Everything you might want to ask

Gleam It is an online marketplace where families in Lisbon swap the things their children have outgrown. You list an item, you earn Gleam Points, and you use those points to take something another family has listed. No money changes hands between members.

Browsing is free. To list items and swap, you need a membership. The membership is what keeps the community safe and the platform running - it is not a fee on each swap.

Lisbon, for now. We are starting in one city so that handovers are easy and members can actually meet.

Families with children. Everyone has a profile and a rating, so you always know who you are swapping with.

Between one and three. One is enough, but three tells the full story and gets you a better points value.

1. The whole item, from the front. This becomes your main picture.
2. Another angle, or any wear. The back, the inside, a mark or a scratch.
3. The label or brand tag. This helps us recognise the brand and the original price.

Yes. Always photograph the real item, in your home, as it is today. Never use a picture from the internet, from the shop, or from the manufacturer.

Another family is choosing your item from that photo. They need to see the one they will actually receive - the real colour, the real condition, the real wear. A catalogue picture shows them something that does not exist any more.

Listings with photos taken from the internet are removed.

• Photograph the real item. Yours, as it looks now. Not a picture from a website or a shop.
• Use daylight, and stand with your back to the window. The light should come from behind you and fall onto the item. Turn off the flash.
• Never photograph facing a window. If the window is behind the item, the picture comes out dark, grey, or washed out with white light. This is the most common mistake.
• Use a plain background. A wall, a floor, a bed sheet. The item should be the only thing in the picture.
• Fill the frame. Get close enough that the item takes up most of the photo.
• Clean it first. A quick wipe makes a real difference to the points value.
• Lay clothes flat. Smooth them out, no hangers, no folds.
• Show the whole item. Nothing cut off at the edges.

• Pictures taken from the internet, a shop website or the manufacturer
• Photos taken facing a window or facing the sun
• Dark rooms and flash
• Busy backgrounds - toys on the floor, a full room behind
• Blurry photos
• Photos of the box instead of the item
• Other people or children in the picture

No. Take the picture, and we do the rest - we clean up the background and prepare the image for you. Your job is only to make sure the item is clear and well lit.

Two reasons. It is how we recognise the item, the brand and the condition, so it decides the points you get. And it is the only thing another family sees before they choose your item.

No - show it. Photograph any wear, marks or missing parts. Members trust honest listings, and hidden damage causes problems at the handover.

Take a photo and upload it. We write the title, the description and the details, and suggest how many points it is worth. You check it, change anything you want, and publish.

About two minutes.

We suggest a value based on the item, the brand, the original price and the condition. You can adjust it by up to 20% either way if you think we got it wrong.

• Brand New & Tagged - never used, tags still on
• Gleaming & Like New - used once or twice, looks new
• Gently Loved & Gleaming - used, looked after, no real marks
• Well-Played & Ready for More - clearly used, still works well

Clothes, toys, furniture, gear, sports equipment and more. Anything for children that is clean, safe and complete.

Anything broken, unsafe, dirty, or missing parts that matter. Items recalled by the manufacturer. Anything that is not for children.

Yes, at any time - until someone has requested it.

You earn points when another family takes one of your items. You spend points to take theirs. The value is based on what the item originally cost and the condition it is in now.

Founding Members get up to 60 points in their first week: 20 when they join, 20 for their first item, and 20 for their second.

We give them in steps on purpose. Gleam It only works if there are things to swap, so points arrive as you add items rather than all at once.

No. Points are earned by listing and giving items, not bought.

No. Points only work inside Gleam It.

No.

There are two easy ways to get more.

1. List your items

This is the main way - but it is worth understanding how it works.

You do not earn points simply for publishing a listing. You earn the points when another family takes your item. That is the moment the points arrive in your wallet.

New members do receive welcome points for their first two listings, to help them start. That is a one-off gift - it is not how listing works from then on.

So the best thing you can do is list several items. The more you have in the Market, the sooner one of them moves.

2. Invite a friend

When a family joins Gleam It through you, you receive points. There is no limit to how many families you can invite.

Before launch, families name the person who invited them when they join the waiting list. Once we are live, we will let you know how invitations work inside the platform.

1. You find something you want and request it.
2. Your points are held safely - not yet spent.
3. The other family accepts or declines within 3 days.
4. If they accept, a private chat opens and you arrange where and when to meet.
5. You meet, you take the item, and you confirm in the app.
6. The points are released to the other family.

Here is the timeline, from the moment you request an item.

• You send the request - Your points are held immediately
• The other family accepts or declines - They have 3 days
• No answer after 3 days - The request expires, your points come back automatically
• They accept - A private chat opens straight away
• You agree where and when to meet - Up to you both - most families meet within a few days
• Nothing happens for 7 days after they accept - The swap is cancelled automatically and your points come back
• You meet and you confirm the item arrived - The points go to the other family the same moment

The request expires after 3 days and your points come straight back to you. You do not need to do anything, and you are not charged for waiting.

If there is no activity for 7 days after the request was accepted, we cancel the swap automatically and return your points. The item goes back into the Market.

Within 3 days, or the request expires by itself. Answering quickly - even to say no - is the kindest thing you can do, because the other family's points are held while they wait.

Wherever you both feel comfortable - a café, outside a school, your neighbourhood. You agree it in the chat. We recommend a public place.

No. Members meet and hand over items themselves. That is part of what keeps it free of cost.

You can cancel before the handover. The points go back to whoever requested the item.

Do not confirm the handover. Your points are only released once you confirm, so nothing is lost. Report the listing and we will look into it.

Yes. You can have requests open on different items at the same time.

Your points are held for each request while you wait for an answer, so you need enough points to cover all of them together. If a request is declined or expires, those points come straight back and you can use them again.

The only thing you cannot do is send a second request for the same item while your first one is still open.

Every member is a real family with a profile and a rating, and you choose where and when to meet. We recommend a public place, in daylight.

Your points are held until you confirm the item arrived. If something goes wrong, report it - we review every report and can hide listings, restrict accounts or return points.

After every completed swap you can rate the other family from 1 to 5 stars and leave a short comment. Ratings are visible on every profile.

Use Report issue on any listing, profile or swap. Our team reads every report.

Yes. If a photo or a listing does not follow our rules, we can remove the photo or move the listing back to your drafts.

Nothing disappears without explanation. We always send you an email telling you exactly what we changed and why.

And nothing is lost - your listing returns to your drafts, so you can correct it and publish it again.

• Photos taken from the internet instead of the real item
• Photos that are too dark, blurry, or show something other than the item
• Items that are broken, unsafe, or missing parts that matter
• Items that have been recalled by the manufacturer
• Items that are not for children
• Descriptions that do not match the item
• Anything that cannot legally be given away in Portugal

Reply to the email, or write to us through the contact form. A real person reads every message, and we will put the listing back if we got it wrong.

You see photos, the condition and the honest description before you decide, and you can ask questions in the chat. Some items - car seats especially - are worth extra care, and we recommend checking the model has not been recalled and asking about its history.

The ability to list items and request swaps, welcome points to start with, and access to the whole community.

The first 500 families to join. Founding Members get:

• 6 months free
• Then €49 a year - at that price for life, even when prices rise for everyone else
• Up to 60 points in your first week - 20 when you join, 20 for your first item, 20 for your second
• The Founding Member badge on your profile, permanently

There will only ever be 500.

Yes, at any time. You keep access until the end of the period you have paid for.

They stay in your account. If you come back, they are still there.

Yes, in Settings - your name, photo, area and children's ages.

In Settings, under Delete account. This cannot be undone.

Other members see your first name, your photo, your area and your rating. They never see your address or your email.