Pricebird identifies items from a photo and estimates resale value. This policy explains, in plain language, exactly what happens to your photos, what we collect, what stays on your device, and what we never do.
The short version
- No account or login is required to use Pricebird — you can scan an item before creating any account.
- When you scan an item, the photo is sent to our AI backend to identify it and estimate resale value. It is not stored on our servers after the scan completes and is not used to train AI models.
- Your inventory (photos, cost basis, sale records) is stored locally on your device.
- We do not sell your data or use it for advertising.
1. Who we are
Pricebird is operated by Openverse. If you have questions about this policy, email us at [email protected]. We respond within 30 days.
2. What we collect
No account information
Pricebird does not use accounts or sign-in. You can scan an item and see a result before you've provided any personal information at all. There is no name, email, or profile tied to your use of the core scanning and inventory features.
Item photos you scan
When you take or choose a photo to scan an item, the photo is sent securely to our AI backend (a Firebase Cloud Function) to identify the item and estimate its resale value. The photo is processed by that function and passed to a third-party AI vision provider (see Section 3) to generate the result. We do not store your scan photo on our servers after the request completes — the backend is stateless for photo data. A copy of the photo you scanned is saved locally on your device only if you choose to save that item to your inventory.
Inventory data (stored locally on your device)
Items you save — including their photos, identified name/brand/category, cost basis, listing details, and sale records — are stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework. This inventory data is never uploaded to our servers; it lives on your device (and in any iOS/iCloud device backup you control).
Scan rate-limiting (technical, non-identifying)
To prevent abuse of the free scan allowance, our backend temporarily records a hashed version of your device's network (IP) address together with a daily scan count. This hashed value cannot be reversed to identify your actual IP address or your device, and it is used only to enforce scan limits — never to build a profile of you.
Purchase information
The Pricebird Pro subscription is processed by Apple through the App Store. We use RevenueCat to manage your subscription status using an anonymous subscriber identifier. Neither RevenueCat nor Pricebird can access your credit card or billing details — that information never leaves Apple.
What we do NOT collect
- Your name, email address, or any contact information (no account required)
- Your location or GPS data
- Your contacts
- Any health data
- Advertising identifiers (we do not run ads)
3. Photos & AI processing — exactly what happens when you scan
Here is the complete flow when you scan an item:
- You take or choose a photo of an item.
- The photo is sent securely (encrypted in transit) to our Firebase Cloud Function.
- The function forwards the photo to a vision-capable AI model — currently configured to use Google's Gemini, with Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI models as automatic fallback if the primary provider is unavailable — to identify the item and estimate resale value.
- The AI response (item name, brand, category, confidence, and estimated price range) is returned to your device.
- Your photo is not stored on our servers once the request completes, and it is not used to train any AI model.
- If you tap "Save to Inventory," the photo and result are saved locally on your device. If you tap "Skip," nothing is saved anywhere.
Price estimates are AI-generated suggestions based on the photo and general market knowledge — not a guarantee of actual resale value. Pricebird also provides a link to eBay's own sold-listings search so you can verify pricing yourself; Pricebird does not scrape or store eBay's sold-listing data.
4. How we use data
We use the data described above only to:
- Provide the service: identify scanned items and estimate resale value.
- Enforce fair use: the hashed-IP rate limit prevents abuse of the free scan allowance.
- Manage your subscription: Pro entitlement status via RevenueCat.
We never use your photos or scan data for advertising or marketing profiling, we do not use your photos to train AI models, and we never sell your data.
5. Who we share data with
We rely on a small number of trusted service providers:
- Google Firebase — hosts the backend function that processes your scan requests. No persistent photo storage.
- AI vision providers (Google Gemini, and Anthropic or OpenAI as fallback) — process the photo you submit to generate an identification and price estimate. Governed by each provider's own privacy and AI terms.
- RevenueCat — subscription management using an anonymous subscriber identifier.
- Apple — App Store distribution and payment processing.
We do not sell, rent, or license your data to anyone, and we do not share it with data brokers or advertisers.
6. Data retention & deletion
Scan photos are not retained on our servers after a scan completes. Inventory items you've saved live on your device — you can delete any individual item from Item Detail, or delete the app to remove all locally stored inventory data. Because there is no account or server-side profile, deleting the app removes your saved data completely. For questions about the hashed rate-limit record (which contains no identifying information and expires daily), email [email protected].
7. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. Because Pricebird stores your inventory locally and does not maintain accounts, most of these rights are already in your control directly in the app. For anything else, email [email protected]. If you are in the EU/UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
8. Children's privacy
Pricebird is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
9. Security
Photos are transmitted to our backend over an encrypted connection and are not persisted after processing. Data kept on your device is protected by your device's hardware encryption and passcode/biometric lock. We will notify you of any breach that affects your personal data as required by law.
10. Changes to this policy
If we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Continued use of Pricebird after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
11. Contact us
Questions about this policy?
Email: [email protected]