Swap safely
1. Your first badge. Everyone starts as New collector. You get a verified record in one of three ways: buy once at IFiDEA, swap once with IFiDEA (your piece arrives, is checked, and IFiDEA ships back), or ship a tracked swap to a collector who is already verified. Swaps between two new collectors work fine; they just do not go on either public record yet.
2. What the badges mean. Every badge is a fact we recorded, nothing more. Verified buyer: has completed an order at IFiDEA. Swapped with IFiDEA ×N: N pieces arrived at IFiDEA and were accepted into its own stock. N tracked swaps: shipped with a USPS, UPS or FedEx tracking number to N different verified collectors. Thumbs count only from verified collectors, once per person. We never call anyone “trusted”; the record speaks, you decide.
3. Paying. Money never goes through IFiDEA. With a collector who has no verified history yet, we suggest PayPal Goods & Services, which can refund you if the piece never comes or is not as described. Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, cash at a meet-up or any other way are your call; they simply carry no protection. Until you have a verified deal, Let it go prices are capped at $100. You can have 3 Let it go listings up at once; 15 for 90 days after any order at IFiDEA; no limit for Block Circle collectors. Listings already up are never taken down when a limit changes.
4. Before you ship. Photograph the piece, its box and any code on the box (Pop Mart boxes carry a scratch code you can check on Pop Mart’s site). Ship USPS Ground Advantage or similar with tracking; one small box is usually $5–9 in the US, and the same box holds several pieces. Bubble wrap, a snug box, tape on every seam, keep the receipt, paste the tracking number on the swap page so a Track link appears for both of you. Meeting up instead? Busy public place in daylight, or a police-station Safe Exchange Zone.
5. If something is wrong. Piece damaged, missing, or not what was agreed: message the other collector first with photos; most things are honest mistakes. Then use Problem with this swap? on the card. A report pauses their new deals right away and a human at IFiDEA looks at the full record, usually within 48 hours. Paid with PayPal Goods & Services? Open a claim there too.
6. What IFiDEA is, and is not. Swaps and Let it go are between the two of you. IFiDEA finds matches, keeps the record, and is a collector here itself under the Official badge. IFiDEA does not hold money, does not authenticate pieces, and is not a party to your deal; badges only reflect activity we recorded. Swap is for adults (18+). Contact details appear only after you both accept; skip anyone who pushes to move off-platform before that.