House rules

Last updated September 2026

Barterie is a swap board for neighbours. Everything here comes down to three things: be straight with people, only offer what you actually have, and turn up when you say you will.

How a swap works

  • You list something. Someone offers something back. You both agree, or you do not.
  • No money changes hands. There are no credits, points or tokens either.
  • You arrange where and when yourselves, in the chat that opens once you agree.
  • After the swap you both confirm it happened, and can review each other.

Meeting safely

  • Meet somewhere public the first time. A market, a cafĂ©, a car park in daylight.
  • Bring someone with you if the swap is large or you are travelling to a stranger.
  • Look at the thing before you hand yours over.
  • Nobody needs your address to swap. Share it only when you decide to.

What cannot be listed

These are refused outright:

    Food, animals and the law

    • Home-grown and home-made food between neighbours is what this board is for. Say what is in it if it matters (nuts, allergens), and keep it fresh. If you run a food business, the food safety rules that apply to you still apply here.
    • Rehoming a cat or dog in NSW means it is microchipped and the listing shows the microchip number or breeder number. Other animals get looked at by us before they stay up.
    • Bartering can count as income if you trade as a business. The ATO has a page on it. Neighbours swapping tomatoes for eggs are not who that is aimed at.

    If something goes wrong

    • Report a listing or a person from their page. It comes straight to us.
    • If a swap falls through, say so on the swap. It stays uncounted and nobody gets a review out of it.
    • Repeatedly wasting people's time gets an account closed.