Gaeci Terms of Service

Last updated: 19 August 2026 Effective from: 19 August 2026

Gaeci (გაეცი — "give it away") is a platform where people in Georgia give away things they no longer need, for free. These Terms are an agreement between you and Gaeci. By registering and using the platform, you accept them. If you do not agree, please do not use Gaeci.

We have tried to write this in plain language. Where the wording sounds strict, it means the clause matters for people's safety.

1. The core rule: free means free

1.1. On Gaeci, items are given away free of charge. Entirely. This is the platform's only model and it is not negotiable.

1.2. Not allowed, including:

• stating a price — any price, in any currency;
• asking for a "token amount", "whatever you think it's worth", "something for coffee", "just for petrol";
• offering swaps, item-for-item exchanges, or exchanges with a top-up payment;
• charging for a claim, for holding an item, or for priority in the queue;
• collecting donations, transfers, top-ups, or funds to a card or crypto wallet;
• posting payment details, links to payment pages, or transfer QR codes;
• covertly advertising paid goods and services, running a business, or promoting a shop, workshop, or private practice under the guise of giving;
• using a listing as a shop window: "this one is free, but I also have some for sale".

1.3. What is allowed. A giver may ask the receiver to cover actual third-party costs where these are unavoidable and the money does not go to the giver — for example, a courier delivery that the receiver orders and pays for directly to the delivery service. Such conditions must be stated honestly in the listing. The item itself remains free.

1.4. It is also fine to ask the receiver to bring packaging, a container, or a helper for carrying. That is not payment.

1.5. Breaching the "free only" rule is grounds for rejecting a listing and, if repeated, for blocking the account.

2. Who may use Gaeci

2.1. Gaeci is for people aged 16 and over. By creating an account you confirm that you are at least 16.

2.2. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 16, we will block it and delete the data.

2.3. One person, one account. Your account is tied to your phone number and may not be transferred to anyone else.

2.4. You sign in with your phone number and a one-time SMS code. You are responsible for access to your number and must not share the code with anyone. Gaeci staff will never ask for your code — not in chat, not by phone, not in a messenger.

2.5. We may refuse registration or end access where an account is linked to previous violations.

3. Listings and pre-moderation

3.1. Every listing is reviewed before publication. Review is usually quick, but we do not guarantee a specific turnaround.

3.2. A listing must contain:

• an honest description of the item and its actual condition, including defects: chips, stains, missing parts, functions that no longer work;
• your own photographs of that specific item. Photos taken from the internet, catalogues, or other people's listings are not allowed;
• the city and district (not an exact address — see 5.3);
• a category chosen to match the item.

3.3. You may not post the same item as several listings, publish bulk listings along the lines of "giving away 200 items, send me your list", or post placeholder listings, wanted ads (Gaeci is a platform for givers), or any text unrelated to handing over a specific item.

3.4. By posting a listing you confirm that the item belongs to you and that you are entitled to dispose of it.

3.5. We may reject a listing, make formal corrections to it (category, typos in the title), or unpublish it if it breaches these Terms. We tell you the reason for a rejection.

3.6. A published listing stays up for a limited time. If the item is no longer available, please take the listing down yourself — it is a courtesy to the people writing to you.

4. Items you may not post

The full list of prohibited categories. It applies regardless of whether you are giving the item away for free.

4.1. Weapons and dangerous objects

Firearms, gas, air, bladed, and less-lethal weapons; their essential components, replicas, and mock-ups; ammunition, gunpowder, primers, cartridge cases; explosives, pyrotechnics, signal flares; stun guns, pepper spray; crossbows and combat bows; suppressors, night-vision sights; body armour, helmets, and other personal ballistic protection.

4.2. Medicines and medical items

Any medicinal product — prescription or over-the-counter; dietary supplements and sports nutrition marketed as supplements; vaccines and products requiring a cold chain; used syringes and injection materials; medical devices that require fitting and calibration by a clinician (hearing aids, glucose meters with consumables, custom-made orthopaedic devices); contact lenses and glasses made to someone else's prescription; medical equipment without documentation; donor material and biological samples in any form.

Note: working, unopened general-purpose devices (a blood pressure monitor or an inhaler in its factory packaging) may be allowed at a moderator's discretion — but not the medicines inside, and not any expired consumables.

4.3. Alcohol and tobacco

Alcoholic drinks of any strength, including home-made wine and chacha; beer; alcohol-based tinctures; tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, shisha mixes, nasvay, snus; e-cigarettes, vapes, vaporisers, and their liquids and cartridges; heated tobacco sticks; hookahs supplied with tobacco.

4.4. Money, documents, connectivity, accounts

Cash and non-cash money; bank cards, their details, and account data; cryptocurrency, wallets, seed phrases; securities and debt instruments; lottery tickets; gift cards and certificates with a monetary value; vouchers and promo codes; passports, ID cards, driving licences, diplomas, employment records, certificates, and official statements — genuine and forged alike; SIM cards and eSIM profiles registered to another person; accounts on any service, social network, game, or marketplace; activation keys, licences, subscriptions, and digital codes; databases containing people's personal data; contact lists.

4.5. Counterfeits and infringement

Fakes of well-known brands, replicas, "1:1 copies"; goods with counterfeit logos and labels; pirated discs and copies of films, music, books, and software; goods with removed or altered serial numbers; items showing signs of being stolen.

4.6. Perishable food

Cooked food and home-made dishes; perishables: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, cream-based confectionery; food past its use-by date or with no date marking; food requiring a cold chain that cannot be verified; opened food packaging; baby food and formula that is opened or close to expiry.

Note: sealed, commercially produced dry goods with a clear expiry date (grains, tinned food, oil, tea) are generally allowed. Produce from your own garden is allowed if you honestly describe what it is and when it was picked.

4.7. Other prohibited items

Narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, precursors, and paraphernalia; poisons, mercury, acids, industrial chemicals; radioactive materials; asbestos and asbestos-containing materials; pressurised cylinders; batteries showing swelling or leakage; pornography and sexual material, used sex toys; used underwear and swimwear; used personal hygiene items; human hair of unknown origin; derivatives of rare and protected species — ivory, coral, taxidermy, hides, horns; archaeological finds and cultural heritage objects subject to trade restrictions; uniforms and insignia of serving law enforcement or military bodies; extremist, hateful, and Nazi material and symbols; goods whose circulation is prohibited under Georgian law.

4.8. General clause

This list is not exhaustive. If an item is dangerous or unlawful, or handing it over between strangers creates an obvious risk, a moderator may reject the listing even where the category is not named above.

5. Claims: how they work

5.1. A claim is a receiver's request for an item and the giver's agreement to hand it over.

5.2. How it goes:

1. The receiver presses "Claim" and writes a short note about when they can collect.
2. The giver confirms the claim for one person. The listing becomes "Claimed" and is hidden from search.
3. Only after the claim is confirmed do the parties see each other's contact details: name, phone number, and chosen messengers (WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram).
4. The parties agree a place and time and hand over the item.
5. The giver marks it "Given". The exchange is closed.

5.3. A claim lasts 48 hours from confirmation. If the item has not changed hands within that time and the parties have not extended their arrangement, the claim is released automatically and the listing returns to search. The giver can cancel a claim earlier if the receiver has stopped replying.

5.4. Only one claim can be confirmed on an item at a time. Other requests stay in a queue and become active if the claim is released.

5.5. A claim is not a legal contract and creates no obligation to hand the item over. But it does create an obligation to a person who rearranged their day and travelled to meet you.

6. No-shows and karma

6.1. Karma is a reliability counter on your profile. It rises with completed handovers and falls with no-shows.

6.2. A no-show is when a party confirmed a meeting and did not turn up, without warning in advance and without getting in touch.

6.3. Consequences:

• the affected party can report the no-show from the claim screen;
• a confirmed no-show lowers the offender's karma;
• low karma is visible to other users and affects whether people confirm your claims;
• persistent no-shows lead to claim restrictions and then to the account being blocked.

6.4. No-show reports are checked. False reports are themselves a violation and lower the karma of whoever filed them.

6.5. It is not a no-show if you gave notice — even an hour before — and apologised. Plans change for everyone. Just send a message.

6.6. If you have given the item away off-platform or changed your mind, release the claim and take the listing down. Silence is worse than a refusal.

7. Animals

7.1. Gaeci allows rehoming animals to good homes — free of charge only.

7.2. Selling animals is strictly prohibited, as are any "token amounts", "deposits for the animal", "stud fee reimbursements", breeding, pedigree sales, and handing animals over for resale.

7.3. A listing for an animal must state: species, approximate age, sex, neutering and vaccination status (if known), and traits of temperament and health — honestly, problems included.

7.4. Rehoming is not allowed for:

• wild species and species whose trade is restricted by law;
• animals requiring special housing conditions and permits;
• very young animals that should not yet be separated from their mother;
• sick animals where the diagnosis is not stated;
• animals sought for fighting, chained guarding, experiments, or meat — such purposes, if discovered, are grounds for immediate blocking.

7.5. The giver must be honest about the animal's health. The receiver must provide proper care. We strongly recommend the parties agree on a way to hear how the animal is doing afterwards.

7.6. We do not inspect receivers' homes and cannot guarantee an animal's fate. Be attentive, ask questions, trust your instincts, and do not hand an animal over if something feels wrong.

7.7. Cruelty to animals is prosecuted under Georgian law. Accounts found to be involved are permanently blocked and information may be passed to the competent authorities.

8. Responsibility of the parties

8.1. Gaeci is not a party to the exchange. We provide a platform where people find each other. We do not own the items, do not physically inspect them, and do not store, transport, or hand them over.

8.2. The giver is responsible for ensuring that:

• the item belongs to them and may lawfully be handed over;
• the condition described is honest and known defects are disclosed;
• the item is not obviously dangerous: no protruding sharp parts, no leaks, no mould, no pests;
• electrical appliances either work, or the listing states plainly that they do not and are given away for parts.

8.3. The receiver is responsible for ensuring that:

• they inspect the item on collection and accept it in the condition it is in;
• they assess for themselves whether the item suits their purpose;
• they do not raise quality claims about a free item once they have accepted it.

8.4. Inspect on the spot. Items are handed over "as is". The main protection for both sides is an unhurried look at the item when you meet. Take your time.

8.5. Meetings. The parties meet voluntarily, at their own risk, and choose the location themselves. Gaeci does not arrange meetings, does not attend them, and is not responsible for what happens during a meeting, including property damage, injury, and disputes. Please read our Safety Tips.

8.6. Limits of liability. To the maximum extent permitted by Georgian law, Gaeci is not liable for the quality, safety, legality, or fitness of items; for the accuracy of descriptions; for users' conduct; for no-shows; or for lost profit and indirect losses. The platform is provided "as is", without a guarantee of uninterrupted operation.

8.7. Your indemnity to us. You will compensate Gaeci for losses arising from your posting a prohibited item or breaching someone's rights or the law.

8.8. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Georgian law, including for intent and gross negligence.

9. Communication between users

9.1. Be polite to each other. Remember there is a real person on the other side, giving something away for free or crossing the city to collect it.

9.2. Not allowed: insults, threats, harassment, discrimination on any ground; spam and advertising; attempts to turn the exchange into a commercial one; asking for extra items; sharing other people's contact details and messages; sexual messages; attempts to extract SMS codes or any credentials.

9.3. Contact details obtained through a claim may be used only to hand over that specific item. Using them for mailing lists, adding people to groups, advertising, or dating is prohibited.

10. Moderation, reports, and blocking

10.1. Pre-moderation. All listings are reviewed before publication. A moderator may reject a listing, stating the reason.

10.2. Reports. You can report any listing, message, or user with the "Report" button. Describe the issue briefly and factually. We review reports within a reasonable time and do not disclose who filed them.

10.3. Measures we apply, in escalating order:

10.4. We block immediately and permanently, without warning, for: attempting to sell or trade after a warning; fraud and deception; dealing in the prohibited items in section 4 (weapons, drugs, documents, SIM cards, accounts); cruelty to animals; threats and stalking; sexual harassment; conduct directed at minors; attempts to obtain someone's SMS code; creating new accounts to replace a blocked one.

10.5. Appeals. If you believe a decision was wrong, reply to the notification or write to us. A person, not an automated system, will look at it again. The outcome of an appeal is final.

10.6. We are not obliged to explain a block in detail where a detailed explanation would help someone circumvent the platform's protections.

11. Your content

11.1. The photographs and text in your listings remain yours.

11.2. By posting them, you grant Gaeci a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to display, store, resize, and crop them in order to operate the platform and its search, and to use anonymised examples in informational material about the project.

11.3. Please do not publish photographs showing people, documents, number plates, address signs, or other unnecessary detail.

11.4. The right to use your content ends when you delete a listing, except for copies in backup archives and where the content is needed to resolve a report.

12. Changes and termination

12.1. We may change these Terms. We will announce material changes on the platform in advance. By continuing to use Gaeci after changes take effect, you accept the new version.

12.2. You can delete your account at any time in your profile settings. How deletion works and what happens to your data is described in the Privacy Policy.

12.3. We may suspend or discontinue the platform, giving users advance notice where possible.

13. Law and disputes

13.1. These Terms are governed by the law of Georgia.

13.2. Please write to us first — most situations are resolved by correspondence. Unresolved disputes are heard by the courts of Georgia at Gaeci's location, unless the law requires otherwise.

13.3. If any provision of these Terms is found invalid, the remainder continues to apply.

14. Contact us

For questions about the platform, reports, and appeals: through the contact form on the site or the details given in the "Contact" section.

Thank you for giving things away. That is the whole project.