Pricing
You pay when you earn.
Not before.
No monthly rent. No bandwidth meters. A small cut of actual sales — and we quote the real number you keep, processor fees and all.
Founding
$0/month · $1 minimum per sale · locked for life
- A generous, renewing balance of concierge credits every month
- Every Plus perk and every future feature, included forever
- The rate never changes. In writing.
- Time-limited: the founding window is open for a short while only
Standard
$0/month · $1 minimum per sale
- Course hosting and selling — video, downloads, gated access
- We absorb storage and delivery costs, whatever your traffic
- Students buy in one click, log in by email link
- Leaked-link vigilance on your behalf
- Concierge help available by purchasing credits
Plus
same 7% cut · $1 minimum per sale
- Custom domain for your storefront
- Deeper control over your landing and sales pages
- A bundle of concierge credits included each month
- Custom configuration on request
Payment-processor fees (PayPal or Stripe) are paid by the creator on every platform — including this one. We show them to you, right below.
The counting table
Run your own numbers
Live, on the founding deal — 5% with a $1 minimum, $0/month. Nothing you type leaves this page.
| Course price | $18.00 |
| Shelf's cut — 5%, $1 minimum | −$1.00 |
| Processor fee (estimate) | −$1.84 |
| You keep, per sale | $15.16 (84.22%) |
| Your month | $151.60 / month at 10 sales |
The same month, elsewhere
Published headline rates — Gumroad ~10%, Patreon ~8%, Kajabi $149/month — with the same payment-processor fee (your selection above) applied to every platform, so only the platform fees differ. Approximate; each platform's real fees vary by plan and country.
The fine print, in plain English
How the math works
The cut. Shelf keeps a percentage of each sale — 5% for founding creators, 7% after — but never less than $1 per sale. On cheap courses the $1 minimum is what keeps the lights on; on an $18 course it's simply $1.
The processor. PayPal or Stripe charge their own fee on every transaction, on every platform that exists. On Shelf that fee is paid by the creator — and shown in the calculator above, because you deserve the real number.
What we never charge for. Storage and bandwidth. If your course is watched ten thousand times this month, your rate doesn't move. Our cut of your sales funds the delivery — that's the deal.
Your price, your call. You set your own course price (minimum around $5, so processor fees don't swallow the sale). No maximum.
The concierge desk
Concierge credits
Beyond the initial setup, hands-on work at the concierge desk runs on credits. A small task — swapping a line of text in your course — costs only a few. A big one — reworking the whole look of your storefront — costs more. You spend credits in proportion to the work you ask for, and nothing when you don't.
How each tier gets them:
- Founding. A generous balance of credits that renews every month.
- Plus. A set bundle of credits included with the subscription.
- Standard. No monthly credits — buy them as you need them.
We're still designing the credit system, so the exact prices and allowances aren't final yet. This is how it will work in spirit; the specifics arrive when it's ready.
Ready to shelve your course?
Write with the subject line “Founding” and a link to what you teach. The librarian replies personally.
Email anakin@pagaling.com