Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 2026

ShelfGem (“we”, “us”) helps libraries, bookstores, and individuals find out which books are worth money — and pays people who source books for us. This policy explains what we collect and how we use it. We keep it short and we keep it honest.

Information you give us

When you submit the sign-up form, we collect what you choose to enter: your name, email address, and — for libraries and bookstores — your organization name, phone number, location, and any message. If you create an operator login, we store your username and a one-way hash of your password (we can never see your actual password).

Information from using the product

When a book is scanned, we process the book's identifier (such as its barcode or title) to return a buy / don't-buy decision. We log scans to operate and improve the service. Our payout figures, profit and buying thresholds are never shown to partners — only the decision itself, and where applicable what we will pay that person.

Photographs you upload

Our shelf-scanning feature works from photographs you take of shelves or piles of books. When you use it we store the photograph, a downscaled copy of it, and what we read from it (the titles and authors on the spines). You can delete a scan at any time and the photograph goes with it.

Photographs can carry location and time information. Phones normally record where and when a picture was taken inside the image file itself. When you upload photographs taken earlier, we read that information out of the file so the visit is recorded at the shop you were actually standing in rather than wherever you happen to be when you upload. If you use the in-app camera instead, we ask your browser for a location and you can decline — declining does not stop the scan. We use this only to identify and order your own visits.

How we use it

To respond to your request and set up your account, to provide the scanning service, to pay you, and to improve and secure the product. We use your contact details only to reach out about ShelfGem.

Payments

How we pay depends on your arrangement with us. If you sell us books from your own collection or sale, we pay you an agreed amount per book. If you source books for us, we reimburse what you paid for each book and add a per-book commission on top; to do that we record what you told us you paid, what we agreed to pay you, and which books you handed over. If we ask you for a receipt as proof of purchase, we store the image you provide. We keep these records for as long as tax and accounting rules require.

Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with the service providers that run our product (for example, hosting and database providers) and where required by law.

Retention & your choices

We keep your information for as long as needed to provide the service and meet legal obligations.

You can delete your account yourself, from inside the app. Open Settings, scroll to Delete account, and type DELETE to confirm. That removes your login, your trips, the photographs you uploaded, the books we read out of them, and your saved settings and rules. It cannot be undone and we cannot get any of it back for you afterwards. If you own an account other people work under, remove their seats first — deleting yours would take their logins and their work with it.

You can also ask us to access or correct what we hold, or to delete it for you, by emailing hello@shelfgem.com.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data? Email hello@shelfgem.com.