Terms of Use

Welcome to Shelfware. By creating an account or using our service at shelfware.app (including our mobile app), you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, that's okay — but you shouldn't use the service.

The Service

Shelfware is a personal video game collection management tool. We help you catalog your games, track their market values, and discover new titles that fit your collection. We pull data from multiple sources to give you the most complete picture possible.

Price data displayed within Shelfware is informational only. Market values are sourced from PriceCharting and reflect estimates based on recent sales data. We do not guarantee pricing accuracy, and nothing in Shelfware constitutes financial or investment advice. We track prices so you can brag about that mint CIB find — not so you can day-trade cartridges.

Your Account

• One account per person. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent limits or bans is not allowed.
• You must provide a valid email address and accurate account information.
• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. If you suspect unauthorized access, change your password immediately and contact us.
• You must be at least 13 years old to create an account.

Your Data

Your collection data belongs to you. We don't claim ownership of the games you catalog, the notes you write, or the organization you create. You grant us a limited license to process, store, and display your data solely to provide the Shelfware service to you.

For details on how we handle your data, see our Privacy Policy.

Acceptable Use

We want Shelfware to work well for everyone. Please don't:

• Scrape or automate — Don't use bots, scrapers, or automated tools to access Shelfware. Our API is for your personal use through our official apps.
• Abuse scanning quotas — Barcode scanning uses AI services with real costs. Don't spam the scanner or use it for purposes unrelated to your collection.
• Share accounts — Each person should have their own account. Sharing credentials undermines the integrity of collection data and recommendations.
• Circumvent rate limits — Rate limits exist to keep the service stable for everyone. Don't try to bypass them.
• Upload harmful content — Don't upload malicious files, inappropriate images, or content that violates others' rights.
• Impersonate others — Don't create accounts or profiles that misrepresent your identity.

AI-Generated Content

Several features in Shelfware use artificial intelligence and machine learning:

• Barcode identification uses AI to recognize games from scanned barcodes. It's good, but not perfect — it may occasionally misidentify a game or fail to find a match.
• Game recommendations are generated by ML models based on your collection patterns. These are suggestions, not guarantees of enjoyment or value.
• Database matching uses AI to cross-reference game data from multiple sources. Results are generally accurate but may contain errors.

You can provide feedback on AI results (marking identifications as correct or incorrect) to help us improve accuracy over time. We appreciate it when you do.

Intellectual Property

Game metadata, cover art, and boxart images displayed in Shelfware are sourced from third-party databases (IGDB, PriceCharting, TheGamesDB) and remain the property of their respective owners. Game titles, logos, and related assets are trademarks of their respective publishers.

The Shelfware application, its design, and its original code are our intellectual property. You may not copy, modify, or redistribute the application without permission.

Termination

You can leave anytime. Request account deletion from your profile settings. Your account enters a 30-day grace period during which you can cancel the deletion if you change your mind. After the grace period, all your personal data is permanently deleted.

We can suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, abuse the service, or engage in activity that harms other users or the platform. We'll try to give you notice when possible, but reserve the right to act immediately in cases of serious abuse.

Service Availability

We do our best to keep Shelfware running smoothly, but we can't guarantee 100% uptime. Maintenance windows, infrastructure issues, and third-party service outages can affect availability. We don't offer an SLA — this is a passion project for collectors, not an enterprise platform.

Limitation of Liability

Shelfware is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for data loss, service interruptions, or inaccuracies in game metadata or pricing data.
• We are not responsible for purchasing decisions made based on price data displayed in Shelfware.
• Our total liability for any claim related to the service is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim (which, since Shelfware is free, is zero).

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll notify you via the email address on your account at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of Shelfware after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

For minor clarifications or formatting changes that don't affect your rights, we may update without notice. The "last updated" date at the top always reflects the most recent revision.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by applicable law. Any disputes will be resolved through good-faith discussion first. If that doesn't work, disputes will be handled in the courts of the jurisdiction where Shelfware operates.

Contact Us

Questions about these terms? Get in touch at [email protected]. We're happy to clarify anything.