Last reviewed October 2026 · How we research · Sellers and scores on the Umamusume: Pretty Derby page.
What the Terms Say
Cygames' Terms of Use for Umamusume: Pretty Derby (effective June 24, 2025) start with ownership: under Article 6(2) the customer “does not have any ownership or proprietary rights to the Account” and “cannot transfer, loan, or pass on any of the usage rights in the Services to a third party”. Article 10(4) adds that the customer “shall not be able to transfer items obtained in a Fee-Based Service to another Account or sell or transfer their Account”, and Article 7(4) states that Game Items “may not be transferred, licensed, or sold” and have no cash value.
Article 11(1)(11) then names the market itself: prohibited conduct includes “Trading Game Currency, Accounts, In-Service Content, etc. for profit with real-world money, goods, services, or other economic benefits (so-called ‘real-money trading’), as well as performing any preparatory acts, including inducing another to trade, making offers to trade, or accepting offers to trade.” Article 11(1)(18) separately bans transferring an account to a third party, or letting a third party use it, “in exchange for cash or other assets”. The stated measures under Article 11(2) run from revoking items to suspending or deleting the account, and Article 11(3) lets Cygames refuse its services altogether to a customer whose account was deleted.
The Official Routes
Carats are sold in one place only: inside the game, by Cygames, as what Article 10 calls “paid carats” — through the App Store, Google Play or Steam. There is no official web top-up, no authorized reseller, and no mechanism by which anyone else can add Carats to your account: Carats cannot be transferred or gifted between accounts. Free Carats are earned in game (missions, Team Trials, events and stories). What you actually spend them on is Scouts, at 150 Carats per Scout and 1,500 per 10-Scout, with one 50-paid-Carat discount Scout per banner per day; 200 Scouts on one banner earn the Exchange Points to claim its featured trainee or support card outright — 30,000 Carats of certainty. Everything the marketplaces sell is measured against that math, because an account's Carat balance is simply prepaid Scouts.
What Can Go Wrong
- The purchase itself is the named breach. Article 11(1)(11) bans not just trading but accepting an offer to trade. There is no “careful” way to buy that the Terms recognize; the exposure is suspension or deletion under Article 11(2), and refusal of future Cygames services under Article 11(3).
- First-owner recovery is the everyday loss. As the game page warns, a bought account can be recovered by its first owner: reroll sellers create accounts in bulk and keep the original registration details. Take the full login handover and change the linked login at once — and know that this reduces, not removes, the risk.
- The wrong server strands the purchase. Global and Japan are separate servers with their own accounts, banners and schedules, and an account cannot be moved between them. Listings are tagged by server; the cheapest shelf is usually the server you don't play.
- The Carat balance is the product, and the easiest number to fake. Fresh accounts are advertised on balances of 50,000+ Carats — about 333 Scouts, more than one full 200-Scout exchange — but a balance lives in a screenshot until you see it in game. Verify the balance and every named SSR trainee and support card before escrow releases.
- Exchange Points do not follow the account's next banner. Points are earned per banner, up to 200; a seller touting “190 points banked” on a finished banner is selling a number that no longer converts into anything.
- Paid and free Carats are not identical. Paid Carats unlock the paid-only options (the daily 50-Carat discount Scout among them). Ask for the paid/free split on a built account and verify it in game.
- GameBoost carries a Caution label. It scores 3.8/5 with 795 offers on our October 14 check. The deeper shelves are PlayerAuctions (2,078 offers, $5 to $200, with 7 to 30 days of after-sale protection) and Eldorado (2,970 accounts tagged Global or Japan) — read the GameBoost review before using it.
Red Flags to Avoid
- “Carats delivered to your account” or any “Carat top-up” — no transfer or top-up function exists; the offer is an account sale or a request for your login.
- Fresh accounts priced far under the official value of the Carats claimed (30,000 Carats is one guaranteed featured unit via the exchange).
- Listings that don't state Global or Japan, or that show roster screenshots the seller won't reproduce live in game.
- Reroll accounts sold without the original linked login and a full credential handover.
- Sellers who refuse marketplace escrow or push payment off-platform.
Buying Checklist
- Confirm the server — Global or Japan — before looking at anything else in the listing.
- Verify in game before escrow releases: the exact Carat balance and its paid/free split, and every named SSR trainee and support card with its limit breaks.
- Take the complete login handover and change the linked login immediately; assume the seller keeps the original registration details.
- Prefer listings with after-sale protection (PlayerAuctions' offers carry 7 to 30 days of it on our check) and keep payment inside the marketplace.
- Price the account with the exchange math: 150 Carats per Scout, 30,000 for a guaranteed featured unit — anything above the value of its balance and roster is reroll labour, and should be priced like it.
The Safe Alternatives
The honest alternative is built into the game: rerolling is free, and a fresh account's starter Carats come from the same login, story and launch rewards the sellers are reselling. Free Carats keep accruing from daily missions, Team Trials, events and stories — our Umamusume Carats farming guide itemizes the income — and 30,000 saved Carats guarantee the featured unit you actually want. If you spend, buy Carats in the game from Cygames: it is the only sale the Terms recognize, and it carries none of the Article 11 exposure. The three marketplaces on the Umamusume game page are listed for comparison, with the risk stated plainly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy Umamusume Carats from third-party sellers?
Not for your own account. Carats cannot be transferred, gifted or topped up by anyone but Cygames, who sell them in game as paid Carats (Article 10). A seller advertising “Carats” is selling an account that already holds them — or asking for your login, which you should never hand over.
How many Carats is a featured trainee or support card worth?
A Scout costs 150 Carats, and 200 Scouts on one banner earn the Exchange Points to claim its featured trainee or support card outright — 30,000 Carats. Fresh accounts advertised with 50,000+ Carats therefore hold about 333 Scouts: more than one full exchange, if the balance is real.
Is a Global account the same as a Japan account?
No. Global and Japan are separate servers with their own accounts, banners and schedules, and an account cannot be moved between them. Marketplace listings are tagged by server — check the tag in the title before you pay, because the cheaper shelf is often the wrong server.
What happens if Cygames catches a bought account?
Buying the account is itself the breach: Article 11(1)(11) bans real-money trading by name, including accepting an offer. Article 11(2) lets Cygames revoke items, suspend use of the service, or suspend or delete the account, and Article 11(3) lets it refuse its services in future. The likelier everyday loss is duller: the first owner recovers the account through the original registration, which is why the handover steps in this guide matter.
Sources
- Cygames: Umamusume: Pretty Derby Terms of Use (Articles 6, 7, 10, 11; effective Jun 24, 2025) (read Oct 18, 2026)
- uma.guide: Beginner’s Tutorial (Scout costs, Paid and Free Carats) (read Oct 18, 2026)
- Uma Musume Planner: spark planning (150 Carats per pull; 200 pulls = 30,000) (read Oct 18, 2026)
