Sell or Convert Telegram Gifts to Stars: 7-Day Rule, Fees

You can convert a standard Telegram gift to Stars within 7 days of receiving it, but that destroys it for less than it cost. To actually sell a gift, upgrade it to a collectible first: only collectibles can be listed on Telegram's marketplace, where you keep 80% of a price in Stars or 90% of a price in Gram (TON). Stars can't be cashed out, so if you want real money, sell for Gram.

1. The three routes, compared

The single most important fact: converting and selling are not the same thing. Conversion is a one-way destruction that credits you a fixed amount of Stars set by Telegram — and that amount is deliberately lower than what the gift cost to buy. Selling keeps the gift alive and lets the market decide the price. If a gift is upgradeable, converting it is almost always the worst option.

2. How to convert a Telegram gift to Stars (7-day limit)

Every standard gift you receive can be converted into Stars, which land directly in your balance. Telegram sets the conversion amount per gift, and it is always less than the buying price. It takes three steps:

1. Open the gift: in the chat where it arrived, or on the Gifts tab of your profile.
2. Tap the gift to open its card.
3. Tap Convert to N Stars and confirm. The Stars arrive at once, and the gift is gone for good.

The limits worth knowing before you rely on this:

• 7 days. A gift can be converted only within 7 days of receiving it (Telegram's default as of October 2026). After that the convert option disappears for good.
• Auction gifts can't be converted at all. Gifts acquired through auctions are excluded from conversion entirely.
• Only standard gifts convert. A collectible (upgraded) gift can be sold or transferred, not converted, and a gift that was refunded can't be converted either.

No Convert or Sell button?

Each missing button has a reason:

• No Convert button: more than 7 days have passed since you received the gift, it came from an auction, it was refunded, it's already a collectible, or Telegram gives it no convert value.
• No Sell button: the gift is still a standard gift (only collectibles can be listed; upgrade it first), or it's a collectible you just bought or upgraded that Telegram locks for a while. The gift's card shows the date when it can be resold.

A gift older than 7 days can't be converted by anyone. You can keep it, send it to a friend, or upgrade it and sell it on the marketplace. A bot or website that promises to "convert gifts after 7 days" is a scam; see Telegram Stars Scams: Fake Generators and 8 Tricks to Spot.

When converting makes sense: you received a standard gift you don't want, it isn't upgradeable into a collectible, and you'd rather have the Stars. That's it. In every other case, look at the options below first.

3. Upgrading first (why it matters)

A standard gift can't be listed on the marketplace or exported to the blockchain. Only collectible gifts can. Upgrading is the step that turns one into the other, and it costs Stars.

When you upgrade, the gift gets:

• A new appearance drawn from dozens of artist-made variations.
• Randomly assigned secondary attributes — background, icon, and number.
• Permanent uniqueness. Telegram's own framing is that every collectible gift is a unique work of art, and some are rarer than others.

That randomness is the whole game. Two upgrades of the same base gift can end up worth wildly different amounts depending on which attributes they roll. If you're upgrading purely to sell, you're taking a gamble — a common roll may not clear the upgrade cost, while a rare roll can multiply it.

One useful detail: the sender can pre-pay for your upgrade when they buy the gift. If they did, upgrading costs you nothing. Check before you spend Stars on it. For how the rarity tiers work, see Rarest Telegram Gifts: Complete Rarity Chart.

4. Selling on Telegram's marketplace

Telegram launched a built-in gift marketplace in May 2025. It's the simplest way to sell, and it keeps everything inside the app — no wallet, no crypto, no external site.

How to list a gift

1. Open your profile and tap the collectible gift you want to sell.
2. Tap Sell.
3. Set your price in Stars.
4. Confirm. The gift now shows a "Sale" label on your profile.

Buyers browse with filters for model, backdrop, and symbol, plus a dedicated "Resale" filter for listed collectibles. That means your gift's specific attribute combination is searchable — which is exactly why rare attributes command higher prices.

The commission and price limits

Telegram takes a cut of each marketplace sale. For a price in Stars you receive 80% of the sale price (a 20% commission), and a listing must be between 125 and 100,000 Stars. You can also price a collectible in Gram (TON) instead; then you receive 90% of it.

These are Telegram's defaults as of October 2026. They are server-side settings Telegram can change, so the payout Telegram shows you at listing time is the one that counts.

5. Exporting to TON and selling for crypto

A collectible gift can be converted into a genuine NFT on the TON blockchain. Once exported, it leaves Telegram's custody and lives in your own wallet, where it can be sold on TON NFT marketplaces for Gram — which is convertible to other crypto or fiat through exchanges.

Requirements and restrictions:

• Two-factor authentication is required. Telegram asks for your 2FA password to authorise the withdrawal to the blockchain.
• There may be a waiting period. Some gifts carry a date before which export isn't allowed. If the option is greyed out, that's usually why.
• It's one-way. Once the gift is an on-chain NFT, it isn't coming back into Telegram custody.
• You need a TON wallet. See How to Set Up a TON Wallet for Telegram Gifts.

When exporting is worth it: when the gift's value is high enough that the wider TON buyer pool beats the in-app marketplace, or when you want to sell on a TON marketplace such as Getgems. Remember that Stars are one-way — you can't cash them out — so if your goal is real money rather than more in-app spending, sell for Gram: on Telegram's marketplace with a Gram price, or on a TON marketplace after export.

If the NFT you want to sell is a Gift Club prize, the steps are a little different; see how to sell a Gift Club NFT for Gram.

6. How to price a gift

Telegram's marketplace filters are your research tool. Before setting a price:

1. Filter for your exact model. See what identical models are currently listed at. That's your ceiling reference, not your price — listed isn't sold.
2. Filter by your specific backdrop and symbol. This is where real pricing lives. A common model with a rare backdrop can be worth more than a rare model with a common one.
3. Count the comparable supply. Ten identical listings means you're competing on price. One or none means you set the market.
4. Subtract the commission. Price against what you actually receive, not the headline number.

If you need the gift sold quickly, list slightly under the cheapest comparable listing. If you don't, list above it and wait — collectible supply is fixed, and thin markets move on single sales.

7. Mistakes that cost people money

Converting an upgradeable gift

The most common and most expensive error. Conversion pays below purchase price and destroys the gift permanently. If it can be upgraded, check the marketplace first — the collectible version may be worth several times the conversion payout.

Missing the conversion window

If converting genuinely is your plan, do it within 7 days of receiving the gift. After that the option is gone, and nobody can bring it back.

Upgrading everything hoping for a jackpot

Upgrade costs Stars and the attributes are random. Upgrading a pile of common gifts is a negative-expectation strategy unless you're collecting for enjoyment rather than resale.

Exporting low-value gifts to TON

On-chain transactions cost gas, and TON marketplaces have their own fees. For a low-value collectible, those costs can eat the entire proceeds. Keep cheap items on the in-app marketplace.

Trusting anyone who DMs you about your gifts

Every legitimate sale happens through Telegram's own marketplace or an established TON marketplace. Nobody needs your login, your 2FA password, or a "verification transfer" to buy a gift from you. See Telegram Stars Scams: Fake Generators and 8 Tricks to Spot.

8. FAQ

Can I sell a standard, non-upgraded gift?

No. Only collectible (upgraded) gifts can be listed on the marketplace. Standard gifts can only be kept, displayed, transferred, or converted to Stars.

Can I convert a Telegram gift to Stars after 7 days?

No. Telegram allows conversion only within 7 days of receiving a gift, and no bot or website can do it later. After 7 days you can keep the gift, transfer it, or upgrade it to a collectible and sell it on the marketplace.

Why is there no Convert or Sell button on my gift?

No Convert button: more than 7 days have passed, the gift came from an auction, it was refunded, or it's already a collectible. No Sell button: it's a standard gift (upgrade it first), or a collectible Telegram still locks for resale; its card shows the date.

Can I turn Telegram gifts or Stars into real money?

Stars, no: for a regular user they are one-way, money in, no cash out. Bot and channel owners who earn Stars from others have a separate withdrawal path with its own minimum balance and limits; see how to sell Telegram Stars. A collectible gift, yes: sell it for Gram on Telegram's marketplace, or export it to TON and sell it there, then move the Gram to an exchange.

How much will I actually receive?

For a marketplace sale in Stars: 80% of your price (listings run from 125 to 100,000 Stars). For a sale priced in Gram: 90%. For a conversion: a fixed Star amount Telegram sets per gift, below purchase price. For a sale on a TON marketplace after export: the sale price minus that marketplace's fee and network fees. These are Telegram's defaults as of October 2026; the payout shown at listing time is what counts.

Can I transfer a gift to a friend instead of selling?

Yes. Collectible gifts can be transferred. Some transfers are free; others cost Stars, and some gifts can't be transferred until a set date.

Does selling a gift I received look bad?

The sender isn't notified of a sale. That said, upgraded gifts can optionally retain the original sender and message as a permanent attribute, so the provenance travels with the item.

9. Won an NFT gift on Gift Club? How to sell it for Gram

Some Gift Club prizes are NFTs rather than regular Telegram gifts, from paid boxes and jackpots. Each one shows its value in Gram, and you have two ways to turn it into something you can use.

• Exchange it in the app. You get the NFT's full Gram value, converted into Stars, straight away. Those Stars stay inside Telegram: you can play or buy gifts with them, but you can't cash them out.
• Transfer it to your TON wallet and sell it. Slower, and you pay network and marketplace fees, but it is the route that ends in Gram.

Step by step: from prize to Gram

1. Connect a TON wallet. In Gift Club, open Settings and tap Connect Wallet. If you don't have a wallet yet, set one up first.
2. Request the transfer. Open Gifts & NFTs, choose the NFT and tap Transfer to Wallet. It goes to the wallet connected in Settings, so check that address before you confirm. Once you request a transfer, you can no longer exchange that prize for Stars.
3. Wait for it to arrive. The team reviews each request and sends the NFT within 24 hours. It then shows up in your wallet like any other NFT.
4. List it for sale. Put it up on a TON NFT marketplace such as Getgems. If the NFT belongs to a Telegram gift collection, you can also list it on Fragment, Telegram's own marketplace. Check what the same collection has actually sold for recently, not just what others are asking.
5. Collect the Gram. When it sells, the Gram lands in the same wallet. From there you can hold it, send it on, or move it to an exchange.

Exchange or sell: which pays more?

Compare the Gram value Gift Club shows with recent sale prices for the same item, minus the marketplace commission and network fees. If the market price is not clearly higher, exchanging in the app is simpler, as long as you would spend the Stars anyway. If you want crypto you can actually withdraw, transfer the NFT and sell it.

One thing to keep in proportion: NFTs come from paid boxes and jackpots, and most rounds don't drop one. Treat an NFT as a rare prize you might sell, not as a plan for earning Grams.

Open Gift Club in Telegram →

Want to go deeper?

• Where to Buy Telegram Gifts: Marketplace Comparison — the buy side of the same market.
• The Complete Guide to Telegram NFT Gifts — how gifts, upgrades, and TON fit together.
• Rarest Telegram Gifts: Complete Rarity Chart — what drives an attribute's value.
• How to Set Up a TON Wallet for Telegram Gifts — required before you can export anything.
• Telegram Stars Price — what the Stars you're paid are actually worth.