Terms of Use

TradeSwap is an online marketplace that enables individuals, sole traders and businesses to discover other members and arrange exchanges of services.

TradeSwap provides the technology and marketplace through which members can advertise services, communicate, propose exchanges, agree indicative values, record the agreed scope of an exchange and manage that exchange.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, TradeSwap does not itself provide the services advertised by members. When two members agree to exchange services, the agreement for those services is between those members. TradeSwap is not automatically a party to the contract for the underlying services simply because the exchange was arranged through the Platform.

TradeSwap does, however, provide its own platform services to members under these Terms.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a contract to create a TradeSwap account. When registering, you must identify whether you are acting as:

• an individual/consumer;
• a sole trader; or
• a business/company.

You must provide accurate and current information. You must not misrepresent your identity, business status, experience, qualifications, insurance or the services you offer.

Members are responsible for the services they advertise and perform.

Where relevant to a particular service, the member providing that service is responsible for ensuring that they have any necessary qualifications, licences, registrations, permissions, professional or trade memberships, insurance, health and safety arrangements and other legal or regulatory requirements.

TradeSwap may introduce verification features but, unless a particular profile explicitly states that a specific check has been completed, use of TradeSwap does not mean that TradeSwap has independently verified or endorsed that member. Members should carry out their own appropriate checks before entering into an exchange.

Members may assign an indicative monetary value to a service. These values are supplied by members for the purpose of negotiating a fair exchange.

TradeSwap does not independently value services and does not guarantee that an indicative value represents market value. Members are responsible for agreeing the value, scope and suitability of the services being exchanged.

Members must not deliberately inflate or misrepresent values in order to manipulate fees or obtain an unfair advantage. TradeSwap may investigate suspicious valuations or activity and may restrict an account where there is reasonable evidence of misuse.

Members may propose an exchange involving one or more services, and may agree:

• the services each party will provide;
• the scope of those services;
• indicative values;
• quantities;
• deadlines or delivery dates;
• any agreed cash balancing amount; and
• other relevant requirements.

Both members must review and approve the final Swap Summary before the exchange can proceed. Members should not approve a Swap Summary unless it accurately records what they have agreed.

Once both members approve a Swap Summary and any conditions required by the Platform for activation have been satisfied, the exchange becomes an Active Swap.

The Swap Summary records the principal terms agreed between the members through TradeSwap. Each member is responsible for fulfilling the commitments they have made to the other member.

Nothing in these Terms removes any legal rights or obligations that apply to the relationship between the members. Where one member is acting as a trader and the other is acting as a consumer, applicable consumer protection law continues to apply.

TradeSwap charges fees for use of its platform. The applicable fee will be clearly displayed before a member commits to payment.

Fees may be calculated using a tiered or sliding percentage based on the relevant exchange value, subject to a maximum of £25 per member per swap. Each member is responsible for their own TradeSwap fee. The applicable fee, percentage and any VAT will be shown before payment.

Founding-member offer: the first 50 members whose swap becomes active do not pay their own platform fee on that first swap. Once 50 free fees have been used, the offer ends. If that swap is cancelled before it becomes active, the offer can be used on a later swap. The offer has no cash value, cannot be transferred and applies only to the member's own fee.

Members must not artificially split, undervalue, inflate or otherwise manipulate an exchange to avoid or reduce TradeSwap fees.

Once both members have approved the Swap Summary, the applicable TradeSwap platform fees must be paid before the exchange becomes Active.

The treatment of fees following cancellation or dispute is governed by the Cancellations & Disputes and any applicable statutory rights.

Members may agree that a cash payment will be used to balance a difference between the values of exchanged services where this functionality is available. Any such amount must be clearly distinguished from the TradeSwap platform fee.

The Platform must not be interpreted as providing an escrow service unless TradeSwap expressly introduces and identifies such a regulated or compliant payment mechanism. The terms governing a balancing payment may also depend upon the payment provider used and the legal relationship between the members.

TradeSwap may use third-party payment providers to process payments. Members may therefore also be subject to the relevant payment provider’s terms and privacy arrangements.

TradeSwap does not store complete payment card details where these are handled directly by the payment provider. Payment functionality may be subject to fraud prevention, identity checks and other requirements imposed by TradeSwap or its payment providers.

Cancellation rights depend upon the status of the members, the nature and stage of the exchange and applicable law. Members must not be required to waive statutory cancellation or consumer rights where those rights legally apply.

The TradeSwap Cancellations & Disputes policy forms part of these Terms. Where applicable law gives a consumer a cooling-off or cancellation right, that right takes precedence over any conflicting provision of these Terms.

Where a consumer expressly requests that a relevant service begins during a statutory cancellation period, additional consent or acknowledgement may be required before work begins.

Members should mark their respective services as completed only when they genuinely believe their obligations under the agreed Swap Summary have been performed. A member must not falsely claim that work has been completed. TradeSwap may retain a record of completion confirmations.

Members may be invited to review another member following a genuine exchange. Reviews must be honest and based on the member’s actual experience, and must not contain unlawful, threatening, abusive, discriminatory or knowingly false content.

TradeSwap may moderate or remove reviews where reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms, comply with law or protect Platform users. TradeSwap will not ordinarily remove a review merely because a member disagrees with the opinion expressed.

If a problem arises, members should first attempt to resolve it reasonably with each other through the Platform. Where this is unsuccessful, a member may use TradeSwap’s dispute process. TradeSwap may allow members to provide messages, photographs, documents or other evidence, may assist with communication and may suggest possible ways of resolving a dispute.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, TradeSwap does not act as a court, arbitrator, surveyor or professional expert and does not guarantee the outcome of a dispute. Nothing in the dispute process prevents a member from exercising legal rights or accessing any dispute-resolution procedure available to them by law.

The Dispute Resolution Policy provides further details.

The person or business providing a service is responsible for carrying it out in accordance with the terms agreed between the members and any legal standards applying to that service.

TradeSwap does not guarantee the workmanship, quality, safety, legality or suitability of a service merely because it appears on the Platform. This does not exclude responsibility that TradeSwap itself cannot legally exclude.

TradeSwap does not provide insurance for member services unless a particular insurance product is expressly offered and separately identified. Members are responsible for determining what insurance they require and, where appropriate, should check another member’s insurance before allowing work to commence.

Members must not use TradeSwap:

• fraudulently;
• to provide unlawful services;
• to misrepresent qualifications or identity;
• to manipulate service values or fees;
• to harass or threaten another member;
• to upload malicious software;
• to infringe intellectual property rights;
• to circumvent TradeSwap’s fee system following an introduction made through TradeSwap; or
• in any manner that could materially harm TradeSwap or its users.

TradeSwap may investigate suspected misuse.

Keeping swaps on TradeSwap. Members must not share phone numbers, email addresses, website links or social media handles in profiles, listings, messages or reviews, or use TradeSwap as a directory to arrange exchanges privately. TradeSwap may automatically block such details. Only exchanges arranged and completed through TradeSwap count towards reviews and ratings, and only those exchanges are covered by TradeSwap’s cancellation, dispute and platform-fee refund processes. Your statutory rights are not affected.

TradeSwap may restrict, suspend or terminate an account where reasonably necessary, including where we reasonably believe that a member:

• has committed fraud;
• poses a safety risk;
• repeatedly breaches these Terms;
• provides materially misleading information;
• attempts to avoid platform fees;
• misuses another member’s personal information; or
• uses the Platform unlawfully.

Where appropriate and legally required, we will provide reasonable notice or an explanation.

TradeSwap’s branding, software, platform design, written content and other intellectual property belonging to TradeSwap may not be copied, reproduced or commercially exploited without permission.

Members retain ownership of content they upload but grant TradeSwap the rights reasonably necessary to host, display and process that content for operating, promoting and protecting the Platform. Members must have the necessary rights to content they upload.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful.

Subject to that principle, TradeSwap is not responsible for losses caused solely by the acts or omissions of another member or for the quality or performance of services independently provided by members. TradeSwap remains responsible for its own obligations to the extent required by law.

Members acting in the course of business are responsible for assessing the suitability of TradeSwap for their business requirements. Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts statutory consumer rights.

TradeSwap processes personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Members must not misuse personal information obtained through TradeSwap.

Information submitted as part of a dispute may be shared with the other party where reasonably necessary to investigate or resolve the dispute, subject to applicable data-protection obligations.

TradeSwap may update these Terms where reasonably necessary, including because of changes to the Platform, law, payment services or business operations. Where a material change affects existing members, reasonable notice will be provided where appropriate. The version accepted in connection with a particular transaction may be recorded by the Platform.

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to TradeSwap’s UK operation. Nothing in this section deprives a consumer of any mandatory protections or rights they have under applicable law.

Questions, complaints or legal notices concerning TradeSwap should be sent using the contact details displayed on the Platform.

TradeSwap is operated by TRADESWAP GROUP LIMITED, a UK registered company, company number 16775026. Registered office: 11 Gloucester Close, Roman Heights, Corbridge, United Kingdom, NE45 5SG. Contact: Tradeswapco@gmail.com.