People who buy things on Leanpub come from all around the world.

Most purchases are made individuals buying ebooks for themselves, or as gifts for people they know; some purchases are made by people working within institutions, like companies or universities, or government agencies.

To streamline our business and provide the best experience we can to the majority of our users, we do not permit purchases on Leanpub by people or institutions, where that person or institution takes itself to be subject to a constraint or obligation that would require Leanpub to fill out, or even receive, a form, or any other kind of document, or require you to engage in any interaction with Leanpub beyond your simply using the features available on our website to purchase something.

Here is a very specific, detailed example of the kind of thing we mean here:

We were once contacted by someone who reported that they had sent us a US tax form related to tax withholding. They were part of a university's administration, and they had purchased ebooks on Leanpub at the request of a department. They wrongly believed that this constituted personal income revenue, or something along those lines, and so they "grossed up" the price they paid to Leanpub, to account for income tax they believed they needed to withhold. Presumably, they then sent the extra amount of money they calculated to the IRS, and filed an official form stating that they had done so. We believe this is absolutely wrong: you wouldn't do this if you were buying an ebook from a company like Amazon, and you shouldn't do this with a company like Leanpub.

To be clear, if you believe you will be required to engage in tax withholding if you make a purchase on Leanpub, or do anything like that at all, then you are not permitted to make a purchase on Leanpub.

If you believe you are not permitted to make a purchase on Leanpub because you are subject to a constraint or obligation of this nature, we suggest you consult with a relevant expert to see if that's really true.

We're not lawyers, and this isn't a legal suggestion of any kind, but the question we would encourage you to ask yourself is, "Would I need to do this if I was buying an ebook from Amazon or Walmart?" And, "Would I go ahead and buy an ebook online from Amazon or Walmart and then send them a form regarding the purchase?"

For further reference, please see our Terms of Service, specifically section 2.8 Your Ability to Accept Terms.

If you have any feedback or questions about this article, please email the Leanpub team about it at hello@leanpub.com!

To learn about amazing new books and authors, subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/leanpub.

Are you looking for great deals on Leanpub ebooks, ebook bundles, and courses? Sign up for our Weekly and Monthly newsletter sales here!

Are you interested in self-publishing, and creating your first Leanpub book? Here are some quick tutorials for our most popular writing modes: http://help.leanpub.com/en/articles/3088382-quick-walkthroughs-for-getting-started-on-a-leanpub-book

Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/leanpub