I am building a website where you can give a thing you own and get another thing of the same kind in return. Say you give a stamp in exchange of for another stamp, so you change stamps with someone. Stamp is just an example, it could be a book, a game etc. Fundamentally what you do is giving and taking things of the same kind, you cannot give a book and get a game. You give a book, you get a book.
So, what I am wondering is which word would be the best to indicate this kind of exchange. Swap of Trade? What is the main difference between these two words?
Thanks a lot…
Best Answer
Swap and trade are similar. Trade is more generic while swap has a much more casual feel. Swap can also mean exchanging something without either side giving up anything, though you could use trade in this way, too, I suppose.
For cultural context, there are large "swap meets" in certain parts of America. LA is famous for them. They are sometimes mentioned in rap music. So, if you want to be cool, go with swap and leave trade to the economics professors. Too bad swapmeet.com isn't likely to be available!