Welcome to Campus Swap. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the Campus Swap platform operated by Bay Software ("we", "us", or "our"). By accessing or using our platform, including our waitlist, website, and marketplace, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our platform.
1. Acceptance of terms
By registering for our waitlist, creating an account, or using any feature of Campus Swap, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Campus Swap under South African law.
2. Eligibility
To use Campus Swap you must:
- Be a registered student at Nelson Mandela University (NMU), Campus Swap is currently available exclusively at NMU
- Hold a valid @mandela.ac.za email address
- Be 18 years of age or older, or have parental/guardian consent if between 16 and 18
- Not be prohibited from using our platform under applicable law
- Agree to receive email communications related to your account and transactions
We may expand to other universities in future. Eligibility requirements will be updated accordingly.
3. User accounts
When you create an account you agree to:
- Provide accurate and complete information, including your real name and valid university email
- Keep your account credentials confidential and not share your password with anyone
- Notify us immediately at support@campusswap.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account
- Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account
- Not create multiple accounts or impersonate another person
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraud, or are inactive for an extended period.
4. Listings & transactions
When you list an item for sale on Campus Swap:
- You confirm that you are the lawful owner of the item and have the right to sell it
- All item descriptions, photos, and condition disclosures must be accurate and not misleading
- You set your own prices and agree that listing items is free of charge
- You agree to honour your listing and not withdraw it after a buyer has committed to purchase
- Campus Swap takes no responsibility for the accuracy of listing descriptions, this is the seller's responsibility
When you purchase an item:
- You are entering into a binding agreement with the seller to purchase the item as described
- Payment must be made through Campus Swap's escrow system, off-platform payments are not supported and remove your buyer protection
- You must inspect the item at the campus meetup before confirming receipt
- You have 24 hours after the meetup to raise a dispute if the item is not as described
5. Escrow & payments
Campus Swap operates a secure escrow payment system to protect both buyers and sellers:
- When a buyer commits to a purchase, payment is collected and held securely in escrow
- The seller does not receive payment until the buyer confirms receipt of the item in the condition described
- If the buyer does not confirm receipt within 48 hours of the agreed meetup time, payment is automatically released to the seller
- Campus Swap charges a buyer protection fee of 8% of the transaction value, paid by the buyer
- Listing and selling on Campus Swap is always free, sellers receive 100% of their listed price
- Refunds are processed within 5–10 business days to the original payment method
We use third-party payment processors to handle transactions. By making a payment, you also agree to the terms of our payment processor.
6. Prohibited items & conduct
The following items may not be listed on Campus Swap:
- Illegal goods or substances of any kind
- Weapons, ammunition, or dangerous goods
- Counterfeit, stolen, or infringing goods
- Prescription medications or controlled substances
- Tobacco, alcohol, or age-restricted products
- Adult content or explicit material
- Digital goods, software licences, or accounts (unless explicitly permitted)
- Live animals
- Items you do not own or have authority to sell
The following conduct is prohibited on our platform:
- Harassment, threats, or abusive behaviour towards other users
- Attempting to conduct transactions outside of the Campus Swap escrow system
- Creating fake listings, fake reviews, or false information
- Using the platform for commercial reselling at scale (we are a peer-to-peer student marketplace)
- Attempting to manipulate or circumvent our rating and review system
- Scraping, hacking, or reverse-engineering any part of our platform
7. Ratings & reviews
After each completed transaction, both parties may leave a rating and review. You agree to:
- Provide honest, accurate reviews based on your genuine experience
- Not offer incentives for positive reviews or threaten negative reviews
- Accept that all reviews are public and may be visible to future trading partners
We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate these Terms or our community guidelines. We will not remove negative reviews solely because a seller disagrees with them.
8. Intellectual property
All content on the Campus Swap platform, including the logo, design, text, and code, is owned by Campus Swap / Bay Software and is protected by South African copyright law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without our written permission.
By uploading photos or content to Campus Swap, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display that content on our platform for the purpose of facilitating your listing.
9. Limitation of liability
Campus Swap is a marketplace platform connecting student buyers and sellers. To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:
- We are not a party to transactions between users and are not responsible for the quality, safety, or legality of listed items
- We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform
- Our total liability to you for any claim will not exceed the amount of the transaction fees you paid to Campus Swap in the preceding 12 months
- We do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free access to our platform
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for gross negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable South African law.
10. Dispute resolution
If a dispute arises between a buyer and seller, please follow this process:
- Step 1 — Contact the other party directly through the Campus Swap messaging system
- Step 2 — If unresolved within 48 hours, raise a formal dispute through our platform (available after confirmed meetup)
- Step 3 — Campus Swap will review the evidence submitted by both parties and make a binding decision within 5 business days
- Step 4 — If you are unsatisfied with Campus Swap's decision, you may escalate to the relevant South African consumer protection body
We are committed to fair dispute resolution. Our decisions will be based on the evidence provided and our community guidelines.
11. Termination
You may close your account at any time by contacting us at support@campusswap.com. We may suspend or terminate your account without notice if you violate these Terms or engage in fraudulent or harmful behaviour.
Upon termination, your listings will be removed and any pending escrow transactions will be resolved according to our standard dispute process.
12. Changes to terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our platform or applicable law. We will notify you of material changes at least 14 days before they take effect via email or a prominent notice on the platform. Your continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes that cannot be resolved through our internal process will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa, specifically the High Court of the Eastern Cape Division.
14. Contact us
If you have questions about these Terms or need assistance, please contact us: