Most people who lose money buying Old School RuneScape gold are not caught by Jagex. They are caught by a scammer pretending to be a real seller. This guide covers the checks that keep you safe when you buy or sell gold, and what an honest trade should look like.
Choose the seller before you choose the price
A price far below every other seller is the most common bait. Before you compare rates, check who you are dealing with:
- A public track record. Established sellers have a vouch thread on Sythe, the main marketplace for RuneScape trading. Read the latest pages, not only the first one, and check that the thread belongs to the seller you are talking to.
- A website and a Discord server that link to each other. Join the Discord from the seller's own website or Sythe thread, not from a link someone sent you.
- Clear rates. A serious seller shows the rate before you pay and keeps it in your ticket.
Watch out for impersonators
The scam that catches the most buyers is simple: someone copies a real seller's name and picture, then sends you a direct message with a "special rate".
- Check the username, not the display name. On Discord, anyone can copy a display name and picture. The username is unique.
- Ignore direct messages. Real sellers handle orders in a private ticket inside their own server. If a "staff member" contacts you first, treat it as a scam.
- Never pay details sent in a DM. Payment details should only come from staff or the bot inside your ticket.
Pay inside the ticket, and only there
How you pay matters less than who you pay. PayPal Friends & Family, crypto and most instant transfers cannot be reversed, so a payment to the wrong person is usually gone for good.
- Open a ticket in the seller's official server.
- Confirm the amount, the rate and the total in the ticket.
- Pay only to the details given there.
- Keep screenshots of the ticket, the payment and the trade.
Trading in game
Gold is delivered with a normal player-to-player trade. A few habits make that part safe:
- Meet somewhere busy, such as the Grand Exchange, on a world you agree on in the ticket.
- Never go into the Wilderness for a gold trade. Other players can attack you there.
- Check the second trade screen. The final confirmation screen shows exactly what you receive. Read the amount before you accept.
- Never give your password for gold. A gold trade needs your character name, nothing else. Anyone who asks for your login is not selling you gold.
- Ignore "trust trades" and doubling offers. No real seller asks you to send something first so they can "double" it.
Selling your gold
The same rules apply in reverse. Agree on the rate and the payment method in a ticket, trade only the amount you agreed on, and keep screenshots. Be careful with buyers who want to pay with a method that can be charged back after you have handed over the gold.
How a gold trade works at Samurai
Samurai has traded on Sythe since 2018, and our vouch thread is public. A gold trade with us works like this:
- Open a gold ticket from our website or Discord with the amount you want to buy or sell.
- The rate on the website is the rate in your ticket. Staff confirm the total before you pay.
- You pay with a method listed in your ticket, or send your gold to our trader if you are selling.
- We trade in game at a world and spot agreed in the ticket, then close it.
We never ask for payment in direct messages, and gold trades never need your password.
FAQ
Is buying OSRS gold allowed?
No. Real-world trading is against Jagex's rules, and accounts involved can be banned. A careful seller lowers the risk of scams, not the risk of breaking the rules.
Do I need to give my password to buy gold?
No. A gold trade only needs your character name. Anyone who asks for your password to deliver gold is trying to steal your account.
How do I know I am talking to the real seller?
Join their Discord from their own website or Sythe thread, check the unique username rather than the display name, and only deal inside a ticket in that server.
Where should the in-game trade happen?
Somewhere busy, such as the Grand Exchange, on a world agreed in your ticket. Never in the Wilderness.
What should I keep after a trade?
Screenshots of the ticket, your payment and the in-game trade. They help if anything goes wrong.
