check is initiated.

4. Payouts and escrow

When a buyer purchases your item, funds are held in escrow. Your payout is released when one of the following occurs:

• The buyer confirms delivery through SwapStage, or
• 14 days have passed since the first carrier scan of your shipment with no dispute opened.

At the time of payout release, the following are deducted from your escrow balance: the SwapStage selling fee, the Stripe processing fee, and the cost of any shipping label purchased through the platform on your behalf. Your net payout is displayed in the seller dashboard before and after release.

Sales tax collected at checkout is remitted by SwapStage directly to the applicable tax authority and is not included in your payout. It does not affect your net proceeds.

If a buyer opens a dispute, the payout is paused pending resolution. SwapStage may hold funds for up to 30 days while reviewing a dispute.

5. Listing accuracy

You are responsible for the accuracy of your listing. Photos must be of the actual item you're selling. Condition must be disclosed honestly, including all known damage, modifications, or repairs. Misrepresenting an item is grounds for dispute, account suspension, and potential legal liability.

Including a serial number in your listing is strongly encouraged. It helps buyers verify authenticity and demonstrates legitimate ownership.

6. Shipping obligations

Once a sale is confirmed, you are required to ship the item within 3 business days using a trackable shipping method. Failure to ship in a timely manner may result in order cancellation and account suspension.

SwapStage provides integrated shipping label generation through your seller dashboard. When you purchase a label through this tool, SwapStage procures the label on your behalf from a third-party carrier (currently Shippo/USPS, UPS, FedEx, and others). By purchasing a label through the dashboard, you authorize SwapStage to deduct the exact carrier cost from your escrow payout at the time of release. SwapStage does not add a markup to shipping rates.

If the cost of a shipping label would exceed your escrow payout balance, label purchase will be blocked. In this case, you must arrange shipment independently using your own postage.

Pack items securely. Damage caused by inadequate packaging is the seller's responsibility and may result in a dispute.

7. Prohibited items

Certain items may not be listed on SwapStage. See our Prohibited Items policy for the full list. Listing a prohibited item will result in immediate removal and may result in account suspension.

8. Stolen gear

Listing stolen gear is strictly prohibited and may constitute criminal fraud. SwapStage cooperates fully with law enforcement requests and will provide account and transaction data as required by law. Accounts found listing stolen gear will be permanently banned and reported to the appropriate authorities.

9. Account suspension and termination

SwapStage reserves the right to suspend or terminate seller accounts for violations of this agreement, the Terms of Service, or any applicable law. Pending payouts may be held during investigation of policy violations.

10. Contact

Questions about this agreement: support@swapstage.com