How to Start Swapping

1. The very first thing to do is to make sure that your Wanted and Offered lists are as complete as can be. The more items you have on both lists and the more complete the descriptions of the items are, the bigger the chance that someone will want to swap with you. Uploading pictures will help other users get an impression of what you are offering or looking for.
2. The next thing to do is to find something you would like from the Items lists. The categories are easy to navigate, so you can either look through the various sections one at a time, or simply search for a specific item you are looking for.
3. When you find an item you would like to own you can either bookmark it so that you can think about it and return to it easily later on, or you can add it to your Swap Cart right away.
4. Once the item is in your Swap Cart it's time to look through the other user's Wanted list. A user can choose to only want to swap for items on their Wanted list or to be open to any suggestions you might have, so be sure to look at their profile first to check their preference. They may also have decided only to want to swap with people from certain countries or continents, so you will have to look out for that as well.
5. If you own any of the items the other user is looking for, and you think they would make a fair swap for the item you are interrested in, simply add them to the same Swap Cart. You can add several items to the same swap if you think it makes for a more fair swap, or to increase your chances of the other user accepting your suggestion. And remember that the items you suggest don't necessarily have to be on the other user's Wanted list, if their profile reflects that they are open to suggestions. You also have the option of leaving your own side of the Swap Cart empty, thus leaving it up to the other user to pick which of your items they are willing to swap for.

1. Once your Swap Cart contains the items you want to swap with and for, the next step is to initiate a Swap Offer from the Swap Carts view. This will take you to a new page where you can select different shipping options and other parameters that have to do with how the swap itself will be carried out. You can also choose which of the parameters you will allow the other user to suggest alternatives to and can then add a message to the other user before sending off the swap suggestion.
2. When the offer is sent off, all you can do is sit back and wait for a response. If you have allowed the other user to suggest alternative items or shipping options, they might sent back another offer that you then have to consider. If you instead have chosen not to accept alternative offers, the other user will only be able to either accept the offer as is or reject it. While waiting you can follow the progress of the swap from the Current Swaps page.

1. When a swap has been accepted it enters into a new phase. The items involved will have their status changed so that they will no longer appear on public lists. Your address will also be automatically released to the other user and their address will become available to you on the Swap View page.
2. The accepted phase of the swap is when the Swap Tracking system comes in handy. When viewing an accepted swap you will be able to indicate that you have sent a package to the other user, and the other user will be automatically notified. When they then receive the package they will be able to indicate so and you will be automatically notified about the package arriving safely.
3. Should you for some reason choose to cancel a swap after it has been accepted, be warned that the other user will be able to rate on the swap, whereas you won't be able to rate them. It will also reflect negatively on your rating and will be visible to other users on your ratings page. Accepted swaps that for some reason don't work out should be talked through between the users involved and then marked as complete once an agreement has been reached.
4. Once you are happy that the swap deal is completely done you can choose to "Complete Swap", which will enable you to rate the other user. They will again be notified that you have marked the swap as complete and when they do the same you will of course receive the same notification.
5. And that's all there is to it! After the swap is complete you will be able to look through the details again from the Completed Swaps page until it is eventually moved offline.