Telegram gifts: how a fun feature grew into an entire market. Portals Marketplace review and step-by-step instructions.
While most users continue to send each other stickers and animations, Telegram is already buzzing with activity around digital gifts. People are trading, speculating, hunting for limited editions using scripts, and making solid profits. At first, our team didn’t pay much attention to this — it seemed like just a new toy for messenger users. But later it became clear that a real industry had sprung up around Telegram gifts, with marketplaces, NFTs, and a secondary resale market.
Let me note right away that we are not encouraging you to jump on the bandwagon at a late stage in the hope of catching a multiple growth. Many have already seen the NFT market, as they say, “We’ve been there, done that.” But the prospect of a quick “flip”: buying a gift immediately after release and immediately reselling it at a profit — looks much more realistic. However, even here there are nuances. In this article, we will try to explain without beating around the bush: what are gifts in Telegram, why are they needed, who makes money from them, and how to get into this game with minimal risk. At the end, we will provide a brief guide to one of the key platforms.
Digital gifts in Telegram are not just cool effects for chats. We are talking about a full-fledged system of micropayments and digital assets built right into the messenger. Today, Telegram offers marketplaces directly in the application interface: users can select and send gifts in just a few clicks without leaving the chat.
Some of these gifts have collectible or even investment value. There are spectacular visual surprises, and there are unique NFT gifts created on the TON blockchain. They can be collected, given as gifts, put up for sale — and not for likes, but for real income. Moreover, many users no longer perceive such gifts as decorations, but as assets with speculative potential.
When Telegram first launched this feature, everything looked like paid animations—pretty, but nothing more. Now the situation has changed dramatically, with the gift system becoming part of Telegram’s digital economy. Here are the main categories:
– Regular gifts: These are visual effects, such as fireworks or animated emotions, that are sent to users. They work on an emotional level but have no market value.
– Collectible gifts: limited in quantity or time, released as rare items that are sought after. Here, the market element and the desire to own a unique item come into play.
– NFT gifts: this is where the real economy begins. These gifts are issued on the TON blockchain, have a unique ID, and can be freely transferred between wallets. They can be given as gifts, collected, and sold — according to all the rules of Web3.
The Telegram Star Gift format is particularly popular—limited edition NFTs that can be attached to your avatar. They look cool, attract attention, and can increase in value if the collection becomes popular.
If you want to not only make someone happy, but also understand how it all works—from production to resale—here’s what you need to know:
All gifts are exclusively available on Telegram. They can be purchased with “stars” — an internal currency that can be bought with real money. New drops appear in the Settings — Send Gift section, where you can choose who to send them to. If your goal is to resell them, it makes sense to send the gift to yourself. The @Gift_Alerts bot helps you keep track of new collection releases, but be prepared: rare items often sell out in seconds. It’s not easy without automation.
Just sending the animation isn’t enough to make it an asset. To turn it into an NFT and put it on the market, you need to go through an upgrade process. It costs 25,000 stars, and the price drops by 20% every 60 minutes.
There are pitfalls:
– The upgrade is not activated immediately – Telegram decides when to give this opportunity for each collection.
– After upgrading, the NFT is “frozen” for 21 days – it cannot be transferred or sold.
There are workarounds: for example, you can buy a gift on a separate Telegram account and then sell the account itself. But these are gray schemes. A cleaner option is to use the pre-market platform Portals Marketplace (https://t.me/portals/market?startapp=1165891219) , where you can sell the gift before upgrading, but liquidity there is still low.
When the freeze period ends, the NFT becomes active. Now you can sell gifts in Telegram on official platforms such as Fragment or Getgems — connect your TON wallet and start trading.
For those who want to do everything within Telegram, there are bots such as Portals (
https://t.me/portals/market?startapp=1165891219) , Mrkt, Tonnel (https://t.me/tonnel_network_bot/gifts?startapp=ref_1165891219),
but there is a risk here, because you need to transfer the NFT to the bot, and this is not safe. If you lose access or get hacked, no one will compensate you.
Now, as promised above, let’s move on to analyzing one of the advanced tools for trading gifts on Telegram. First, let’s take a look at Portals Marketplace https://t.me/portals/market?startapp=1165891219 — a young but ambitious platform created not by novices, but by an experienced team that knows how to launch products in the TON ecosystem. And yes, this is not just another bot. It is an alternative with the potential to become a leader.
Behind Portals is Roxman, a team that has already made a name for itself in the Telegram environment. Their projects Major App (with NFT functionality even before the mass hype) and Just News (a sophisticated news aggregator based on TON) have attracted huge audiences—tens of millions of users and wallets. This is not just some random startup, but a player that knows Telegram from the inside out.
Когда в 2025 году Telegram открыл полноценный рынок токенизированных подарков, стало ясно, что нужен маркетплейс, который будет работать нативно, быстро и надежно. Roxman не стали тянуть и запустили Portals.
The project immediately received approval from Pavel Durov himself—a rare case when Telegram so clearly shows support for a third-party solution. This gave the platform serious weight amid a multitude of dubious bots and wild markets.
Portals is a marketplace built into Telegram. Everything happens through the @Portals bot: you can list gifts for sale, participate in auctions, and buy directly within the messenger. No external wallets, complicated interfaces, or unnecessary hassle.
Here are the key features:
– Zero commission at launch. No commissions for the first 10 days after launch. This is not just a marketing ploy, but a real chance for traders to enter the market with maximum margin.
– Full integration with Telegram. The entire process, from listing to purchase, takes place within Telegram. Fast, convenient, without unnecessary UI. Everything works through a bot, instantly and intuitively.
– Built on TON. Portals uses The Open Network, which guarantees transparency, high transaction speeds, and a security standard already trusted by millions of Web3 users on Telegram.
– An experienced team with a proven track record. Roxman are not newcomers. They have proven their professionalism with real products and impressive figures: 75 million MAU and 35 million TON wallets in Major App alone. This means they know how to build reliable systems for the masses.
If you have already traded through Tonnel or other platforms, you know their limitations. Portals are not only competition, but also a fresh alternative: faster, cleaner, safer. Especially for those who want to diversify and not depend on a single ecosystem.
First, go to the @portals bot https://t.me/portals/market?startapp=1165891219 . When you launch it for the first time, click the “Start” button. Allow the bot to send notifications. You can subscribe to the channel right away to receive news about new items and drops — just click “Subscribe.” Or skip it if you don’t want to. But keep in mind that this window will pop up every time you launch the bot until you subscribe.
To start shopping, you need to connect your wallet and top up your account. How do you do that? In the upper right corner, click on the “+” next to your balance.
Select “Connect +” to open a list of available wallets. Select the desired wallet (e.g., Tonkeeper or Wallet) and click “Connect,” then confirm the action directly in the wallet. To deposit or withdraw funds:
– Click “Deposit” to deposit TON.
– Click “Withdraw” if you want to withdraw tokens back to your wallet.
Once your balance has been topped up, return to the Store section—this is the main marketplace where you can search for and purchase Telegram gifts.
How to search:
– At the top of the screen, there is a field for entering the ID of a specific gift.
– Nearby are buttons for filtering and sorting: by name, price, collection, and other parameters.
How to buy:
– Select the gift you are interested in.
– Click on his card.
– In the window that opens, click the blue “Buy Gift” button.
– Confirm your purchase in your wallet, and the gift will appear in your collection.
Some gifts can be sold immediately at a higher price—keep an eye on trends!
You’ve bought a digital gift on Telegram, now it’s time to convert it back to TON. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to sell a gift through the Portals marketplace.
Open the gifts section and click “My gifts” in the bottom panel—this is your personal collection. If you purchased gifts directly through Portals, they will already be displayed. If you purchased them elsewhere, you will need to add them manually.
To import gifts, click the “Add” button. Follow the prompts, and the bot will guide you through the process of transferring gifts to the platform.
After successful import, you will have full access to manage your NFT gifts. Once the gift is inside Portals, the following buttons will become active:
– “Sell” – put up for sale.
– “Send” – give to another user.
– “Withdraw” – withdraw a gift from the platform to an external wallet.
Click “Sell” on the desired gift. Specify the price in TON and the method of sale (fixed or auction). Confirm the action, and your gift will appear in the general marketplace list. Your Telegram gifts must be transferred to the Portals smart contract. This is necessary to ensure that the transaction is secure and automatic.
Portals has a referral program—you receive 20% of the commissions from purchases made by users you invite.
How to invite friends:
– Go to the “Profile” section
– Click “Invite Friends”
– Copy your referral link and share it in chats, social networks, or directly with friends.
Pros
All actions, from purchase to sale, take place directly in the messenger. There is no need to open third-party websites; everything works within the bot.
Clear and minimalistic UX. Even a beginner will understand how to connect a wallet, buy a gift, and put it up for sale.
Transactions are instantaneous. The TON blockchain ensures high speed and transparency.
Official TON wallets are used. Smart contracts reliably record ownership rights and transactions.
An excellent bonus for early users—the first days of trading without fees, maximum profit.
The project has been officially approved by the creator of Telegram, which is a rare occurrence that increases trust in the platform.
You can earn money not only from trading, but also from attracting users. Up to 20% of your referrals’ commissions.
Cons
To put up a gift, you need to give it to the bot’s smart contract. For some users, this may be unfamiliar or cause distrust.
Liquidity may be lower than on older platforms, such as Tonel https://t.me/tonnel_network_bot/gifts?startapp=ref_1165891219. Not all gifts can be sold quickly.
If you don’t like Telegram or are used to desktop NFT marketplaces, Portals may seem too “mobile.”
At the moment, only gifts compatible with the Telegram and TON systems can be traded. NFTs from other blockchains are not accepted.
Telegram gifts are no longer just a way to please your conversation partner. They are a new model of digital assets that is rapidly developing within one of the largest messengers. There is room here for collectors, traders, and those who just want to be on trend. The main thing is to understand the risks, choose the right moment, and not get carried away by the excitement.
Portals is not just another marketplace. It is a step towards a mature Telegram market where gifts are assets, not just cool visuals. If you are looking for a reliable platform for trading, buying limited editions, or participating in auctions, now is the time to give Portals a chance. Selling gifts through Portals Marketplace is fast, safe, and easy. Strong integration with TON, a native interface, fast performance, and approval from Pavel Durov make this platform one of the most promising in the Telegram Web3 ecosystem.
All the logic of the work is right in Telegram, without external sites and complex interfaces. Connect your wallet, top up your balance, buy NFTs — it all takes just a few minutes.
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