Welcome to r/Gameswap!
This is a reddit community focused on getting the most out of our used (and new) games and consoles by trading them with fellow redditors instead of getting ripped off by Gamestop and the like. We are aware of Goozex and other similar sites. If that is your thing, go for it. We are not the competition. But if you like the idea of trading within a community you can trust, then stick around. We think you'll have fun.
As you can imagine a community like this has some guidelines, best practices and yes, even some rules. Before participating please familiarize yourself with them and lurk for a bit. If you have any questions, feel free to message the moderators. Do not send a message to an individual moderator if you need assistance. It is likely to be ignored. There are many of us for a reason.
This is a heavily moderated community. It is built on trust and requires the support of the community. We are all responsible for its success or failure.
- What do the mushrooms beside people's names mean?
- How should I browse the community to search for possible trades?
- This is exciting! What can I trade here?
- How do I create a properly titled submission?
- How do I trade?
- How do I report a successful trade?
- I believe my partner scammed me. What should I do?
- So how do I get those colored shrooms already?
- Where can I find evidence of my past trades?
- Who moderates this community?
- I love this place, how can I help?
- Why don't you remove the upvote/downvote buttons?
- Are there other amazing communities like this one?
- Something is missing?
What do the mushrooms beside people's names mean?
There are three colored mushrooms: blue, red, and green. They indicate that the member has completed a successful trade. A blue mushroom means they have made at least one successful trade. A red mushroom means they have completed 10 or more successful trades and meet certain requirements. A green mushroom means they have completed 20 or more trades and meet certain requirements. See here for the requirements and process to receive a mushroom.
How should I browse the community to search for possible trades?
We encourage everyone to browse the submission list by new. You can do so by clicking here. This way you never miss an opportunity for a trade. You can also search for game titles using reddit's built-in search function. This is a good idea since someone may already have a deal you are interested in.
Also, don't be afraid to read the comments of posts you may not be interested in. Often someone makes an offer the OP is not interested in, but you may be. Countless trades have been initiated using this method.
What do the 'H' and 'W' mean in submission titles?
'H' is short for 'have'. These are games that the submitter currently owns and wants to trade away. 'W' is short for 'want'. These are games that the submitter is looking to obtain.
Why are some submissions red and others blue?
Submissions involving Steam trades are colored red to help browse the community. However, this is tested by checking the URL for the word steam. Reddit truncates the URL, so it does not always contain the full title. So some steam posts are not colored red. Blue submissions are trades not involving Steam, or titles where the word steam appeared after the URL was shortened. If you are making a trade involving Steam, you should include the word Steam early in your submission title.
This is exciting! What can I trade here?
At least one side of the trade must be gaming related. Games and consoles of course, new and old.
We no longer allow pure Steam swaps. They should be traded at r/steamgameswap. Discussion on the topic can be found here. Consequently we no longer allow trading of Humble Bundles, Indie Galas, or any kind of purely digital items.
We do not allow or support pirated games here. Any requests or offers will be removed.
Online accounts are allowed though risky. We generally discourage swapping accounts. If you do trade for an account, we recommend that you also take control of the email associated with that account. Otherwise, your trading partner can regain control of the account by resetting the login and password using the associated e-mail. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. If you are trying to swap an account here, one half of the trade MUST be console gaming related. If you want to swap your account for a Steam Game, a Beta Key, or a different PC gaming account, please use r/steamgameswap. Gaming peripherals such as controllers, books, and collectibles ARE allowed. Trading PSN Cards or MS Point are also fair game.
DO NOT try to sell your games here. Paypal or cash can be used to level out a deal, but we do not allow you to sell games here. You can sell your games in other communities such as gamesell. Posts asking for or offering ONLY cash will be removed. Even if a deal has already been made or initiated. Even if it is a week old.
That being said the details of a trade are between the parties involved, so if one side decides to throw in cash to make it an even deal, or you work it out to simply purchase the game, go for it. When using Paypal, do not send the payment as a gift. You can not charge back a gift (get a refund). Be sure to read this section for a suggestions and guidelines of how to manage your exchange.
As nice as it is, we do not allow Freebies or giveaways here. There are other communities for that kind of generosity. See the list of our sister communities for where you should do that. Submissions of these types will be removed.
Why don't you allow [insert type of trade here] trades?
This community has become as successful as it is in part because it remains focused on trading games and game related items. By shifting our focus on what can and can not be traded the community loses focus and can become chaotic to navigate.
But [insert community here] sucks! There are not enough subscribers to do what I want!
Man, that sucks. But this gameSWAP, where people SWAP things. If a suggested community is not big enough for you, fix it. Promote it. Or even start your own. It takes work to make something great. And a lot of people worked hard to make sure that this community is great for swapping games.
How do I create a properly titled submission?
First, did you browse the community? Often a trade you are looking to make has already been posted and is just waiting on you to respond.
As mentioned before, the community is heavily moderated. We spend most of our time approving and removing posts based on their title. Because of the volume of submissions daily, we have a required format to make it easy to quickly browse the community. While it is not necessary you follow the format exactly, it is necessary that your submission title contains the same information. Also, don't assume that people know when a game is exclusive to one system or another. You must list the system for each title or title group. The preferred format is as follows:
[Country] [H] Games [System1], More Games [System2]. [W] Games [System1], More Games [System2].
If your submission is only for one system, the following is also acceptable:
[Country] [ALL System] [H] Games. [W] Games
You may not know what you want. You just know you want something else. In place of specifics, you can always just list 'Offers'. If you just want Offers... you still HAVE to include the systems you are interested in:
[Country] [H] Game [System]. [W] Offers [System]
You may also have a lot of games to trade. So many listing them all in the title would be 'messy'. Or similarly for games you interested in. The following submission format is acceptable in such cases:
[Country] [H] List Inside [System(s)]. [W] List Inside [System(s)]
You'll find though it is a good idea to list your at least a few Game titles in your list, especially any AAA to get people to at least look at your list:
[Country] [H] Games [System], more inside. [W] Games [System], more inside.
I don't see my submission in the New queue. What gives?
Our Spam Filter is trained to remove anything that doesn't get close to the formatting guidelines . If after 10-15 minutes of your post not showing, message the moderators with a link to your submission. If it meets the submission requirements we'll release your submission.
My submission was listed but now it has disappeared. What happened?
More than likely you failed to meet the submission title guidelines. Check them again to be sure your submission was titled correctly. You also may have tried to trade something not allowed or you may have tried to sell something. See here for what is allowed and not.
It is also possible that you are 'flooding' the community. You are not allowed to make more than one submission per week. The spirit of the rule is to keep the community free from clutter, give everyone a fair shot at screen space, and allow for quick and easy browsing. Anything that the moderators feel is against the spirit of the rule will be removed, even if not specifically outlined here.
DO NOT delete your posts in an attempt to circumvent the One-Thread per week rule. Deleting your threads will make the Spam Filter hate you. If you try to do this, we'll figure it out (or someone in the community will flag you and we WILL remove all of your submissions. Deleting and reposting to try to circumvent the rules may result in a temp-ban. You really shouldn't delete posts for any reason. Your posting history is your friend. If you really, really want something gone, just message a mod and ask us to remove it.
How do I trade?
We leave the details between you and your partner. However, we have some guidelines that will help prevent fraud and keep most everyone happy. Remember, reddit nor r/gameswap are responsible for anything that happens here. You trade at your own risk. We can ban usernames but not people or IPs. You should only trade items with someone if you are comfortable with the person. If you get a bad feeling, or something doesn't seem right, WALK AWAY. You are not required to accept any offer you don't want. You are not required to ship first if you don't want. All those discussions and decisions are up to the people involved in the swap. You should realize that there is a possibility you will never see your items again and will never see what was promised. We have had a VERY and overwhelmingly successful history here... but scamming still does happen. Exercise common sense and don't be afraid to walk away from a swap.
Before you agree to trade you should thoroughly vet your potential partner. This would include browsing their reddit submission history and comment history. Do they seem trustworthy? Are they active? You should also check r/badkarma. Everyone there should be banned, however they have often tried coming back using similar handles. In the case of bad steam swaps we try to include their steam username and universal id. The age of the account can also be an indicator of trustworthiness. Be wary of trading with a young account. Of course we are not saying young accounts or even inactive accounts are not trustworthy. Only that in our experience, most scams occur when dealing with these types.
Keep in mind that moderators will do little more than attempt to moderate a resolution. Once you are set you should agree on a trade date. Communication in r/gameswap is so very important. Be sure to keep your partner up to date on delays, successes, and failures.
Can you be a middle man?
No. Moderators will not act as middle men. We also will not tap anyone to be a middle man for you. It has been discussed in this thread, so people there might be willing to help you. As with anything else in this community, you use a middle man at your own risk. We don't offer that service because the details of a trade are between you and your partner. It would be inappropriate for a moderator to become involved in that relationship.
How do I trade physical games?
If you feel confident you can trust your partner you should swap information and confirm terms. For physical trades you swap addresses. You should also get Delivery Confirmation. It is only a few cents extra and provides peace of mind for you and your partner. If you have never shipped before you may find these pro tips from some guy and the_infiniti useful. We recommend using USPS. It's also not a bad idea to trade contact information other than your reddit account names. Reddit has been known to be inaccessible at times. Nothing is worse than needing to communicate with or wanting to hear from your partner and not being able to.
How do I trade digital copies?
If you feel confident you can trust your partner you should swap information and confirm terms. For digital trades you should swap whatever information is necessary: email addresses, account names, etc. Steam now has built in trade functionality. Each game is put into an e-escrow. Once both ends are happy with the items, Steam will swap the games. If you are trading for an account, it is highly recommended you only make the trade if you can receive the email account associated with the account. Otherwise it is possible you partner and regain control of the account. Just like physical trades, it is a good idea to have alternate contact information for you partner in the case of a reddit outage.
Recommended Trade Order
Diggidy has come up with a great guideline on trading order. This is helpful to resolve any questions on who should ship/trade first. These are only guidelines, but we can't see why any reasonable person should object:
Who Goes First
- No mushroom with no mushroom - newer redditor goes first.
- One person with a mushroom - person without mushroom goes first.
- One with higher tiered mushroom - lower tiered mushroom goes first.
- Two with the same mushroom - newer redditor goes first.
Modifiers
- Physical copy for physical copy - follow above guidelines.
- Physical copy for digital game/account - physical copy is received first and then digital copy sent.
- Digital game/account for digital game/account - follow above guidelines.
Errata
- These are only guidelines and we feel they are best practiced.
- Nothing replaces proper vetting. Even with these guidelines in place you should only make trades you comfortable with, with people you are comfortable with, regardless of trade order.
- You trade at your own risk. Following these guidelines does not guarantee a successful trade. Only increases the chances.
- If you recognize you trade at your own risk, you can do whatever you want. Feel free to ignore these.
How do I report a successful trade?
There is always a link on the sidebar to the current successful trade list. We usually create a new one every month or month and a half. You or your partner should comment with the details of the trade and any feedback. Then the other partner replies to the comment confirming the trade. Once the trade has been verified you and/or your partner will receive a blue mushroom.
I have a confirmed trade, but no mushroom yet. What gives?
Please allow up to one week for us to assign your mushroom. If after a week you have not received a mushroom, message the moderators. Include a link to the confirmation thread. We'll be sure to act promptly.
It also may be the case that we feel your trade is suspicious. We'll usually let you know once you've contacted us. Based on the conversation we'll see what happens.
I already have a mushroom. Should I still report successful trades?
Yes! We like to see how much the community is being used. Also, it helps us look good. Also, you'll want to keep up with your trades for when you're ready to request a tiered mushroom.
I believe my partner scammed me. What should I do?
First, don't start spamming the community tearing them a new asshole. We try to handle these things with some civility here. Your first step should be to message the moderators and explain the situation. You should include details about the trade: what was being traded, what happened, any other communication afterwards, and most importantly; PROOF. You can email us screenshots of the conversation. We will not act without some kind of documentation indicating that a trade was initiated. Also, include any alternate contact information you have for your partner. We'll make an attempt to resolve the situation by contacting your partner. 9 times out of 10 they are just lazy and running behind.
In the case that we cannot resolve the situation, we'll ban their username from the community and make a post in r/badkarma with details of the issue. Keep in mind we can't ban IPs, only usernames.
I'm really pissed off! I want to post their information publicly!
Don't. Not only it is against Reddit TOS to share personal information on the site, it is against the community's rule. While we can't control what you do elsewhere, you will be banned from the community and reported to the Admins.
My partner thinks I scammed them, but I swear I sent the package. What can I do?
If you got delivery confirmation, you are in the clear. The USPS fucks up sometimes. Nothing we can do. But you should think about how you would like it handled if you were on the other end.
If you did not get delivery confirmation, we'll consider it a failed trade on your part. If you don't/can't make it right, you'll be added r/badkarma and banned from the community.
For e-trades you should have some kind of documentation that your partner refused the swap or something.
So how do I get those colored shrooms already?
- To be eligible for the blue mushroom you must complete one confirmed trade. Young accounts may not receive a mushroom promptly to help prevent false trust.
- To be eligible for the red mushroom you must have 10+ confirmed trades, an account at least 6mo old, and at least 200 comment karma or moderator discretion if you do not meet the account age or comment requirement.
- To be eligible for the green mushroom you must have 20+ confirmed trades, an account at least 1 yr old, and at least 400 comment karma or moderator discretion if you do not meet the account age or comment requirement.
- For a confirmed trade to count towards your tiered mushroom goal, the partner must have a 3 mo old account and at least 100 comment karma or moderator discretion if your partner does not meet the karma or account age requirement.
- All successful trades are still posted in the current successful trade list as normal.
- To request your successful mushroom upgrade, make a self-post in r/mushroomkingdom. The title should be format [Your Reddit Account name] - Your number of successful trades. In the text of the post, it should contain links to each of the successful trade confirmation posts. Posts failing to follow these simple instructions will be removed.
- You should wait at least 2 weeks before messaging the moderators about an unfulfilled mushroom request. Requests made before that time will be ignored.
- If for some reason we decide not to upgrade your mushroom, we will comment why in your request submission.
- When we upgrade your mushroom we will notify you in your submission.
- r/mushroomkingdom will be open for meta discussion about r/gameswap as well. FAQ discussions, procedure discussion, etc.
I think these rules are stupid! What can I do to change your minds?
Please read these discussions, Initial announcement, especially the discussions with consulate_earl and after it went into effect, especially bsturtle's discussion with L33tMasta. If you think you have something more to add, then you can start a discussion in r/mushroomkingdom.
Where can I find evidence of my past trades?
Below is a list of all the successful trade lists since r/gameswap began reporting trades this way. If you think we're missing one let us know.
Who moderates this community?
This is a list of past and present moderators. If you are a past or present moderator and would like something to be written about yourself or are missing from the list let us know.
Stark21 - Created this community and then disappeared.
dirkachbar - Through his tireless efforts made this community much of what it is today.
Lebal -
bsturtle -
_Goose_ -
summerkc -
cogburn -
gkryo -
Diggidy -
I love this place, how can I help?
This community depends on those that participate. The biggest thing you can do to help this place be successful is follow the guidelines. That means not posting too frequently, using proper submission titles, and following through with confirmed deals.
Furthermore, you can help us moderate by reporting inappapropiately titled posts and too frequent re-posts. You can do this by clicking the 'Report' button beneath a problem submission. As you can tell from the list above, we go through moderators frequently. This is because it can be time consuming. When we need new moderators we'll make a post asking for those interested to say why.
I hate this place, what can I do to make it better?
Start a dialogue with the community by making a submission to r/mushroomkingdom or with the moderators by sending us a message. Be warned, there has been more thought put into the guidelines than you have probably guessed. But we encourage constructive criticism, and every now and then, even listen.
Why don't you remove the upvote/downvote buttons?
Because honest swappers don't use them, and those that would, can bypass them by checking "ignore custom css" in their preferences. You should always browse the community sorted by new to bypass the effects of voting.
Are there other amazing communities like this one?
There sure are. Here is a list of our 'sister' communities.
How can I become a sister community?
Send a message to the moderators. Already did? Send another one. Sometimes we forget to update the sidebar.
Something is missing?
Please let us know if you think this document can be made better.