Terms of Service

Version 2026-10-18. The same Terms you accept in the app.

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service are an agreement between you and StitchSwap ("StitchSwap", "we", "us"). They cover the StitchSwap app, the website at stitchswap.app, and every trade made through them. By creating an account or using StitchSwap, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Notice.

If you don’t agree, don’t use StitchSwap. We may update these Terms. When we make important changes, we’ll ask you to accept the new version in the app before you keep using it.

2. Who can use StitchSwap

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority where you live) and able to enter a binding contract. StitchSwap is currently available in the United States only, and every trader needs a US shipping address.

One person, one account. You can’t use StitchSwap if we’ve banned you, or to get around a suspension.

3. Your account

Give accurate information and keep it up to date. You’re responsible for everything done with your account, so keep your password and email secure and tell us right away if someone else gets in.

Usernames reserved on our waitlist are kept for the email address that reserved them. Usernames can’t be changed yet. We may take back or change a username that is offensive, impersonates someone, infringes a trademark, or is held without being used.

Accounts run by the StitchSwap team (like @stitchswap) are labeled as official. No one else may claim to be StitchSwap staff.

4. How trades work

Find an item on Discover or list your own, message the owner and send a trade offer. An offer can include several of your listings for one item; they ship together in one package. Either trader can add cash on top, or ask the other to add it (for example, in a counter offer). You can also start a trade with someone you already know and invite them with a link or case number.

Once a trade offer is accepted, the trade is binding: both traders must complete it. Each of you then reviews your side (your item, shipping address and package weight) and pays within 3 days. If a trader doesn’t pay in time, the trade is cancelled, it counts against that trader, and anyone who already paid gets a full refund.

After paying you get a prepaid label. Don’t ship until both of you have paid; the app shows your label’s QR code once you have. Pack your item, make sure it weighs no more than the weight you chose, and drop it off within 7 days of you both paying. The app won’t let you choose a package weight below what your items normally weigh; you can always choose a heavier one. You can print the label or show its QR code at a USPS Post Office to have it printed. Your trade partner does the same.

We check both items when they arrive (see Verification). When both pass, each of you confirms your address and pays for shipping home, and we ship you your new item.

You can back out of an accepted trade until either item reaches StitchSwap; after that, contact @stitchswap instead. If you back out, your trade partner gets a full refund, and if they already shipped their item, we mail it back to them for free. You get your shipping and any cash on top refunded, but not the $9.99 StitchSwap fee, which covers that return. Refunds can take 5 to 10 business days to show up.

Backing out lowers your account health (see Account health). Backing out of more than 5 accepted trades within 30 days suspends your account for 7 days, and repeatedly backing out can lead to a permanent ban.

5. Fees and payments

At checkout you pay, in one payment: your shipping to StitchSwap and a $9.99 StitchSwap fee for verification, handling and trade protection, plus any cash on top and any extra shipping coverage you add (see Shipping). You can pay by card or bank account. Once both items pass verification, you confirm your address and pay for shipping home by card within 14 days; we then ship your new item and show you its tracking number. Shipping prices are based on the package weight and the addresses involved. Where the law requires it, we charge sales tax, shown as its own line at checkout. Payments are processed by Stripe.

We save your payment method with Stripe so we can charge amounts you owe under these Terms. For example, if USPS or another carrier charges more because your package weighs more (or is bigger) than the label you chose, we charge that difference to the payment method on your account.

Cash on top is paid by the trader adding it and held by StitchSwap until the trade is delivered. During the beta, we then send it ourselves to the trader receiving it, by Venmo, Zelle or PayPal, with no Cash Fee: we’ll message you from @stitchswap to ask where to send it, and send it within 3 business days of delivery (or of your reply, if later). Later we’ll pay cash out through Stripe instead, which may include a small Cash Fee and identity checks; we’ll update these Terms before that changes. How much cash you can add depends on your account health (see Account health).

Nothing ships home until both traders’ payments have cleared and both have paid for their shipping home. If you don’t pay for shipping home within 14 days, we’ll contact you and may decide what happens to the trade case by case. We may hold trades, cash and payouts while a payment is pending, failed or disputed, or while we look into a possible breach of these Terms.

Fees aren’t refundable except as described in these Terms (for example, when your partner backs out, or under Failed verification). Please contact us before disputing a charge with your bank. Filing a chargeback for a trade you received may lead to a suspension.

6. Shipping, packaging and lost packages

Pack your item securely, keep it within the weight you picked, and use only the label we give you for that trade. Ship within 7 days of both traders paying, and not before: until your partner has paid, your trade could still be cancelled.

Packages are carried by third-party carriers like USPS. Every label to StitchSwap includes the carrier’s coverage for loss or damage up to $100. When you pay, you can add coverage above $100, up to your items’ estimated value, for an extra charge shown before you pay. Coverage is provided by the carrier or its insurer, and claims follow their rules. Beyond that coverage, StitchSwap isn’t responsible for packages lost or damaged by the carrier on the way to us. Once your new item’s package is first scanned by the carrier on its way to you, the risk of loss passes to you.

Make sure your shipping address is correct. We’re not responsible for packages sent to a wrong address you gave us.

Keep your tracking numbers private. Don’t share them with anyone, including your trade partner: someone with a tracking number can try to redirect a package. StitchSwap never posts tracking numbers in chats; you’ll find yours on your trade page.

7. Verification

We check every item in person against its listing, photos and description, and check that it’s authentic. We photograph items when they arrive and keep those records.

Verification reflects our good-faith judgment based on what we can inspect. It isn’t a guarantee or warranty of authenticity, value or condition, and it isn’t an appraisal.

While items are at StitchSwap, we take reasonable care of them. We may open, inspect and photograph them.

8. Failed verification

If an item is counterfeit, or isn’t as described (for example, it’s damaged, a different size, or has flaws that weren’t shown), it fails verification and the trade is cancelled.

The trader who sent the item that passed (the honest trader) gets a full refund of everything they paid for that trade, and their own item is shipped back to them free.

The trader whose item failed gets back any cash on top they added. StitchSwap keeps their StitchSwap fee and shipping costs. To get their item back, they must pay for return shipping in the app within 14 days. If they don’t, they agree the item is abandoned and transfer ownership of it to StitchSwap, and we may keep, donate, recycle or destroy it. We never sell counterfeit items or ship them to another trader.

Items that fail verification are flagged on the sender’s account. We review each case: people sometimes send replicas without knowing. Depending on what happened, we may warn, suspend or permanently ban the account. Where we believe fraud is involved, we may share information with the brand owner, the carrier, payment processors or law enforcement.

If you disagree with a verification decision, message @stitchswap within 7 days with any evidence (receipts, tags, photos), and we’ll take another look.

9. Problems with an item you received

If the item you received from StitchSwap has a problem (for example, it isn’t as described, was damaged in shipping, or is the wrong item), report it from the trade page with "Problem with my item" within 7 days of delivery, with photos if you can. We review every report and will tell you what we can do.

After 7 days from delivery, we can’t accept claims about the item, except where the law requires otherwise.

10. What you can’t trade

You may only trade clothing and accessories you own and have the right to trade. Don’t list or ship: counterfeits, replicas or "inspired" copies of branded items; stolen goods; weapons, drugs or drug paraphernalia; hazardous materials; used underwear; items that are recalled or illegal to ship; or anything that infringes someone else’s rights.

We may refuse, return, hold or report prohibited items, cancel the trade, and suspend or ban the account involved.

11. Listings and content

Photos you post must be your own and show the actual item. Describe the brand, size, condition and any flaws accurately. If you give an estimated value, keep it realistic: it isn’t a price, and items on StitchSwap are never sold.

You keep ownership of what you post. You give StitchSwap a worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, copy and use your listings, photos and profile content to run and promote StitchSwap. This license ends when you delete the content or your account, except where we need to keep records (see Messages and records).

List each item once. Don’t post the same item again and again, or post items you don’t have.

Other traders can vote on whether a listing’s estimated value looks right. How much a vote counts depends on the voter’s account health and whether they’re verified, and votes from suspended or banned accounts don’t count. Votes are a guide, not an appraisal.

We may pause or remove any listing or content that breaks these Terms (for example, duplicate listings or photos that aren’t allowed) or that we reasonably believe is harmful, misleading or illegal. If we pause or remove your listing, we’ll message you in the app. A listing we pause stays hidden from Discover until we restore it; you can still edit or delete it. Message @stitchswap if you have questions.

12. Reviews

After your new item is delivered, you can review your trade partner for 14 days: 1 to 5 stars and an optional comment. Reviews stay hidden until both of you have reviewed or the 14 days are up, then they appear on your profiles.

Be honest and specific. Don’t offer or ask for anything in exchange for a review. We may remove reviews that break these Terms, but we don’t remove reviews just because they’re negative.

13. Account health

Every account has a health score from 0 to 100. Everyone starts at 100, which is also the most you can have. Your score goes down for backing out of an accepted trade (10 points), an item failing verification (25), shipping late, meaning your package doesn’t reach StitchSwap within 7 days of both traders paying (10), and a report about you that StitchSwap upholds (20). Back-outs count for 90 days and the rest for 180 days; when that time is up, the points come back.

You earn back 5 points for each trade you complete with no issues, each 5-star review from a trade partner, and each bug report StitchSwap marks as helpful. Earned points only make up for points you’ve lost; your score never goes above 100. If 3 or more trade partners have reviewed you, an average under 3 stars takes 25 points off and an average under 4 stars takes 10 off.

Your score sets your health level: Great (90 or more, with 3 or more completed trades), Good (70 or more, with at least 1 completed trade), New trader (70 or more, no completed trades yet), Needs work (50 to 69) or At risk (under 50).

Your level shows on your profile for everyone. Only you can see what’s affecting it. Your level sets how much cash on top you can add (Great up to $500, Good up to $200, New trader up to $100, Needs work up to $50, At risk none) and how many trades you can have going at once (Needs work 3, At risk 1).

At risk accounts are reviewed by StitchSwap staff, who may warn, limit, suspend or ban an account. Apart from the back-out rule in section 4, suspensions and bans are decided by staff, not automatically.

In cases the rules above don’t cover (for example, fraud or abuse), StitchSwap staff may also adjust your score for a set time, which shows to you as “Account review by StitchSwap”. While your account is suspended you can’t trade, list or message anyone except @stitchswap; while it’s banned you can’t log in. Either way, your profile shows Suspended or Banned instead of your level until it ends. We’ll tell you in the app or by email, and you can ask us about it at [email protected].

14. Community rules (zero tolerance)

StitchSwap has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. You may not post, send or use as a username or profile: hate speech or slurs; content attacking people for race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other protected trait; harassment, bullying or threats; sexual content directed at other users; content that promotes violence or self-harm; spam; scams; or impersonation.

We filter slurs, hate speech and threats automatically, and you can report or block anyone from their profile or any chat. We review reports, and we remove objectionable content and suspend or ban the users who post it.

You can’t block someone while you’re in an active trade together. Report them, or message @stitchswap, and we’ll help.

15. Keep trades on StitchSwap

If you meet someone through StitchSwap, you agree to trade with them only through StitchSwap for 12 months. Don’t share phone numbers, emails, social handles or payment apps to arrange trades or payments off the app. Trades made off StitchSwap aren’t protected, and arranging them can get your account suspended or banned.

16. Messages and records

Messages are for arranging trades on StitchSwap. Archiving or deleting a chat hides it for you only; the other person keeps their copy. Deleted chats stay in Recently deleted for 48 hours.

StitchSwap keeps a record of messages, trades, payments, photos and reports, including deleted chats, for safety, to resolve disputes, to enforce these Terms, and as required by law.

Your private chats stay private. StitchSwap staff can only open a private chat if one of you reports something from it, or if our filter blocks a message in it (slurs, threats or arranging off-app payments); blocked messages are kept for staff to review. StitchSwap takes part in every trade chat and can read it.

17. Suspension, deactivation and deleting your account

We may suspend (for a set time), limit or ban (for a set time or permanently) an account, remove content, or cancel trades if we reasonably believe someone broke these Terms, put other users at risk, or exposed StitchSwap to legal risk. A banned account can’t log in, and its listings are hidden. Where we can, we’ll tell you why, in the app or by email.

You can deactivate your account (hidden, listings paused, restorable by signing in) or delete it (permanent) in Settings. You can’t do either while a trade is in progress. After deletion we keep the records described above where we need to.

18. Disclaimers

StitchSwap is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We don’t guarantee that StitchSwap will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any user will act as promised.

19. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, StitchSwap won’t be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data or goodwill. Our total liability for any claim related to StitchSwap is limited to the greater of (a) the fees you paid StitchSwap in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) $100.

Some places don’t allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

20. Your responsibility to us

If someone makes a claim against StitchSwap because of your items, your content, or your breach of these Terms or the law, you agree to cover our reasonable costs and losses from that claim, including legal fees.

21. Disputes

Please contact us first: most problems get solved quickly that way.

If we can’t resolve it, you and StitchSwap agree that any dispute will be settled by binding individual arbitration, not in court, except that either side can bring an individual claim in small claims court. You and StitchSwap give up the right to a jury trial and to take part in a class action.

You can opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by emailing us with your username and a clear statement that you opt out.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.

22. Other terms

If any part of these Terms can’t be enforced, the rest still applies. Our not enforcing a part of these Terms isn’t a waiver. You can’t transfer your account or these Terms without our permission; we may transfer them as part of a merger, sale or reorganization. These Terms, with our Privacy Notice, are the whole agreement between you and StitchSwap about StitchSwap.

23. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected], or message @stitchswap in the app.