Zelbi works because someone puts a thing they no longer need in front of a stranger, and the stranger turns up. That only holds if people are decent to each other. These are the rules.
Read this part even if you skip the rest. Most handoffs are a two-minute exchange between people who never meet again, and a few sensible habits keep it that way.
If you are ever in danger, call 911. Zelbi is not an emergency service and cannot intervene in the moment.
Anything legal that you own and can hand over. Furniture, clothes, plants, books, electronics, kitchen things, the box of cables in the cupboard. Items should be as described, and if something is broken, stained, missing a part or has been sitting in a damp garage, say so — a free item nobody wants is a wasted trip for both of you.
Zelbi is for safe, legal, everyday items you would feel comfortable handing to a neighbor. Please don't list weapons or ammo, including knives, self-defense sprays and fireworks; drugs, prescription or over-the-counter medication, supplements, alcohol, tobacco, or vapes; hazardous, recalled, expired, or unsafe items; live animals; stolen or counterfeit goods; sexual products or explicit adult material; gift cards, cash, tickets, or anything mainly used like money; vehicles or anything requiring title or registration; homemade, cooked, or perishable food; items with pests, mold, bodily fluids, or other contamination; services, rentals, or non-item offers; or anything containing someone's personal or financial information. Unopened, shelf-stable packaged food is okay. If you're not sure an item is safe to hand over in person, leave it off Zelbi. If you see something that breaks these rules, report it: tap Share on the listing, then Report listing, and we'll review it.
Two of those deserve spelling out. “Personal or financial information” includes documents, mail, tax paperwork, cards, and any phone, laptop, hard drive or storage device that has not been fully wiped. “Unsafe items” includes supplements and any opened personal-care product — anything opened that goes on or in a body stays off the platform.
Items are not reviewed before they appear. We rely on people listing honestly and on other people telling us when something is wrong.
Zelbi is for giving things away. Asking for money, a trade, a swap, a donation or a "small contribution" for a listed item is not allowed, and neither is listing something here to advertise a sale somewhere else. The only money on the platform is the $2.00 claim fee, which is described in the Fee and Refund Policy and is paid to Zelbi, never to the giver.
Keep conversations about the handoff. Be brief, be clear, and answer — the single most common complaint on any platform like this is silence.
Messages are automatically scanned before they send. A message that looks like it is trying to move the exchange off Zelbi, arrange payment outside the platform, or share contact details is refused, and you are told at that moment. Most refused messages are kept with a category for why, and the refusal is recorded; a message refused for arranging times outside the app, and a refused edit, are not kept. Nobody reads your conversations routinely; the scan is automatic and the record exists so that patterns of abuse can be reviewed.
Not allowed in messages: harassment, threats, slurs, sexual advances, pressure of any kind, or contacting someone after they have ended the conversation.
Treat everyone the same. Don't refuse, cancel, or treat someone differently because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age.
A claim is a promise to a specific person at a specific time.
Missed pickups add up. If a giver reports you as a no-show three times within thirty days, you cannot claim anything for seven days, and any other claims you have open at that moment are cancelled and their holds released. The count is over a rolling thirty days: each report stops counting thirty days after it was made.
One account per person, in your own name, and you must be 18 or older. Do not create an account for someone else, and do not use Zelbi again with a new account if we have closed your old one.
Your profile carries a trust score that goes up as handoffs complete and down when things go wrong. A giver's trust score shows on their listings.
You can block anyone from their profile. Blocking takes effect immediately and stops you seeing each other. If you have a live pickup with the person, it is cancelled and any hold on your card is released — a block never costs you the fee, whatever the timing. You do not need to give a reason. The other person is not told that they were blocked, but if a pickup was cancelled by it they are told the pickup was cancelled, so nobody is left waiting for something that is not going to happen.
To report a listing, tap Share on the listing, then Report listing. To report a person or a pickup problem, use Report a problem in Settings, or in the ••• menu on the pickup's Handoff screen. Tell us what happened, who was involved and when. We review reports within 24 hours.
If someone has been harmed or threatened, contact the police. Tell us too, and we will help where we can.
Depending on what happened, we may remove a listing, refuse a message, warn you, stop you claiming for a period, or close your account. Threats or violence of any kind mean immediate and permanent removal from Zelbi. Repeatedly losing disputes leads to suspension. If your account is suspended and you think that is wrong, write to support@zelbi.ai and a person will look at it.
Zelbi is where two people find each other. We are not present at the handoff, we do not inspect items, and we do not check who anyone is. What you take away, and who you meet to take it, is your decision. Read the safety section again — it is at the top for a reason.