The Sandbox Guide
Step 1.
How to create an account on The Sandbox
We will cover how to register an account on The Sandbox with the three most common cryptocurrency wallets on the platform.
These are:
- MetaMask (Set-up difficulty: Medium)
- Bitski (Set-up difficulty: Easy)
- Venly (previously known as “Arkane”) (Set-up difficulty: Effortless)
Registration guides
Select the tab of your desired wallet below for some instructions.
MetaMask
Bitski
Venly (Arkane)
What is MetaMask?
MetaMask is the most popular cryptocurrency wallet on the Ethereum blockchain. They are also one of The Sandbox’s partners. MetaMask is a cross-device wallet that supports browser extensions, iOS and Android.
- First of all, you will need to set up your MetaMask account and install the MetaMask extension on your browser.
- You can create a MetaMask account and download the extension from their official website here: https://metamask.io/.
- This handy video will help you with setting up your MetaMask wallet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIGUC9JAAw8
Once you have MetaMask set up, click here to go to The Sandbox’s official website and then click the Sign-In button on the top-right.
Click the Web 3 (MetaMask) option, shown here:
You should get a prompt from the MetaMask browser extension asking you to sign a signature request that will allow MetaMask to log you into The Sandbox. Click the Sign button on this prompt.
Now you will be asked to enter an email address and a username. Do this then click the button labelled Create Account. And then that’s it, you are done.
There you have it — you now own a MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet which will enable you to access The Sandbox, make purchases and store your crypto tokens like $SAND and LAND.
Which wallet do you recommend?
This is entirely up to you.
MetaMask is the most popular wallet on the Ethereum blockchain. However, it is mainly preferred by those with some experience in cryptocurrency and blockchain interaction. Registration may take a few minutes.
Bitski is easy to set up and would probably be preferred by those with little cryptocurrency or blockchain experience. Registration may take around two minutes.
Venly requires no effort to set up at all and would likely be preferred by those who are completely new to cryptocurrency and the blockchain. Registration may take around one minute.
Log into your account at The Sandbox.
Step One: To log into your account, go to The Sandbox website (click here). Then click the blue sign in button in the top-right of the page, if the login prompt doesn’t appear right away.
Step Two: Log into your account using one of the provided options:
A) Click the corresponding wallet option, depending on which wallet you connected when you registered. Then sign the login confirmation when your wallet pops up. (If your wallet does not pop up, try disabling all ad-blockers and pop-up blockers temporarily).
(B) Alternatively, click the “I already have an account” option to log in to your account using an email and password.
Logging out of your account at The Sandbox
To log out of your account at The Sandbox, click the profile avatar in the top-right of the website. It is next to the shopping cart icon. And then press the Log Out option.
What is a cryptocurrency wallet and why do you need one?
A simple explanation of what cryptocurrency wallets are, what they do and why you need one.
What is a cryptocurrency wallet?
Put simply, a cryptocurrency wallet is a piece of software which is used to store and manage your cryptocurrencies and tokens, such as $SAND, LAND, GEMs, ETH (Ethereum) and BTC (Bitcoin). They also allow you to interact with blockchain technologies.
Why do I need a cryptocurrency wallet to register an account on The Sandbox?
- The Sandbox utilises blockchain technology and therefore a wallet is required in order for you to be able to interact with this blockchain technology. Your wallet will securely authorise your access to the website and help you to keep track of any transactions that you perform.
- It will also act as storage for any ERC-20 tokens that you have from The Sandbox, such as $SAND and GEMs, as well as any virtual goods that you own (ERC-1155), such as LAND and ASSETs. For example, you might earn some $SAND via The Sandbox’s Play2Earn features and will need a place to store it.
- A cryptocurrency wallet provides you with true ownership of everything that you purchase, earn or win on The Sandbox’s platform. You will always have control and access to these virtual goods as long as you remain in control of your wallet.
What wallets can I use to register for The Sandbox?
At the time of writing, The Sandbox officially supports the MetaMask, Bitski and Venly wallets. See the page linked below for more information regarding these three wallets.
The Metaverse Map
Learn more about the map of the metaverse in The Sandbox.
The metaverse of The Sandbox can be viewed on The Sandbox’s official website.
To access the map of the metaverse:
And then click “Map” on the left toolbar.
2) Once on there, if you are using the old legacy version, you’ll be invited by link at the top of the screen to switch to the improved map (released in August 2021).
- Alternatively, click here to go directly to the map.
- (Or click here to go directly to the legacy (old) map).
Note that, due to their limited processing power, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets may not be able to load the old legacy map of the metaverse. If you wish to use the old legacy map, please use a PC or laptop.
Map features
In August 2021, we released a new map with many improvements made to it based on feedback from our community. These include performance improvements and new features such as filters and a lite mode.
Filtered Searching
On the left-hand side of the map are a variety of filters that you can use to help you locate particular LANDs or areas.
- On Sale: Filter LANDs that are currently for sale.
- Premium: Only show premium LANDs. Combine with the “On Sale” filter to only see premium LANDS for sale.
- My Lands: Shows your LANDs in the metaverse.
- Size: Filter LANDs by size.
- Coordinates: Filter LANDs between a set of coordinates.
- Wallet: You can filter LANDs held by a particular wallet address, if you know it.
- Partners: Our partner list keeps growing! Select any partner to filter their LANDs.
Use the clear option at the top if the filter menu to clear all your currently selected filters.
Lite Map
A “lite mode” is also available on the map, on the left toolbar. This mode will hide all small images on the map, improving loading times for some devices and networks. Images will only load depending on the zoom level if this option is enabled. Switch between the gallery tabs below to see the differences.
Lite Mode Off
Lite Mode On
Note that while the lite version of the map does help to improve loading times, there are of course other factors affecting loading times that The Sandbox has no control over. Such as the amount of system resources available on your device, congestion on WiFi networks, speed throttling by your ISP due to overuse and so on.
We advise closing all unnecessary applications and background processes on your device during LAND sales. And also to ensure there is no heavy congestion on your WiFi network (for example, due to someone streaming films or downloading large files).
Mini-Map
In the top-left of the map you will see a smaller, mini-map. This can be used to help navigate the larger map. You can also use the drop-down box below it to instantly transport you to a specific part of the map, such as the area that was featured in The Walking Dead’s LAND sale.
More improvements and features to the map will be released in the future.
$SAND
$SAND is an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum blockchain. It is the main utility token and the currency of The Sandbox’s ecosystem. It is also a governance token.
As such, $SAND will be required for the buying and selling of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as LAND and ASSETs, from The Sandbox’s marketplace.
You will also need to hold $SAND to participate in the governance of the metaverse.
What is SAND used for?
Take a look at all the exciting things $SAND can be used for.
$SAND can be used for several exciting things.
Medium of exchange
$SAND is the medium of exchange in The Sandbox’s ecosystem. It will be necessary for making purchases from The Sandbox’s marketplace. It will be required to purchase:
- LAND
- ASSETs
- GEMs and CATALYSTs
- Avatar customisations
Governance
$SAND holders will be able to participate in the governance of The Sandbox’s platform.
Selling your ASSETs
Voxel artists will need $SAND in order to upload their voxel creations to The Sandbox’s marketplace to sell in order to monetise them.
Staking
$SAND is also used for staking onto LAND. In return, stakers will earn rewards, such as highly coveted GEMs.
$SAND can also be staked into a liquidity mining pool for rewards too.
Playing (some) games
Some games on The Sandbox’s platform will be free to play (F2P). But not all of them. The game designer may choose at their own discretion to charge players a small amount of $SAND in order to play their games.
Play2Earn
Players can potentially earn some $SAND by playing games. Simple as that.
Hiring designers and artists
You will be able to use $SAND to hire game designers and artists to collaborate on projects with you or commission them to design ASSETs for your project.
Contests
Some game designers may choose to give $SAND away as a reward in contests hosted on their LAND.
Foundation Fund & Staking Pool
From all $SAND transactions, a 5% transaction fee is applied. 50% of this fee is allocated to the Foundation Fund and the other 50% is allocated to the Staking Pool.
The Foundation Fund supports the ecosystem and allows us to offer grants to incentivise artists and designers to produce high quality games and ASSETs.
The Staking Pool contains the rewards for token holders who choose to stake.
Buying $SAND
Where can I buy $SAND from?
You can acquire $SAND from any approved cryptocurrency exchange. Some of these are Bitmart, Bithumb, UpBot, MXC, Simplex, WazirX, LAtokens, TokyoCrypto and Poloniex, to list some. You can see all of our partnered exchanges on our official Medium:
https://medium.com/sandbox-game/.
How do I purchase $SAND?
Please take a look at this official guide:
Can I swap another cryptocurrency token for $SAND?
Can I purchase $SAND using a credit card?
Can I purchase $SAND via The Sandbox’s dashboard/website?
Is there a way to get $SAND for free?
Winning contests or via Play2Earn mechanisms.
When should I buy $SAND?
This is entirely up to you. The Sandbox cannot give you any financial advice. However, you are welcome to seek advice from community members via one of our live chat communities.
Selling $SAND
Is it possible to sell $SAND tokens?
Yes. You can sell your $SAND tokens at a cryptocurrency exchange. Such as Binance, Huobi, ToktoCrypto, Bitmart and so on.
Can I exchange my $SAND tokens for a different cryptocurrency?
Yes, you can do this using UniSwap. Or any wallet that supports cryptocurrency swapping, such as MetaMask.
When should I sell $SAND?
This is entirely up to you. The Sandbox cannot give you any financial advice. However, you are welcome to seek advice from community members via one of our live chat communities.
Community chat & support
Do I have to pay taxes on any profits I make from $SAND?
The Sandbox cannot offer you any tax advice. Taxation rules differ by country and even by local jurisdictions, states or counties within those countries.
Please seek advice from an official tax representative within your local jurisdiction.
More about SAND
Your most asked questions about $SAND – Answered!
Do I need $SAND to purchase LAND and ASSETs?
Yes, you will need $SAND to make any purchases from The Sandbox’s ecosystem. That includes LAND, ASSETs and GEMs.
How much $SAND will be circulating in total?
The total circulating supply of $SAND is 3,000,000,000.
Is $SAND a stablecoin?
No, $SAND is not designed to be a stablecoin. The valuation of $SAND can change based on the supply and demand for it as well as other market factors.
Who are the existing $SAND investors?
Some of the $SAND investors are Square Enix, Hashed, Blocore, B-Cryptos and True Global Ventures. You can learn more about The Sandbox’s investors and partners on our official Medium, here: https://medium.com/sandbox-game/.
Do you plan on burning any $SAND?
We are not planning to burn any $SAND in the future. We are putting the $SAND that is consumed by users back into the ecosystem via the Foundation to support content production through grants to creators and the staking pool.
Is $SAND a governance token?
Yes. $SAND is a governance token that allows holders to participate in governance decisions on the platform using a DAO structure. They can exercise voting rights on key elements such as Foundation grant attributions to content and game creators and feature prioritisation on the platform roadmap. $SAND holders can vote themselves or delegate voting rights to other players of their choice.
How can I add the $SAND token to my MetaMask wallet?
Here are the instructions to show your LAND tokens in your MetaMask wallet. A GIF is also provided below.
1) In your MetaMask wallet, click the “Add Token” button.
2) Click the “Custom Token” tab.
3) In the “Token Contract Address”, paste the following address:
0x3845badAde8e6dFF049820680d1F14bD3903a5d0 (Link)
4) Click “Next”.
5) Finally, click “Add Tokens”.
What is a LAND?
Find out what a LAND is in The Sandbox Metaverse.
A LAND is a digital piece of real-estate in The Sandbox’s metaverse. Game designers use LAND to build digital experiences, such as games or dioramas, and also populate it with ASSETs.
Each LAND is a unique, non-fungible ERC-721 token on the Ethereum blockchain. A total of 166,464 LANDs will be available.
Multiple LANDs can be combined to form ESTATEs. A special type of ESTATE owned by more than one person is called a DISTRICT.
More info
LANDs can be accessed through a virtual map on The Sandbox’s official website.
The proximity of LANDs to large partners and other key positions will play a role in the gameplay, visitor counts, economy and visibility of the games built on those LANDs.
It will also be possible to rent LAND to game creators. Game creators will also be able to collaborate with other creators or voxel artists to build a great experience on that LAND.
LAND can also be combined into larger ESTATEs or DISTRICTs, as long as they are adjacent. Alternatively, ESTATEs can be split into smaller LANDs.
ESTATEs
An ESTATE is a group of 1×1 LANDs that have been merged together into a larger parcel.
Typically, ESTATEs come in sizes of 3×3, 6×6, 12×12 and 24×24.
ESTATEs can either be bought readily-assembled. Or they can be created by merging 1×1 LANDs that are adjacent to each other.
What sizes do ESTATEs come in?
Small
3×3
Medium
6×6
Large
12×12
X-Large
24×24
Can I form an ESTATE with 1×1 LANDs?
Yes, ESTATEs can be formed by combining 1×1 LANDs together, as long as they are adjacent to each other.
Can I split an ESTATE into a smaller ESTATE or 1×1 LANDs?
Yes. ESTATEs can be split into smaller sizes or even into individual 1×1 LANDs.
Premium LANDs
Premium LANDs have more benefits compared to regular LANDs.
- Premium LANDs are surrounding major partners or social hubs. This means that the LANDs surrounding that area will experience higher traffic from players, due to players joining the metaverse through these social hubs via portals and then branching outwards to explore the nearby LANDs.
- More traffic means more potential monetisation income through pay-to-play games or renting the LAND out to other developers.
- Another benefit of having more traffic is that more players will see any advertisements that have been placed on billboards on premium LANDs. Potentially netting the premium LAND owner a small trickle of income from renting out billboard space on their LANDs to others or directing visitors to their own online store, and so forth.
- There is also potentially less need for premium LAND owners to have to market their experiences on social media, compared to someone who built an experience on a regular LAND.
- When premium LANDs are initially sold in sales, they will come with exclusive, limited-time ASSETs. Over time, these ASSETs will become highly desirable by collectors and game designers as they get rarer.
Are there any premium ESTATEs?
There are no premium ESTATEs in presale or public sales. Premium LANDs are sold in 1×1 size.
However, ESTATEs can be formed by combining premium 1×1 LANDs as long as they are adjacent to each other.
If I buy a premium LAND second-hand, such as on OpenSea, will I get the premium ASSETs with it?
Only if the seller of the LAND has included the premium ASSETs in the bundle on the NFT exchange, such as on OpenSea or Rarible.
Please make sure you carefully read the offer to make sure you understand what you are buying and whether the second-hand premium LAND includes any premium ASSETs.
Premium ASSETs are very scarce. Once they have all been purchased in the initial LAND sale that they were included in, we will not be producing any more of them.
DISTRICTs
A DISTRICT is a special kind of ESTATE that is owned by two or more people.
DISTRICT owners will be entitled to special governance rules which will affect all the experiences that are built within the DISTRICT. This will be done via decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). It will allow LAND owners with a shared vision or project to be able to collaborate and build together.
What are the requirements for an ESTATE to become part of a DISTRICT?
- The ESTATEs must be adjacent to each other.
- Each DISTRICT must have a minimum of two unique owners.
- Each owner will need to stake a certain amount of $SAND.
- DISTRICT approvals will be submitted to a vote.
How much buildable space is there on LAND?
A single 1×1 plot of LAND is 96 metres in width by 96 metres in length, making it a perfect square. They are also 128 metres in height.
In The Sandbox’s metaverse, 1 metre is the equivalent of 32x32x32 voxels.
Host games
One of the primary functions of LAND is to allow game designers, whether experienced or not, to design, build, publish and monetise digital experiences such as games and dioramas.
Play games
Another primary function of LANDs is that gamers will be able to play the games or explore the dioramas that designers publish onto LAND. Some of these experiences will be free-to-play (F2P) while others, at the game designer’s discretion, will not be.
Stake
Owning LAND will allow you to stake $SAND tokens in the LAND to earn passive rewards, including rare and coveted GEMs and CATALYSTs.
Rent
LAND owners can also choose to rent out their LANDs or ESTATEs to a game designer. Doing this will allow the LAND owner to monetise their LAND if they themselves do not wish to build an experience on it.
Host contests and giveaways
LAND owners can host contests and giveaways on their LANDs. To give a rough example – a game can be built on the LAND and the top three gamers who complete the game in the quickest time might win a rare ASSET or some $SAND.
Form DISTRICTs
A DISTRICT is a special kind of ESTATE that is owned by two or more LAND owners, who will be entitled to special governance rules that affect all the experiences within.
Be part of the governance of the metaverse
Owning LAND gives you a voice in the governance of the metaverse. LAND owners will be involved in determining the future of the platform.
How do you make a game on LAND?
Owning or renting LAND allows you to publish a game on it.
Making a game
To make a game on your LAND or ESTATE, you will need to download the free Game Maker software.
You will be able to design and test your game using the Game Maker. When you are ready, you can publish the game onto your LAND for others to visit. You can also choose to monetise your game. We have some guides to help you with this.
ASSETs for your game
You can also use VoxEdit to create ASSETs, such as buildings, decorations, NPCs and enemies, to add into your game.
Hiring designers and collaborating
Alternatively, you can also hire designers to make a game or some ASSETs for you. You will also be able to collaborate with other designers and work on creating something together.
Editing and customising your ESTATE’s description and logo
The description and thumbnail of an ESTATE or LAND can be changed. Learn how here.
You have the ability to customise your ESTATE information. You can:
- Edit the name.
- Edit the description.
- Upload a logo.
How to customise your ESTATE
Step 1) Log into your account on The Sandbox website.
Once you are logged in, go to your profile by clicking “Me” on the left sidebar.
If you are on a mobile device, you may need to click the three stripes on the top-left of the website to expand the sidebar first.
Step 2) Click the Inventory tab at the top of the profile, then the LANDs or ESTATEs sub- tab.
While the image of a LAND can be changed, it will not appear as a thumbnail on the map. The images on LANDs will only be visible to anyone who selects that LAND. Map thumbnails are a feature limited to ESTATEs.
Step 4) Directly click the LAND or ESTATE that you wish to edit (not the “view in map” button).
Step 5) In the top-right of the LAND/ESTATE description page that you now see, click the three dots, followed by the Edit option.
You will now see something like the image below.
- Name and description: Give your LAND or ESTATE a unique name and describe what players can expect or do if they visit. Try to make it sound attractive to players.
- Logo or thumbnail: Upload a logo or image to represent your digital real-estate. This should be no more than 90kb and in either .webp .jpg, .png or .svg formats. Squared images in .svg format are optimal. Otherwise, 1 LAND is equal to 40px
You could make a high quality image (.PNG format or higher) and then convert it into WebP to have a light file without sacrificing quality.
.
Don’t forget to click the big save button before leaving this page.
The map
Your new name, description and logo will be viewable on the LAND map. You can also see it on the LAND’s description page that you encountered in step 5 above.
On ESTATEs, the logo that you upload will be visible as a thumbnail on the map. However, for smaller LANDs, the player will need to select the LAND to view its information in order to see the image.
Buying, selling and renting LAND
Learn more about acquiring, selling and renting LAND.
Buying LAND
Do I need $SAND to buy LAND from The Sandbox?
Yes. $SAND is the currency of The Sandbox’s platform. You will need it for all transactions on The Sandbox’s marketplace, such as buying LAND and ASSETs.
You will also need some ETH to cover the Ethereum blockchain’s gas fees.
Where can I buy LAND?
You can purchase LAND in official The Sandbox LAND sales, which are held on the Map of The Sandbox website. The dates of these sales are announced weeks in advance to allow you time to prepare.
Alternatively, LAND can be purchased second-hand on some third-party NFT exchanges, such as OpenSea and Rarible. Bear in mind these will generally be more expensive than LAND in official sales.
Will LAND I purchased on the secondary market show in my inventory on The Sandbox website?
LAND purchased on secondary markets, such as OpenSea or Rarible for example, will show in your inventory on The Sandbox website, as long as the LAND is in the same third-party wallet that you connected to your Sandbox account when you registered.
How do I buy LAND on The Sandbox?
See the written guide and the video guide below.
Will there be any discounts in public LAND sales?
We are not presently planning any discounts in the public rounds of the LAND sales. Discounts were exclusive to the presale rounds.
How do I buy LAND on the secondary market?
Please see the How to buy LAND on OpenSea page.
How do I value LANDs / Are there any tools to help value my LANDs?
See this article: https://medium.com/sandbox-game/the-sandbox-guide-to-virtual-lands-the-metaverse-6ace2278eb5a.
How can I make sure that LANDs on the secondary market are genuine?
Please see this page: Identifying Genuine LANDs on OpenSea.
Or this article: https://medium.com/sandbox-game/the-sandbox-guide-to-virtual-lands-the-metaverse-6ace2278eb5a.
Selling LAND
Can I sell my LAND?
Yes, you can sell your LAND on The Sandbox’s Marketplace (this is an upcoming feature). Alternatively, you can sell LAND on third-party NFT exchanges such as OpenSea and Rarible.
Does it cost anything to sell my LAND?
On The Sandbox’s official marketplace, there will be a 5% transaction fee, payable in $SAND. This fee will go back into the Foundation (which is used to support content creators on the platform).
If you are selling your LAND via a third-party NFT exchange, such as OpenSea or Rarible, there will be a fee charged by the exchange as well as a gas fee to cover. We cannot advise you on the exact cost of fees on third parties, please consult the third party for this information.
How much can I sell my LANDs for?
This is up to the LAND owner.
The value of LAND depends on several factors, such as proximity to major partners, if any ASSETs included in the bundle, anything that is built on the LAND and the size of the LAND. Remember that LAND sellers will ideally need to perform some market research, remain competitive and charge a fair price in order to be attractive to potential buyers.
Renting LAND
Can I rent out my LANDs to other creators?
Yes, in the future LAND owners will be able to rent out any LANDs they own to other creators in The Sandbox.
If I rent LAND from someone, can I build a game on it?
Yes, you can build an experience, such as a game, diorama and so forth, on top of any LANDs that you rent from LAND owners.
How much can I charge someone to rent my LAND / How much does it cost to rent LAND?
LAND owners can decide how much they want to charge for renting LAND parcels. But they will need to remain competitive for game creators to keep an economic incentive to paying out a rent while monetising their experiences and continue developing them.
Several factors will need to be considered when pricing LAND for renting, for example, proximity to major partners or social hubs and the size of the LAND. Nobody is going to rent your LAND if it is priced too high for them to make a return.
Who owns the game that is built on top of rented LAND?
The game designer owns 100% of the experience that is built on top of rented LAND. The person who owns and is renting out the LAND has no ownership over the experience built upon it.
Could a LAND owner sell or re-rent the land with my game built upon it?
The game that is on the LAND 100% belongs to the creator of that game. When a LAND is rented, it cannot be sold on or rented to someone else until the contract is terminated. The game designer will withdraw their game from the LAND in this case.
Public LAND sales
Learn more about public LAND sales.
About public LAND sales
What is the difference between presales and public sales?
Presales were sales which occurred before 2021. Presales also contained discounts ranging from 40% in the first presale to 10% in the final presale.
Public sales are those that occur from2021 onwards. Public LAND sales will not have any discounts applied to them.
When did the first public LAND sale occur?
The first public LAND sale was on the 11th February at 1pm UTC.
You can read about our first public LAND sale in a medium article by clicking here.
Where do public LAND sales take place?
On the map of The Sandbox metaverse.
Sometimes there will also be ESTATEs sold on OpenSea in auctions during the LAND sales.
Where will specific public LAND sales occur on The Sandbox’s map?
The map showing the area of the LAND that will be sold in public sales will be released along with the official announcement of those sales. You can also use the sale map to go there directly.
Will the remaining LAND be sold in one public sale or several?
Several public sales will occur across the next few years, with a limited amount of LAND available for sale in each one.
When are or were the public LAND sales?
These are announced in our official communities, as well as our official social medias – such as Discord, Twitter, Medium and so on. You can also see this page for the LAND sale dates:
Will there be ESTATEs in the public sales?
Yes, there will be readily-assembled ESTATEs in the sales. These may be sold auction-style.
Remember, you can also merge single 1×1 LANDs into ESTATEs of any shape and size, as long as they are adjacent on the metaverse map.
Buying in public LAND sales
How do you buy LAND in public LAND sales?
For a written and video guide on purchasing LANDs on The Sandbox’s metaverse map, click here.
For a guide on purchasing ESTATEs in OpenSea auctions during LAND sales, click here.
What do I need in order to buy LAND in public sales?
- You need to register an account at The Sandbox, with a cryptocurrency wallet connected to that account.
- In your connected wallet, you will need SAND. This is the currency that LAND is officially sold in.
- Link: What is SAND?
- Link: Buying and selling SAND
- You also need ETH (Ethereum) in the same wallet, this is used to pay the Ethereum blockchain’s transaction processing fee, which The Sandbox has no control over.
Will the public sales be entirely “first come first serve”? Or will there be auctions, lotteries, etc too?
There will be “first come first serve” LANDs and ESTATEs available on The Sandbox’s map. Sometimes some ESTATEs will be sold in an auction via OpenSea.
Do LANDs become booked and, if so, how long for?
When you click the buy button, the LAND will be booked until either one of the following conditions are met:
- The transaction is cancelled by you.
- The transaction successfully completes.
- The transaction fails (see the troubleshooting section below).
- The transaction times out (after two hours).
What will the price of LANDs and ESTATEs be?
The prices of LANDs and ESTATEs in the public sales will be announced at the same time that the date of the sale is announced. You will usually find the price table in the official Medium article for the sale. See the Public LAND Sale Dates page for links.
Do I need to refresh the map in public LAND sales?
No, do not refresh the map. On the map ahead of sales will be a countdown timer. Once this timer reaches zero, the map will automatically refresh.
Manually refreshing will refresh and reload the entire webpage, not just the map. Which means it can take slightly longer for everything to reload for you, leading you to possibly miss out on the LAND plot you wanted.
How much ETH do I need for the gas transaction fee?
There is no way to accurately predict this in advance because gas fluctuates depending on congestion on the Ethereum blockchain as a whole. However, there are third-party resources to help you get a rough estimate. Two such resources are linked below.
What do the colours on the map mean?
- Grey: LANDs or ESTATEs that are available for purchase.
- Yellow: Premium LANDs that are available for purchase.
- Purple: LANDs or ESTATEs that are booked by you or another person.
- Red: LANDs or ESTATEs that are owned by you.
- Green: LANDs or ESTATEs that are owned by someone else.
- Blue: LANDs or ESTATEs that are reserved by The Sandbox for partners and Game Maker Fund recipients.
Premium LANDs
What are premium LANDs, how do they differ from regular LANDs, and why are they more expensive?
Will there be premium LAND with premium ASSETs in public sales?
Yes. As The Sandbox acquires and announces new partners, yes, more premium LANDs with premium ASSETs will be available around these partner ESTATEs.
Are there any premium ESTATEs?
No, premium LANDs are initially limited to 1×1 in size. See: How big are LANDs and ESTATEs?
Remember, you can also merge single 1×1 LANDs into ESTATEs of any shape and size, as long as they are adjacent on the metaverse map.
Troubleshooting
Why didn’t my transaction go to through?
The most common cause of failed transactions on the blockchain is due to not putting in a sufficient amount of gas to process the transaction, especially during network congestion. There is nothing that The Sandbox can do to prevent a failed transaction on the blockchain, but we do sympathise with you. Everyone experiences failed transactions every now and again as it is part of the blockchain’s nature.
If you are affected by a failed transaction then your $SAND will automatically be reimbursed (this may take a few minutes during heavy network congestion). But any ETH that was put towards gas fees will be unrecoverable. To prevent a failed transaction from occurring, always make sure you put in a good amount of gas.
What is the “Already Minted” error?
This means that the LAND you have tried to purchase is already taken.
Because the LAND sales are so popular and because there are a finite number of LANDs, it is possible for several people to click the buy button on same LANDs at the same time. When this happens, the person who put in the fastest/highest gas will acquire the LAND first.
We are working on developing a queue system to try and reduce the chances of this happening in future sales.
What is the “Out of Gas” error?
This means that your transaction failed due to you not putting in a sufficient amount of Ethereum for gas to process the transaction on the blockchain.
My transaction went through, but I do not see any LAND in my inventory yet.
Please be patient. LAND sales at The Sandbox are very popular and the website gets a lot of traffic during them, this means that there may be some delays in updating the user interface for you. You can check your wallet contents on OpenSea or Etherscan in the meantime, while you are waiting for the inventory on your The Sandbox profile to update.
Public LAND sale dates
When are (or were) the public LAND sales? Find out here
Public LAND sales will be announced in advance, to allow the community to have plenty of time to prepare.
How to buy LAND on OpenSea
A step-by-step guide on purchasing NFTs from the secondary market known as OpenSea.
What is OpenSea?
OpenSea.io is a secondary market that is used for trading non-fungible tokens (NFTs), including The Sandbox LAND and ASSETs. It allows people to buy (and sell) NFTs that are on sale, bid on NFTs in an auction, and even to place offers on NFTs that they’d like but aren’t currently for sale or in an auction.
You will need a cryptocurrency wallet to be able to purchase NFTs from OpenSea.
Guide: Finding LAND on OpenSea
To find LANDs on OpenSea and search for one that you are interested in purchasing, follow these steps.
Step One: Go to the OpenSea.io website.
Step Two: Type The Sandbox (or click here) into the search box at the top of the website. Click the result in the list. Ensure that the result you click has the blue “verified” checkmark next to it, as shown in the image below.
Step Three: Set any optional filters to help you locate the perfect LAND.
For example, you can:
A) Set the listing type that you want. For example – choose items that you can buy now or bid for in an auction. Highlighted in blue in the image above.
B) Set the minimum and maximum price that you are willing to pay, in USD or ETH. Highlighted in green in the image above.
C) Set whether you want to see all items, single items, or bundled items. And sort by price, newest, oldest and so forth. Highlighted in pink in the image above.
D) You can also choose to see listings only in certain currencies (you will need to scroll down the filter list on the left to see this option). Shown in the image below.
Once you have set any filters (if you wanted to), you can now browse the library of available LANDs. Click any of the available LANDs in the results to take a closer look at its details. If you want to view the LAND’s exact location on The Sandbox’s map, click this icon in the top-right of the listing:
Interlude: Make sure you have a wallet
In order to perform transactions on OpenSea you’ll need a cryptocurrency wallet. Read more here, if you are not yet familiar with it: What Is A Cryptocurrency Wallet?
Guide: Purchasing LAND from OpenSea
There are three ways you can purchase LAND from OpenSea. These are through auctions, buying them right away or placing an offer on them. The steps on how to do all three of these are below.
BEFORE YOU BUY – What makes some LANDs more valuable than others?
Did you know that factors such as size and especially location affects the value of LANDs?
For example, LANDs that are in very close proximity to ESTATEs owned by major partners, known as premium LANDs, are considered to be much more valuable than regular LANDs further away.
This is because players will spawn into the metaverse via the nearby partner ESTATEs using portals, and then will branch out to explore the nearby LANDs. This means the nearby LANDs will have greater monetisation potential and are therefore more valuable to game designers.
- Learn more about premium LANDs and how they have greater value by clicking here.
- Learn more about the transportation and portal system by clicking here.
Auctions
To place a bid on LAND in an auction, simply click the blue “Place Bid” button, which appears on the LAND’s OpenSea page. You can also see the current bids, the current price, whether the reserve has been met and when the auction ends.
When you click the “Place Bid” button, a small window will pop up.
A) Select the currency that you wish to bid in by clicking the part of the window labelled A in the image above.
B) Enter the price you wish to bid in the box labelled B in the image above.
C) You can see the current USD value of your chosen bid on the right.
D) Once ready, click the “Place Bid” button.
If you want to make a bid in ETH, you will notice the only option OpenSea offers is Wrapped ETH (or WETH). Both ETH and WETH have exactly the same value. Learn more about WETH by clicking here.
Once you click “Place Bid”, your wallet should pop-up, asking you to check, sign and confirm the bid.
Any bids that were placed within the last 10 minutes of an auction will extend that auction by a further 10 minutes. This is an OpenSea feature.
Buy Now
If you’d rather purchase LAND right away rather than participating in an auction, you can do so, if the seller has listed the LAND as “Buy Now” on OpenSea. To buy these LANDs, simply click the blue “Buy Now” button, which appears on the LAND’s OpenSea page. Take note of the currency that the seller has listed the LAND in.
You will be prompted to confirm that you wish to go ahead with the purchase. If you do, click the “Checkout” button. Or the “Add Funds” button if you currently do not have enough in your wallet for the purchase.
Once you have clicked the Checkout button, your wallet should pop up asking you to check, sign and confirm the transaction.
Make An Offer
Sometimes you might see a piece of LAND that you are interested in purchasing, but the current owner has not listed it for sale or put it in an auction. In these cases, you can still make an offer to purchase the LAND.
On the right-hand side of the LAND’s page on OpenSea, is a section labelled “Offers”. Click the “Make Offer” button.
A prompt will appear asking you to:
A) Select the currency you wish to make the offer in.
B) Enter the amount that you wish to offer.
C) Choose when you want the offer to expire (this is the deadline for the owner to accept the offer).
D) When ready, press the “Make Offer” button.
Your wallet should then pop up asking you to check, sign and confirm the offer.
Get More Help
If you would like to seek some further assistance, you can consider checking OpenSea’s official help documentation here: https://openseahelp.zendesk.com/.
You could also get in touch with expert traders or The Sandbox support staff. Click here to see where you can reach out to them.
Note that The Sandbox will not be able to assist you with issues regarding OpenSea accounts, as OpenSea is a third-party company. In these cases, you will need to reach out to OpenSea’s support team.
Identifying legitimate LANDs on OpenSea
A quick guide on how to identify legitimate LANDs on OpenSea. And how to report the dodgy ones.
Just like most other places in the online world, there are a fair share of shady and malicious individuals trying to mislead good, genuine people via secondary NFT markets. Below, we will share some advice to make sure the LAND you are viewing on OpenSea is genuine.
The search results page
On the search results page, make sure that:
- There is a blue verified checkmark next to the collection name.
- The name of the collection is written correctly. For example, we are not called “Sandbox”, we are called “The Sandbox”.
The co-ordinates are written in the correct format and aren’t nonsensical.
- Check these co-ordinates on The Sandbox’s map.
- There is a snowflake icon indicating that the metadata is frozen, and therefore the LAND is stored on a decentralised server.
A genuine LAND listing on OpenSea
On the LAND’s listing page
On the page of the LAND which gives further details about it:
A genuine LAND listing on OpenSea
- Make sure there is a blue verified checkmark at the top of the page. And that the collection name — The Sandbox— is written correctly.
- Make sure the snowflake icon is shown in the top-left, indicating the metadata is frozen and that the LAND is stored on a decentralised server.
- Click the button in the top-right corner that looks like an arrow jumping out of a box. If this LAND is genuine you should be taken to The Sandbox’s map where you will see the location of the LAND.
- Check the Data tab on the left of the page, the information should match that which is below:
— The Sandbox’s LAND contract address is 0x50f5474724e0ee42d9a4e711ccfb275809fd6d4a.
— The Sandbox LANDs are ERC-721 tokens, not ERC-1155 tokens and so on.
— The blockchain network is Ethereum.
— The metadata needs to be “frozen”, not “centralised”.
Does the location of LAND benefit game designers in any way?
LANDs which are closer to major partners or social hubs will likely get higher traffic from gamers, which can potentially mean more income through monetisation. These highly-sought LANDs are marked as Premium LANDs on the map.
Will it cost anything to play games?
This is up to the game designer. There will be some free-to-play (F2P) games available in the metaverse. But there will also be some games that designers will charge you to play.
You can potentially earn $SAND through Play2Earn mechanisms on some F2P games and then use this $SAND to access paid games in the metaverse.
How much can I charge players to visit my game or experience?
This is up to you as the creator of the experience. However, you will need to remain competitive and charge a fair fee based on the content and quality of the experience. Otherwise, players will simply go elsewhere to play instead.
You can also choose to allow players to visit your experience or game for free. A good marketing strategy, if you own more than one LAND, is to offer at least one free game so that players can get an idea of the quality of the game and the experience they will be getting from it, to help them decide whether they want to play your other non-free game(s).
Can LAND owners implement Play2Earn mechanisms on the LAND?
This is a planned feature. We hope to implement some rewarding features that allow LAND owners to have Play2Earn mechanisms on their LAND.
How many players can be on one LAND at the same time?
This has not been 100% determined yet. But we would like for about 32 to 64 players to be able to play together inside a single session-based game.
Can I use one ASSET across several LANDs?
No. As a game creator, you would need to own one copy of the ASSET per LAND that you wish to use it in.
Is there a limit of how many game designers can collaborate and build on one LAND at a time?
This has not yet been specifically defined. We are currently benchmarking and will, in the future, know these kinds of limits based on performance.
Transportation
Will players be able to roam freely across the world to discover other LANDs and ESTATEs?
Players will be able to go to the edge of the LAND they are currently in and jump to any of the adjacent LANDS.
The player will enter the land via a spawn point which is fixed by the LAND owner (or is in the centre by default) and will be able to hop to the next LAND by walking to any of the edges. As the image below illustrates.
Can you walk between LAND parcels?
The Sandbox is not a single persistent world. We are still fine-tuning these details and will have something solid to share with you in the future. We are exploring many options, such as the possibility of roads that will allow players to travel in between LANDs and preview them.
Portals
What are portals?
Portals are devices that will allow players to connect to the metaverse and travel large distances between LANDs, ESTATEs and social hubs. Think of them as a subway system or maybe Stargates.
Early concept art for portals
Where can I find these portals?
Initially, these portals will be present on LANDs owned by The Sandbox or partners. Eventually they may become more widespread, for example, allowing the fast-travelling to the corners of the map.
ESTATEs with portals will have a blue portal symbol in the top-right corner of their thumbnail on the LAND map.
Can I buy a portal from The Sandbox’s marketplace and put it on my LAND?
Portals are not ASSETs. So it will not be possible to purchase them from the ASSET marketplace.
Other
Is travelling for players between neighbouring ESTATEs or games possible if both owners agree to it?
Two or more ESTATE owners can combine their ESTATEs to form a DISTRICT. This links the ESTATEs and allows players to freely walk across them.
Where can I see the LANDs?
- On the map which is located on The Sandbox’s website. Click the “Map” icon on the left toolbar to go there.
- Purchased LANDs are also found in your inventory. Click “Me” the left toolbar of the website to go to your profile. And then select the Inventory menu.
- Alternatively, any NFTs, such as LANDs, that you own are viewable on Etherscan.io as well as on NFT exchanges, such as OpenSea and Rarible.
How much buildable space is there on LAND?
A 1×1 LAND is 96 metres in width by 96 metres in length, making it a perfect square. They are also 128 metres in height.
In The Sandbox’s metaverse, 1 metre is the equivalent of 32x32x32 voxels
Is there a limit on how much LAND I can own?
No, there are no limits on how many LANDs you own.
Can I link my LANDs together to form larger parcels or ESTATEs?
Yes. You will be able to merge them together to form larger LAND parcels or ESTATEs, as long as they are adjacent to each other.
When standing at the edge of a LAND, does it end with a blank void or can you see neighbouring LANDs?
We are working on a feature that will allow you to preview adjacent LANDs to the one you are currently standing on.
How can I add the LAND token to my MetaMask wallet?
Here are the instructions to show your LAND tokens in your MetaMask wallet. A GIF of these steps is also provided below.
1) In your MetaMask wallet, click the “Add Token” button. 2) Click the “Custom Token” tab. 3) In the “Token Contract Address”, paste the following address: 0x50f5474724e0ee42d9a4e711ccfb275809fd6d4a (Link) 4) Click “Next”. 5) Finally, click “Add Tokens”.
What is Staking and why is it important?
SAND is the utility and governance token used throughout The Sandbox’s metaverse. In order to maintain a robust ecosystem, we want to encourage our community to think about the long-term vision and benefits of The Sandbox. Locking tokens within staking programs supports that vision and creates a layer of trust between all members of the community.
The first option we are introducing is a liquidity providing program, which exists both on Ethereum (Layer 1) and Polygon (Layer 2).
More opportunities will become available in the future, to further increase your potential as SAND owner – giving you a chance to prove your trust, and to earn even more rewards.
Explore Staking
- The Staking Dashboard
- Staking on UniSwap (SAND/ETH)
- Staking on Polygon (SAND/MATIC)
- Staking on LAND (SAND/LAND) – Coming Soon!
- Withdrawing your stake
- Claiming staking rewards
- Frequently asked staking questions
- Live community support on Discord
ASSETs
The term ‘ASSETs’ refer to the voxel assets in The Sandbox. They are entities which are designed with the intention to provide content to experiences, such as games, that are designed on LANDs. They can also be collectables, be monetised and be traded.
These ASSETs are converted into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) when they are uploaded to The Sandbox’s marketplace, based on the ERC-1155 smart contract.
About ERC-1155
Categories
There are different categories of ASSETs:
- Entities – These are NFTs which will populate an experience with non-playable characters (NPCs) such as people and animals. In other words, entities that will bring a game or world to life. For example, a farmer, a chicken, a dinosaur, a treasure hunter and so on.
- Equipment – These are NFTs that can be placed in the player’s inventory. They can be equipped in order to help the player complete game objectives. For example, a sword, a shield a helmet, a pair of gloves and so on.
- Wearables – These are cosmetic items that will change the look of the player’s avatar. These items can be mixed and matched to give players a unique fashion style to their avatars. For example, a classy t-shirt, a pair of jeans, some shoes, a hat, a pair of bunny ears and so on.
- Art – These are NFTs that serve mainly as visual decorative items to add some wow factor into games and experiences. For example, framed artwork, statues, landmarks and so on.
- Blocks: These are environmental blocks that change the look of the world. Some basic blocks are already available (ie: water, mud, sand). But artists can create unique blocks for more unique worlds (ie: purple water, cute sparkly lava, mud blocks of a lighter soil type).
How to get ASSETs
Basic ASSETs will already be available to you in the Game Maker.
You can create your own unique ASSETs to use and even monetise by selling them on the marketplace with The Sandbox’s VoxEdit software.
VoxEdit
Alternatively, you can purchase ASSETs designed by other artists via the marketplace with $SAND.
ERC-1155
The ERC-1155 token is a new standard on the Ethereum blockchain for representing virtual items and allows the creation of multiple types of items in the same contract. In other words, it allows creators to mint any number of copies of the same ASSET.
When using an ERC-1155 token with a supply of one, it can also be seen as an ERC-721.
The flexibility of ERC-1155
The flexibility of ERC-1155 tokens is extremely useful for virtual items used in games in The Sandbox’s metaverse. Creators can mint any number of copies of the same digital ASSETs.
We want our creators to be able to create NFTs with a unique scarcity (via ERC-721) which can work with the existing ecosystem and of which multiple copies can be made (via ERC-1155). Creating multiple copies of the digital ASSET allows ASSET designers to mint a collection of items that they can sell on The Sandbox’s marketplace for game designers to purchase and use.
Rights, ownership & copyright of ASSETs
Are ASSETs copyrighted? Who owns all the rights to them? Find out here.
Who owns the ASSETs that I make in VoxEdit?
The creator of the ASSET owns 100% of the rights of that ASSET.
Who are ASSETs in The Sandbox copyrighted to?
As far as The Sandbox is concerned, all ASSETs in The Sandbox are copyrighted to the creator of that ASSET. As long as they do not violate another entities’ existing copyright.
Can I make an ASSET of a Marvel / Disney / Pixar / Pokemon / Family Guy / Futurama / Other character which I do not own the rights to?
No. This would be a violation of international copyright and trademark laws. Your ASSETs must be unique and must not depict characters that you do not own the intellectual property rights for. Though The Sandbox strives to be decentralised, there are still laws that need to be respected and obeyed.
Are there any licencing rights?
When you upload content to The Sandbox, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sub-licensable (through multiple tiers), transferable right and licence to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute and adapt the publicly shared Assets and Games for the purposes of developing, distributing, providing, improving, and promoting the Services, our activities, and your publicly shared Assets and Games. You further grant TSB the right to use your name and trademarks, if any, in connection with our use of your publicly shared Assets and Games. More information: https://www.sandbox.game/en/terms-of-use/.
General frequently asked ASSET questions
Your most asked ASSET questions – Answered!
How can I create an ASSET?
To create an ASSET, you will need to download and install the free VoxEdit software.
Click here to go to the VoxEdit information and download page on The Sandbox website.
In terms of ASSETs, how big is 1 metre?
One metre is the equivalent of 32x32x32 voxels in VoxEdit.
How tall is a human character or avatar?
A human or playable character in The Sandbox’s metaverse is 2 metres tall. This is the equivalent of 64 voxels in height.
Can I use the same ASSET in multiple LANDs?
If you wish to use an ASSET in more than one LAND, you will need to purchase more than one ASSET. Each ASSET is a unique token on the blockchain, they cannot be replicated or cloned.
Can I control the scarcity (the total number of available copies) of my ASSETs?
The scarcity of an ASSET is defined by the CATALYST which you add to your ASSET.
Are scarce ASSETs more valuable than common ASSETs?
In general, the rarer an ASSET is, the more value it may have to a game designer or an ASSET collector. However, there are other factors to bear in mind when determining the value of an ASSET. Such as the quality of the ASSET’s design (including small details), the quality and complexity of any animations it has, the uniqueness of it and so forth.
A rare ASSET which is low quality or has glitchy animations probably won’t be seen as highly valued by collectors or game designers.
Can I use an ASSET or NFT from somewhere else in The Sandbox?
The interoperability of NFTs is one of the things that The Sandbox would like to try and achieve. We would love NFTs from elsewhere to be interoperable with The Sandbox and vice versa and are working hard to achieve this. Imagine having your Cryptokitties in a game that you design or some artwork that you own from another project being on display in a gallery on your LAND, for example. Exciting, right? Watch this space!
Who owns the copyright of any ASSETs that I make?
You own 100% of the rights, including copyrights, for any ASSETs that you make. As long as they do not violate international copyright or trademark laws.
Can I make an ASSET version of an existing character which is not owned by me?
Your ASSETs should be unique and not a copy of a character or intellectual property that you do not own the rights to.
For example, making a Captain Bunny-Ears superhero ASSET would be perfectly fine and would be copyrighted to you. But making a Captain America superhero ASSET would be a violation of Marvel and Disney’s copyright and trademarks.
Read more: https://www.sandbox.game/en/terms-of-use/
Buying and selling ASSETs
Learn more about buying and selling ASSETs on The Sandbox’s marketplace.
Buying ASSETs
Can I buy ASSETs from The Sandbox’s marketplace?
Yes. ASSETs can be purchased from The Sandbox’s marketplace.
Do I need $SAND to purchase ASSETs from the Marketplace?
You will need $SAND to purchase ASSETs from The Sandbox Marketplace. $SAND is the currency of The Sandbox’s platform, it will be required for all purchases in The Sandbox metaverse.
Can I buy ASSETs from anywhere else?
Yes, you can also purchase ASSETs from secondary markets and NFT exchanges. Such as OpenSea and Rarible. The ASSETs may also be available in other currencies, such as ETH, on these platforms.
How much are ASSETs to buy?
The price of ASSETs on the marketplace is up to the creator of that ASSET.
They would need to price their ASSET fairly based on quality, uniqueness, GEMs and scarcity, for example.
Selling ASSETs
Can I sell ASSETs that I make in VoxEdit?
Yes, you can sell these ASSETs on The Sandbox’s Marketplace if you wish.
Where else can I sell my ASSETs?
You could also sell your ASSETs on the secondary market via NFT exchanges. OpenSea is the most popular choice of secondary market. But others, like Rarible, are also available.
How much can I sell my ASSETs for?
The price of any ASSETs on the marketplace are entirely up to the creator of that ASSET. However, they will need to remain fair and competitive in order to attract buyers. Some things to take into account when pricing ASSETs are the quality of the ASSET’s design (including small details), the quality of any animations, the scarcity of the ASSET, its GEMS and CATALYSTs and its uniqueness.
Fees
Are there any fees for uploading ASSETs to the marketplace?
A 5% fee will be added on top of listed ASSETs. This means if the seller chooses to price their ASSET at 500 $SAND, it will be listed on the marketplace for 525 $SAND.
Does The Sandbox take any fees or commission from marketplace sales?
There is a small 5% fee that is added on top of all $SAND transactions that occur within The Sandbox Marketplace. This fee goes into the Foundation fund, which is used to fund great projects, artists and game designers in the metaverse.
Do I have to pay taxes on any of my earnings?
The Sandbox cannot offer you any tax advice. Taxation rules differ by nation and even by counties or states. Please seek advice from an official tax representative in your local jurisdiction.
What is scarcity?
Scarcity is the total supply of an ASSET. In other words, how many copies of an ASSET are available for game designers, gamers or collectors to purchase from The Sandbox’s marketplace.
How does scarcity affect the value of ASSETs?
ASSETs which are of very high quality (for example, being designed well, having great small details and have well-made animations) which are also unique will likely be in good demand by game designers, gamers and collectors. The stats that an ASSET has through the use of GEMs is also a factor in its value.
High quality ASSETs which are scarce (have fewer copies) will also probably have a higher value than more common ASSETs. For example, someone who really likes frogs will possibly want to collect high-quality frog-related ASSETs and may be willing to pay a premium price for them if they are rar