---
title: "Buying Star Trek Online EC, Ships or Items? Read This First"
canonical: "https://ptfarmada.com/answers/buy-star-trek-online-energy-credits/"
source: "https://ptfarmada.com/answers/buy-star-trek-online-energy-credits/"
date_published: "2026-09-10"
date_modified: "2026-09-10T00:18:18Z"
---

# 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.

## Should you buy STO EC, ships or items from third-party sellers?

**No.** Arc Games says third-party currency and item purchases violate its Terms of Service. Arc also warns that third-party sellers can create account and payment-security risks, and that currency or items may come from compromised accounts or fraudulent payments.

Arc Games Support states:

> “Under no circumstances should currency, items or services be purchased outside of Arc, Steam, the Xbox Live Marketplace, or the PlayStation Store.”

[Read Arc Games’ warning about third-party currency sites](https://support.arcgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017617294-Why-can-t-I-purchase-currency-from-third-party-sites)

## What are you actually risking for cheaper EC, ships or items?

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

## If you want to spend money on STO, keep it official

Our recommendation is to buy Zen through an official storefront and use Star Trek Online’s own approved systems for ships, items and currency. This avoids the third-party RMT risk, keeps the purchase inside the legitimate game economy and supports STO through its official commercial channels.

[Open the official Star Trek Online store](https://www.arcgames.com/en/store/star-trek-online/list)

## What do the Arc Games Terms actually prohibit?

Arc Games Terms of Service include the prohibition:

> “trade, sell, auction or otherwise transfer any virtual items or goods of any nature outside the game”

[Read the Arc Games Terms of Service](https://www.arcgames.com/en/about/terms)

Arc’s support warning covers third-party **currency, items and services**. That includes offers commonly advertised as EC, ships, gear or other in-game items.