Terms of Service

Effective September 24, 2026

Welcome to Fruitonomy. These terms are the agreement between you and Fruitonomy (“Fruitonomy,” “we,” “us”) for using fruitonomy.com. We’ve tried to keep them short and in plain English. By creating an account or using the site, you agree to them.

1. What Fruitonomy is, and isn’t

Fruitonomy is a place where neighbors find each other to swap, sell, give away, harvest and deliver backyard fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs and honey. We are not a party to any swap, sale, gift, harvest or delivery. We don’t grow, inspect, store, buy, sell or transport food. The agreement for each exchange is between the neighbors involved.

2. Who can join

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• Give accurate information, including your real address. It stays private (see our Privacy Policy).
• One account per person. Keep your password to yourself. You’re responsible for what happens on your account.

3. Fees and swap credit

• Joining is free. Your first 2 swaps are free.
• After that, each swap costs 25¢, plus $1 per year, charged at your first paid swap of each calendar year.
• Fees come out of prepaid swap credit. Credit is added in amounts of at least $10, paid by card through our payment processor, Stripe.
• A swap fee is charged to each neighbor when both have accepted the swap. A swap can be cancelled free of charge before it’s accepted.
• Swap credit is not money. It isn’t a bank account or deposit and earns no interest. It can only be used for Fruitonomy fees, can’t be transferred to another person, and has no cash value except where the law requires. It doesn’t expire.
• Swap credit is non-refundable. See our Refund Policy.
• If we change our fees, we’ll post the new fees on the site before they apply. Credit you’ve already bought will still work under the new fees.

4. Food and safety

Everything shared on Fruitonomy is home-grown by neighbors. Commercial inspection doesn’t apply. So:

• If you supply, you’re responsible for what you offer. Describe it honestly, including blemishes, bruises and ripeness. Only offer food that’s safe to eat. Follow your state and local rules, including any rules for selling eggs, honey or produce.
• If you receive, use your own judgment. Wash produce, check it before eating, and handle eggs safely.
• Allowed: whole fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts, eggs and honey you’ve grown or raised yourself.
• Not allowed: cooked, canned or prepared foods (unless your local cottage-food law allows them and you comply with it), meat, dairy, alcohol, cannabis, medicines, live animals, plants treated with products not labeled for food crops, and anything recalled or spoiled.

5. Meeting up, deliveries and harvesting

• You choose how each handoff happens: you bring it, they bring it, meet halfway, or porch pickup. Meet in safe, public places when meeting halfway. You’re responsible for your own safety and property.
• Runners (neighbors who deliver for others) are independent members, not our employees or contractors. We don’t check their background, vehicle, license or insurance.
• Harvesters may only enter a host’s property with the host’s permission, at the agreed time, and must follow the host’s rules. Hosts should point out hazards such as ladders, dogs, pools and slopes. Harvesters pick at their own risk.
• Your address is shared only with the neighbor you’ve agreed a handoff with, and only when that handoff needs it.

6. Values, prices and ratios

The values, store prices and exchange ratios on Fruitonomy are estimates to help neighbors trade fairly. They are not a price offer, appraisal or guarantee. Neighbors are free to agree to any trade they both think is fair.

7. Gifts, donations and taxes

Whether a gift to a nonprofit is tax deductible depends on the nonprofit, your records and tax law, not on Fruitonomy. The tax pages on this site are general information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Talk to your own tax professional about your situation.

8. Ratings and what you post

• Neighbors can rate each other only after a completed swap, order or harvest, and only once per exchange. Rating opens two weeks after the exchange, so it reflects the whole experience, and we email both neighbors then. Ratings must be honest and about that exchange.
• Ratings are anonymous. We never show who gave a rating. A rating stays hidden until both neighbors have rated or 30 days have passed since the exchange, and a member’s average appears only once they have 3 or more ratings.
• Any private note you add to a rating is read only by Fruitonomy. We may use it to look into safety concerns, and may remove ratings that break these terms.
• You can also review Fruitonomy itself. We post a review on the site, with your first name and city, only if you check the box allowing it, and we may choose which reviews to show.
• You keep ownership of what you post. You let us display it on Fruitonomy so the site can work.
• Don’t post anything false, hateful, harassing, illegal or unrelated to backyard food.

9. Neighbor notes and invitations

If you print a Fruitonomy note to invite a neighbor, leave it on their door, gate or porch. Never put it inside a mailbox. Federal law (18 U.S.C. §1725) allows only postage-paid mail in mailboxes. Only email invitations to people you know who’d welcome them.

10. Things you agree not to do

• Misrepresent yourself or your food.
• Use Fruitonomy to contact neighbors for anything other than Fruitonomy exchanges.
• Scrape, copy or resell data from the site, or try to break into or overload it.
• Go around the site to avoid fees on swaps you arranged through it.

11. Suspending or closing accounts

You can close your account at any time by emailing us. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms or puts neighbors at risk. Unused swap credit isn’t refunded when an account is closed, except where the law requires.

12. No warranties

Fruitonomy is provided “as is.” We don’t guarantee the quality, safety or legality of any food, the conduct of any member, or that the site will always be available or error-free.

13. Limits on our liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Fruitonomy isn’t liable for any illness, injury, property damage, loss or dispute arising from exchanges between members, or for any indirect or consequential damages. Our total liability to you for anything related to Fruitonomy is limited to the greater of the fees you paid us in the past 12 months or $25.

You agree to cover Fruitonomy’s costs if a claim is brought against us because of food you supplied, an exchange you took part in, or your breaking these terms.

14. Disputes

If there’s a problem between you and another member, try to work it out together first. If you have a problem with Fruitonomy, email us at hello@fruitonomy.com and we’ll try to resolve it informally. These terms are governed by California law. Either of us may bring a claim in small-claims court.

15. Changes

We may update these terms. If we make a significant change, we’ll post it here with a new date and let members know by email or on the site. Continuing to use Fruitonomy after a change means you accept it.

Contact

Questions? Email hello@fruitonomy.com.