Overview of Virtual Product Purchasing Platforms
Virtual products encompass a wide range of formats, from digital content to in-game assets and blockchain-powered digital collectibles. Depending on their type and purpose, users can purchase and trade them on various platforms.
Comprehensive Digital Goods Platforms
- Kekebang: As a domestic digital product procurement platform in China, Kekebang offers a wide range of benefit-based products, including mobile credit top-ups, audio and video subscriptions, lifestyle services, office and education resources, food and dining, QQ series products, and transportation services, and supports live streaming and virtual currency top-up services for games.
- Taobao/Tmall: These two e-commerce giants also offer a rich selection of virtual products, such as virtual systems, product templates, product animations, and various coupons and gift cards.
- Overseas Platforms (for Creators and Consumers): For digital content creators and users seeking specific digital products, Etsy and Creative Market are ideal choices for designers and creative professionals to sell high-quality design resources.Gumroad and Payhip, with their low barriers to entry and support for various virtual product types—including downloadable products, memberships, and subscriptions—are well-suited for beginners to test the market.Sellfy is easy to use and supports large file uploads and automated delivery. Shopify offers highly flexible website-building and sales features, making it suitable for sellers looking to build a brand. Thinkific focuses on the sale of structured courses, making it ideal for coaches and creators of systematic content.
Platforms for Trading Virtual Game Items and Accounts
Gamers typically trade in-game virtual assets and accounts through specialized platforms to ensure transaction security.
- Treasure Hall: As NetEase’s official game trading platform, Treasure Hall provides trading services for virtual items, accounts, in-game currency, and equipment for popular NetEase games such as *Fantasy Westward Journey*, *Onmyoji*, and *Jade Dynasty*, offering a high level of security.
- Zhuanzhuan App: This secondhand trading platform also covers the trading of popular game accounts, offering a “recovery or refund” guarantee and 24-hour customer service support.
- 5173 Platform: As a long-established domestic trading platform for virtual digital gaming products (founded in 2002), 5173’s services cover accounts, gear, and power-leveling services for PC, mobile, and console games.
- Jiaoyimao: A professional game trading platform under Alibaba Interactive Entertainment, covering transactions for mobile games, PC games, Steam titles, and more, with features including real-person verification, data transfer, and a "recovery and refund" guarantee.
- G Mai: The only officially authorized and partnered professional gaming virtual item trading platform of Shengqu Games.
Digital Collectibles Platforms (Mainland China)
Digital collectibles (typically referring to NFTs) platforms in Mainland China operate within a regulatory framework, and most do not support secondary market trading.
- China Digital Collectibles: Built on the “China Digital Culture Chain,” this platform focuses on digital collectibles in the fields of cultural relics, art, and intangible cultural heritage. The chain was established by organizations including the China Digital Culture Group, China Unicom, and the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center.
- Platforms Backed by Central Media Outlets: These include “Shizang,” developed by “China Search” under Xinhua News Agency; “Guangming Digital Collectibles,” jointly developed by Guangming.cn and the Beijing Cultural Center; “Xinhua Digital Collectibles,” launched by Xinhua Net; and “Lingjing People’s Art Museum,” launched by People’s Daily Online.Most of these platforms focus on public welfare and cultural heritage preservation; they generally do not support secondary market trading, though some support the ability to transfer ownership.
- X Meta: This platform was once a major player in China’s digital collectibles sector, having received strategic investment from Ganshang Media, a subsidiary of the Jiangxi Press and Media Group.Public data indicates that its cumulative registered user base once approached 1 million, and the total number of digital collectibles listed reached 10 million; however, the specific dates for these figures are unknown, and the latest activity levels should be verified with caution.
The Current State of Cryptocurrency Trading Platforms in Mainland China and Major Global Platforms
Since September 2017, Mainland China has implemented strict regulations on virtual currency trading. On September 24, 2021, ten government departments, including the People’s Bank of China, reiterated that virtual currency-related business activities constitute illegal financial activities and clarified that services provided by overseas virtual currency exchanges to residents within China via the internet also constitute illegal financial activities.As a result, several trading platforms—including Binance, OKX, and Huobi (HTX)—announced their withdrawal from the Mainland China market in late 2021. They suspended deposit, spot trading, and RMB OTC trading functions for Mainland China users and switched accounts to “withdrawal-only” mode.
Consequently, the “Big Four” trading platforms that traditionally operated within mainland China no longer exist. Currently, the platforms most relevant to Chinese users are global exchanges operating overseas. Despite strict regulations in mainland China, some investors still access top global trading platforms through various channels. The following are platforms frequently mentioned in the current market and influential among the Chinese community:
- Binance: As one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance offers spot and futures trading services for hundreds of cryptocurrencies. Effective December 31, 2021, Binance removed its CNY trading section, conducted a review of accounts held by users in mainland China, and switched those accounts to “withdrawal-only” mode.
- OKX: OKX is a globally renowned cryptocurrency trading platform that offers services such as spot trading, leveraged trading, and futures trading.Since September 2017, OKX has shifted its business focus to international markets and no longer markets or provides services to the mainland China market. Its website cannot be accessed directly from mainland China, and its app has been removed from app stores in mainland China.
- Huobi (HTX): Huobi was once one of China’s three largest exchanges but later relocated its headquarters to Singapore.On December 31, 2021, Huobi fully phased out its Mainland China users, shutting down deposit, spot trading, and OTC RMB trading functions. Although its market share has declined since changing ownership in 2023, the platform continues to upgrade its services.
- Bitget: As of August 2025, Bitget claimed its ecosystem had surpassed 120 million users, with an average daily trading volume of $20 billion. The platform specializes in derivatives and serves users in over 200 countries and regions.Bitget also completed the phasing out of its existing user base in mainland China on December 31, 2021.
- Gate.io (Sesame Open): By 2025, Gate.io had surpassed 10 million users across more than 150 countries and is renowned for its technical stability and security. The platform offers over 3,600 cryptocurrencies, making it one of the platforms with the widest selection of coins among those listed above.
It is important to emphasize that all of the above platforms operate overseas and have explicitly stated that they do not provide services to residents of mainland China. Any resident of mainland China who participates in overseas virtual currency trading faces significant legal and financial risks. When selecting any platform, investors must fully understand and comply with local laws and regulations, and remain highly vigilant regarding market risks.
