Can you make money from Telegram gifts?

Hello, community! Affiliate marketing and NFTs have something in common: every year someone declares them dead — and yet, they’re still alive and thriving. And the recent example of a successful NFT project is the best proof of that. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

On the pages of our media, we talk not only about how to monetize traffic. We also share other ways to earn online. For example, how to make money on AirDrops. Be sure to check it out!

Telegram is building its own metaverse

Telegram is gradually evolving from a simple messenger into a true metaverse. The keyword here is “true” — not the kind Zuckerberg keeps talking about.

Telegram is actively developing innovative products. They have their own blockchain, The Open Network, which already hosts a wide range of unique tokens: from the native TON to DOGS, NOT, and other coins you could earn in tap-to-earn games.

The next step in building this metaverse, as we see it, is gamification. And it’s fair to say that Telegram started the crypto-gaming trend — by offering a platform and all the tools for anyone to jump in.

Now, one of the latest trends that’s already generating hype is Telegram’s NFT gifts. What are they? Who wants them? And why do we keep hearing stories of people making tens of thousands of dollars off them? Let’s break it all down in this deep dive.

NFT by Telegram

Almost everyone has seen Telegram gifts — sticker-like items that cost Stars (Telegram’s internal currency). You can send them to friends or support creators. This feature launched in October 2024, but it didn’t immediately gain much attention.

Part of the reason for the slow start was that similar features already exist on most social platforms. But Telegram went a step further — allowing users to convert gifts into NFTs.

So what are NFTs exactly? In short, they’re unique tokens that verify ownership of a digital asset. A great way to understand them is to look at skins in CS2.

At first glance, many CS2 skins look the same — but they’re actually unique. They differ in visual appearance, float value, and pattern. In CS2, no two items are truly identical. (Except for dupes — but that’s a topic for another time.)

This is the essence of NFTs: something unique that you can own. You can earn or buy CS2 skins, and the rarer and more unique the skin, the more valuable it is. For example, the knife shown above could cost $500 in a basic skin. But that specific one? Around $10,000. It’s Neymar’s knife, by the way — he regularly plays CS2 and ranks quite high.

Telegram has implemented a similar system with gifts. The concept isn’t new — but it’s still profitable. Especially if you’re ahead of the competition (which is growing fast).

Where to buy gifts?

You can purchase gifts in several ways — but in all cases, you’ll need Stars, Telegram’s internal currency. Here’s how to get them:

1. Directly in the app.
2. Via the Fragment marketplace. Just connect your TON wallet, and you can buy Stars and gifts. This is usually the most cost-effective option.
3. Through the official @PremiumBot. Choose how many Stars you want, and the bot will show the price in real time.

The minimum purchase is 100 Stars, which costs between $1.50 and $2.50 (or around 100 UAH). The price depends on where you buy them.

Which gifts are worth investing in?

You’ve probably seen gifts in friends’ profiles or in random comments. Usually they’re things like cakes, teddy bears, or flowers. Why those? Because they’re cheap, common, and always available — meaning they have little value and low liquidity.

There are currently two types of gifts on Telegram:

1. Regular gifts: Always available, inexpensive, and mostly used to show appreciation — like wishing someone a happy birthday.
2. Limited gifts: Released for specific events or holidays. These are flex items — collectors use them to show off. They can be displayed in profile statuses or shared in stories. They also have special effects in the gift menu.

The key point is that limited gifts are in demand among collectors — making them highly sellable on blockchain auctions.

To understand the level of demand, just look at a recent case: Valentine’s Day gifts. Two thousand heart-themed gifts priced at $200 each sold out in just 6 minutes. Telegram quickly released another batch to keep the profit coming. And yes — these items remain valuable even after launch and can increase in price over time.

What affects a gift’s value?

The price of a gift depends on several factors. Beyond general hype, collectors also look at less obvious characteristics:

• Gift number: If a gift has a number like 6969, it could be worth many times more than the same gift with a “normal” number.
• Background, pattern, and model: These change when a user upgrades a gift, producing a unique visual combo. Some of these can sell for 10x or more than the original.

Again, this system is a lot like CS2 skins — and maybe that’s what inspired the Telegram team.

So how much can a gift be worth? Sometimes the price is shocking. Take the example of the Pepe Frog gift sold on Fragment. It went for 4,200 TON — around $15,000 at the current rate.

And this was an actual sale — not just a listing. The gift probably cost the original owner far less.

And keep in mind: Fragment isn’t even the most popular NFT marketplace. So there’s potential to earn even more elsewhere.

How to convert a gift to NFT?

To turn a gift into an NFT, you need to link a TON wallet to your Telegram account.

Then, choose “Send a gift” in the settings and select yourself as the recipient. The system will show available gifts.

Limited items can be upgraded into unique ones — this is the core NFT product you’ll create using Telegram’s generator. How does it work?

After purchasing, you’ll see how many of that gift are still left and a status saying it’s not yet unique. Tap “Upgrade” and the gift will change — gaining a unique number, model, background, and pattern. Once upgraded, you can sell it at auction. If you’re lucky, you could turn a profit right away.

But keep in mind — this is gambling. Results are not guaranteed, and you could end up with something worthless. Each gift costs about $1: roughly $0.30 to buy and $0.50 to upgrade.

You can sell gifts via auctions, bots, or third-party platforms. Just make sure they’re trustworthy — scams are rampant in this hot market.

So how do you actually make money?

To get the most profit from Telegram gifts, watch for new limited-edition collections. Obvious timing: holidays, especially big ones. But some collections launch without any special occasion.

Always manage your budget — just like with any investment. Dumping all your funds into one gift type from a new collection is a losing strategy.

And remember: if you’re planning to “roll” gifts and generate unique ones, you’re taking a big risk. Sometimes it’s worth it — especially if you hit the jackpot. Just Google some case studies — people have earned tens of thousands of dollars with ROIs over 8000%.

Conclusion

Making money with Telegram gifts is one of the hottest opportunities right now. Yes, there are risks — but there are also full-fledged strategies to minimize them. With the right approach, you can generate massive profits with minimal investment.

But treat this like an investment — not a casino. Know how much you can afford to spend, your realistic profit expectations, and your loss limits. Because it’s easy to lose money, and not all gifts will be worth the cost — especially when you factor in time spent creating and selling them.

Still, we couldn’t skip this opportunity to show you how people are earning in Telegram today. We hope this info made you a bit smarter.

And if you want to be a modern-day genius, join our Telegram community — we’re constantly discussing the latest in affiliate marketing and more!

Respectfully, your Geek!

How to Make Money with Telegram Gifts: FAQs