Chapta Community Guidelines
Last updated: 12 September 2026
Chapta is for finding people who have a book you want, and who want a book you have. Everything here follows from that.
These guidelines apply to everything you put into Chapta and everything you do with it: your profile, your book listings and the notes on them, your photos, your ratings, your messages to other readers, and the way you behave when you meet someone to swap.
They are part of our Terms of Use. Breaking them can cost you your account.
1. Be honest about your books
Describe condition accurately. If a book is missing pages, has water damage, is heavily annotated, or is a different edition than the cover suggests, say so.
Photograph the copy you actually own. Not a stock image, not the publisher's cover shot, not someone else's photo.
List books you actually have and actually intend to swap.
2. Be honest about who you are
Use your own name and your own photo. One account per person.
Do not pretend to be another reader, another person, or a representative of Chapta.
If your account is suspended or removed, do not come back under a new one.
3. What is not allowed
You may not use Chapta to post, send or share:
- sexual or explicit material, including nudity, in any photo, profile, listing or message
- content that sexualises, endangers or exploits a minor, in any form
- credible threats of violence, or content that promotes, encourages or celebrates violence
- content that harasses, bullies, stalks, intimidates or demeans another person
- content that is defamatory, or that attacks people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age or serious disease
- impersonation of another person or of Chapta
- another person's private information — their address, phone number, workplace or messages — shared without their consent
- deliberately false descriptions of a book's condition, edition or contents
- scams, phishing, fraudulent listings, or requests for payment outside an agreed exchange
- anything illegal, or anything organising illegal activity
- spam, bulk messaging, or automated collection of other readers' information
Disagreeing about a book is fine. Going after the person is not.
4. Zero tolerance
We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and for abusive users. When we become aware of content that breaks these rules, it is removed, and accounts that post it lose access to Chapta.
5. What happens when someone breaks a rule
We may take any of the steps below, in any order, depending on what happened. This is not a sequence you are entitled to — serious behaviour skips straight to the end.
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| We remove the content and tell you which rule it broke | Most first-time, minor issues |
| We record the violation on your account | Any confirmed violation |
| We restrict a feature — listing, messaging, or swapping | Repeat issues, or issues tied to one feature |
| We suspend the account temporarily | Repeated violations, or a serious single one |
| We remove the account permanently | Repeat suspensions, or the categories below |
Immediately and permanently, with no warning:
- content that sexualises, endangers or exploits a minor
- credible threats of violence
- organised fraud
- returning after a suspension or removal under a new account
When an account is suspended or removed, we may also cancel swaps that account has in progress. The other reader is told the swap was cancelled, not why.
If you think we got it wrong
Reply to the notification we send you, or write to support@chapta.space. Tell us what you think we misread. A person reads your appeal. There is no deadline for appealing, though we may decline to review the same facts twice.
6. Reporting someone
Open the reader's profile, or the chat you have with them, tap the menu, and choose Report user. Pick the reason that fits best:
- Suspicious or scam-like activity
- Bullying or harassment
- Pretending to be someone else
- Rude or inappropriate behaviour
- Nudity or sexual activity
- Misleading book condition
- The reader is unresponsive
- Something else — tell us in your own words
Reporting is about a person, not a single item. If a book listing, a photo or a message is the problem, report the reader who posted it.
What happens next. Reporting someone also blocks them, with the same effect described in section 7, and cancels any swaps you have with them. We do not tell the person you report who reported them — though we may have to disclose it if the law requires us to. We will tell you that we have acted, but not what we did to the other person's account, because that is their private information.
If a crime has happened, contact your local police. We cannot report a crime on your behalf. We will respond to a valid request from law enforcement.
7. Blocking someone
You can block a reader without reporting them, from the same menu. Blocking stops them appearing in your feed, stops the two of you being matched, and hides your chat.
Blocking and reporting are different actions. Reporting always blocks; blocking does not report.
Blocking cannot currently be undone from inside the app. If you want a block reversed, write to support@chapta.space from the account you signed in with and we will do it.
8. How quickly we respond
We review every report. We aim to act on reports within 24 hours.
We do not always tell you the outcome of a report about another person, because that is their private account information. We do always look.
9. Meeting someone to swap
Chapta introduces readers. Everything after that is between the two of you — including the part where you meet a stranger to hand over a book.
No swap is worth risking your safety. If something feels wrong, stop, walk away, and report it.
If you are under 18, you may only use Chapta with the involvement of a parent or guardian, and you should not arrange to meet another reader without one.
Things worth doing:
- Meet in public. A café, a library, a bookshop, a busy square. Somewhere with people, good light, and ideally cameras.
- Meet during the day, or at least during normal opening hours.
- Keep the conversation in Chapta until you have met. It keeps your phone number and email to yourself, and it means there is a record.
- Tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting.
- Be suspicious of a last-minute change of location, especially to somewhere quieter or private. This is the most common set-up for something going wrong.
- Check the book before you hand yours over.
- Trust your instinct. You do not owe anyone an explanation for leaving.
Chapta does not check anyone's identity, background or criminal history. We do not verify that a reader is who they say they are, that a book exists, or that anyone will turn up. We do not suggest, inspect or vouch for meeting places. Please read section 8 of the Terms of Use, which explains what this means legally.
10. Following through on a swap
Silence after agreeing to a swap is the single most common complaint we receive.
If your plans change, say so. It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a reader who is disappointed and one who wastes an afternoon.
Persistently agreeing to swaps and not turning up is treated as a violation of these guidelines, not just bad manners.
11. Ratings
After a swap you can rate the other reader.
Rate the swap you actually had. Do not rate someone for a book you did not read, for a disagreement you had somewhere else, or as a favour. Do not organise or ask for ratings, and do not threaten someone with a bad rating to get something out of them.
Ratings that break these guidelines are removed.
12. Books, covers and copyright
Photograph your own copy. Do not upload cover art you took from a publisher, a retailer or another reader.
Chapta is for swapping physical books you own. It is not for distributing scans, PDFs, ebooks or audiobook files, and it is not for selling counterfeit or pirated copies.
If you believe something on Chapta infringes your copyright, our notice-and-takedown process is in section 7 of the Terms of Use.
13. Talk to us
Write to us at support@chapta.space.