Terms of Service

1. Definitions

• “SriLankaExport.com” refers to the website and its services owned and operated by Harker International (Pvt) Ltd (Registration No. PV 00338032), Kandy, Sri Lanka.
• “Harker International,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to the operating entity, Harker International (Pvt) Ltd.
• “User” refers to anyone accessing or using our website.
• “Vendor” refers to businesses or individuals listing products on our platform.
• “Buyer” refers to customers purchasing products from listed vendors or from Harker International through the Trade Desk.

2. Eligibility

To use our services, you must be at least 18 years old and capable of entering into legally binding contracts. By accessing our platform, you confirm that you meet these requirements.

3. Account Registration

• Users must provide accurate information when registering an account.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
• Vendor applications are subject to marketplace review and approval. Review may include business registration, tax / customs details, product compliance documentation, certificates, ownership and contact details, and EDB registration or directory listing where applicable. This marketplace review does not constitute legal, customs, certification-body, EDB, or Government of Sri Lanka approval.

4. Marketplace Services: Platform Role

SriLankaExport.com is an independent B2B marketplace and technology platform. Unless expressly agreed in writing, SriLankaExport.com is not the seller, exporter of record, importer of record, manufacturer, certification body, inspection body, customs broker, freight forwarder, or government authority. Marketplace transactions are conducted directly between buyers and vendors.

Two channels, two counterparties. Harker International operates two distinct channels, and which one applies determines who your counterparty is. On the marketplace, vendors list their own goods and you contract directly with the vendor; the paragraph above applies in full. Through the Trade Desk, Harker International buys goods on its own account and resells them to you as principal. Where a signed sales contract or an accepted proforma invoice names Harker International as seller, that document governs the transaction and Harker International is the seller under it.

No government endorsement. Use of SriLankaExport.com, listing on SriLankaExport.com, or display of a vendor profile does not mean that the vendor, product, document, certificate, or transaction is endorsed, approved, certified, or sponsored by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), Sri Lanka Business Portal, Government of Sri Lanka, or any government authority. Where this platform mentions EDB registration or directory listing, we refer only to a vendor’s own voluntary EDB registration or listing, where applicable. The previous mandatory Registration of Exporters scheme was revoked by Gazette No. 2118/60 dated April 11, 2019.

Marketplace verification. Where this platform refers to verification or to an “SLE-Verified Supplier” badge, it means an internal review by our team of vendor-submitted documents and publicly or lawfully available information where available. It does not replace legal, customs, tax, certification-body, bank, payment-gateway, importer, or buyer due diligence.

We do not own, inspect, or guarantee the quality of any products sold on our platform. Where a vendor claims a certification, we require supporting evidence before displaying that claim, but certificate scope and validity should be verified by the buyer with the issuing body or importer of record before shipment. We operate as an online intermediary and an online marketplace under EU Regulation 2022/2065 (the Digital Services Act); the specific marketplace obligations we observe are set out in our EU Digital Services Act Statement.

5. Code of Conduct: Vendors and Buyers

The substantive standards each side must observe are set out in:

• Vendor Agreement and Vendor Code of Conduct, for Vendors.
• Buyer Code of Conduct: for Buyers.
• Acceptable Use Policy: for all Users.
• Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Policy: for all Users.
• Responsible Sourcing Policy: for Vendors and Buyers in regulated product categories (food, textiles, rubber, seafood).

Together with these Terms, those documents constitute the “Terms of Service” for the purposes of DSA Article 14. They are public and may be invoked without account login.

6. Content moderation and statement of reasons: DSA Article 17

Where we restrict, suspend, terminate, or remove a User account, a listing, or specific content, we provide a clear statement of reasons to the affected party at the time of the action. The statement identifies the rule applied, the facts relied on, the territorial scope and duration, the redress mechanism, and (where applicable) the use of automated means in the decision. Affected parties may appeal under the procedure described in our Dispute Resolution Policy; we respond to appeals within 14 days. Where we suspend or terminate an account at the direct order of a Member State authority under DSA Article 9, we comply but also notify the affected party and the Digital Services Coordinator as required.

7. Payments & Fees

• Buyers must complete payments through our supported payment rails (BACS wire transfer to HNB Sri Lanka, or Letter of Credit).
• Listings are currently free for verified vendors. Future fees, if introduced, will be disclosed in advance.
• All quoted prices are FOB Colombo in USD unless otherwise stated, and are exclusive of all taxes, customs duties, freight, and insurance. Tax treatment for B2B Buyers is described in the Tax & VAT Disclosure.

8. Shipping & Returns

Vendors are responsible for shipping items in a timely manner per the agreed Incoterm. Where Harker International sells as principal through the Trade Desk, its own sales contract or proforma invoice governs shipping, quality and returns for that transaction. Buyers should review the Refund Policy and the vendor’s specific terms before purchasing. Disputes regarding shipping, quality, or returns should be resolved between the buyer and vendor in the first instance; we are available to mediate on request under the Dispute Resolution Policy.

9. Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

• List illegal, counterfeit, prohibited, or non-Sri-Lankan-origin products misrepresented as Sri Lankan.
• Use the platform for fraudulent transactions, money laundering, or sanctions evasion (see AML & KYC and Export Compliance).
• Engage in bribery or corruption (see Anti-Bribery Policy), harassment, spam, scraping, or any activities that violate applicable laws.
• Bypass the platform to circumvent our verification processes.

10. Intellectual Property

All content on SriLankaExport.com, including logos, design, text, and original images, is the intellectual property of Harker International (Pvt) Ltd or used with permission. Vendor product information and images remain the property of the respective vendor and are licensed to Harker International for marketplace listing purposes. Users may not copy, modify, or distribute our content without authorization. Notice-and-action for alleged IP infringement is set out in our IP Infringement Policy.

11. Limitation of Liability

We are not liable for any direct, indirect, or incidental damages arising from the use of our platform, including but not limited to losses from vendor non-performance, shipping delays, customs issues, or product defects. Vendors and buyers are responsible for their transactions and any disputes that arise. Our maximum liability is limited to the amount of fees, if any, paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law.

12. Termination

We reserve the right to terminate or suspend accounts that violate these Terms or engage in fraudulent activities, subject to the statement-of-reasons commitment in section 6 and the appeal process in our Dispute Resolution Policy. Vendors may have their listings removed at any time for failing to maintain valid certifications or for substantiated buyer complaints.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Sri Lanka. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Sri Lanka, subject to the mandatory consumer-protection, data-protection, and statutory rights of users in their home jurisdictions where those rights cannot be waived, and subject to the alternative dispute resolution process in our Dispute Resolution Policy.

14. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be announced on the homepage or via email to registered users. Continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

15. Contact Information

For any questions, please contact us at info@srilankaexport.com or through our Contact page. For DSA matters specifically, use the Single Point of Contact in our EU Digital Services Act Statement.

Automated Access and Data Extraction

The marketplace listings, the exporter and buyer directories, the demand and trade data, and all other content on this website are the proprietary property of Harker International (Pvt) Ltd and are protected by law. You may not access, monitor, copy, index, reproduce, or extract any part of them by automated means, including any bot, crawler, spider, scraper, or data-mining tool, without our prior written permission.

Systematic retrieval of data from this website to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory is strictly prohibited, whether or not for commercial purposes. You also agree not to circumvent, disable, or interfere with any rate-limiting, access-control, or other security or access-management feature of the website.

We monitor for unauthorized automated access and reserve the right to block, suspend, or terminate access and to pursue all available legal and equitable remedies against any person or entity that breaches this section.