How can I swap coins, banknotes and exonumia on Numista?

Swapping coins, banknotes or exonumia on Numista is a convenient way to grow your collection, by giving away the items you don't want to keep and receiving the items you wish from other users in exchange. This page describes the steps to swap on Numista.

Register your coins, banknotes and exonumia for swap

A pre-requisite to swap on Numista is to register the items you want to offer for swap. This is done in the same way as registering items in your collection; just make sure you select “For exchange: yes” when adding an item to your collection.

 

Read the guide: How can I register my collection on Numista?

Find a swap partner

There are multiple ways to find other users to swap with. The main entry point is the page “Swaps” from the menu at the top. 

To learn about all the possible methods, read the guide: How can I find a swap partner?

Start a swap

Once you found a swap partner, go to their swap list. Select the items you would like to receive. In order to facilitate your selection, you can filter the swap list. Some icons indicate whether you already have the item in your collection or not and whether the item is part of your wishlist; open the “Legend” section to learn about the icons.

Once you are done with the selection of the items, validate by clicking the button “Ask to swap”. This action creates a swap and redirects you to the page of the swap. Write a message and submit with “Send” to send a personal message to the other user and let them know you would like to swap with them.

The swap page contains multiple sections:

• A history of actions related to the swap.
• The list of personal messages you exchanged with your swap partner.
• A menu of actions.
• A list of “Coins and banknotes I get”, showing the items you selected.
• A list of “Coins and banknotes I give in exchange”, which will show the items that the other users will select in your swap list.

Negotiate the swap

The other user receives your message. He can review which items you selected and he can reply via personal message. If the user is willing to swap with you, they select items within the items you registered for swap.

 

The user will select which items he accepts to swap using the checkboxes on the left of the list of items. This will be reflected with the red checkboxes on your side. You can also select and unselect the items you give or receive using the green checkboxes.

You can exchange personal messages with the other user to agree on the terms of the swap:

• Which item will be exchanged by each party? Both parties should select or unselect items accordingly, using the checkboxes.
• Who will send first? A person with no swap completed or a low number of swaps usually sends their items first. You may also agree with the other user to send at the same time.
• What type of mailing? Depending on the country you send to and the value of the items you send, you may require the mailing to be a basic tracked letter, a registered letter, a registered letter with insurance, etc.
• What kind of packaging? If you or the other user have specific requirements about the packaging, this should also be discussed.

Confirm the swap

Once you agree on the terms of the swap, click on “Confirm my swap offer”. Then write a message a message to the other user and click on “Send”.

The other user will see your proposal to confirm the swap. He has 2 options:

• Accept the offer. If they selected different items than the person who confirmed the offer, they will be prompted to align their selection before they can accept.
• Continue the negotiation. Both parties will be able to adjust their selection and discuss again the terms until the other user or you confirms again the swap.

Send your coins, banknotes and exonumia

When the swap is confirmed by both parties, you and the other user can send the items as agreed.

 

Pack the items carefully. A simple method is to pack each coin individually in some paper or plastic pocket or holder, and tape the wrapped coins between two pieces of cardboard. The cardboard should be slightly smaller than the enveloppe, so that it can't move inside. 

Here is some more basic advice:

• Make sure the coins can't move in the enveloppe and can't touch each other. 
• Don't stick glue or adhesive tape directly on the coins.
• It should not be possible to guess the content of the package by touching the package or listening when shaking the package.

 

If you agreed to send with tracked mail, send the tracking number to the other user.

 

It's also time to remove the coins and banknotes from your swaplist, so that other people won't select them in another swap.

Rate the swap

When you receive the package from the other user, you can rate your experience. Ratings are visible publicly. They aim at creating a safe swapping community.

A rating consists in a grade from 0 to 5 and a comment.

• The grade 0 stands for a very bad swap, where you didn't receive anything and the other user made no effort to arrange the situation.
• The grade 5 stands for a good swap, with no issue with the items, the packaging and the communication.
• Other grades can be used for other situations in-between.

 

The comment is intended to share qualitative feedback about the swap. Please don't disclose personal information in the comment.

If you don't receive the items, give a low-grade rating. You will still be able to change the rating if you finally get the package.

 

If you received a grade below 5, you can publish a reply below the comment. Your future swap partners will easily ignore occasional ratings lower than 5 if there is a polite and reasoned reply.