Terms of use

Last updated November 7, 2026

Concho is run by Rec-Safe (RECSAFE), a Washington corporation ("we" and "us"). By using Concho, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.

What Concho is

Concho keeps a shell collection's records: each shell with its species and common name, where and how it was taken (alive or found empty, the depth and habitat) and who found it, its size and grade, any permit, what it cost and is worth over time, where it's kept, and its photos and papers; collecting spots and shelling trips; checklists and a want list; storage places, sources, and dates to keep; a calendar of shell shows, club meetings, and other events; printable labels; and reports for insurance, a theft, sales, an estate, and protected species. It also has the Conchopedia, a reference of the world's shells that everyone signed in shares. A collection can be shared with the people its owner chooses, and shown through public galleries its owner makes. It's free to use. We may change it, add to it, or stop it at any time.

Your account

Give true information, keep your sign-in to yourself (your email, your passkeys, and any password or PIN), and tell us at info@rec-safe.com if you think someone else has used it. You're responsible for what's done with your account. A collection is yours. You can share it with up to 8 people, to look at it or to help keep it; they see everything in it. You can also make galleries: public links that show the specimens you choose, as described below.

What you put on Concho

What you add (your collection's records, photos, and papers, and the messages gallery visitors send you) stays yours. You give us permission to store it, show it to the people it's meant for, and copy it as needed to run Concho (in backups, for example). Only add what you have the right to share, and nothing that's unlawful, hateful, harassing, private to someone else, or meant to mislead. We may remove anything that breaks these terms.

Using it fairly

Please don't break the law with Concho, try to get into anyone else's account or our servers, overload it or copy it in bulk with automated tools, send spam, or use it to harm anyone. We may suspend or end the use of anyone who does.

Collect within the law, and only empty shells

Concho keeps your records; it doesn't tell you where you may collect. Follow the rules of each place: many beaches, parks, and marine reserves ban taking live shells, or any shells, and some species are protected by law or by CITES, which controls their trade across borders. Concho encourages collecting only empty shells, and isn't legal advice.

Cone snails are dangerous

Cone snails can sting, and some stings have killed people. Never pick up a live cone snail. Concho and its Conchopedia are for keeping records and learning, and you collect at your own risk: Concho isn't safety advice.

The Conchopedia

The Conchopedia's descriptions are typical ones, written with care and checked against published sources; real shells vary, names change, and an entry may be wrong. Check anything that matters (above all what's protected where you are) with a full reference, the authorities, or an expert.

Values are your own

The values and gains Concho shows come from what you enter. It isn't an appraisal, or financial, tax, or legal advice. Have valuable specimens appraised by someone qualified.

Galleries, shared photos, and messages

You're responsible for what your galleries and shared photos show. Gallery visitors must not send spam, threats, or anything unlawful; messages that do may be deleted, and a gallery's messages can be turned off at any time.

Your records

You're responsible for what you keep in Concho. Keep your own copy of anything important: the download in Settings has everything but the photos and papers.

Fair use of space

Each file can be up to 20 MB. Please keep to what you need for your own collection.

No guarantees

We work to keep Concho running and accurate, but it's provided as it is, without any warranty: it may have mistakes, and it may be unavailable at times.

Limits on our responsibility

As far as the law allows, Rec-Safe isn't responsible for any indirect loss or damage from using Concho (or not being able to), and our total responsibility for any claim is limited to what you paid us for Concho in the 12 months before it, or $50 if you paid nothing. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

The law that applies

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington and the federal laws of the United States, and any dispute goes to the courts of Washington. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the consumer-protection laws where you live.

Changes and questions

We may update these terms; the date at the top says when we last did, and using Concho after a change means you accept it. Our privacy policy says what we keep and why. Questions? Email info@rec-safe.com.