# The Bell System: Beginner's Guide



## Justin

*What are Bells?*

Bells are a virtual currency exclusive to The Bell Tree. With them you can purchase items from the Shop, trade with other members in the TBT Marketplace, enter lotteries, and more.

*How do I access the Shop/ABD/Lotteries?*

At the top of the page below the big Tree banner there is a brown navigation bar. Click on Shop which should be the third large button from the left.







Once you’re in the Shop, just click the links in the left sidebar to access the ABD and Lottery pages.

*How do I earn Bells?*


*Posting:* Longer posts mean more Bells! Remember, don’t make pointless posts just to get more Bells, we will delete them or take away your Bells. _(some boards such as the Introduction Board and The Basement do not provide Bells)_
*Contests & Giveaways:* TBT Staff and members occasionally hold contests as well as giveaways with Bell prizes. Examples include Signature and Writing contests in The Museum.
*Services:* Open up a shop of your own in the TBT Marketplace board! Members may be willing to pay Bells for whatever services you can offer. Alternatively, respond to requests posted by others in the board.
*ABD:* You can deposit Bells into the ABD and every 24 hours press the Interest button to earn Interest on your Bells stored in the ABD! This feature is currently disabled due to abuse. It may return in the future.
*Lotteries:* Feeling lucky? You can buy a lottery ticket for a chance at earning more Bells. Be warned though, the luck is against you!
*Birthdays:* Earn bonus Bells once a year on your Birthday! Be sure to fill out your profile with your accurate date of birth to earn these Bells. *Birthday Bells are currently unavailable.*

*What can I buy in the Shop?*


*Upgrades:* Increase the size of your PM Inbox, expand the maximum width of your avatar, or enable animated GIF avatars, and more.
*User Titles:* See the little text under your username next to your posts? That’s called your User Title! For a small fee, you can change this title to nearly anything you wish. Please keep in mind that there is currently a known bug which may reset your custom title when you edit your profile. We apologize for the inconvenience.
*Vanity Items (Collectibles):* Buy a little vanity item to display under your avatar! They serve no purpose other than display but you can gift them to other members as a present! Currently, we offer Cake/Chocolate Cake, icons from the Japanese logo for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and Monthly Birthstones. In the past, special events such as Halloween and Easter offered limited time vanity items. Keep an eye out for more of these in the future.
*Groups:* Create your own Group! Members can join Groups and gain access to a special discussion area only for members of the Group. These are very expensive so it’s recommend you split the cost with others interested in the Group who share a common interest. Examples of current Groups include The Bell Tree Writer’s Guild and the Bell Tree Pokemon Association.

*What is the TBT Marketplace?*

The TBT Marketplace is a special board for trading goods and services with other members using Bells. If you think you have something to offer, make a thread detailing what you can do! The most common traded service is requested signatures and avatars but feel free to be more creative. You never know what people may want to buy.

*One Day...*

In the future, we plan to introduce a new feature that will allow to purchase clothing and other accessories for an Animal Crossing character that you can customize.


----------

