Did you know?

Who would have thought...

It requires approximately 3 cubic metres of landfill space to dispose of 1 tonne of paper.

There are 40,000 A4 sheets in one tonne of paper.

Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.

Recycling one tonne of paper and cardboard saves approximately 13 trees.

Source Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW

Frequently Asked Questions

Please browse the topics below, do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more details.

We hope you enjoy our services,
Best regards from the SwapEasy team.

What is Swapeasy.com.au?

Australia's online community-based swapping platform!

Swapeasy is the easiest way to find out who's got what you want, and who wants what you've got.
Swap / Sell / Recycle / Reuse. Trade all the things you don't use.

Why swap?

In these economic times, every little saving helps.
Have you ever bought things that you discarded after using them only a couple of times? Received unwanted gifts?
Do you have a stockpile of books or movies that you will never read or watch again?

Perhaps you don't feel like giving those items away as they have some monetary value, and/or you don't want to resell them as you'll probably only get a fraction of what you think they are worth..
Why not use these items as a form of currency to get what you want? Swapping can be very cost-effective..

As the idiom says: "One man's trash is another man's treasure". Trade your unwanted items for some you want!

On a different but equaly important note, Swapeasy promotes re-using, and allows hundreds of items to have a second, third or fourth life. Every book that is acquired through us is one less book that needs to be printed. The difference for the planet may seem minimal, but it all adds up!

How does it work?

There are 3 main ways to use Swapeasy, here's a short explanation:
for more details you can also refer to the step by step explanation available on the Home Page. Just click on the Swap, Sell or Buy icons to see how it works.

To help you with your swapping, a number of other features also exist in Swapeasy, such as the Wishlist keywords and the automatic cancellation of non-responding requests.

What sort of items can you swap?

At the moment, Swapeasy allows you to swap books, music CDs, games and movies. We are working on extending the categories.

How do i join?

We thought you'd never ask! :-)

Registration is FREE and EASY! Just click the Register for Free link in the top right corner of any Swapeasy page.
Note that in order to register you need to provide an email address and a zip code.

As a security measure, after registering we ask you to 'verify' your email. In other words we send you an email and ask you to click a link in that email to 'activate' your account.
This process is almost instantaneous, and obviously free.

How much does swapping cost?

Swapping items only costs you the listing fee, which is waived for the first month after registering.

In short, you register and then you get a month during which you can list as many items as you want, for FREE!
After the first month a small 50cents fee will be charged for every new item you list.

So, let's say you have 10 books averaging $15 each. To list them all, and have $150 worth of books that can be swapped, it will cost you a total of $5.00.
And if you list all those books during your first month with us, you don't even have to pay the $5.00, it's all FREE! ;-)

The way you exchange the item with the other swapper is independent from Swapeasy, so make sure you consider the potential postage costs if you don't swap local.

Can I sell my items?

Yes.
We understand that some people simply prefer to sell off their items.
On top of swapping you have the option to sell your items for a minimum fee.

How much does selling cost?

Just like for swapping, any item you sell will have cost you the preliminary listing fee, unless of course you listed it during the first month after registering.
When selling an item however there is an added Selling fee of 4% of the listed price. This selling fee has a minimum of $0.50.

In other words, if you sell an item for $12.50 or less, you will have paid Swapeasy a total or $1.00

If you sell a item for more, let's say $100, then you'll have paid Swapeasy a total of $4.50

And if you list those items during your first month with us, you don't even have to pay the listing fees ;-)

The way you complete the transaction with the buyer is independent from Swapeasy, so make sure you consider the potential postage costs if you don't sell local.

If you are willing to post the items you sell directly, you can specify a 'postage cost' that the buyer will pay for. This option may be used by the buyer, but it is not compulsory. The postage cost is excluded from the calculation of the Selling fee.

How do I list items

Once you have registered and signed in you should see the List an Item! link in the top-right corner of any page.

In the case of books, dvd, music cds and video games we use an external database to find the exact item you are trying to list. To perform that search, enter the ISBN, title, director, and/or publisher and you should see a number of matching items.
Mouse over the items to find the exact one you are listing, and click to select it.

Note, for books we strongly suggest to start by searching on the ISBN number, as it uniquely identifies your book (although the cover design might vary). The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) can usually be found at the back near the barcode, or within the first few pages of a book.

Once you have found the item you wish to list the following steps should be self-explanatory:

The Swapeasy price has to be a reasonable estimation of what the item is worth now. It takes in consideration the price new and the condition. This Swapeasy price is automatically calculated but you can modify it if you believe it is incorrect for any reason.

Finally if you are going to add several items in a row, click the "Add Another" checkbox to loop back into this page directly.


Once you have added all your items you'll have to 'activate' them to make them visible to the whole community (and allow swapping/selling). During your first month with Swapeasy this is as simple as cliking the 'Activate Selected Items' button on the Activate page.
After the first month, for any new item you list you'll have to pay the 'listing fee' to activate them.

Price ranges used in SwapEasy

What if I cannot find my items?

If you're trying to list a book, DVD, music CD or video game and cannot find it through our search engine, it may be that your item is too old or too rare.

At the moment we haven't got a way to list those items, sorry.
Please be assured that we are aware of the problem, and are actively working on it.
Send us a email to notify us.

Thank you for your understanding.

How do I unlist items

If you wish to remove an item from Swapeasy -for example if you lost it, gave it away or sold it outside of Swapeasy- you can simply go to My Swapeasy and choose from the following methods:

What is the Listing fee?

The listing fee is the cost of listing items on Swapeasy. The typical listing fee is 50cents, no matter what the value of the listed item is.

The listing fee is waived during the first month after registration. Listing items during that period is Free!

What is the Selling fee?

For items that are sold there is a small 4% Selling fee, with a minimum of 50 cents. Swapped items are for free.

In short, all sold items worth $12.50 or less have a 50cent Selling fee, and items above $12.50 have a 4% Selling fee (for example 80cents Selling fee for a $20 item)

Typically, items that are sold cost about $1 in total (50cents listing fee + 50cents selling fee). In most cases however, listing the item in the first month after registration means the listing fee is waived.

What are the Pickup and Postage options?

The accepted rule when exchanging goods is for the buyer to come and collect from the seller. In the case of a swap, it is considered normal for the person who requested the swap to come to the other person to do the actual exchange.

In some cases this might not be possible, and it is always better to confirm with the other person how to do the exchange as soon as you get their contact details.

When listing any new item (and later when editing the items) you can decide to remove the pickup option. In other words, if you un-check the Pick up check box, it means you do not wish to meet directly with the buyer/swapper and you'll have to arrange another way to do the exchange (most probably by post)

For items that are available for Sale, you can also select the By Post option, which indicates that you are happy to post the item to the buyer, for the fee specified.

How much does shipping cost?

We do not do shipping at this point.
Whenever possible we will provide the dimensions and weight of the items, but it most cases you will need to check the shipping costs for yourself. We recommend you trade locally, and exchange the items directly by meeting the other swappers. Save on shipping!

You can use your Profile options to set a maximum distance (Search Radius) you're interested in.

How many items can I list?

As many as you want!
As Swapeasy has no listing fee the first month after your registration, we suggest you take full advantage of this and list as many items you can during that period, for free.

How to change my avatar picture?

Go to your Swapeasy Profile, click on Change Avatar in the left-hand side menu.

You'll then be able to select a picture from your local hard-drive.
The avatar image is limited to 50x50 pixel and the picture will be resized accordingly.

What if I move to a different place?

Swapeasy only records your postcode, so other swappers know how far you are from them.

To change your postcode, go to your Swapeasy Profile and click on Change Contact Details in the left-hand side menu.

Can I change my email address?

Not a this point.
email address and username are the two details that cannot be updated.
Maybe at some point in the future it will be possible...

How do I give my feedback about a book or movie?

While you browse through item pages you might notice a Rate it! link, next to the item image.
If you click on it, it will take you to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to give the item a rating (0 to 5 stars) and even write a review if you wish to.

Just move your mouse over the stars and click the rating you wish to set. To write a review, type your comment in the text area and click submit when you're done. You will be able to edit it later.

The star ratings, from good to bad (using a movie as example):
The more ratings we get the more accurate will the average be, make sure you rate everything you can!

What is this reputation diagram?

The reputation diagram allows you to see at a glance what kind of swapper your are dealing with.

The diagram is built from the quick survey you get to fill after a successfull swap or sale. In short, you get to rate the person you dealt with, whether they were nice and whether the item swap/sold was as advertised.
The graphic representation is explained through examples below :
The reputations can take any variation from 0 to 100% so you will need to make your own opinion on whether or not to trust someone.
To help with this, make sure you always answer the 2-4 questions giving positive feedback after a successful trade!

What are those 'Novice', 'Initiate', and other ranks?

The ranks are a simple way to mark members as beginners or experienced with Swapeasy
As you list, swap, sell, comment items or refer friends you earn Swapeasy points. When you reach a certain amount of points you gain a rank. At the moment there are 6 ranks:

As you climb up the ranks you will be entitled some Swapeasy rewards (work in progress).
To find out how far you are from the next rank, visit your member page.