Prohibited & Restricted Items

Version 1 — effective 29 August 2026. Modelled on Singapore marketplace rules and adapted for a swimming & diving swap community.

SwapBins is for swapping swimming and diving equipment and accessories. Some things may not be listed, offered in a swap, or requested as a wanted item — even where they are not strictly illegal — because they are unsafe to hand over between strangers or do not fit the purpose of SwapBins. This list is not exhaustive. You are responsible for making sure anything you list complies with Singapore law. We may update this list at any time without prior notice; the current version is always the one on this page.

Not allowed at all

1. Drugs, tobacco & vapes

• ✗E-vaporisers / e-cigarettes and any related products — pods, coils, vape juice, e-liquid, refills
• ✗Tobacco and imitation tobacco — cigarettes, cigars, shisha, chewing tobacco, rolling tobacco
• ✗Nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum
• ✗Controlled and illegal drugs, and drug paraphernalia (bongs, dab rigs, pipes for illicit use)

2. Alcohol

• ✗Beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic drinks — SwapBins does not verify age at handover and cannot support alcohol swaps

3. Weapons, ammunition & related accessories

• ✗Firearms, air guns, airsoft and BB guns, and any parts, ammunition, magazines, silencers or gunpowder
• ✗Spearguns and harpoon guns — controlled under Singapore’s Arms and Explosives Act (a pole spear or Hawaiian sling is also not allowed here)
• ✗Fighting and concealed knives — karambit, balisong / butterfly, flick knife, switchblade, machete, parang, kukri, bayonet, katana
• ✗Other offensive weapons — knuckle dusters, batons, tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, crossbows, nunchaku
• ✗Body armour and bulletproof vests
• ✓A blunt-tip or line-cutter dive knife / dive tool sold as diving equipment
• ✓Kitchen, utility and pen knives, and dive-line shears / trauma shears

4. Fireworks, explosives & hazardous materials

• ✗Fireworks, firecrackers, pyrotechnics, flare guns
• ✗Explosives, detonators, thermite and similar
• ✗Asbestos, radioactive material, industrial-grade pesticides and restricted chemicals
• ✓Sealed, in-date surface marker / safety flares and dive torches sold as diving safety gear

5. Adult & mature content

• ✗Pornography and sexually explicit material
• ✗Sex toys, sexual-wellness / enhancement products, and adult services
• ✗Used or worn intimate wear (underwear, briefs, bras)
• ✗Contraceptives and any listing presented in a sexually suggestive way
• ✓Ordinary new or gently-used swimwear (trunks, briefs, one-pieces, rash guards, wetsuits) described normally

6. Animals & animal products

• ✗Live animals, human remains, body parts or bodily fluids
• ✗Anything made from a protected or endangered species — ivory, rhino horn, pangolin scale, tiger bone, turtle shell, shark’s fin, dried seahorse
• ✓Leather or synthetic straps and trims on ordinary gear

7. Counterfeit & pirated goods

• ✗Counterfeit or “replica” branded goggles, watches, fins, wetsuits or bags
• ✗Items that infringe someone else’s copyright, trademark or patent
• ✗Pirated media and cracked or unlicensed software
• ✗Listings using terms like “OEM”, “factory overrun” or “first copy” to imply a brand link that does not exist
• ✓Genuine second-hand branded gear, described honestly as pre-owned

8. Medicines & health products

• ✗Prescription-only medicines, antibiotics, injectables, insulin, controlled painkillers
• ✗Anabolic steroids, SARMs, growth hormone and other performance / physique drugs
• ✗Slimming, weight-loss and “detox” consumables, and appetite suppressants
• ✗Contact lenses (including cosmetic / cosplay lenses)
• ✗COVID-19 / ART test kits
• ✗Botox, dermal fillers and other injectable cosmetic substances
• ✓A dive mask fitted with corrective / prescription lenses, sold as diving equipment
• ✓Sealed, in-date reef-safe sunscreen, ear drops or anti-fog where the seller may lawfully pass it on

9. Gambling

• ✗Casino chips, casino or betting vouchers and credits, virtual gambling currency
• ✗Lottery, 4D and Toto tickets or systems
• ✗Online gambling / betting accounts and top-up services

10. Money, currency & securities

• ✗Cryptocurrency, crypto wallets and seed phrases
• ✗Shares, securities and forex trading accounts or “signals”
• ✗Counterfeit or replica currency and prop money
• ✗Money-lending, loans and “fast cash” services

11. Government & identity items

• ✗Uniforms or articles that closely resemble a Police, SAF, SCDF or other official uniform
• ✗NRIC, SingPass / CorpPass credentials, passports, driving licences, and fake or “novelty” versions of any of these

12. Digital accounts & subscriptions

• ✗Sale, resale or sharing of streaming and media accounts (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Viu, YouTube Premium and similar)
• ✗Sale of game, social-media or SwapBins accounts
• ✗OTP / one-time-password and verification-code services

13. Other restricted items

• ✗Stolen goods, in whole or in part
• ✗Recalled products
• ✗Seat-belt clips, stoppers and buckle devices, and other items designed to defeat a safety system
• ✗Radar detectors and signal / GPS / phone jammers
• ✗Mod chips, loaded TV boxes, IPTV subscriptions and unlicensed decoders
• ✗Multi-level-marketing, pyramid, Ponzi and “get rich quick” schemes
• ✗Any item or listing that breaks Singapore law, or that SwapBins judges unsafe or inappropriate for a swap

Restricted — approved sellers only

The following may only be listed by a licensed retailer or business that SwapBins and the relevant authority have approved in advance:

• ⚠Weight-loss or weight-management supplements approved by the HSA
• ⚠Any product that by law may only be supplied by a licensed retailer, pharmacist or approved merchant

To apply, email hello@swapbins.com.

How we enforce this

New and edited listings are screened automatically for prohibited wording and blocked before they go live. Members can report any listing (see below), and SwapBins may remove a listing, hide it from search, or suspend an account for a breach — with or without notice. Repeated or serious breaches lead to a permanent ban. If your listing was blocked by mistake, reword it or contact us.

Report a listing

Seen something that breaks these rules? Email hello@swapbins.com with the listing link and a short note. Reports are confidential.

Contact

Questions about this policy: hello@swapbins.com. See also the Terms of Use.