Terms of Service

1.About these Terms

BookSwap.lk ("BookSwap.lk", "we", "us" or "our") runs the website bookswap.lk, its apps and related services (together, the "Service"). These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are a legally binding agreement between you and BookSwap.lk.

Our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines form part of these Terms. By creating an account, ticking the agreement box, signing in, or otherwise using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted all three. Accepting electronically has the same effect as signing on paper, as recognised by the Electronic Transactions Act No. 19 of 2006 of Sri Lanka.

If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2.Who may use BookSwap.lk

• You must be at least 16 years old.
• If you are 16 or 17, you may use the Service only with the permission of a parent or legal guardian. That parent or guardian accepts these Terms on your behalf and is responsible for your use of the Service.
• Children under 16 may not create an account. If we learn that a member is under 16, we will close the account.
• You may hold only one personal account, registered with a mobile number that belongs to you.
• You may not use the Service if we have previously banned you, or if using it would break any law that applies to you.

3.What BookSwap.lk is, and what it is not

BookSwap.lk is an online meeting place that helps readers in Sri Lanka find each other and arrange to swap, lend, give away or sell their own books. We provide the technology only.

We are not a party to any swap, loan, gift or sale between members. In particular, BookSwap.lk:

• does not own, buy, sell, store, inspect, pack, ship or deliver books;
• is not an agent, broker, auctioneer, escrow service, bank or payment processor, and never holds money for members;
• does not check members' identity beyond verifying a mobile number, and does not carry out background checks;
• does not guarantee that a book exists, matches its description, is genuine, or is legally owned by the person offering it;
• does not guarantee that any member will complete an exchange, return a borrowed book or pay an agreed price.

Badges, ratings, "verified" marks and similar signs show that a member has verified a phone number or reached an activity level. They are not an endorsement or a guarantee of anyone's honesty or conduct.

4.Your account

• Give accurate information when you register and keep it up to date.
• Keep your password, verification codes and devices secure. Never share a verification code with anyone. BookSwap.lk staff will never ask for your password or a code.
• You are responsible for everything that happens through your account. Tell us immediately at [email protected] if you think someone else has used it.
• We may ask you to verify your phone number or email again, or to confirm your identity, to protect you and other members.

5.Listings, swaps, loans and sales

When you list a book, you confirm that you own it (or are entitled to give it away) and that it is legal to offer it.

• Describe each book honestly: title, edition, language, condition, missing or damaged pages, markings, and photos of the actual copy.
• Prices are set by you in Sri Lankan rupees (LKR). Any price, payment method, meeting place, time and return date is agreed directly between the members involved.
• All payments are made directly between members. BookSwap.lk does not collect, hold or refund payments and does not currently charge any fee on swaps, loans or sales.
• When you borrow a book, you agree to return it by the agreed date in the condition you received it. The lender accepts the risk that a book may be lost or damaged, and any compensation is a matter between the two members.
• Remove or update a listing as soon as the book is no longer available.

If something goes wrong in an exchange, try to resolve it with the other member first. You may report the problem to us and we may, at our discretion, look into it, remove content or take action on accounts, but we have no obligation to resolve disputes between members or to compensate anyone.

6.Meeting other members

Meeting other members in person is entirely your own decision and at your own risk. Before any meetup, read our Safety guide. Meet in busy public places during the day, tell someone where you are going, and if you are under 18, bring a parent or guardian.

BookSwap.lk is not responsible for the conduct of any member, online or offline, or for any loss, injury or damage that happens during or because of a meeting or exchange. If you are in danger, call the Police emergency line on 119.

7.What you must not do

You must follow the Community Guidelines. In particular, you must not:

• list or exchange pirated, photocopied, counterfeit, stolen or illegal books, free government school textbooks marked "not for sale", library property, or files such as PDFs or e-books;
• harass, threaten, defraud, impersonate or mislead anyone, or post hateful, obscene or unlawful content;
• collect, scrape, copy or harvest other members' information or our content by automated means;
• send spam, advertising or chain messages, or use the Service for purposes unrelated to books without our permission;
• create fake or multiple accounts, manipulate ratings or reviews, or get around a suspension;
• interfere with, attack, overload, probe or reverse-engineer the Service, or access accounts or data without permission (this may also be an offence under the Computer Crimes Act No. 24 of 2007);
• use the Service in any way that breaks the laws of Sri Lanka, including the Online Safety Act No. 9 of 2024.

8.Your content

"Your content" means anything you add to the Service: listings, photos, profile details, messages, posts, comments, reviews, ratings and circle discussions. You keep ownership of your content.

So that we can run the Service, you give BookSwap.lk a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, display, adapt (for example resize, compress or re-format), translate and distribute your content for operating, improving and promoting the Service. This licence ends when you delete the content or your account, except for: copies held in routine backups for a limited time; content other members have already received (such as messages); and content we must keep for legal or safety reasons.

Book details you add to the shared catalogue (such as a title, author or cover) may stay in the catalogue after your listing or account is removed, without any link to you.

You confirm that you have the right to post your content, that it is accurate, and that it does not break any law or anyone else's rights. You are solely responsible for your content.

9.Our content and intellectual property

The BookSwap.lk name, logo, design, software and our own text are owned by BookSwap.lk and protected by the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003 and other laws. You may not copy or reuse them without our written permission, except for normal personal use of the Service and sharing links.

Some book information comes from third-party sources such as Google Books and Open Library and remains subject to their terms.

If you believe content on BookSwap.lk infringes your copyright or other rights, write to [email protected] with your contact details, the content concerned (with a link), and the rights you own. We will review the notice and remove infringing content. We close the accounts of repeat infringers.

10.Moderation, suspension and termination

We may, but do not have to, review content and activity on the Service. We may remove or hide any content, limit features, suspend or permanently close any account, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe that it breaks these Terms or the law, puts members or the Service at risk, or if we are required to by law or by an authority.

If action is taken against your account and you think it was a mistake, contact us within 30 days and we will review it.

You may stop using the Service at any time and ask us to delete your account (see the Privacy Policy). Sections of these Terms that by their nature should continue — including content licences already granted, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity and governing law — continue after your account ends.

11.Paid features

The Service is currently free to use. If we introduce paid features or plans in the future (for example BookSwap Pro), the price, what it includes, billing and refund terms will be shown to you clearly before you pay. Payments will be handled by a licensed third-party payment provider, and BookSwap.lk will not store your card details. Your rights under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 are not affected.

12.Third-party services and links

The Service links to or works with services we do not control, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, X, SMS and email providers, and book information sources. Their own terms and privacy policies apply, and we are not responsible for them.

13.Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, BookSwap.lk gives no warranties or promises of any kind, express or implied, including that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure or error-free, that listings or member information are accurate, or that you will find a particular book or complete an exchange. Distances are approximate and based on town centres.

14.Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by the laws of Sri Lanka:

• BookSwap.lk, and the people who run, build, moderate or volunteer for it, are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive loss, or for any loss of money, books, data, profits or goodwill;
• BookSwap.lk is not liable for any loss, injury, damage or dispute arising from dealings, communications, meetings, payments or exchanges between members, from any member's content or conduct, or from any third party's actions, including unauthorised access to the Service;
• our total liability to you for all claims relating to the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid BookSwap.lk in the 12 months before the claim arose, or (b) LKR 5,000.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited, such as liability for fraud.

15.Indemnity and release

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless BookSwap.lk and the people who run it against any claim, demand, loss, damage, cost or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your content, your listings or exchanges, your use of the Service, your breach of these Terms, or your breach of any law or of anyone else's rights.

Because BookSwap.lk is not a party to exchanges between members, you release BookSwap.lk from any claims arising from disputes between you and other members, to the extent permitted by law.

16.Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal data, and the rights you have under the Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022.

17.Changes to the Service and these Terms

We may change, add or remove features of the Service at any time. We may also update these Terms. The effective date at the top always shows the current version. For important changes we will give notice on the site or by email at least 14 days before they take effect, unless a change is needed sooner for legal or safety reasons. If you keep using the Service after a change takes effect, you accept the updated Terms. If you do not agree, stop using the Service and ask us to delete your account.

18.Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. If you have a complaint, please contact us first: we will try to resolve it informally within 30 days. If it cannot be resolved, the courts of Colombo, Sri Lanka will have exclusive jurisdiction, unless the law gives you a right to bring the claim elsewhere.

19.General

• These Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Community Guidelines are the whole agreement between you and BookSwap.lk about the Service.
• If any part of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest stays in force.
• If we do not enforce a right straight away, we have not given it up.
• We may transfer our rights and duties under these Terms to another organisation that takes over the Service. You may not transfer yours.
• We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as power or internet outages, natural disasters, civil unrest or actions of authorities.
• We may send you notices by email, SMS or on the site.
• These Terms are available in English, Sinhala and Tamil. If there is any difference between versions, the English version prevails.

20.Contact

BookSwap.lk, Sri Lanka. Email: [email protected]. You can also reach us through the contact form on the site.