Put something in. See what comes out.

List an item you no longer want by taking a photo. SwapBox's AI finds a match – someone who wants your item and has something you want. You drop your item at a smart locker in a shopping centre. When your match is ready, you scan, open the locker, and pick up your new item. You inspect it before accepting. No money changes hands.

SwapBox currently supports sneakers, women’s clothes, men’s clothes, and bags and accessories, each up to $1,000 an item. More categories will open up as the locker network grows.

Listing items is free. A completed swap is a flat $5 during the testing phase, whatever the item is worth. A refundable hold also sits on your card while the swap is in progress — security that you will actually deposit what you listed. It is released once the person receiving your item confirms they have collected it, usually within a day of pickup. If they never collect, the hold expires by itself within 7 days.

SwapBox smart lockers are located in shopping centres and high-traffic public areas across South East Queensland, starting with Carrara Markets. More locations are being added. You can see available lockers in the SwapBox app.

You have 24 hours after collecting to check your item. If it is not as described, report it in the app and we will review within 24 hours. If we agree, you are compensated in SwapBox credit from the other person's security deposit. The bond system means sending misrepresented items is financially penalised, which protects honest swappers.

No. You never meet the other swapper. You go to the locker when it's convenient for you, they go when it's convenient for them. The smart locker handles the handoff securely.

SwapBox has no meetups with strangers at your home, no haggling over price, and no money changes hands. You swap what you have for what you want. The smart locker means secure, contactless exchange. And SwapBox's bond system protects both parties – something Facebook Marketplace doesn't offer.

Chain matching is SwapBox's core technology, adapted from Nobel Prize-winning kidney exchange research. Instead of needing a direct swap partner, SwapBox finds chains. For example: Lauren lists a stack of books her kids have finished, Sarah lists an outgrown pair of kids' shoes, Meg lists a video game her son's outgrown. Lauren gets the kids' shoes, Sarah gets the video game, Meg gets the books — the connecting listing closed the chain. This increases match rates from around 15% (direct swaps only) to over 60%. See the interactive demo above to watch it in action.

Not at the moment. SwapBox is running with sneakers, women’s clothes, men’s clothes, and bags and accessories while the first locker beds in. Kids categories are on the list to open up as the network grows.