Work began on Project Swapfig in September last year, after realising that trading with other people online was often discouraged. "Most people are so used to the idea of buying and selling, and making a profit," Drew commented, "that the idea of trading and exchanging things is completely alien to them."
Drew's decision to build Project Swapfig arose from one of many trading pitfalls. "There was one instance where I'd received someone's half of a trade, but because there was no return address on the envelope, I had no idea who it came from," he mentioned. "That's when I realised: I couldn't wait around for someone else to fix the problem; I knew what could be improved, and I was in a position to do something about it." That was the moment he began building Project Swapfig single-handedly, drawing on his past experiences of trading and suggestions from others.
A Kickstarter project (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/296710547/project-swa...) was launched to raise funds for web hosting, advertising and merchandise for the site, with £1,674 of the £3,000 target pledged to date. Drew has insisted the site will be launched regardless of the crowdfunding outcome, although reaching the target will allow for better launching conditions. News of the Kickstarter project, as well as Project Swapfig itself, has been covered on many fan sites, including Brickset and The Brothers Brick.
Project Swapfig will be launched on May 1st 2013, and will be an ad-supported, free to use site. A working demo can be found at http://demo.swapfig.com, which will be functional until the site launches.
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse Project Swapfig.