Terms & Conditions of Use

Official Website: Clgkart.com · Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Welcome to ClgKart. These Terms and Conditions constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "Data Principal") and the management of ClgKart ("We", "Us", "Our", "Data Fiduciary") regarding your access to and use of our student-to-student marketplace application, services, wallets, and vendor portal.

Part I: Acceptance, User Onboarding, and Minor Protection

1. Acceptance of Terms, Notice, and Student Status

Affirmative Consent: By checking the "I Agree" box during registration, you explicitly provide free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous consent to these Terms and our accompanying Privacy Notice via a clear affirmative action. Browse-wrap or passive consent by mere access to Clgkart.app is legally invalid.

Walled Community: ClgKart is limited strictly to active university and college students. General users must verify their status via a university-issued email address or by uploading a valid student ID card.

2. Minor Protection and Mandatory Age Restrictions

Parental Account Method: In accordance with Section 9 of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, minors (individuals who have not completed the age of 18 years) cannot create an independent account on ClgKart. They must use a profile strictly managed by a parent or legal guardian, who takes full legal and financial responsibility for all platform activities, communications, and transactions.

Strict Verification Deficit & Immediate Termination: Standard platform sign-ups require only mobile number verification via a One-Time Password (OTP). However, if ClgKart discovers, or is formally notified, that an independent account belongs to someone under the age of 18, we reserve the right to terminate the membership immediately and permanently block access to the platform without prior notice.

No Financial Onboarding or KYC for Minors: Financial products or premium escrow facilities hosted on the platform require rigorous Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, including official PAN or structural documentation. These services explicitly block anyone under the age of 18 from applying. ClgKart strictly prohibits the collection or storage of any minor's government-issued identity numbers.

Privacy Controls: Per the ClgKart Privacy Policy, the company does not knowingly collect or track personal data from children under 18. If a parent or guardian shares a child's data (such as for local campus shipping details), they must officially represent and warrant that they possess the absolute legal authority to do so.

Part II: User Classifications & Transaction Workflows

3. General Buyer Flow (Physical & Virtual Goods)

Account Registration: General users entering the platform exclusively to order physical or virtual items must create a verified account and accept all terms, privacy policies, refund procedures, and cancellation rules.

Absolute Address Isolation: To safeguard personal data and comply with data protection regulations, a buyer's full physical address and contact details are completely hidden and isolated. The Student-Seller or Vendor can never view or access your delivery address under any circumstances.

Secure Payment & Escrow Safeguard: Buyers fund their secure platform wallet using integrated third-party payment gateways to complete an order. ClgKart utilizes a "Trust" escrow system where payments are held securely. Funds are held until the item is successfully received by the buyer, upon which the payout is released to the seller's wallet.

Virtual Items & Intellectual Property: If a buyer purchases virtual items (e.g., digital notes, study guides, or PDFs), the item will be delivered securely through the application interface. Sellers listing virtual items explicitly warrant that they hold full legal ownership or authorization to distribute the content. Listing pirated, scanned, or copyrighted textbooks without authorization is strictly prohibited and will result in an immediate permanent ban.

4. Individual Seller Flow

Listing & Fulfillment: Individual sellers (such as students selling pre-loved academic books) must accept all platform policies and safely pack items upon receiving an order. Sellers bear sole responsibility for ensuring the item is securely padded to prevent damage during transit.

Logistics Processing: ClgKart's internal operations team coordinates with trusted third-party courier companies (acting as Data Processors). The courier partner collects the package from the seller and handles delivery directly to the buyer without exposing the buyer's private information to the seller.

Wallet Payouts & Minimum Threshold: Once the buyer receives the item, the specified earnings are credited directly to the seller's platform wallet. Sellers can initiate a manual payout transfer to their respective bank account or UPI ID provided the wallet balance is ₹100 or more.

Wallet Balance & Dormancy: Wallet balances below ₹100 cannot be withdrawn and must be used for marketplace purchases. Accounts left completely inactive for more than 12 consecutive months with balances below the threshold may be charged a nominal wallet maintenance fee, or the funds may be forfeited in accordance with applicable financial guidelines.

5. Verified Vendors and Street Book Stores (BoiPara Policy)

Onboarding Verification: ClgKart collects essential store information, including Store Name, Owner Name, and a verified Trade License or GSTIN documentation (if registered as a business entity). For local street vendors or student startups without full corporate registration, localized verification parameters are utilized.

Public vs. Private System Safeguards: A vendor's storefront location or designated commercial communication address is displayed publicly on the platform so students can locate the shop. However, all private corporate records, legal documentation, and supplementary identity proofs are stored safely and encrypted within ClgKart's system. This hidden data will never be made public and will only be disclosed if mandated by a valid judicial order or for official legal compliance issues.

Autonomous Messaging System: To protect user identities, all communications regarding item details, negotiations, or coordination must occur exclusively through ClgKart's fully autonomous, built-in messaging system. Sharing personal contact information, phone numbers, or external links within this system is strictly restricted to maintain user safety. ClgKart disclaims all liability for any transaction, scam, or dispute that arises if users intentionally bypass our chat system to communicate off-platform.

Part III: Financial Policies, Fees, and Commissions

6. Platform Service Fee Structure

To maintain platform security, courier logistics, and escrow systems, ClgKart applies a dual-sided service fee model:

Seller Commission: A standard 3% platform commission is charged to individual sellers and commercial vendors. The exact deduction amount is dynamically computed and explicitly displayed on the listing creation page once the seller determines the item's listing price. It is the seller's sole responsibility to review this deduction before publishing.

Buyer Fee & Delivery Charges: A standard 3% platform fee is added to the buyer's checkout totals. Buyers are also responsible for covering any applicable delivery fees determined by the courier partner, unless a specific promotional offer explicitly states that delivery is free.

College Street (BoiPara) Exemption: In accordance with personal promotional agreements, verified local "Street Book Stores" (BoiPara vendors) are charged 0% commission. ClgKart reserves the right to modify or adjust this commission structure in the future. Any structural updates affecting street vendors will be formally notified to them in advance of enforcement.

7. Taxation: Selling GST-Exempt Goods

ECO Status: ClgKart operates as an Electronic Commerce Operator (ECO) and maintains all mandatory legal tax registrations under Indian tax law.

Exemption for Students: Because textbooks and the majority of academic materials are classified as Exempted Supplies under Indian tax law, student-sellers listing exclusively in these categories are generally not required to provide a GSTIN to sell on our platform.

Small Seller Benefit: Individual student-sellers whose total annual turnover remains below the government threshold for goods (₹40 Lakh) can list and sell their pre-loved items without a GST number.

Part IV: Cancellations, Returns, and Scam Prevention

8. Strict Cancellation Policy

The independent sellers, students, and street stalls operating on ClgKart frequently work with limited financial resources and cannot absorb unnecessary overhead distribution costs. To protect our seller community, the following rules apply:

Pre-Dispatch Window: A Student-Buyer may only cancel an order before the third-party delivery partner or campus courier takes possession of the item.

Post-Dispatch Penalties: Once an item has been dispatched or handed over to our logistics partner, cancellations are strictly prohibited. If a buyer forces a cancellation after dispatch, the buyer will be penalized and charged a Full Cancellation Fee equivalent to the complete cost of the item, the platform fees, applicable GST/taxes, and the round-trip delivery fees.

9. Scam-Free Return and Refund Investigation Policy

Because our platform facilitates the exchange of "pre-loved" (used) items between students, all refund requests are subject to a mandatory investigation period. Refunds are not automatic and are granted only upon successful verification of a claim.

Financial Liability for Returns: If an item is found to be fundamentally flawed upon investigation, the return process is approved. The financial loss for the return (including original and return shipping costs) must be entirely borne by the seller, whether they are an individual student-seller or a commercial store owner.

Valid Grounds for Returns: Returns are permitted only if the item delivered is fundamentally incorrect, contains missing pages, is completely fraudulent (counterfeit or stolen), or has severe physical damage that does not match the product images provided by the seller.

Excluded Grounds: No return or refund claims will be honored or processed based on third-party courier delivery delays or any subjective parameters outside of item accuracy.

Evidence Required: The buyer must formalize a complaint via Clgkart.app within 24 hours of receipt, accompanied by clear photos or an unedited, continuous unboxing video clearly demonstrating the discrepancy.

10. Fraud Enforcement, Scams, and Account Banning

Suspension Safeguards: While ClgKart operates as a neutral intermediary and does not proactively monitor daily private user interactions, we maintain zero tolerance for platform manipulation.

Enforcement Actions: If an individual seller, buyer, or commercial store is reported or discovered engaging in fraudulent transactions, listing counterfeit items, or creating scam profiles, ClgKart reserves the absolute right to:

• Permanently suspend or terminate the user's account without notice.
• Immediately freeze all accrued funds and balances inside the user's platform wallet.
• Initiate direct civil or criminal legal proceedings if the fraudulent activity impacts ClgKart or its operations.

Part V: Data Sovereignty and Legal Standards

11. Explicit Data Collection Matrix

ClgKart strictly adheres to a No-Sale Policy: We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third-party brokers or advertisers. We may display structural advertisements or marketing campaigns within the platform to promote business visibility, but no personal user metrics or identity details are ever processed, shared, or exposed to these external ad tracking systems.

To maintain transparency under Section 5 of the DPDP Act, here is exactly what data we collect and why we process it:

12. Limitation of Liability and Intermediary Protection

Section 79 Protection: As per Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, ClgKart is a neutral e-commerce intermediary. We do not manufacture, inspect, or own the items listed, and are not liable for the condition, quality, safety, or authenticity of goods sold by third-party users.

Indemnification: Users agree to indemnify ClgKart, its management, and its founders from any claims, losses, regulatory liabilities, or legal costs arising from the sale of pirated, counterfeit, or stolen materials, or from any deliberate user misrepresentation.

Startup Evolution Commitment: As an agile startup, ClgKart actively updates its data architecture, engineering safeguards, and access controls continuously to adapt to evolving cybersecurity threat environments and maximize data safety for our student community.

Part VI: Mandatory Grievance Redressal

In compliance with statutory requirements under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, ClgKart provides a dedicated channel for users to exercise their data rights — including the right to request information access, complete data correction, or full account data erasure upon account closure (subject to mandatory financial record retention laws).

If you have questions about your privacy, wish to update your profile data, or need to file a data grievance, please contact our internal team:

Grievance Officer: Pritam Das
Contact Email: privacy@clgkart.com
Registered Address: ClgKart Operations, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Users are required by law to exhaust ClgKart's internal grievance redressal mechanisms before escalating complaints to the Data Protection Board of India.