The United Stars Wares and Services Exchange Network generally known as the XChange is a semi-federal organization[1] dedicated to facilitate commerce and trade among all member societies and planets.
As every Union locality has to have at least one Union School , Union Med Center , Union Post Office and some form of traffic connection to the rest of the Union it also has a Union XChange.
It is usually a warehouse like building with packing and shipping facilities where locals can offer their wares, services and products to the Union Market . Union XChanges are tied into GalNet using a special XChange Network Channel where all XChanges are connected. Also approved vendors, merchants and service providers can access the network and engage in business transactions.
It allows small farmers, manufacturers or service providers to offer their wares and services to a Union wide market.
The XChange organizes and facilitates shipping. Small shipments are either consolidated for Container freighters or sometimes sent via the parcel service of the the Union Post Office or via the small freight service offered by the Space Bus network.
The XChange takes a small percentage of the transaction.
Everyone trading via the XChange must be a Union citizen or a Union registered business and obtain a trade license. The license is free but can be lost due to fraud and similar criminal activities. Persons or companies found guilty using the XChange for criminal purposes can lose trading rights.
Free traders often check the XChange network to obtain information about the local market demands to make profit shipping wares and items of demand from places of surplus.
[1] It is under Federal supervision and the XChange facilities are supplied by funds appropiated by the Trade and Commerce Council. Employees, maintenance and operations are local. An XCHnage is a Federal Franchise.