The topic of account buying, selling, and trading on Project 1999 and Project 1999: Red seems to be shrouded in misunderstandings and I am hoping to help make the process more transparent with this post. Before getting started, I should mention that any account buying, selling, or trading, on P99 or Live comes with inherent risk, and you should engage in these activitites with caution and at your own risk. Nobody is 100% safe from the Ban Hammer, but there are actions you can take to reduce the risk.
First off, let's start with how loginserver accounts work with Project 1999. Project 1999 is a subsidiary of EQEmulator (eqemulator.net). Loginserver accounts are different from EQEmulator accounts, but you require an EQEmulator account to create a Loginserver account. You also require an e-mail address to create an EQEmulator account. After you have finished installing the EverQuest client, upon running the game, where you enter the username and password, that is the loginserver account credentials -- not the eqemulator account.
If you are buying an account on Project 1999, the best way to ensure "complete ownership," which is to say that you have full control of the characters on the account and all of the information required to access, or alternatively deny access to the characters on the account, is that you need to own the EqEmulator account and the e-mail registered to the account.
The reasons you need to make sure you have full control of the e-mail registered to the account is because 1) it is required to change the password to the eqemulator account, and 2) if you do not have complete control of the e-mail, the former owner can reset the password to the eqemulator account via the e-mail. It is also important to note that for a while now, the devs have disabled the ability to change the e-mail registered to the eqemulator account, so if someone created the account using their own personal e-mail which they are not keen on giving to you, you should avoid purchasing that account.
As an added safety measure, there is now an optional SMS verification system, where you can tie your mobile phone number to the eqemulator account, and you can reset the password to the eqemulator account via text message. Again, if someone has registered their phone number to an eqemulator account, it is not a secure account for you to purchase. Currently, you cannot change the phone number registered to the account.
Buying Accounts - what to check for?
So now we know what is required to have complete control over a loginserver account -- three layers. The loginserver credentials (username and password), the EQEmulator credentials tied to the loginserver account, and the e-mail account tied to the EQEmulator account. If you are looking to purchase an account, make sure:
1- That the owner can provide full loginserver credentials
2- that the owner can provide full EQEmulator credentials
3- that the owner can provide full e-mail credentials, and
4- that the owner has not registered the eqemulator account with an SMS (mobile phone) number.
Yay - I found an account I want to buy that meets all the criteria. What now?
Contact the seller via private message. Do not give them any personal information. Sellers respond better to well thought-out messages. If you are truly interested in an account, say so. If you have a registration date which is recent and no reputation to speak of - be prepared to be turned down. If you message them with "I want the shaman." or "how much for the shaman?" be prepared to be turned down. Write a two or three sentence message and make it look like you give half a crap.
In the same vein, the seller should also communicate clearly, with intention, and don't expect too many account details right off the bat - he or she is probably wary, and has a right to be. You are both at risk during this transaction, and you should use common sense. If something does not seem quite right or they are being sketchy, abort the transaction.
If you correspond for a few messages and you both like what you see, begin to set up a time and date that works for both of you to be online at the same time and complete the transaction. In regards as to "who goes first," you'll have to sort that out amongst yourselves. If they have a positive iTrader rating, it is generally safe to say that you can go first without much risk. Notice that I said without much risk. There's always risk.
If you are the buyer, the account seller should provide you with all of the information mentioned earlier in this post. Alternatively, if you are the seller, it is your duty within a reasonable time frame to provide the buyer with the credentials mentioned earlier in this post.
Once the account informations have been exchanged, as a buyer, it is your duty to login immediately to the e-mail account and change the password. You should also immediately login to the eqemulator website, and change the passwords for both the eqemulator account and all of the loginserver accounts tied to the eqemulator account.
You now have complete ownership of a new account. Congratulations!
Assuming the owner is not a shady son of a bitch, has not set an SMS phone number, and has no recovery e-mails or phone numbers tied to the e-mail account, you now have total control of your new characters. Good job.
In closing, I will reiterate the fact that the Project 1999 staff vehemently hunt down account traders, platinum/item retailers, and other activities which are laid out as "illegal" in their terms of use. You should engage in these activities with great caution and do so at your own risk. I hope my post has helped increase the understanding of what is required to trade accounts as safely as possible.
First off, let's start with how loginserver accounts work with Project 1999. Project 1999 is a subsidiary of EQEmulator (eqemulator.net). Loginserver accounts are different from EQEmulator accounts, but you require an EQEmulator account to create a Loginserver account. You also require an e-mail address to create an EQEmulator account. After you have finished installing the EverQuest client, upon running the game, where you enter the username and password, that is the loginserver account credentials -- not the eqemulator account.
If you are buying an account on Project 1999, the best way to ensure "complete ownership," which is to say that you have full control of the characters on the account and all of the information required to access, or alternatively deny access to the characters on the account, is that you need to own the EqEmulator account and the e-mail registered to the account.
The reasons you need to make sure you have full control of the e-mail registered to the account is because 1) it is required to change the password to the eqemulator account, and 2) if you do not have complete control of the e-mail, the former owner can reset the password to the eqemulator account via the e-mail. It is also important to note that for a while now, the devs have disabled the ability to change the e-mail registered to the eqemulator account, so if someone created the account using their own personal e-mail which they are not keen on giving to you, you should avoid purchasing that account.
As an added safety measure, there is now an optional SMS verification system, where you can tie your mobile phone number to the eqemulator account, and you can reset the password to the eqemulator account via text message. Again, if someone has registered their phone number to an eqemulator account, it is not a secure account for you to purchase. Currently, you cannot change the phone number registered to the account.
Buying Accounts - what to check for?
So now we know what is required to have complete control over a loginserver account -- three layers. The loginserver credentials (username and password), the EQEmulator credentials tied to the loginserver account, and the e-mail account tied to the EQEmulator account. If you are looking to purchase an account, make sure:
1- That the owner can provide full loginserver credentials
2- that the owner can provide full EQEmulator credentials
3- that the owner can provide full e-mail credentials, and
4- that the owner has not registered the eqemulator account with an SMS (mobile phone) number.
Yay - I found an account I want to buy that meets all the criteria. What now?
Contact the seller via private message. Do not give them any personal information. Sellers respond better to well thought-out messages. If you are truly interested in an account, say so. If you have a registration date which is recent and no reputation to speak of - be prepared to be turned down. If you message them with "I want the shaman." or "how much for the shaman?" be prepared to be turned down. Write a two or three sentence message and make it look like you give half a crap.
In the same vein, the seller should also communicate clearly, with intention, and don't expect too many account details right off the bat - he or she is probably wary, and has a right to be. You are both at risk during this transaction, and you should use common sense. If something does not seem quite right or they are being sketchy, abort the transaction.
If you correspond for a few messages and you both like what you see, begin to set up a time and date that works for both of you to be online at the same time and complete the transaction. In regards as to "who goes first," you'll have to sort that out amongst yourselves. If they have a positive iTrader rating, it is generally safe to say that you can go first without much risk. Notice that I said without much risk. There's always risk.
If you are the buyer, the account seller should provide you with all of the information mentioned earlier in this post. Alternatively, if you are the seller, it is your duty within a reasonable time frame to provide the buyer with the credentials mentioned earlier in this post.
Once the account informations have been exchanged, as a buyer, it is your duty to login immediately to the e-mail account and change the password. You should also immediately login to the eqemulator website, and change the passwords for both the eqemulator account and all of the loginserver accounts tied to the eqemulator account.
You now have complete ownership of a new account. Congratulations!
Assuming the owner is not a shady son of a bitch, has not set an SMS phone number, and has no recovery e-mails or phone numbers tied to the e-mail account, you now have total control of your new characters. Good job.
In closing, I will reiterate the fact that the Project 1999 staff vehemently hunt down account traders, platinum/item retailers, and other activities which are laid out as "illegal" in their terms of use. You should engage in these activities with great caution and do so at your own risk. I hope my post has helped increase the understanding of what is required to trade accounts as safely as possible.