# Gacha Arcade Frequently Asked Questions > Complete factual answers about Gacha Arcade accounts, purchases, cards, Instant Sell, cash out, credits, fairness, shipping, refunds, values, and payouts. Canonical HTML: https://gacha-arcade.com/how-it-works#faq ## Responsible collecting Gacha Arcade is built for collecting and entertainment. Spend responsibly and never more than you can afford. ## Is Gacha Arcade gambling? No. Gacha Arcade is a pack-ripping platform for real trading cards, similar to buying packs at a card shop or big-box retailer. Gacha Arcade operates as a trading card platform with randomized pack mechanics, similar to opening real-world packs of Pokémon, sports cards, and other trading card game products. - Every pack contains an authentic real card with collectible value. - There are no cash prizes; users are collecting cards rather than playing for monetary rewards. - Pack odds are published before purchase. - Instant Sell at 85% to 93% of estimated value, set per pack, is an optional convenience feature. ## How does Gacha Arcade work? Gacha Arcade lets users open real trading card packs online. After revealing a card, the user can request physical shipping or Instant Sell it back for 85% to 93% of its estimated value, depending on the pack. Pack-opening randomization uses verifiable fairness systems. ## Do I need a crypto wallet to use Gacha Arcade? Yes. Gacha Arcade runs on Solana: sign in with a Phantom wallet and pay for packs in USDC. Gacha Arcade covers the network fee on every purchase, so the wallet needs no SOL. ## What can I do with the cards I pull? Within 24 hours of opening, request shipment to your address or Instant Sell the card for 85% to 93% of its estimated value, depending on the pack. If no choice is made, the card is automatically sold back at the same rate and the USDC is paid to the Solana wallet you signed in with. ## Where does my Instant Sell payout go? Straight to the Solana wallet you signed in with, in USDC. There is nothing to withdraw: the payout is in your wallet as soon as the transfer confirms. ## How do I cash out my balance? There is no balance to cash out. Packs are paid from your Solana wallet and Instant Sell pays back into it, so your USDC never sits with Gacha Arcade. ## What are store credits and credit packs? Store credits are a dollar-denominated balance on a Gacha Arcade account that can be used for pack purchases. Credits can be earned through promotions, commonly by opening a credit pack such as a first-purchase bonus. A credit pack adds credits instead of a physical card. The credit balance appears beside the money balance and is applied during pack purchases. ## How do I win the first-purchase bonus pack? A user's first purchase can qualify for a bonus credit pack. Qualification uses the cash value of each pack after store credits are applied and including fees, rather than the complete order total. The minimum qualifying amount is shown in the promotional banner, and a qualifying bonus is granted automatically when the purchase completes. - Only one bonus is available per account, determined by the first purchase. - Credits spent do not count toward the qualifying cash value. - Each pack is evaluated using its own per-pack cash value when several packs are purchased together. ## How does the referral program work? Invite friends with your personal referral link, found in the Referrals tab of your profile. A limited number of referrals can qualify within any rolling window, plus a lifetime limit. Friends whose first purchase lands while the referrer is at a cap do not carry over. The referral hub shows the exact minimum spend, reward percentage, holding period, and remaining referral slots. 1. Share your link: copy your invite from the referral hub and send it to friends. 2. Your friend joins through it: they sign up using your link, or enter your referral code manually before their first purchase. 3. They make their first purchase: it qualifies when what they pay for the packs themselves meets a minimum spend. Service fees and any store credit they use do not count, and only their first purchase is checked. If it is below the minimum, that referral cannot qualify later. Their first-purchase bonus pack can also come with boosted odds. 4. You earn store credit: a percentage of what they paid for those first packs is added as store credit toward your next pack after a short holding period. ## How do store credits work when I buy and sell back packs? Credits are applied to the pack price at checkout and shown as a discount in the order summary. When a card from a partly credit-funded pack is sold back, the payout is divided proportionally. The credit-funded share returns as credits and the cash-funded share returns as money. For example, if a $10 pack is funded with $1 of credits and $9 of cash and the card is sold for $9, the payout is $0.90 in credits and $8.10 in money. The money portion commonly arrives first. The credit portion follows after the payout transaction settles and may appear as incoming for a minute or two. ## Can I cash out or pay shipping with store credits? No. Store credits can only be used for pack purchases. They cannot be withdrawn, cashed out, or used for shipping. A card pulled from a credit-funded pack can still be shipped or sold back, but the credit-funded portion of a sell-back returns as credits. ## How do I verify that pack openings are fair? Before packs open during a daily epoch, Gacha Arcade generates a server secret and publishes its SHA-256 commit hash. After the approximately 24-hour epoch closes, the secret is revealed so anyone can hash it and compare it with the earlier commitment. OPENv2 openings also mix in the first public drand randomness beacon published after payment settles. This prevents an outcome from being computed in advance even by someone who already knows the server secret. Verification becomes available after the opening's epoch closes. Verification runs independently and does not send receipt data to Gacha Arcade. 1. Open the summary page for a completed pack opening. 2. Select Export Verification Receipt and copy the JSON receipt. 3. Open the public verifier, paste the receipt, and select Verify. - [Public verification receipt tool](https://riprip-io.github.io/provably-fair-verifier/) - [Provably fair technical explanation](https://gacha-arcade.com/provably-fair.md) ## What payments methods do you accept? Gacha Arcade accepts USDC on Solana: - USDC (Solana): sign in with a Phantom wallet and pay with USDC for a self-custodied payment. Gacha Arcade covers the network fee on every purchase. - Store credits: earned through promotions and applied automatically at checkout. ## How long do I have to choose Ship or Instant Sell? The decision window is 24 hours after opening. If no choice is made during that window, the card is automatically sold back at its pack's Instant Sell rate (85% to 93% of its estimated value) and the USDC is paid to your wallet. ## What are shipping costs? Shipping costs depend on the destination and the card being shipped. The exact charge is displayed before the shipment is confirmed. Store credits cannot be used to pay shipping costs. - [Complete shipping facts](https://gacha-arcade.com/shipping.md) ## Can I get a refund? Pack sales are final. If a card is damaged during shipping, Gacha Arcade's published FAQ says the card will be replaced or a full refund will be provided. ## Are estimated values guaranteed? No. Estimated values use recent market data and comparable sales. Actual resale value depends on market conditions, card condition, grading, rarity, demand, and other factors. Packs should be opened for collecting and entertainment rather than as financial investments. ## How quickly are payouts processed? Most Instant Sell payouts confirm within seconds: the USDC is sent straight to the Solana wallet you signed in with. Current status is shown on the corresponding item in Inventory.