Buying Apex Accounts is Against the Rules, But Not Literally Illegal

The short answer is no, buying an Apex Legends account is not literally illegal and there are no criminal laws against it. However, it does violate the Apex Legends Terms of Service and can result in account bans if discovered by the developers Respawn/EA. So while not a legal issue, it is against the game‘s rules and ill-advised. Let‘s dive into the details.

What Does Apex Legends‘ Terms of Service Say?

The Terms of Service is the legal contract between the game developers and players. Breaking the ToS can result in account suspensions or bans, but no criminal charges. Here is the specific section in Apex Legends‘ Terms of Service regarding buying, selling, or trading accounts:

"You may not sell, buy, trade or otherwise transfer your EA account, any personal access to EA Services, or any EA Content associated with your EA account, including EA Virtual Currency and other Entitlements, either within an EA Service or on a third party website, or in connection with any out-of-game transaction, unless expressly authorized by EA."

So the Terms of Service clearly prohibits buying, selling, or trading Apex Legends accounts. But violating a video game‘s ToS is not the same as breaking an actual law.

Think of it like a store‘s return policy. If you break their policy, they can refuse to accept the return, but you won‘t be arrested or face legal consequences. It‘s a civil issue, not a criminal one.

So Why Do Players Risk Account Bans to Buy Accounts?

If it‘s against the rules, why do so many players still buy and sell Apex Legends accounts? There are a few motivations:

• Quickly Obtain Rare Cosmetics – Accounts with rare skins, heirlooms, poses can cost $100-$500. Some see it as cheaper than gambling on loot boxes.

• Skip the Grind – Legit accounts with high ranks, stats, and unlocks can sell for $50-$300. Buyers want the achievements without the work.

• Smurfing – Skilled players buy low-level accounts to play against newbie "noobs" for easy wins and high-kill games.

• Profit – Sellers can make hundreds in pure profit, with little risk beyond losing the accounts. Most sellers have multiple.

So for impatient or profit-driven players, the potential rewards outweigh the account ban risks. But there are safer and more ethical options, which I‘ll cover later.

Account Selling is Widespread – But Numbers Are Hard to Track

It‘s difficult to put exact figures on the underground Apex account market, but we can make some educated guesses based on available data:

• Popular marketplace PlayerAuctions reports 1.5 million visits/month searching "Apex Legends accounts". Source

• They have over 21,000 active Apex account listings as of January 2023. Source

• An investigative report found over 340,000 Lifeline accounts for sale, implying huge volumes of total accounts. Source

• Prices range from $15 for a fresh starter account to $500+ for accounts with rare heirlooms and skins. Source

So while hard statistics are unavailable, the circumstantial evidence suggests a large and active black market valued in the millions.

Account Buyers Risk Bans, Scams, and Wasted Money

While tempting to shortcut the grind and get rare cosmetics, purchasing an Apex Legends account carries significant risks:

Account Bans

If Respawn detects an account was sold, they may issue a ban. Their anti-cheat automated system tracks hardware changes, location shifts, and other signals to identify sold accounts. Recent ban waves have targeted buyers as well as sellers.

Length of bans:

• First offense: 7-30 days
• Second offense: 1-2 seasons (3+ months)
• Third offense: Permanent termination

Source

Scams and Password Theft

Since the selling is prohibited, you have no legal recourse if the purchase goes wrong. The seller could provide incorrect login details, reclaim the account after sale, or otherwise scam the transaction.

Security Risks

The original owner may retain access to spy on your activity or even steal back the account later once you‘ve added personal data, payment info, etc.

No Skill Improvement

An account with great stats doesn‘t transfer the skill or experience needed to actually perform at that level. You won‘t become a Predator by buying a Predator account. Expect to plateau or even decline in rank.

Costs Add Up

While individual accounts are $15-$500, upgrading to better ones as you improve can quickly become an expensive habit. The money is better spent directly on the game for officially licensed content.

What are the Consequences of Buying or Selling Accounts?

Here are the potential penalties if Respawn catches account trading activity:

• Temporary account suspension – Typically 1-4 weeks on first offense.

• Season-long suspension – Banned for the entire ranked split, often 3+ months.

• Permanent account ban – Complete termination, tied to hardware ID. Difficult to evade.

• Legal action – The developers could sue for ToS violation. Extremely rare currently.

• IP and hardware bans – In some cases entire devices and connections are banned site-wide.

Account Reclamation

For purchased accounts, Respawn can manually return stolen or sold accounts to the original owner. You would lose access with no recourse.

Leaderboard Reset

If an account buyer achieved illegitimate leaderboard standings, those could be reset and awards revoked.

Ethical and Safe Alternatives to Buying Accounts

Instead of risking the Apex Legends account black market, here are some smart alternatives:

• Grind accounts yourself – Put in the honest work and earn your way up over time. It‘s more rewarding and secure.

• Purchase official content – Buy skins, heirlooms, etc directly from the in-game store without any ban risk. Support the developers.

• Find teammates – Having good, regular teammates helps improve win rates and stats organically. Try the Discord LFG channels.

• Watch top streamers – You can learn a lot by observing high-skill players. No rule against that!

• Practice mechanics – Spend time in firing range perfecting movement, aim, looting speed, abilities usage.

• Review your gameplay – Record matches and watch them back critically to learn from mistakes and recognize areas for improvement.

The wise path is avoiding shortcuts and putting in the hours needed to authentically get good at Apex Legends. Buying an account won‘t transform your abilities overnight, so have patience and keep practicing.

The Verdict: Just Don‘t Do It

In summary, while buying or selling Apex Legends accounts is not literally illegal, it does violate the Terms of Service and risks account bans for all parties involved. The black market activity is widespread, but comes with serious potential consequences. There are safer and more ethical options for obtaining rare skins and improving your skills and stats. My advice is to avoid buying accounts altogether, as the risks outweigh the rewards. Focus on legitimately bettering your own gameplay over time. Patience and practice pays off in the long run.