Swap-a-ton rules

These are the rules you accept when you join a Swap-a-ton edition. If this is your first time, start with How the Swap-a-ton works and the FAQ; this page is the full reference.

1. What it is

The Swap-a-ton is a board-game trade among many people, run with the math trade mechanism: everyone posts what they're offering, marks what they'd accept in return, and an algorithm computes the most optimal set of trades.

Normally you give your game to one person and receive someone else's. You will never receive something you didn't accept. In the worst case you make no trade at all and keep your game.

Taking part is free. The only cost is shipping the game you give away, which you pay yourself.

2. Responsibility

You join voluntarily and take on the commitment to check the games and their condition. You're expected to post the real condition of what you offer and to deliver within the deadlines and in the ways described here.

Ludāgora facilitates the process, answers questions, and moderates, but does not arbitrate trades: we're not a party to the agreement, we don't handle money, and we never take possession of the games. The process rests on the good faith of the people taking part. See also the Terms & Conditions.

By taking part in the Swap-a-ton you make a commitment to everyone else and you accept trading the games you offered for the ones you marked as wanted. It is your responsibility to describe the real condition of what you offer and to verify the condition of what you receive. If you aren't willing to give a game up, don't offer it. Results, once released, are final.

3. What you can offer

Accepted: board games, card games, roleplaying games, and related items such as expansions and promos (cards, tokens, tiles).

Not accepted:

Intangible items (files, digital downloads, codes).
Gift cards, money, or anything equivalent.
Counterfeits or copies that don't respect copyright.

Nobody offers or asks for money for a game: the Swap-a-ton is pure barter. Admins may grant whatever exceptions they consider reasonable.

4. How to describe what you offer

Each offering trades as one unit: trades are one for one. An offering may hold a single item, or several as one box (a combo), traded whole or not at all; the description rules below apply to each item in the box. Alongside each game go the expansions and promos that travel with that copy: they don't enter the matching (wants are marked per copy), but whoever receives your copy sees them when results are released, so they have to be listed.

You may offer any physical tabletop item: a game, an expansion, an accessory (inserts, sleeves, playmats, promos) or another tabletop item. An accessory may be offered on its own; it does not have to accompany a game. If BoardGameGeek does not have it, add it manually from the search box and choose what kind of item it is. No kind of item is excluded: other people's wants decide what it is worth.

When you post an offering:

For a game or an expansion, state the edition, language, and version of your copy. If you don't specify, the most recent English edition is assumed. An accessory or other tabletop item is asked neither its language nor whether it is sleeved, because neither applies.
Describe the real condition of the box and components. If you rate it as anything less than excellent, say why.
Always describe what you are offering, whatever its condition: what it is, what is included and what shape it is in. A new, sealed item gets a description too — it is not only a damage report, and on an accessory or a manually added item it is the only thing that says what the thing even is.
Inventory the components and list everything missing or damaged. Descriptions like "components not inventoried" or "sold as is" aren't accepted.
Even for a new, sealed game, mention any problem with the box: bumped corners, discoloration, moisture.
Photos must be yours and recent, taken of the actual copy you're offering. BGG photos or images from other listings don't count.
Don't list a complete game if you're only offering part of it (for example, only the promos or only one expansion).

The offering form asks for all of this: a condition grade (which you pick — nothing is preselected), a description, and your own photos of the copy: 2 to 6 if it is new and sealed, 3 to 6 in any other condition — for a manually added item, your first photo is also its cover. No item can be offered without a description, whatever its condition.

If a description doesn't meet the above, we'll ask you to fix it. Deliberately misdescribing what you offer is a serious offense (see section 8).

5. Phases and deadlines

An edition moves through four phases on fixed dates, announced in Colombia time when the edition opens. When a phase closes, its state is frozen — no additions, no changes.

Phase 1 — Offerings. You join and add the games you're offering. To join you need a complete shipping address on your profile, marked as shareable: the trade is remote and whoever ships you a game needs to know where to send it. Your address is only ever seen by the person shipping to you, never the other way round. Double-check that your details are right. The deadline is when this phase closes: late arrivals don't make it into this edition.

Phase 2 — Wants. With the pool frozen, you mark what you'd accept in return. For each game you offered you build a ranked list of what you'd be willing to receive, from what you want most to what you want least.

You can only pick from games offered by other people.
You can mark as many games as you like per offering: the more you mark, the more options the algorithm has. Even so, the trade is always 1 for 1.
Order matters: the algorithm tries to give you what you ranked higher.
If you mark nothing for one of your offerings, you simply receive nothing for it and don't have to give it away either.
You never see or receive your own games. Marking the same game across several of your offerings is safe: you receive at most one copy of any title.

Phase 3 — Matching. Once wants close, the algorithm runs on the frozen data. An admin reviews the result and releases it; once released it can't be undone. If not enough people joined, the edition is cancelled and everyone is notified.

Phase 4 — Shipping. You see what you have to send and what you'll receive, along with whichever contact details each counterparty shares. You only see a shipping address when you're the one shipping. You only see your own trades, never the full chain.

6. Results are binding

When wants close, your lists are final. If your games land in a chain, you're committing to ship them. There's no option to turn a result down: flaking hurts far more people than your counterparty, because trades are computed as chains.

The algorithm is deterministic: the same data always produces the same result, and each edition's matching is stored exactly as it was computed.

7. Shipping

Shipping is paid by whoever gives the game away. It balances out: the game you receive is paid for by whoever ships it to you.
Use established couriers that provide tracking. The two parties agree on the shipping details freely.
Pack with real protection: a reinforced box, bubble wrap, or foam. A badly packed game arrives damaged.
Any extra cost caused by wrong delivery details is paid by whoever made the mistake.
We're all busy, but communication matters. If you can't ship on time, tell your counterparty and tell us.
When it arrives, check the game and resolve your side of the trade: mark "Went well" or "Had a problem" if something doesn't match the description. Sort it out with the sender first, and tell us if the two of you can't settle it. The giver resolves their side the same way.

8. Breaking the rules

A trade that doesn't complete is marked as failed. There's no replacement and no compensation: the recourse is reputation — whoever flakes gets a negative rating and a lower completion rate. Unresolved trades also block actions like publishing, bidding, or joining the next edition until you mark your side.

Not shipping a promised game, or lying about what you're offering, is a serious offense: we can suspend or block the account along with all its offerings and wants, and bar it from future editions. See account suspension and blocking in the Terms & Conditions.

9. Contact

Questions about the Swap-a-ton? Write to us at contacto@ludagora.com.

Happy trading!