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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Buy
How to add products to the shopping cart?
Our board game list works with a catalogue, so if you search for a specific product, the results will show one overall result per board game. Once you have found the game you want in the list, click on it to see an overview of all the individual offers for that specific game. Items can be added to the shopping cart on this product page.
How to set up a notification when a particular game is offered for sale again on the site?
Each product overview page contains a checkbox to receive a notification whenever someone puts that product up for sale on the website. This can be done for sold-out products as well as for products for which several versions are already for sale on the website, so that you can also follow up when other offers appear that differ in price or language, for example. Notifications appear both on your BoardGamesSwap account and via email if you have not disabled email notifications for your account. PLEASE NOTE: be sure to check your spam folder and, if necessary, set our emails as trusted.
Where can I view an overview of my notifications and wish list?
Click on your account at the top to display a drop-down menu containing your wish list and product notifications, among other things. This can only be consulted via the shopping platform where you buy items, not from the seller panel where you can sell items, as these are two separate sections of the website.
Why can messages be sent to some sellers but not to others?
A free standard account cannot reply to messages in the message centre. Messages can only be sent by vendors who at least have a Premium account. All products with a premium label are from sellers who have access to the message centre. The reason for this is that both the setup of a communication system and the necessary storage space on the server are financed by the small monthly contributions of these sellers.
How does buyer protection work?
When purchasing a second-hand product from a private individual online, there is often a degree of uncertainty that BoardGamesSwap aims to eliminate with its optional buyer protection by guaranteeing a refund in case of dissatisfaction with the condition of the product or a lost shipment. In the first instance, an attempt will be made to resolve any issues with the courier service or seller. If no solution can be found, BoardGamesSwap will provide a refund up to a limit of £200 per shipment for products for which buyer protection has been purchased. See our terms and conditions for more details.
What are the points displayed when purchasing a product?
Every purchase on BoardGamesSwap earns points that can be exchanged for discounts on our BoardGamesSwap merchandise. You can also earn points by inviting friends or family to create an account on the site. Be sure to check back regularly to see how much you have saved and what you can buy with it!
How to find out which games are offered by sellers in a particular region?
The search page displays all possible filters on the left, including the distance to the seller. Only products from sellers who have provided an address can be found in this way. You can specify a location and search for offers within a radius of that location. This can be used to find products with cheap domestic shipping costs by specifying a central location in your country and the approximate distance to the national border. Or you can enter your own location and search for products that you can pick up instead of having them shipped. Please note that only premium users can be contacted to arrange product pickup instead of shipping, so in that case, search for products that display a premium label.
How can I find out what other products the seller of a particular item is selling?
Click on the overview page of a product. All sellers offering this product are listed and by clicking on one of the names you can see what other products that seller is offering.
Can an order be cancelled by the buyer?
Once payment has been completed, an order cannot be cancelled via the BoardGamesSwap platform. The payment is used at that moment to cover costs incurred by BoardGamesSwap (transaction via payment platform, creation of shipping label, etc.). If the seller has at least a Premium account, it is possible to discuss whether the order can still be cancelled by the seller and to reach a mutual agreement regarding the payment made by sending a direct message to the seller. However, the seller is under no obligation to agree to this.
What if a product is not delivered in the advertised condition or does not arrive?
In the event of damage to the packaging of the parcel or a parcel not received, you should first contact the courier service directly via the track & trace you received, as this indicates that a problem arose during transport. If only the product in the packaging is not in the advertised condition, we always recommend that you first discuss the problem with the seller so that you and the seller can agree on a solution that satisfies both of you, including, for example, a return shipment. If the above options do not provide a solution, you can submit the problem to us, providing details of the steps you have already taken, using the following form: Report a problem. Please note: only if you took out optional buyer protection at the time of purchase will your purchase be refunded by BoardGamesSwap if no other solution can be found. Without buyer protection, we can only attempt to mediate without any guarantees.
Can a product be returned?
If you wish to return a product from another user because you are not satisfied, please follow the instructions in the question above. Products that were delivered as advertised cannot be returned. Our own BoardGamesSwap merchandise is an exception to this. If you are not satisfied with the merchandise you received, you can arrange an exchange or refund within 30 days of ordering using the following form: Return merchandise. Please note: BoardGamesSwap always requires a return shipment, even for damaged items. Return shipments are not prepaid and will only be refunded in certain cases.
Can a product be physically inspected before purchase?
If the product has a premium label, you can send the seller a message asking to view the product or send additional photos. However, the product cannot be reserved, so scheduling a viewing does not guarantee that you will be able to purchase the product.
Can a product be picked up or only shipped?
Only products with a premium label may be picked up from the seller, depending on the seller's wishes. This is because a pick-up time must be agreed upon, and this is only possible when the seller has access to the message centre.Is there a tracking code available to track shipment?
Yes, if you go to your order overview you can find a shipping tab per order where the tracking code appears once the seller has created the shipment.Selling
What can be offered for sale on BoardGamesSwap?
All types of board games & card games and any accessories. If it belongs in one of our predefined categories, it is allowed (i.e. no video games, food, etc.).
How can a board game be put up for sale?
For board games, BoardGamesSwap uses a catalogue so that buyers can set up notifications when someone offers a particular game. You can easily offer a game by clicking on “add product from catalogue” and then clicking on “sell this” next to the desired game in the list. Additional details such as a description, your own photos of the product, and characteristics such as language/condition can then be added. We recommend posting your own photos of both the exterior and, especially, the contents of the product to increase the chance that your product will be purchased. Characteristics such as weight and dimensions for shipping are also visible at this point but can be ignored for board games. Our shipping system takes standard values for board games into account by default to calculate the correct shipping price. However, for other products, such as a large dice tower as an accessory, this information should be filled in correctly to avoid the automatically generated shipping label being insufficient and additional charges being applied. See our Getting started page for more details.
How will I receive my payment from online sales?
As a seller, you will need to fill out the form to activate Stripe payments for your account in order to receive the funds from any sold item. This is a one time registration for Stripe's secure payment environment after which any future payout will automatically be transfered to your bank account. You can find the link to this registration form on your vendor panel, see our Getting started page for more details.
How can products in categories other than board games be offered for sale?
We only use a catalogue for board games. All products that belong in a different category can be created by clicking on “create new product”. See our Getting started page for more details.
What information needs to be added when selling a board game?
First of all, clear photos. A standard image is available for each product, but a buyer wants to be able to see the condition of your version by means of photos of the front and back of the box as well as several photos of the contents of the box with all the different components. Close-up photos also show the quality better than overview photos. A description is also important, in which you can mention things such as which expansion is included, whether the game contains deluxe components, explain any damage, etc.!Please note! The description field is language-specific! This means that you can enter different texts for each display language (changeable at the top right), but also that if you only enter a description for your default language, only users viewing your product in that language will see your text, while the field will remain blank in other languages.
Why does my product description not appear in the product overview via the shopping platform?
The description field is language-specific. This means that you can enter different texts for each display language (which can be changed at the top right), but also that if you only enter a description for your default language, only displays of your product in that same language will show your description, while in other languages the field will remain blank. If you want your description to be visible in other display languages (e.g. because your game is in English and could also be purchased by speakers of other languages), you must copy and paste the text into the fields for the desired languages on the product creation screen.
Why are my products not appearing in the shop platform?
If you have just created an account, you can already list products for sale, but these will only appear to buyers once your account has been approved by a platform administrator. This usually takes no longer than 48 hours.
Why is the amount in my account lower than the price I charged?
BoardGamesSwap charges a 4% commission on each transaction to keep the website running. In addition, Stripe charges 1.25% on each payout for the secure storage and processing of payments. In practice, you as a seller will receive 5.25% less than the purchase amount. If you as a seller wish to compensate for this, you can always increase the asking price accordingly.
Why is the payout of a purchase not immediately visible on my bank account?
Payments to your bank account are blocked by Stripe for 3 days by default and only released if you have created a shipment for the purchase within that time. This measure prevents fraud and encourages on-time deliveries. In addition, please expect extra processing time by your bank (on average 1 business day, holidays and weekends will cause extra delays). If due to exceptional circumstances you are unable to create a shipment within 3 days, please contact a BoardGamesSwap administrator via the message center in your seller panel.
Why can't I suddenly offer any products for sale anymore?
A free standard account can offer up to 10 products at a time, a premium account up to 25 and a professional account unlimited. Make sure that your sold items with stock 0 are removed from your overview of products offered so that they no longer count towards your limit.
How can you highlight your products?
By purchasing a Premium account, your products will automatically be assigned a premium label. For board games, where all offers from each seller of a particular game are listed, this can help your product stand out from the rest.
How to sell a base game with expansions?
There are two ways: 1) The easiest way is to select the base game in our list and then change the option “includes expansion(s)” to “yes” in the properties. In the description and images, you can then explain the expansions that you are selling together with the base game. 2) You can first offer the base game and the expansion for sale separately, as each expansion has a separate entry in our list. In your product overview on your profile, you can then click on the base game and select “product bundle” in the overview to offer the base game together with the created expansion as a whole. Please note: this does not prevent anyone from buying either the base game or the expansion separately! We therefore do not recommend this option for sellers who only want to sell the game as a whole and not as separate parts.
How can different games be sold as a bundle?
There are two ways: 1) If you only want to sell a collection of different games as a whole and none of them separately, you can create a new product under the subcategory ‘bundles’ for board games. 2) If you also want to allow the sale of individual items in your bundle, you must first offer the games for sale separately. In your product overview on your profile, you can then click on one of the games and select ‘product bundle’ in the overview. There you can put together a package to offer different games together, possibly at a special price. These two options are recommended for selling games with a low value (due to damage, age or size, for example).
Why doesn't a new product from a Premium account immediately receive a label?
Labels are automatically assigned to products in batches every hour so as not to disrupt the functioning of the site, so the label should appear correctly within an hour.
Why are certain properties of products offered for sale not editable?
BoardGamesSwap works with one entry per board game to keep the search function with all its filters efficient. Certain properties that are specific to the game, such as minimum age, cannot therefore be changed; only variations such as the language of publication can be adjusted. If an error is found in the details of a game, it can be reported using the following form and we will check whether an adjustment is required: Change property
What do I do when I'm unable to send an order on time (holiday etc.)?
If you know in advance that you won't be able to create shipments for orders in the next couple of days or weeks, you can temporarily disable your products by changing their status in your product overview tab. When you return simply change the status back to active. If however you forgot to do this or are suddenly prevented from shipping your items, then please contact an admin through the message center tab and let us know that the shipment will be delayed.
Do I have to renew my offer after a certain period?
No, unlike other platforms, your offers remain active forever until you deactivate them. Because of the grouping of offers by board game and the board game-specific filters, you don't have to worry about your offers disappearing under more recent posts.
Can an order be cancelled by the seller?
Once payment has been completed, an order cannot be cancelled via the BoardGamesSwap platform. If, for exceptional reasons, you as the seller are unable to complete an order that has been placed, you must report this using the following form: Cancellation. You will receive instructions for a refund, including additional administrative costs. Repeated cancellation of orders may result in your account being blocked.
Payment
Why is a Stripe account required to offer products for sale?
BoardGamesSwap strives to provide buyers with a wide range of online payment options to make the user experience as pleasant and secure as possible for all parties. It also aims to offer sellers a secure and easy way to receive payments. By requesting a free Stripe account, you can offer buyers various payment methods for your products and your personal payment details will not be shared with buyers.
Which payment methods are accepted?
BoardGamesSwap works with Stripe to provide a wide range of online payment options, including credit cards, Bancontact, iDeal, Link, etc. Each seller must request a free Stripe account once, directly through the form on your BGS vendor panel, and all these payment methods will automatically be made available to buyers in a secure environment.
How do I pay with saved points?
With every purchase, you receive points based on the amount spent as well as for inviting new users. You can spend these points on our BoardGamesSwap merchandise. For all products in this merchandise category, the option to pay (part of) the cost with (part of) your collected points will be visible. This allows you to receive a discount or even order a product completely free of charge.
Is cash payment possible upon collection?
BoardGamesSwap does not offer the option to reserve a product and pay in cash afterwards in order to protect both parties (e.g. payment guarantees and product security).
How are subscription fees for Premium accounts paid?
Outstanding fees will be deducted from the next transaction via BoardGamesSwap, so in most cases no separate payment is required.Shipping
How does shipping work?
As a seller, you can print a shipping label that has been paid for in advance (or have it printed at a courier service point), except for when "Pickup" was selected. The shipping label is generated in the seller panel. See our Getting started page for more details. Attach the label to the outside of the package in which you will send the game and drop it off at a courier service point within 3 working days. PLEASE NOTE: built-in shipping options are currently only available for the following countries: France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. All other countries must arrange shipping or pickup directly with the seller for the time being, for which BoardGamesSwap cannot be held liable.
How to package a game for shipping?
Reuse a suitable box as packaging if possible (or obtain a shipping box at your shipping point at your own expense), fill as much empty space as possible with padding (e.g. old paper or plastic) to protect the product during shipping, and make sure the board game box remains closed by wrapping elastic or string around it. If multiple items need to be sent to the same address, they should be sent together in one box as far as possible, as only one shipping label is available per order and additional boxes will incur extra costs. Any box with no side longer than 60 cm can be used for this purpose by most shipping services. If, in exceptional cases, a large number of products need to be sent together and they do not fit in one large box, you can submit a request via the form under ‘What to do if you have problems with the shipping label’ to compensate for the additional shipping costs incurred.
What to do if you have problems with the shipping label?
If you encounter problems obtaining a label or if you have received an incorrect/inadequate label and have had to pay extra, you can request a solution or compensation using the following form: Report shipping problem
How long does shipping take?
After payment has been completed, the seller has 5 working days to post the package with the ordered product, after which, depending on the chosen courier option, the courier's processing service must be taken into account. This can be tracked using a track & trace code. There is therefore no fixed delivery time.Account
I have created an account, what now?
You will receive an email at the email address you provided. Please also check your spam folder. The email contains your temporary password. You can use this to log in and get started. Please note that products you place for sale will only become visible on the shopping platform after BoardGamesSwap has approved your account.Why are some links not visible in the seller panel and others not visible on the shop platform?
The shop platform and seller panel are two separate sections of the website. You can switch between the two at the bottom left, and functions related to selling can only be found in the seller panel section, while everything related to buying can only be found in the shop platform section. If you cannot find something right away, try searching in the other section.How to leave a review on an account?
At the top of the seller page, you will see a search bar with a link to the seller's information next to it. Follow that link and you can leave a review under the seller's information if you have already purchased a product from the seller.
How to update your account details?
Click on the icon in the top right corner and select “edit profile” from the options. It is important to keep your address up to date if you have games delivered.
Is it possible to log in via social login?
When creating an account, social logins are not yet possible. However, after creating an account, you can link your Google or Meta account to your profile details and log in to our platform using your social media account on future visits.
How do I change my account type (Standard, Premium, Professional)?
In your seller panel, click on the icon in the top right corner and select “settings”. On that page, navigate to the “plan” section to change your subscription.
What are the advantages of a Premium account?
As a seller, you have access to the message centre, where potential buyers can ask questions about your product. All your products will also receive a premium label to make them stand out. You will no longer see any advertisements and the maximum number of products you can offer on the platform at the same time will increase from 10 to 25.
How much commission is payable per account type?
BoardGamesSwap offers a comprehensive platform with all kinds of integrated features, including secure online payments, courier service, wish lists, points system, reviews, etc., designed to simplify the buying and selling of second-hand games. The costs of hosting and maintaining such a website can only be covered by charging a small commission of 4%. Certain additional services, such as the communication system, are financed separately by paying accounts through a small monthly contribution of £0.99 (automatically charged with the next transaction). In addition, accounts with a subscription also have other advantages, see question above.
How can I delete my account?
Click here to delete your account.
General
What does BGS stand for?
That's us, BoardGamesSwap!
Why buy/sell board games on BoardGamesSwap and not somewhere else?
BoardGamesSwap offers several advantages that other second-hand board game options do not, including: a unique notification system when a specific game is listed for sale so you don't have to periodically scour websites, fully specialised in board games with targeted filters, offers that remain active forever and do not disappear under more recent posts, various secure online payment methods and integrated courier services, buyer protection, the ability to collect points with every purchase, giveaways, etc.
Our standards
Products, messages, or other content offered on BoardGamesSwap must not contain anything illegal, obscene, harmful, unethical, or contrary to public safety, and must not infringe on our rights or those of anyone else. All reviews of products, transactions, sellers or others must be honest and sincere. No other websites or companies may be promoted via our website without our explicit permission, see the advertising section in the FAQ.
How to report misconduct?
Is a user violating our community standards? You can report this here: Report misuse
Game not found in the list?
The game may be in the list but under a different language title. We group all language variants of a game under one entry on BoardGamesSwap to simplify the search function. Each game is listed under its original title, so if you search for a game using a translated title, the game will still appear in the search results under its original title (often in English). You can see whether it is the product you are looking for by looking at the cover of the game. If you still cannot find the game in our list, you can fill in the following form to request that the game be added to our catalogue: Add game. You cannot add board games yourself, as we want to avoid duplicate entries so that the notification system, among other things, can work optimally. (Products other than board games, such as accessories, puzzles, etc., do not have a catalogue or notification system and can be added yourself.)
How can you earn points by inviting new users to BoardGamesSwap?
You earn points primarily through purchases made via BoardGamesSwap, so the referral marketing link cannot be found on the seller panel but via the shopping platform. Click on “My account” in the top right corner and select “Recommendations”. There you can generate a link that you can send to friends or family to recommend BoardGamesSwap. If these people create an account (free or paid) directly via the link and make their first purchase through the site, you will receive 40 points per user you recruit in this way, and the new user will also receive 40 points. See our Getting started page for more details.
How can you return to the home page?
You can do this simply by clicking on our logo at the top left of the page.
How can you switch between the seller panel and the shop page?
This can be done simply by clicking on the desired view at the bottom right of the page.
How to resolve technical issues with the website?
If you encounter a technical issue (pages not loading, content not displaying correctly, etc.), please report it using the following form and we will resolve the issue as soon as possible: Report a technical problem
How to win one of our giveaways?
Our seasonal giveaways are announced on our website under board game news and on social media. To be eligible to win the item, simply reply to the post on social media or our news page with your BoardGamesSwap account username. A winner will then be chosen at random from among those who have bought or sold at least one board game in the past season. The winner will be announced here on the site and will receive the item.
Got an idea to improve the user experience on BGS? Let us know!
BoardGamesSwap is a project by board game enthusiasts for board game enthusiasts. User suggestions for improving the experience are therefore very important to us and will be heard. After a cost-benefit analysis, the most requested and feasible ideas will be implemented in a future update. Submit your proposal(s) here.
