Buying Star Trek Online EC, Ships or Items? Read This First
Don’t buy Star Trek Online Energy Credits, ships or items from third-party sellers. We agree with Arc Games: it is not worth risking your account or payment security for cheaper in-game goods. If you want to spend money on STO, buy Zen through an official storefront and stay inside the game’s approved ecosystem. That keeps your purchase legitimate and supports Star Trek Online through its official commercial channels.
Direct Answer
Should you buy STO EC, ships or items from third-party sellers?
Arc says don’t do it
Don’t risk your STO account for cheaper EC, ships or items.
Arc Games says third-party currency and item purchases violate its Terms of Service. Its support guidance also warns that these sellers can expose your account and payment method to security risks, and that the currency or items may come from compromised accounts or fraudulent payments. Our view is simple: if you are going to spend real money on STO, spend it through the official ecosystem rather than risking the account you are trying to improve.
Account Risk
What are you actually risking for cheaper EC, ships or items?
The important part is not whether a seller delivers the EC, ship or item. It is what Arc says third-party purchases can expose your account and payment method to.
Example account-ban screen. This image illustrates the consequence of an account ban; it does not establish why that particular account was banned. Arc’s policy text is the evidence for the risks of third-party EC and item purchases.
Why Arc Warns Players
Why does Arc warn against third-party STO sellers?
01
Terms of Service violation
Arc’s current Terms prohibit trading, selling, auctioning or otherwise transferring virtual items or goods outside the game unless expressly authorised.
02
Account and payment security
Arc warns that third-party currency sites create security risks for both the game account and the payment method used with the seller.
03
Permanent account closure is possible
Arc’s support guidance states that purchasing from these sites violates the Terms of Service and can result in permanent closure of the account.
Better Alternative
If you want to spend money on STO, keep it official
Our recommendation: buy Zen through an official storefront and use Star Trek Online’s own approved systems for ships, items and currency. You avoid the third-party RMT risk, your purchase stays inside the legitimate game economy, and your spending supports STO through its official commercial channels.
Arc’s support warning covers third-party currency, items and services. That includes the kind of offers commonly advertised as EC, ships, gear or other in-game items. The safer route is to keep purchases and trades inside Arc-approved stores and the game’s own systems.
