Premier Seller Program FAQ

Why is the premier seller program "closed for evaluation"?

Shipping costs have risen to the point where changing our inbound rates to keep pace would result in individual sellers facing a negative commission. Our mission continues to be to keep as many second hand items in circulation as possible, but we cannot do that in a way that negatively impacts our Premier Sellers. 

What will happen to my premier seller shipment?

If you already have sent a shipment and it has not been processed it will be processed in the order it was received.

I have old premier seller labels that I haven't used, what should I do?

We only charge inbound fees for boxes we receive so as long as the label remains unused you will never be charged a fee.

Unused label tracking numbers are recycled by shipping companies after a period of time. If you are still holding on to an unused label we suggest you delete or shred the label as we cannot guarantee the shipper will accept the label or that it would be delivered to the correct location.

Pricing and Fees FAQ

How do I price my items?

To ensure your items are competitively priced with similar merchandise all items will be evaluated and priced by our Swap.com price optimization algorithm.

Why don’t you allow sellers to price their own items?

To help maximize your profits, we’ve invested significantly in building algorithms to optimize pricing for both sellers and buyers, and are excited to implement our unique technology. As you know, Swap.com is a unique, full-service option unlike other peer-to-peer marketplaces. From handling all fulfillment to merchandising and marketing, we do the heavy lifting for you. Pricing your items to sell is a natural extension of our business to serve you better.  

Will I be penalized if my items are not accepted and my box is overweight?  Are there any fees?

Swap.com charges a fee if 40% or more of your box is rejected. Unfortunately, the bulk of our processing time has been spent sorting through rejected items and oversized boxes. As a result of this we have surcharges that will be assessed if your reject percentages are as outlined below. Limiting the amount of rejects allows us to streamline our process, and efficiently get more items to our site in a timely manner.    

How much money will I make on my items?

Sales Proceeds for labels ordered on/after November 29, 2018

Additionally, we will deduct a standard fee of $19.99 for Inbound shipping labels. Oversize box and high reject rate surcharges will also apply.

Why did the commission structure change?

Our commission structure has been updated to encourage our “Premier Sellers” to send in items that fall into Swap.com’s top categories and brand demand list.  This structure encourages sellers to send higher valued items that our buyers are seeking.  

In addition, we want to encourage our customers to embrace both sides of our business, which is why we added the option of being paid out more generously in store credit, while still keeping the option of being paid out in cash. Our mission is to motivate both our buying customers and selling partners to buy second-hand first. We sincerely hope you’ll give it a try!

Can I accept store credit for some items and cash for others? Or, do I need to choose store credit vs. cash?

You may only select one payout option at a time for all sales, however, you can update your preference at any time for future payouts.  

Also, you will not be able to select store credit if you have a negative balance. Once the balance is paid off, you can select store credit. If you do not indicate whether you want cash or credit and you have a positive balance, your items will default to store credit.  

Please note: If you are paid out in store credit it cannot be converted to cash later .

How do I receive payments for items I’ve sold on Swap.com? Is it different for store credit vs. cash?

Swap.com offers a variety of ways for you to get paid for your items sold:

Payout Methods Include:

• Store Credit
• Paypal (Cash)

NOTE:  Minimum cash payout will now be $10.00, meaning payouts will be issued once your account reaches a running sales total of $10.00.  Credit payouts will require no sales minimum. Please ensure your payout method has been selected 24 hours in advance of the payout processing date to ensure accurate delivery.  

When will I receive payment for my items that have sold on Swap.com?

Payout Guidelines:

• Payments will be processed by the end of the following month, for sales of the prior month.  
• Store credit payments will be applied to the users Swap.com accounts on the 1st business day after payouts are processed.  
• Electronic payments to PayPal will arrive in approximately 3 business days after payouts are processed.  

Can I sell if I live outside of the continental US?

Currently, we can only accept shipments from the 48 contiguous states in the United States (i.e. excluding Hawaii and Alaska) and our payment processor is unable to make payments to persons with mailing addresses outside the United States.

Shipping Boxes FAQ

Are there instructions for packing my box?

Here are some general instructions for packing your own box or a box provided by Swap.com.

• Make sure the box is in excellent condition
• Maximize space, fill empty spaces
• Remove batteries out of toys and electronics
• Do NOT wrap boxes in brown paper or tie with string
• Do NOT use newspaper (may leave ink)  or real popcorn to stuff packages
• Seal the box with packing tape AVOID using duct, masking or cellophane tape

How big can my box be?

Your box may not be larger than 20L” x 20W” x 17H” or exceed 50 pounds. Heavy boxes are difficult for our staff to lift and break easily when moved. If your boxes exceeds our size and weight limits, you will be assessed a surcharge of $25. This will be deducted from your sales.

How do I send in a box to Swap.com?

Sending in a box is as easy as 1-2-3...

1. Print a prepaid shipping label or request an Inbound Box and send to Swap.com.
2. You will be notified of which items were accepted and if any were not accepted. Any accepted items will be photographed, priced* and listed on the site.
3. You’ll receive an email from us as soon as an item sells. Please know inbound service fees will be deducted from your sales first. Once the negative balance is paid off, you will start earning profit.  

How long will it take for my box to be processed?

Processing times vary heavily depending on various factors such as swap staffing, seasonality, how many others are selling at the same time and shipping costs around the country. We currently average a turn around time of 120 - 150 days from the time we receive your inbound shipment to the time items are shelved. This is just the average however. The process may take shorter or longer depending on a variety of factors in the inbound process. We are working every day to improve this time frame in hopes of reducing wait times across the board. 

What happens after I send in my box? 

Once we receive your box, our team of merchandisers will evaluate your items for quality and condition. From there, we will do all the heavy lifting for you, which includes taking photos, merchandising, pricing and listing on Swap.com. You will receive an email notification when your items are live on Swap.com.

Rejected Items FAQ

What if some of my items are not accepted?

We will also notify you if any of your items are not accepted. At that time, you have 14 days to choose if you want to have the items shipped back to you for $5.99, or have us donate the items. Check out SureSell & Donate for more information on donating. If you do nothing after 14 days of being notified, Swap.com will take full control of your items.

How does Swap.com calculate Reject percentages?  

Rejects are very easy to calculate. We take the number of rejected items (those that don’t meet our acceptance criteria) and divide that by the total number of items in your box.

For example, if your box has 20 rejected items out of a total count of 100, the reject percentage is 20%.

You can find information about your boxes and reject rates on the My Boxes page inside of your account.

During the inspection process of your box, your items will go through pre-merchandising where not accepted items will be removed.  Please give an extra day to see your items that will be processed as this box will go to our next stage in the process, merchandising.  

Why should rejected items matter to me?

Rejected items matter to everyone in our selling process! The importance of sending in great condition clothing that meets our acceptance criteria helps to ensure that each step in our process is more efficient and reliable for our Seller Partners, our Customers, and our business.

When a box is sent to Swap.com, we assess and qualify every piece inside. During our process we have come across boxes where we have to reject more than 40% of the items inside, and this costs our Seller Partners money and places additional delays on processing times.

We can improve this process with the help of our Sellers and their at home quality checks. With these extended evaluations of items, the amount of rejected items will decrease, and this will save you money as a Seller and help to speed up processing times for everyone. If 40% or more of your box is rejected, you will be assessed a fee below:

If you have exceeded our limit for rejected items, you may be sent a notification to help you to improve your next shipment to Swap.com, a guidance letter for improvement, or a notice of possible suspension.

Please follow the instructions listed in the notice, to ensure that all future boxes meet or exceed our Acceptance Criteria.  

Do sellers receive notice of rejections and fees?

Yes.  Sellers will be sent notifications of any excessive rejections and subsequent fees.