The Short Version
Use Shelvd to catalog your books. Don't use it to do anything illegal, abusive, or that would make a librarian cry. Your data is yours. Our software is ours. If something breaks, we'll fix it. If you break something, we'd appreciate knowing about it. That's roughly it.
Agreement
By creating an account on Shelvd, you agree to these terms. We know nobody reads terms of service — there's research on this, it would take 76 working days per year to read every terms of service you encounter — but we've tried to make these ones worth your time. Or at least bearable.
If you do not agree with these terms, please don't use Shelvd. We'll be sad, but we'll respect your decision. Much like we respect a book in poor condition: with sympathy and from a safe distance.
What Shelvd Is
Shelvd is a web-based collection management tool for books. Specifically, for people who care about books as physical objects: their format, binding, condition, provenance, and all the other details that distinguish a bibliophile from someone who just “likes reading.”
We provide: cataloging tools, search, collection management, export capabilities, and a provenance tracking system that no one asked for until it existed.
We do not provide: book valuations (we show what you enter), financial advice, authentication services, or opinions on whether that “first edition” you found at a car boot sale is genuine. (It probably isn't. Sorry.)
Your Account
You need an account to use Shelvd. To create one, you'll need an email address that works. We'll send a confirmation email. If you don't receive it, check your spam folder. We're in there somewhere, nestled between a Nigerian prince and a miracle diet.
You are responsible for
Keeping your login credentials secure
Everything that happens under your account
Not sharing your account with others (one account, one collector — we're not running a timeshare)
We are responsible for
Not losing your data
Keeping the service running
Actually reading your bug reports
Your Data
Let's be clear about this, because it matters:
Your book data belongs to you.
Your catalog entries, provenance records, notes, valuations, tags, and everything else you enter into Shelvd is your intellectual property. We don't claim any ownership over it. We don't use it. We don't look at it. We don't secretly admire your collection at night. (We might be tempted, but we don't.)
You can export everything, anytime.
Excel, CSV, JSON — take your pick. No advance notice required. No “please contact support.” No 30-day cooling-off period. Click export, get your data. It's that simple, because it should be.
You can delete everything, anytime.
When you delete your account, we delete your data. Permanently. Within 30 days. See our Privacy Policy for the full details and the mild grieving process.
Acceptable Use
We trust you. You're a book collector, which means you have excellent judgment in at least one area of life. But lawyers exist, so here are the things you may not do:
Use Shelvd for any unlawful purpose
Attempt to access other users' data (their first editions are not your first editions)
Upload malicious code, viruses, or anything that would make our servers unhappy
Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the service
Use the platform to send spam (if you want to tell people about your collection, start a blog like a normal person)
Impersonate another person or entity (you are you; that's sufficient)
Deliberately attempt to degrade the performance of the service (it's a book catalog, not a stress test)
If you violate these terms, we may suspend or terminate your account. We'll try to warn you first, because we're civilized, but we reserve the right to act immediately if the situation demands it.
Intellectual Property
The Shelvd name, logo, software, design, and all associated code, documentation, and creative materials are owned by Simplinity / Bruno van Branden. You may not copy, modify, or redistribute them. The Swiss typography took longer than you'd think.
Everything you put into Shelvd. See Section 4. We're not going to say it again. (We might say it again.)
Data retrieved from library lookup services (Library of Congress, BnF, etc.) is subject to the terms of those institutions. We just pass it along. Don't blame us if the Library of Congress disagrees with your publication date.
Service Availability
We aim for Shelvd to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is an aspiration, not a legally binding promise, because we live in a world where servers crash, cables get cut, and Belgian thunderstorms happen.
We will do our best. When things break, we fix them quickly. Usually while muttering. We do not guarantee:
Uninterrupted access
Error-free operation
That the application will work on Internet Explorer (nothing works on Internet Explorer, and if you're using it, we have bigger concerns)
We may occasionally take the service down for maintenance. We'll try to warn you in advance, but sometimes the server has other ideas.
Limitation of Liability
This is the part where legal language becomes unavoidable. We apologize in advance.
Shelvd is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Simplinity / Bruno van Branden shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or loss of that book you were outbid on at Christie's (that last one is on you).
Our total liability, for any and all claims, shall not exceed the amount you paid for the service in the twelve months preceding the claim. If you're on the free tier, you can do the math.
This does not affect your statutory rights under EU consumer protection law, which override these terms where applicable. We're in Belgium. We follow Belgian and EU law. The GDPR applies. The Consumer Rights Directive applies. Your rights are your rights.
Pricing & Payment
Shelvd currently offers a free Early Access tier. Future paid tiers (Collector Pro, Dealer) will be introduced separately with their own pricing terms.
When paid tiers launch:
Prices will be clearly displayed before you commit
You can cancel anytime
We don't do hidden fees, surprise charges, or “automatic upgrades”
Refund policy will be published with the paid tiers
Early Access users who signed up with an invite code retain their trial benefits until the code's benefit period expires. After that, a paid subscription is required for Pro or Dealer features.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these terms from time to time. When we do:
We'll update the date at the top
We'll notify you by email for material changes
We'll give you reasonable time to review changes before they take effect
We won't pretend the changes are minor when they're not
Continued use of Shelvd after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you disagree with changes, you can close your account and export your data. We won't make it difficult, because making it difficult would be contrary to everything we stand for.
Termination
By you
You can delete your account at any time. No exit interview. No “are you sure?” modals stacked three deep. No guilt. Export your data first if you want it. We recommend this.
By us
We may terminate your account if you violate these terms. We'll tell you why. If the violation isn't severe, we'll warn you first. We're not in the business of surprising people, except with how many book formats we support.
Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of Belgium and the European Union. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Belgium.
We sincerely hope it never comes to that. Court is expensive, time-consuming, and lacks the ambiance of a good bookshop.
Severability
If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full effect. Think of it like a book with a torn page: regrettable, but the rest still reads perfectly well.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Found a loophole? Want to report a violation? Thinking about becoming a lawyer after reading all this?
Email: legal@shelvd.app
Human: Bruno van Branden
Location: Belgium, EU
Response time: Usually within 48 hours. We read faster than we type.
These terms were written by a human who would rather be cataloging books. Any resemblance to readable legal text is a minor miracle and entirely deliberate.