Trading in person

Trading in person: practical precautions

Card trades arranged through BinderPlug happen face to face, between you and another collector. The habits below can reduce common risks; nothing can remove them entirely.

These are suggestions, not guarantees. BinderPlug does not verify who anyone is, does not inspect any location, and cannot make any meeting risk-free. You alone decide whether, where, when, and with whom to trade.

Before you go

Tell someone you trust where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to be done. Check in with them afterward.
Arrange your own transportation there and back. Do not rely on the other trader for a ride.
Look at the other trader's history in the app: completed trades and feedback from other collectors. It is other users' reported experience and the app's own records, not a guarantee of anyone's conduct, and a trade counted as completed may have been closed out automatically.
Agree on the trade in the app before you meet, so both sides have a record of what is meant to be exchanged.
Be wary of last-minute changes to the meeting place or time. If the other trader pushes to move somewhere more private or to meet much later, reschedule or call it off.

Choosing where to meet

Meet in a public, populated place during business hours: a card shop, a busy café, a library. Some police departments set aside an area at the station for exchanges; check with the department before relying on one.
Do not meet at your home or theirs, and do not share your home address.
The app lists public places near you both as a planning convenience, and you choose where to meet. The list comes from open map data and public web pages, mostly the places' own websites. We do not inspect, monitor, or vouch for any place: details can be wrong or out of date, and you should judge the spot when you arrive. If a place feels wrong, pick another.

At the meetup

Bring a friend when you can, especially for a high-value trade.
Keep the trade in the open. Stay in the public part of the venue.
Inspect every card before you hand over yours: sleeves off, surfaces and printing checked in good light. Take your time; a rushed trade is a bad trade.
Keep your phone charged and with you.
If anything feels off (the person, the place, the deal), walk away. No trade is worth ignoring your instincts, and you owe nobody an explanation.

If something goes wrong

If someone is in danger or a crime is happening, contact emergency services (911) first. A report to BinderPlug is not a 911 call.
Report the account in the app afterward so we have a record and can review it. To report a problem with a meetup place, use the report option in the trade's meetup details.