Gold Swaps Now Against ToS with New Policy Changes - Blue Post Clarifications

Posted 2025/04/12 at 12:27 PM by Anshlun

Update: Blizzard's support article has now been updated with clearer language, specifically stating that trading gold across realms or factions is prohibited in WoW Classic, while still allowed in the modern versions of the game.Blue Post Clarifications

Basically, if it’s a supported transaction (i.e. using the in-game systems to trade) it is still a supported transaction.

If it was an unsupported transaction (i.e. swapping gold between versions of the game or other realms/factions, etc…) it is prohibited now.

As far as I am aware if our systems allow for it (i.e. the trade window), then there shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll seek further clarification, but likely won’t see it until next week. We may be seeing further clarification soon in a Community post.

What do you mean, Buzyywl? Codes are an out of game resource and cannot be traded for gold. That has always been policy.

It’s the first line in the article:

"You are not allowed to buy or sell WoW items, products, or services for real money. "

A code is considered an out of game item.

If the code were redeemed and the item could be traded, that could be sold in-game. The response line is basically saying… if it can be put in a trade window, auction house or through the mail, you can trade gold for it with another player.

Are we going to get banned for helping out new guild members/new player friends by giving them gold?

Are we going to get banned for selling items in raid groups?

Is this only for Classic? Is Retail affected?

Is this only to other people or can people trade gold to themselves on different licenses or Bnet accounts if they multibox?

Since our friends can pretty much be on any server now and we can be in same groups, same guilds, etc… that’s the concern.

How do you differentiate that.

There shouldn’t be any issues as far as I am aware. Modern WoW Guilds are cross realm/cross faction, so normal systems are used. This tends to apply to swapping gold between realms, factions, game types that don’t otherwise allow it from inside the game.

New Policy by Blizzard

Can I trade gold with another player between WoW Classic and Modern?
Can I trade gold with a friend on another WoW Classic realm?
Made a deal with another player to exchange gold between factions on WoW Classic but he didn't hold up his end
I'm trying to trade gold to another Faction in WoW Classic

Previous Stances on Gold Swap by Blizzard

Original Article Wording

Common Problems

Can I trade gold with another player between Classic and Shadowlands?
Can I trade gold with a friend on another realm?
Want to report a player for offering cross realm gold exchanges in the general chat
Made a deal with another player to exchange gold between factions but he didn't hold up his end

August 2024 Version

The exchange of gold or items with another player on a different realm or faction is entirely at your own risk and is unsupported. These types of trades are often associated with the trade of real money for in-game items or currency, which is against our policy. Accounts found associated to these services will have gold removed as well as other possible account actions including up to account closure.

While we will review reports of scams between legitimate players and take action against scammers to remove them from our game, losses will not be restored.

We advise to avoid these types of trades unless you know the other player well and absolutely trust them.What is Gold Swap?

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Comment by Mevidoh"Vrakthris

It’s the first line in the article:

"You are not allowed to buy or sell WoW items, products, or services for real money. "

A code is considered an out of game item.

If the code were redeemed and the item could be traded, that could be sold in-game. The response line is basically saying… if it can be put in a trade window, auction house or through the mail, you can trade gold for it with another player."

Man someone better tell all of these abay listings that then

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=world+of+warcraft+tcg+mount&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_odkw=world+of+warcraft+tcg&_osacat=0Comment by UrhWoVyi have a question and i hope you dont think i'm an idiot lol. i dont quite understand this stuff about gold swapping so i'm wondering, my BF will once in a while send me gold so i can buy a mount off the AH. is this considered gold swapping and therefore he cant do that anymore or is gold swapping a little more complex?Comment by AmakinaWhy would you even need to swap gold with someone just to move it across realms/factions? You can just put it in your warbank.Warbands can't transfer to Oceanic servers from American servers. Comment by AmakinaThere seems to be a huge amount of wrong information in these comments. Maybe if the author put the definition of Gold Swaps at the start rather than at the bottom, you would be on the same page:

What is Gold Swap?
Gold Swap is the name of the practice of giving someone gold in one game/realm/faction in exchange for receiving gold from them in another game/realm/faction. For instance, Player A could give someone 100k gold on The War Within to player B, and then player B would give player A 10k gold in Cataclysm Classic.Comment by KabookiejoeIs this a real problem like to combat RTM or something? I feel like tokens being sold in the in-game store kinda poison the well in this kind of "transaction" to begin withComment by BrogashI can't blame people for being confused, I was for a bit, but I think an important thing to note is when they say "swap" they aren't talking about a direct trade in the game, they're talking about an out-of-game agreement.

Example:

Allowed: I trade gold with another player in-game through the trade window.

Not allowed: I make an agreement to give someone 20,000 gold in retail WoW in exchange for them giving me 10,000 gold in Classic WoW.

Allowed: I use my warbank to transfer gold from Alexstrasza to Barthilas, then use that gold to buy something from another player.

Not allowed: I use some manner of weird 'go inside an instance' type bug that lets me directly trade with a player on another realm or on another faction without using the warbank to be on the same realm and faction as them.Comment by xLunacyx"I lost a deathroll and now owe them gold." likely one way to get around it, whos deathrolling a lv10 for 100g on hardcore thoughComment by Godest88This is dumb change no one asked for. Especially after they added cross realm trading to the game not so long ago...Comment by Mondasinaffects retail as well so I guess I should be careful about warband gold transfers.Comment by AhsokatanoGood change. Now you have to do disciplinary actions against people that abused these gold swapping to fresh servers to abuse fresh markets.Comment by SadystykWhy would you even need to swap gold with someone just to move it across realms/factions? You can just put it in your warbank.Comment by MadjaThey had to change the text because "... which contribute to realm economy issues..." doesn't make sense anymore when they themselves sell gold.Comment by bloody2affects retail as well so I guess I should be careful about warband gold transfers.Comment by MospergBlizzard might own the game but they don't own my time spend in it.
If I want to swap my gold between servers because I move around and see my time as an investment, then I will do so at my leisure.
If they are going to ban a loyal player of over 20 years for it, then there are other entertainment services out there I can spend my time and money on; their loss.
First GDKP bans and now this. Give players their agency back and if you want to combat RMT and botting spend actual resources on it instead of combating your legit player base with restrictions.Comment by BjerkieMan this sucks for those of us who likes to play many versions of the game...Comment by AkumaMiniSo now when I see someone need a piece of loot on a raid that doesn't need it. And then sells it in the raid. I can report both people? Do they both get banned?

If my guild mate or friend needs some gold. I can't just give it to them? Do they have to put a linen cloth on the AH for the amount they need and I have to buy it?

Is action taken only when its reported? Or is there an auto-system in plave for a certain gold amount? Is it only dealing with gold only trades? Or is it any trade with gold? What an idiotic and vague way to implement a rule. How at all did this get approved? It makes zero sense.Comment by AkumaMiniaffects retail as well so I guess I should be careful about warband gold transfers.Comment by Wahoo123gai have a question and i hope you dont think i'm an idiot lol. i dont quite understand this stuff about gold swapping so i'm wondering, my BF will once in a while send me gold so i can buy a mount off the AH. is this considered gold swapping and therefore he cant do that anymore or is gold swapping a little more complex?Comment by Rhamnousiaaffects retail as well so I guess I should be careful about warband gold transfers.Comment by ZygosThis has nothing to do with retail gold trading from factions and realms. The Faction/Realm is ONLY for the classic server swaps.

proof if you read: https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/29162?flowTrackingId

Y'all need to stop dooming over anything.

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