Community Guidelines

1.Be honest

• Use your real name or a name people know you by, and keep only one account.
• Describe books exactly as they are: edition, language, condition, missing or loose pages, highlighting, writing and water damage.
• Use photos of the actual copy you are offering.
• Set fair prices in rupees, and stick to what you agreed.
• Only list books you have in hand, and remove a listing as soon as the book is gone.

2.Be respectful

• Be polite and patient. Everyone here is a reader, not a shop.
• No harassment, bullying, threats, stalking or insults.
• No hate speech or discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, caste, language, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. This can also be a crime under Sri Lankan law, including the ICCPR Act No. 56 of 2007.
• No sexual content, sexual messages or unwanted advances.
• Take "no" for an answer. Do not keep messaging someone who has declined or stopped replying.

3.Keep it about books

• No spam, advertising, pyramid or chain schemes, or links to unrelated sites.
• No political campaigning or fundraising without our permission.
• Do not use BookSwap.lk to sell things that are not books.

4.Only genuine, legal books

You must not list, swap, lend, give or sell:

• pirated, photocopied, printed-from-PDF or counterfeit copies;
• e-books, PDFs, audio files or download links;
• free government school textbooks marked "not for sale";
• books that belong to a library, school or anyone else;
• stolen books;
• publications that are banned in Sri Lanka, or obscene or illegal material.

5.Protect privacy

• Never post anyone's phone number, address, NIC or other personal details.
• Do not share screenshots of private messages without the other person's consent.
• Do not post photos of other people without their permission.
• Use contact details you get from an exchange only for that exchange.

6.Meet safely

• Meet in busy public places during the day: a café, library, bookshop, shopping mall, or bus or railway station.
• Tell a friend or family member where you are going and who you are meeting.
• If you are under 18, bring a parent or guardian.
• Never pay in advance or send money to someone you have not met. Check the book before you pay.
• Keep your conversations on BookSwap.lk so there is a record if something goes wrong.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, leave and report it. In an emergency, call the Police on 119.

7.Lending and borrowing

• Agree a clear return date before you hand over a book.
• Return borrowed books on time and in the condition you received them.
• If you will be late, or a book is lost or damaged, tell the lender straight away and agree a fair solution.

8.Reviews and ratings

• Rate only exchanges that really happened, and be fair and specific.
• No fake reviews, swapping ratings, or retaliation for a bad rating.
• Mark spoilers in book reviews.

9.Posts and circles

• Stay on topic and keep discussions friendly.
• Circle hosts should moderate fairly and remove content that breaks these guidelines.
• Only post content you have the right to share. Quote books briefly and credit the author.

10.Never misuse the platform

• No fake accounts, bots, scraping or automated messages.
• Do not pretend to be BookSwap.lk staff or another member.
• Never ask for or share verification codes or passwords. BookSwap.lk staff will never ask for them.
• Do not try to break, overload or get around the security of the site.

11.Reporting a problem

Use the Report button on a listing, profile, post, comment or message, or write to us through the contact form. Reports are confidential: we do not tell the other member who reported them. We review every report and may remove content or act on accounts. In an emergency, contact the Police on 119 first.

12.What happens if the guidelines are broken

Depending on how serious it is, we may give a warning, remove content, limit features, suspend an account for a period, or ban it permanently. We may act without warning in serious cases, and we may report illegal activity to the authorities under laws such as the Online Safety Act No. 9 of 2024 and the Computer Crimes Act No. 24 of 2007. If you think we made a mistake, contact us within 30 days and we will review it.

These guidelines are part of our Terms of Service.