Frequently asked questions

BookSwap.lk is a community of readers in Sri Lanka. You put the books you own on your shelf, then swap, lend or sell them to other readers near you, and find books you want to read next.

Yes. Creating an account, listing books, sending requests and chatting with other readers is free.

Before you send a swap, borrow or buy request, or message another reader, we ask you to verify your mobile number with a one-time code. It keeps fake accounts out and makes the community safer for everyone. Your number is not shown to others unless you choose to show it to buyers.

Your account has moved to the new site, and you don’t need your old password. On the login page choose Mobile number and sign in with a code sent to the number you used before. If that number has changed, sign in with an Email code instead, then verify your new number. You can set a new password any time with “Forgot password?”.

Absolutely. Sinhala, Tamil and English books are all first-class on BookSwap.lk, and you can use the site in all three languages. If a book is not in our catalogue yet, you can add its title and author when you list it.

Find a book you want, send the owner a swap request offering a book from your shelf, agree on the details in chat, and meet to exchange. When both of you confirm the handover, the books move to each other’s shelves and you can rate each other.

You can lend a book for 2, 3 or 4 weeks. BookSwap.lk keeps track of who has it and when it is due, and you can send the borrower a friendly reminder on WhatsApp with one tap.

Yes. Mark a book for sale and set a price in rupees. Buyers contact you through BookSwap.lk messages. If you choose to show your phone number to buyers, a buyer with a verified phone also sees it in the buy box and in your chat.

Yes. You have one conversation with each reader, with a tab for every book you are arranging together, so you always know which book a message is about.

No. BookSwap.lk only connects readers. Payments, courier and meetups are arranged directly between the two members, so please agree on everything clearly in chat before you hand over a book or any money.

Most meetups go smoothly, but whether, where and when to meet is always your own choice. Meet in busy public places in daylight and follow our safe meetup guidelines. BookSwap.lk is a service provider and is not a party to, or responsible for, meetups between members.

Nobody, unless you choose “Phone number and messages” under “How buyers can contact me” in your privacy settings. The “Show my phone number to buyers” box when you list a book for sale changes the same setting. Then a buyer with a verified phone sees your number in the buy box and in your chat. Everything else happens through messages on BookSwap.lk.

With Ghost Mode on, you read anonymously: your name, photo and shelf are hidden from your public profile, and books you receive are recorded in their journey as read by an anonymous reader. You can switch it on in your privacy settings.

Posts, comments, circle discussions and replies each have a Report option. For a member, listing or meetup problem, contact us with the details. Our moderators review every report and can warn or suspend accounts that break the rules.

There is a limit on how many books you can have on your shelf and actively listed at once. New readers have smaller limits in their first 30 days. If you reach a limit, the site tells you what it is and how to free up space.

My library holds every book you own. For each one you choose how it is shared: Private (only you see it), On shelf (others see it, but it is not offered), Swap, Lend or Sell. You can group books into up to 6 shelves of your own, set a yearly reading goal, and use “View as visitor” to see what other readers see.

Circles are reading groups. Anyone signed in can join a circle and reply to its discussions, and experienced readers can start their own. New circles and discussions are checked by our team before they appear.

Open a reader’s profile and tap Follow. New books and posts from readers you follow show in your Following tab. When you both follow each other you become friends. By default only friends can comment on your posts, and you can change that in your privacy settings.

When you log in, tick “Save username and password” to stay signed in on that device for up to 30 days. If you leave it unticked, you are signed out when you close the browser, which is safer on a shared computer.

Use the language switcher in the menu to change between English, Sinhala and Tamil at any time.

Contact support and choose “Issue with my account or login”, then ask us to delete your account. We remove it within 30 days of your request.