The short answer is no, selling Fortnite accounts is prohibited by Epic Games and can get your account banned, but it is not illegal in the criminal sense.
Selling accounts violates the Terms of Service agreement which explicitly forbids transferring or selling accounts. Let‘s take an in-depth look at the legality issues, risks, reasons, and precautions around buying and selling Fortnite accounts.
It‘s a Terms of Service Violation, Not a Crime
While selling or buying Fortnite accounts breaches the contractual Terms of Service agreement, it is not illegal in the sense of criminal law according to legal experts.
The Fortnite Terms of Service clearly state:
"Users do not own their accounts, and gifting or otherwise transferring of accounts or access keys is prohibited. We reserve the right to change your display name if we deem it offensive, misleading, potentially infringing the rights of third parties or if you have been inactive for more than a year."
Violating Terms of Service constitutes breach of contract, a civil issue, but not an actual crime like fraud or theft. Epic Games can ban accounts involved in selling or sharing, but has no legal grounds to pursue criminal charges against players who sell or buy accounts.
So in summary, while against Epic‘s rules, selling Fortnite accounts is not a true "illegal" activity in the criminal sense. It‘s a violation of a private contract.
Why So Many Accounts Get Banned for Selling
If it‘s not illegal, why do so many accounts get banned for selling or purchasing accounts?
Epic Games employs extensive monitoring of transactions and account activity specifically to detect and deter the prohibited practice of account selling. This includes:
- Tracking patterns of account access from different IP addresses
- Monitoring account marketplace sites for transaction activity
- Analyzing account inventories for sudden changes
- Investigating user reports of potential sold accounts
When accounts are identified as potentially being sold, Epic bans both the seller‘s and buyer‘s accounts as policy dictates.
In 2022 alone, Epic Games banned over 4.5 million Fortnite accounts involved in account selling according to their statistics. They take Terms enforcement very seriously.
While not illegal, if you choose to sell or buy an account, there is a very high probability of receiving an account ban.
Risks and Dangers of Buying and Selling Accounts
Beyond bans, there are other significant risks that come with buying and selling accounts:
- Scams – Fake sellers take money without delivering accounts. Or accounts get reclaimed before delivery.
- Security flaws – Sharing account credentials leads to compromises.
- No buyer protection – Transactions are prohibited so no recourse if issues arise.
- Unstable market – Demand and value for rare skins fluctuates rapidly.
For buyers specifically:
- Payment with no guarantee of delivery
- No ability to reset credentials or recover accounts
- Potentially receiving an account farmed by hacked players
For sellers:
- Permanent loss of access to sold account
- Risk of chargebacks from shady buyers
- Damage to seller reputation if issues arise
Overall both sellers and buyers undertake significant risk with their accounts and money when engaging in prohibited account selling markets. It‘s far from a safe transaction for either party according to security experts.
Why People Buy and Sell Accounts Despite the Risks
If account selling is so risky, why is it still so prevalent? There are several motivations driving the market:
Demand for Rare Skins
Accounts with rare, old, or unobtainable skins are highly coveted by collectors. Skins like Reaper, Aerial Assault Trooper, and exclusive skins can sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars on account selling marketplaces.
For example, SypherPK purchased an account with Renegade Raider and other rare skins for $5000 to add to his collection according to Dexerto. Many players will pay big money for skin bragging rights.
Desire to Skip Grinding
Grinding for levels and skins takes a lot of time commitment. Newer players are motivated to simply buy an established account to skip long progression. High leveled accounts also sell for premium prices, sometimes over $1000.
Smurfing in Lower Skill Lobbies
Skilled players are willing to risk new accounts in order to play anonymously and stomp on lower skilled lobbies. A purchased account lets them smurf without impacting their main reputation.
Selling for Profit
For prolific account farmers and hackers, selling accounts can be extremely lucrative with payouts in PayPal or cryptocurrency. These large-scale sellers are less concerned with account risks and solely motivated by potential profit.
Despite account selling being clearly against the rules, the above incentives continue driving interest from both buyers and sellers.
Is There a Safe Way to Buy or Sell Accounts?
Since all account selling is prohibited, there is inherently risks involved that cannot be fully mitigated. However, best practices can help minimize some of the dangers:
- Buy and sell exclusively on reputable marketplaces like PlayerAuctions that offer buyer/seller protections. Avoid independent deals.
- As a buyer, only pay through secure methods offering purchase protection like PayPal Goods and Services.
- Never provide account credentials until payment has been completed. Use middleman services if possible.
- Transfer accounts you created yourself, never purchased or hacked accounts.
- Use a VPN to conceal IP address and other identifying info.
- Understand account bans are possible even when taking precautions.
No method makes it completely safe, but following best practices can help reduce risks. Ultimately avoiding buying or selling accounts altogether is the only way to use Fortnite with no chance of repercussions.
In Conclusion: Not Worth the Risk for Most Players
- Selling or buying Fortnite accounts is prohibited by Terms of Service and commonly results in account bans, but is not technically illegal in the criminal sense.
- Significant risks include scams, security flaws, unstable markets, and no buyer or seller protections when dealing in prohibited goods.
- Desire for rare skins, shortcutting grind, and profit motivates interest in account commerce despite the dangers.
- Best practices like using reputable platforms and payment methods can help reduce, but not eliminate risks.
- For the average Fortnite player looking to securely enjoy the game long-term, avoiding account selling altogether is highly recommended.
The black market for buying and selling accounts persists among the small subset motivated by prestige and profits. But for most players, dabbling in prohibited account trading carries more downside than upside. Playing Fortnite as the developers intend, without buying, selling or sharing accounts, is the only way to enjoy a stable, uninterrupted experience long-term.
