# Turnip exchange



## thatveryawkwardmayor (Apr 25, 2020)

can we put a moratorium on trades using turnip exchange? recently, the turnip subreddit banned it because too many people were getting scamed and the devs of the website are kinda shady.

__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/acturnips/comments/g7l0tv

apparently, using turnip exchange may violate Nintendo’s TOS which may get users in trouble too. people on turnip exchange tend to charge ridiculous entrance fees anyway so this is something the mods should consider maybe.


----------



## alitwick (Apr 25, 2020)

Thank you for this post! I won’t be using TE anymore in the foreseeable future.

It’s such a shame, TE was a great idea in theory. The ridiculous entry fees were one thing, but I never knew the devs were onto some shady stuff too.


----------



## Llunavale (Apr 25, 2020)

Please be aware the only thing we as players should be weary of is how TE access player data in order to determine whether or not we're online or whether an island is online at all. This has been a particular concern of mine since finding out about the service - to my best knowledge, Nintendo don't offer any sort of API or feed that developers can use to determine if an island is online and who is on it, which means it's likely to be reverse engineered and in that case does, without question, directly violate the Nintendo ToS.



Spoiler: Regarding the other complaints about the service...



A lot of the other concerns (like the Patreon - which isn't just for TE, it's for a previously-established podcast and has probably received money for longer than TE has existed) are personal opinions on the matter and should not take precedence over the real issue here. Players being scammed - it sucks, but that's not necessarily a fault of TE. I've seen threads even on this forum of people who have ran into people who scam, charge a lot for entry or ruin aspects of their town. That can happen anywhere.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 25, 2020)

The first time (and only time) I used the site, I felt incredibly off. The reddit post and twitter thread basically confirmed my gut feeling of why I was feeling off. 

The site isn't just a normal queue, its definitely doing some off-site stuff and accessing things it shouldn't.


----------



## thegunpowderincident (Apr 25, 2020)

I used turnip exchange once, and it was a negative experience. The site feels sketchy, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it lose its popularity, including being banned on TBT. The TOS concerns are pretty unsettling too.. I hope it won’t cause issues with the Nintendo Switch Online accounts of anyone who used turnip exchange (including myself).


----------



## ElliotAdoresYou (Apr 25, 2020)

yeah it’s pretty sketchy, I’ve hosted on there once and I got kicked out of my own island. I have no idea how, it just sent me back to the homepage and there’s no way to get back in as a host. I felt bad for everyone in my queue but I couldn’t do anything about it, it sucked


----------



## daisyy (Apr 25, 2020)

very interested to see a response on this from staff... i'm honestly not sure who to believe at this point as each side is painting the other side poorly. the stalk market has great points but also stands to benefit with their own discord service and it's hard to tell if this is just blown up drama or something to be really concerned about using?


----------



## Llunavale (Apr 25, 2020)

daisyy said:


> very interested to see a response on this from staff... i'm honestly not sure who to believe at this point as each side is painting the other side poorly. the stalk market has great points but also stands to benefit with their own discord service and it's hard to tell if this is just blown up drama or something to be really concerned about using?


This isn't really a popularity contest, it's a much more complex issue than just who stands to benefit from whose downfall. At the end of the day, if the method TE use to get information about an online island is reverse engineered or some otherwise illegitimate way of getting data from the game, it's violating Nintendo's ToS and EULA and is essentially illegal. That doesn't necessarily mean players will be punished (though who knows, right? They could issue bans to accounts willingly using a service that violates ToS - we don't know yet), it'll be TE that are punished and very likely hit with a cease and desist.

At the end of the day, it's surely a better bet to just avoid the possibility of it biting you later. I think it should be disallowed on these forums - not necessarily out of a need to control people's trading habits, simply to protect them from any wrongdoing that may come their way because of it.


----------



## enjucityblues (Apr 25, 2020)

I got scammed almost right away and lost my liking for it completely...it's a shame because there are some really kind, legit people using it but they seem far and few between.

I say good riddance to TE...


----------



## Krissi2197 (Apr 25, 2020)

I used TE and made the queue only accessable to people on these forums... But now I'm not so sure.

What kind of stuff do you think they're accessing?

EDIT: Also, do we have any alternatives? I see people using google docs but idk how to really use that for queues.


----------



## Sloom (Apr 25, 2020)

whoops, I was frequenting that site lol. I hope an alternative comes soon if it's sketchy. I've never been scammed on there and it's how I've been easily finding people with high turnip prices to visit (used it at least 20-30 times now). I fail to see how you can get scammed on there? I'm not saying people who say they've been scammed are lying (obviously lol) but can't you just quit the game or go on airplane mode if they try anything?

and also is it risky to use? I liked using it to easily invite people to my island without having to pm and I also liked browsing it when I had heaps of turnips to banish from my beaches.

edit: I'm an idiot who forgot to read the original reddit post. pretty sure that's answering my questions lmao


----------



## niko2 (Apr 25, 2020)

It's an easy way to invite people in your island in an orderly manner without having to PM the dodo code. A public dodo code always results in a messy experience for both the host and the guests.


----------



## fallenchaoskitten (Apr 25, 2020)

This is something I had never thought about being a problem. I didn't think of it violating ToS.

I have used it to "test" post my island (just to see how it worked) once.
I have used it once to sell turnips as well... ok twice. Once was someone where just made the queue private for their island because it was easier than watching a thread. The second time was a rando.

I get the worry of scams... but it is sort of the user's discretion on whether or not to visit someone?  Not to be harsh to those who got scammed buuuuuut
- Large fee? Then don't visit
- Wants payment before walking in? Then don't visit
- Seeeems shady? ... then. dont. visit.
- Oh, you're the host? Block off the rest of your stuff. Stand guard. It's what you do as a host.
Obviously, I wish there was a "report" tool where if more than say 10 ppl report the island it would get automatically locked. 
Or if you say no fees then in the description there is clearly a fee, you could report it.
After all, people get scammed on even TBT. Thankfully we have a feedback system to publicly show how someone had wronged you to warn other players.


----------



## thatveryawkwardmayor (Apr 25, 2020)

Krissi2197 said:


> I used TE and made the queue only accessable to people on these forums... But now I'm not so sure.
> 
> What kind of stuff do you think they're accessing?
> 
> EDIT: Also, do we have any alternatives? I see people using google docs but idk how to really use that for queues.



the most sketch thing about TE is that they're able to access information like who and who isn't on the host's island, something that Nintendo does not make offcially accessible to us through the game or any other Nintendo products like Nintendo Online. The fear is they may be using to data to "reverse engineer" another system, data, and IP that belongs to Nintendo.

I'm not an expert and I didnt fully read the TOS but I think thats the problem here. As for alternatives I heard of people making turnip exchange apps and stuff available on the apple and android store. Never tried them tho. I personally just search the forums and twitter.


	Post automatically merged: Apr 25, 2020



fallenchaoskitten said:


> This is something I had never thought about being a problem. I didn't think of it violating ToS.
> 
> I have used it to "test" post my island (just to see how it worked) once.
> I have used it once to sell turnips as well... ok twice. Once was someone where just made the queue private for their island because it was easier than watching a thread. The second time was a rando.
> ...



thats true but I think the problem is more of a legal issue and TE devs might be using our game data info against our will for other projects


----------



## Kamzitty (Apr 25, 2020)

This is a bummer. I thought it was odd how they were able to get our island info but didn't think of the possibility they were doing it illegally. I've visited a few islands, and hosted on several occasions through turnip exchange because TBT has been loading extremely slowly for me since the update, and sending dodo codes through PMs is a nightmare.


----------



## xSuperMario64x (Apr 25, 2020)

I've honestly never even heard of Turnip Exchange until now, I had to look it up lol.


----------



## skogkyst (Apr 25, 2020)

Woah, I didn't know this was an issue! Thanks for bringing this to the public attention, perhaps I will stop using this service.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 25, 2020)

I tried contacting the staff about this thread so they could take a look, but they really haven't responded... Oh well.


----------



## a potato (Apr 25, 2020)

I haven’t had any bad experiences with the site, but I’ll be interested to see how things play out. I think they have gotten rid of the current visitor information, so it seems like the site is changing. 

I have noticed people explaining the site incorrectly. There isn’t really an official place for entry fees; they’re treated much like they are on here. I typically don’t go to any islands requiring fees, as that seems to be a standard rule of thumb for turnips. For the most part, it’s like any other site. By opening your town or visiting others, you are risking something. Certainly, the risk is much smaller on a site with feedback, account details, etc., but it’s still possible. 

I don’t mean to anger anyone here—I like Turnip Exchange but understand it isn’t...the best. I do hope it will improve, as it has truly helped a lot.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

a potato said:


> I haven’t had any bad experiences with the site, but I’ll be interested to see how things play out. I think they have gotten rid of the current visitor information, so it seems like the site is changing.
> 
> I have noticed people explaining the site incorrectly. There isn’t really an official place for entry fees; they’re treated much like they are on here. I typically don’t go to any islands requiring fees, as that seems to be a standard rule of thumb for turnips. For the most part, it’s like any other site. By opening your town or visiting others, you are risking something. Certainly, the risk is much smaller on a site with feedback, account details, etc., but it’s still possible.
> 
> I don’t mean to anger anyone here—I like Turnip Exchange but understand it isn’t...the best. I do hope it will improve, as it has truly helped a lot.



Its not really that, its the fact that the site itself breaks Nintendo's Terms of Service, and seemingly appears to be accessing server data it should not be accessing. With that in mind, who knows what sort of data they are collecting. 

It's concerning.


----------



## Llunavale (Apr 27, 2020)

Khaelis said:


> Its not really that, its the fact that the site itself breaks Nintendo's Terms of Service, and seemingly appears to be accessing server data it should not be accessing. With that in mind, who knows what sort of data they are collecting.
> 
> It's concerning.


Thanks for bumping. I still really believe this is something staff here should look into. There's threads of people still using the service here - I think it's wise to just at the very least blanket a warning to explain that whilst using it isn't necessarily a bad thing, the service itself _is_ and it very likely _is_ in violation of Nintendo's legal jargon, even if it's there to serve as a useful tool.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

Llunavale said:


> Thanks for bumping. I still really believe this is something staff here should look into. There's threads of people still using the service here - I think it's wise to just at the very least blanket a warning to explain that whilst using it isn't necessarily a bad thing, the service itself _is_ and it very likely _is_ in violation of Nintendo's legal jargon, even if it's there to serve as a useful tool.



I did try to contact staff about it, and they've definitely looked at. I just don't know if they really acknowledge it as a problem that needs to be looked into. I've personally just been really hesitant to use the site, and people here are still using it for trades for DIY visits, so I've missed out on a lot of DIYs I'd like to have because of it. e-e


----------



## Rosie Moon (Apr 27, 2020)

That’s really unfortunate, I have found the site useful but I did wonder how it accessed our game info like that... eek.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

MysteryMoonbeam said:


> That’s really unfortunate, I have found the site useful but I did wonder how it accessed our game info like that... eek.



It may not necessarily access game info, but it definitely appears to be accessing server info in some way that could contain info.


----------



## Corrie (Apr 27, 2020)

Wait, can someone clarify for me? I'm kinda confused. Is this the app that you'd plug in your weekly turnip prices and it would predict your future prices?


----------



## Rosie Moon (Apr 27, 2020)

Khaelis said:


> It may not necessarily access game info, but it definitely appears to be accessing server info in some way that could contain info.



Yeah sorry that’s what I meant, I’m a total noob at tech


----------



## Antonio (Apr 27, 2020)

Corrie said:


> Wait, can someone clarify for me? I'm kinda confused. Is this the app that you'd plug in your weekly turnip prices and it would predict your future prices?


No, it's the app for exchanging turnips.


----------



## Biancasbotique (Apr 27, 2020)

Sooo the report is coming from Turnip Exchange's competition...I see....I see....


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

Biancasbotique said:


> Sooo the report is coming from Turnip Exchange's competition...I see....I see....



Competition or not, they make very valid points,


----------



## moonolotl (Apr 27, 2020)

The idea of a queue system is so smart but turnip exchange itself is sketchy asf
really hoping some other sort of queue website pops up because its very convenient, hopefully a safer one


----------



## LambdaDelta (Apr 27, 2020)

if turnip exchange is violating nintendo's terms of service, it would be in tbt staff's best interests to enact and enforce a ban on the usage of


----------



## SheepMareep (Apr 27, 2020)

I had no idea it went against the TOS, I cant imagine what would of happened if nintendo found this and acted on the people using it actively :c


----------



## Arithmophobia17 (Apr 27, 2020)

i know i had no clue about all of this before when i used that site a handful of times, so i doubt that nintendo would take action on users of the site when it's really the site devs who are at fault


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

Arithmophobia17 said:


> i know i had no clue about all of this before when i used that site a handful of times, so i doubt that nintendo would take action on users of the site when it's really the site devs who are at fault



Well, yes.. but also, no. If this site is indeed doing things that break the Terms of Service for Nintendo, us using it technically puts us in violation as well.


----------



## Arithmophobia17 (Apr 27, 2020)

Khaelis said:


> Well, yes.. but also, no. If this site is indeed doing things that break the Terms of Service for Nintendo, us using it technically puts us in violation as well.


oh, yeah, that's true. i still think they wouldn't take action against players but i guess it's their decision at the end of all of it and they might decide that it's for the best


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

Arithmophobia17 said:


> oh, yeah, that's true. i still think they wouldn't take action against players but i guess it's their decision at the end of all of it and they might decide that it's for the best



If Nintendo decides to take action, and if turnipexchange is collecting certain info in the background that 'rats' us out, Nintendo can request it and therefore action against us can be put in place

really far stretched but you'd be surprised


----------



## Raz (Apr 27, 2020)

Does the site collects data from people who are hosting, or from the ones visiting as well? I visited and island (from someone here) once where they directed me to that site. It just asked me to say my in game name, I believe. 

Now I'm worried. I would never imagined something like that. And this is a big problem if Nintendo decides to take action against people who also wouldn't know about it being a problem. Because I can guarantee you I wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole if I even suspected there was something shady with that thing.


----------



## Khaelis (Apr 27, 2020)

Raz said:


> Does the site collects data from people who are hosting, or from the ones visiting as well? I visited and island (from someone here) once where they directed me to that site. It just asked me to say my in game name, I believe.
> 
> Now I'm worried. I would never imagined something like that. And this is a big problem if Nintendo decides to take action against people who also wouldn't know about it being a problem. Because I can guarantee you I wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole if I even suspected there was something shady with that thing.



Potentially any of those, honestly. No one really knows, its just a possibility.


----------



## Lady Sugarsaurus (Apr 27, 2020)

Honestly, I had no idea about any of this before looking over this thread. I had used TE many times in the past couple weeks, and thought nothing of it. I assumed because it was an online access, they got the information about your island through those means, but so far from what I have looked at, TE hasn't even come out and said much about how they get the information, nor were they even confident to if it violates the ToS. Here is an exert from one of their statements:

*"Whether Nintendo would think we violate their ToS, and if they would act on that, we of course can't say. If they did act, we think the most likely outcome would be some slight changes to turnip.exchange, not the banning of individual users who hosted or visited an island."

Source: *_


			https://turnip.exchange/clarity-and-commitment
		

_
Which honestly doesn't make me very confident in using their services anymore.

I will say, they seem to be focusing on their Patreon heavily, and not much in the way of giving their users answers so we can decide for ourselves weither we would like to continue to use their services or not beyond saying 'I'd rather be safe than sorry'. Which honestly, is NEVER a bad route imo, and one I will be personally taking as well. I just think it's crazy that they are not in any way trying to ease the minds of their users and instead trying to point fingers at anyone else, saying that they are just jealous of their fame and fast growing community.

I have seen them trying to soothe minds about how they store data, but honestly I don't think storing data is really the issue here. I think how they obtaining the data is what needs to be explored and explained by TE, but will we ever get those answers without Nintendo pushing for them? Probably not, the way they are dancing around this.


----------



## LambdaDelta (May 27, 2020)

bumping this, since it feels like I'm seeing a massive uptick in turnip.exchange linked threads lately, both to ask if they ever stopped being shady af as well as if it isn't possible to have some method to know which threads are turnip.exchange linked or not, if the usage of the site isn't just gonna be blanket banned?

say maybe a simple [turnip.exchange] prefix in the airport, since that's where it mainly seems to occur


----------



## xara (May 27, 2020)

huh. i’ve never used te besides from when people ask me to join the queue on here to enter their islands for whatever reason and i don’t believe i’ve ever been charged an entry fee but i have heard some bad experiences people had with the site ;w;


----------



## *The Oakboro Mayor* (May 27, 2020)

Wow. I had no idea! I have a friend who uses TE frequently (I found the users with high prices shady, so I never used it), so I'll have to get the word out to them. I have only joined a queue whit TE here once, but I am kind of worried what that might do to me. As @Lady Sugarsaurus said, it's better to be safe than sorry!


----------



## Ananas Dragon (May 27, 2020)

Oh god I would've never been on that site if i knew


----------



## mayortiffany (May 28, 2020)

I think Turnip Exchange's (alleged) violation of Nintendo's TOS is good enough reason for it to be banned on here, if not heavily discouraged. However, there is a reason that Turnip Exchange got so popular in the first place: it makes hosting so much easier on the part of the host. Especially if you have an extremely high turnip price and will field hundreds of requests on other sites, it can be useful to have a site to aid you in managing your visitors and sending out DODO codes on your behalf.

I don't think the turnip threads here get nearly as much volume, but I can see why people would find it useful. In the case that Turnip Exchange did get banned, I would be in favour of also teaching hosts/visitors about other, reputable sites that do not violate TOS but offer similar utility, or the propagation of some kind of guide to make hosting easy on the forums.

I've had great success with Animal Crossing Exchange (the website and app) as it has a similar queuing process as Turnip Exchange, but I do not believe that it has the same TOS problems because you must manually input the DODO code and allow visitors to come in.


----------



## courtky (May 28, 2020)

I don't think I'd host again if turnip exchange gets banned. It makes hosting so much easier, it'd be hard to go back to the PM route. I really don't care if they're violating Nintendo's TOS. That's on them. I can't see Nintendo banning users for this. Anyone can put someone's dodo code into it, even if they're not the island owner. How would Nintendo know if you actually used it or not? I also think they would go after the website more than the users, if they ever even care.

Where do you draw the line for banning things that violate TOS, by the way? Weren't people on here discussing how to create your own an amiibos? How do you know the villager selling threads aren't selling "illegal" villagers?  

Also, I honestly don't understand how people get scammed on TE. You can close your game or just don't visit obviously sketchy islands. This goes for all AC related websites - Nookazon, BellTree, etc. It's kinda hard to get scammed on this game.

And with regards of the donations... who cares? I don't donate. I don't understand people who do donate. I feel like your money would be better off in a million other places.


----------



## Midoriya (May 28, 2020)

I’ve never used TE and I don’t plan on ever using it to be honest, even if it wasn’t violating Nintendo’s TOS.  Just don’t care for it.  I have plenty of other friends and ways to sell my turnips if I need to.


----------



## Mary (May 28, 2020)

This is good to know. I’ve used it a lot and love it, so I’m sad to hear it may be violating Nintendo’s TOS.  I use it to host things like cataloging parties, but I guess it’s better to refrain? I wouldn’t want anyone to get in trouble of any kind.


----------



## Chris (May 28, 2020)

LambdaDelta said:


> bumping this... <snip>



I thought one of us had already responded to this, sorry. 

We will not be banning use of Turnip Exchange.


----------

