Telegram Collectible Gifts: What They Are, How to Upgrade Them, and How to Sell Them

Telegram gifts are no longer just decorative profile items. Users can now upgrade eligible gifts into collectibles, turning them into unique blockchain-based assets that can be transferred, traded, or listed for sale.

In this guide, we'll explain how collectible gifts work, why people upgrade them, how to sell them through Telegram or third-party marketplaces, and what to consider before doing so.

If you're looking for an introduction to Telegram Gifts—how to buy them, send them, and the differences between standard, rare, and collectible gifts—we've already covered that in a separate guide.

Why upgrade a gift to a collectible?

Upgrading a gift unlocks several features that are unavailable for regular gifts.

First, Telegram registers the gift as an NFT on the TON blockchain. This gives the gift a unique identity and allows it to be transferred outside the original recipient's account.

Each collectible also receives a randomly generated combination of attributes. These include its background color, icon and number. Telegram assigns these attributes automatically, while the artwork itself comes from dozens of custom variations created by Telegram's artists.

Because every collectible receives a different combination of traits, no two collectibles are exactly alike. Some combinations are significantly rarer than others, making certain gifts more valuable to collectors.

Collectible gifts can also be transferred to other Telegram users. This has led to the emergence of an active OTC market inside Telegram, where users buy and sell gifts directly without using blockchain NFT marketplaces.

Owners can also transfer collectibles to a TON wallet and trade them on NFT marketplaces such as Getgems. We'll cover both options later in this guide.

Note: Not every Telegram gift can be upgraded. Only gifts marked as upgradeable include the option to become a collectible. Once a gift has been upgraded, the process cannot be reversed.

How to upgrade a Telegram gift

Upgrading a gift is a simple process, but the option is only available for eligible gifts.

Open Telegram settings, go to your Profile, and select Gifts. Then choose the gift you want to check.
If the gift can be upgraded, you will see a Status field and an Upgrade button. Tap Upgrade, and Telegram will open a screen explaining what changes once the gift becomes collectible.
Before confirming, you can choose whether to include the sender's name. After that, tap Upgrade again. Telegram will charge 25 Telegram Stars, which are used to cover the blockchain-related costs of upgrading the gift.
Once upgraded, the gift becomes a collectible with its own unique set of attributes. The upgrade cannot be undone.

Should you include the sender's name?

Telegram lets you decide whether the collectible should keep the sender's name attached to it.

If you enable this option, the gift will show who sent it and who it was originally intended for. This becomes an additional visible detail on the collectible. Whether that helps or hurts the value depends on the gift. In some cases, a recognizable sender or a meaningful origin may make the item more attractive. In others, buyers may prefer a cleaner collectible without personal context attached.

If you are upgrading a gift mainly to keep it in your profile, the choice is personal. If you are upgrading it with resale in mind, it is worth thinking about how that attribution may look to future buyers.

How to sell collectible gifts

Collectible gifts can have real value because some combinations of traits are rarer than others.

A gift's price may depend on the collection it belongs to, its serial number, model, backdrop, symbol, and overall demand from collectors. Limited supply also matters: if a collection has few items or a specific trait appears rarely, buyers may be willing to pay more.

Before selling a gift, you first need to upgrade it. Regular gifts cannot be listed as collectibles or traded as NFTs.

There are three main ways to sell a collectible Telegram gift:

through Telegram's built-in Gift Marketplace;
through OTC marketplaces inside Telegram;
through external NFT marketplaces after transferring the gift to a TON wallet.

Selling through Telegram's Gift Marketplace

Telegram's built-in Gift Marketplace is the simplest option for most users.

It lets people buy rare upgraded gifts from other users using Telegram Stars. To list a collectible, open the gift on your profile, tap Sell, and set a price in Stars.
Once the gift is listed, it appears in the marketplace and gets a Sale label on your profile, so other users can see that it is available.
If you change your mind, you can tap Unlist to cancel the listing.
The marketplace also includes search filters that help buyers find gifts by specific traits, including model, backdrop, and symbol.
To buy a resale gift for another user, open their profile, tap Send a Gift, and use the Resale filter to browse upgraded collectibles available from other users.

How to sell collectible gifts through an OTC marketplace

Another option is to use an OTC (over-the-counter) marketplace, which allows users to buy and sell collectible gifts outside traditional blockchain NFT marketplaces.

These marketplaces act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. Instead of sending the collectible directly to another user, you transfer it to the marketplace's account. Once a buyer purchases the gift, the marketplace transfers it to the new owner and releases the payment to the seller.

Important: Durov's Code recommends treating direct purchase offers from strangers with caution. Users who contact you offering to buy your gift may be scammers.

Independent developers have created third-party Telegram marketplaces that significantly reduce this risk by acting as trusted intermediaries, but they are still third-party services.

Disclaimer: Trading gifts through third-party Telegram services always involves risk. The marketplace account holding your gift could be banned, making it impossible to recover the collectible. Likewise, the marketplace bot itself could be deleted, blocked, or compromised. If that happens, funds stored there may not be recoverable.

How to list a gift through Tonnel Relayer Bot

Open Tonnel Relayer Bot and send the /gift command. In the reply, tap View Marketplace. You can also open the mini app by tapping Gifts in the lower-left corner of the chat.
Connect your TON wallet by tapping the wallet button in the upper-right corner of the mini app. Wallet connections are handled through the official TON Connect protocol.
Your TON balance appears in the upper-left corner. Tap + to deposit funds if you want to buy gifts. Tap − to withdraw proceeds from completed sales.
Open Telegram → Profile → Gifts and select the collectible gift you want to sell.
Under Owner, tap Change and transfer the gift to @giftrelayer.

Be careful to select the correct account. There are many scam accounts using similar usernames.

Within about a minute, Tonnel Relayer Bot will notify you that the gift has been received.
To list the gift for sale:

send /gift again;
tap List Gift;
choose your collectible;
enter your asking price in TON (for example, 10).

You can also list gifts directly from the mini app by opening My Gifts.

Once your gift is sold, the payment will appear in your Tonnel Relayer balance.

To withdraw your funds:

open View Marketplace;
tap the − button in the upper-left corner;
choose Withdraw.

A minimum balance of 0.6 TON is required for withdrawals.

Pricing your gift

When setting a price, it is usually best to stay close to the floor price—the lowest current listing within the same collection.

The marketplace includes sorting tools that make it easy to check the current floor. If your collectible has particularly rare attributes, its value may be significantly higher than the collection average. You can also monitor average prices through the Floorprice Gift community.

Removing a listing

If you decide not to sell your collectible, send /gift to the bot, tap Cancel Sale, and choose the gift you want to remove from the marketplace.

Avoid repeatedly listing and removing the same gift. Telegram applies internal limits, and frequent cancellations may temporarily restrict interactions with that collectible.

Returning a gift to your Telegram account

Tonnel Relayer Bot also lets you transfer a collectible back to your own Telegram account.

This requires paying a 0.2 TON fee, which covers Telegram's transfer fee for collectible gifts (currently 25 Telegram Stars).

If you run into any issues, contact the marketplace creator, Mr Freeman.

Remember that well-known community members never contact users first. If someone messages you pretending to be the marketplace owner or support team, treat it as a potential scam.