Terms & Conditions

1. Purpose of Service

• •allthebooks facilitates the matching of parents who wish to sell or buy second-hand school textbooks.
• •The platform does not buy, sell, store, inspect, or physically handle any books directly.
• •allthebooks acts as an intermediary to facilitate safe, transparent transactions between parents at the same school.

2. Eligibility

• •The allthebooks platform is available to parents and guardians of learners at schools that have been registered on the platform.
• •By registering, you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age and are acting as a parent or legal guardian.
• •Each user may register one account. Duplicate accounts may be removed without notice.

3. Ownership and Authority to Sell

• •By listing a book for sale on allthebooks, you confirm that you are the legal owner of the book, or that you have the express permission of the legal owner to sell it.
• •You further confirm that the owner of the book has been informed that the book is being listed for sale on allthebooks.
• •allthebooks accepts no liability for disputes arising from books listed without the knowledge or consent of their legal owner.
• •This clause exists to prevent situations where a learner lists books for sale without parental knowledge or consent.

4. Accuracy of Book Lists

• •Book lists have been prepared based on the most recent information available from each school.
• •allthebooks and its owner are not liable for any errors, omissions, or outdated details in these book lists.
• •Parents are responsible for confirming that any book they buy or sell matches the school's current requirements.

5. Condition of Books

• •Buyers and sellers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the condition ratings used on the platform: As New means the book is in perfect condition, has not been used at all; Good means the book has been used, but is clean, with no, or minimal markings or wear; Fair means the book has been used with visible marks and wear, but nothing that would prevent another student from using the book effectively.
• •Sellers are responsible for accurately describing the condition of their books using the condition ratings provided (As New, Good, Fair).
• •allthebooks does not verify or guarantee the quality, completeness, or condition of any books exchanged.
• •Buyers accept that all books are purchased based on the condition information provided by the seller.
• •If a book's condition does not match its description, buyers may raise a dispute within 48 hours of confirmed receipt. allthebooks will mediate to ensure a fair resolution.

6. Transactions and Payments

• •When a match is found between a buyer and seller, the buyer pays allthebooks directly and securely through our payment partner (Paystack).
• •The price presented to the buyer is determined by allthebooks and reflects the seller's asking price plus a 30% service fee. The service fee covers platform licensing, payment processing, dispute resolution, and system operating costs. The seller always receives their full asking price. allthebooks retains the service fee.
• •Once payment is received and confirmed, the buyer and seller's contact details are shared with each other so they can arrange the physical handover of books directly.
• •After the buyer confirms that the books have been safely received in the described condition, allthebooks transfers the seller's full asking price to their nominated bank account. This typically takes 1–5 business days.
• •Seller payouts are processed on a weekly basis. allthebooks reserves the right to delay a payout if a dispute is pending on the relevant transaction.
• •allthebooks facilitates the payment process but does not physically handle, deliver, or guarantee delivery of any books.
• •If a handover is cancelled before completion for reasons deemed to be the seller's fault, the buyer will receive a full refund of the amount paid. If the cancellation is deemed to be the buyer's fault, the service fee is non-refundable and only the seller's asking price portion will be refunded to the buyer.

7. Buyer–Seller Contact & Privacy

• •By using allthebooks, you consent to the collection and storage of your name, contact details, and transaction information for the purposes of matching buyers and sellers and facilitating payments.
• •When a match is found, your contact details will be shared only with the corresponding parent (buyer or seller) so you can arrange the exchange directly.
• •Your information will not be shared publicly or used for marketing purposes without your consent.
• •allthebooks complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for full details.

8. WhatsApp Notifications

• •allthebooks uses WhatsApp to notify users of matches, payment confirmations, handover arrangements, and dispute updates.
• •By registering on the platform, you consent to receiving these WhatsApp notifications. They are a core and required part of the service.
• •allthebooks will not send unsolicited marketing messages via WhatsApp.

9. Disputes and Refunds

• •Buyers may raise a dispute within 48 hours of confirming receipt of a book if it does not match the described condition.
• •allthebooks will review all disputes and mediate between buyer and seller to reach a fair outcome.
• •allthebooks' decision in dispute matters is final.
• •Refunds are processed to the buyer's nominated bank account within 1–5 business days of a dispute resolution.

10. Limitation of Liability

• •allthebooks and its owner shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, or incidental damages arising from participation in this exchange, including but not limited to errors in listings, misrepresentation, or condition of books.
• •allthebooks does not guarantee that a match will be found for every buyer request or seller listing.
• •allthebooks is not responsible for any actions or omissions of individual buyers or sellers on the platform.

11. Changes to These Terms

• •allthebooks reserves the right to update these Terms & Conditions at any time. Continued use of the platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
• •Material changes will be communicated to registered users via WhatsApp or email.

12. Acceptance

By registering and using the allthebooks platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms & Conditions. You also confirm that you consent to receiving WhatsApp notifications as described in Section 8.

Questions about these terms? Contact us at hello@allthebooks.co.za