Hi everyone! At the start of the month, we announced that we had made some important updates to our User Agreement. If you missed that announcement, you can find it here.
There were two important parts to this announcement, each one generating several follow up questions from our players.
PART I: Archiving and Deleting Accounts
“Webkinz World accounts are no longer being archived. Accounts that have purchased pets, in-game currency or Deluxe memberships may be deleted after 24 months of inactivity. Accounts with no paid activity may be deleted after six months of inactivity.”
“Players with archived accounts will have until September 30, 2019 to retrieve them. As of October 1, 2019, all remaining accounts in the archive will be deleted. As a result, the usernames associated to these accounts will be available once again to register as new accounts.”
Here are some of the questions you asked about this updated account policy, followed by our answers:
Q: Does this mean you are deleting all free accounts?
A: No. We are only deleting abandoned accounts still in our archives as of October 1, 2019
Q: How do I retrieve my account if it is archived?
A: If you know your user name and password, just attempting to log in will automatically retrieve your account from our archives within 24 hours.
Q: What if I don’t remember part of my log in?
A: Please email Customer Support at: webkinzsupport@ganz.com. Please note though, they can only search for an account by user name, an email (if one was provided), or one of the registered pet Adoption Codes on the account.
Q: I haven’t played Webkinz in many years, but I still know my user name and password, yet when I try to log in it says that my information isn’t correct.
A: If you haven’t logged in to your Webkinz account in more than 7 years, we are currently required by online child privacy laws to delete it.
Q: What can I do if my old account has been deleted?
A: If you still wish to play Webkinz, the only thing you can do is start a new account. Starting a new Webkinz account is FREE, comes with a pet of your choice, and also includes a 3 day free Deluxe Membership trial.
Q: I’m already playing Webkinz. If I don’t log in, will you delete my account?
A: STARTING OCTOBER 1ST, 2019: If you have a FREE account where you NEVER adopted another pet, or NEVER bought eStore Points, or NEVER bought a Deluxe Membership—and then stop logging in—we will delete that account after 6 months from your last log in. If you have done ANY 1 of those paid actions—even if your account is currently downgraded to the “Free Player” tier, we will only delete that account after 2 years from the last log in.
Q: Why are you deleting paid accounts after 2 years of inactivity now instead of 7?
A: We have already proactively retrieved many of the biggest accounts from our archives, in an attempt to preserve them for players who may return within the original 7 year legal deadline. However, there are still millions of smaller accounts that add up to massive amounts of data which is no longer feasible to store. Removing these accounts also means that millions of user names will be freed up for new players.
Q: To keep my account active, do I have to log into my account through the web or the mobile app?
A: Logging in to Webkinz on web, desktop, or mobile will all keep your account active.
PART II: Selling or Trading of Virtual Items
“The User Agreement now also explicitly forbids the sale or trade of any and all virtual items, with the exception of the trading of items for items through the in-game system. Virtual items may not be sold for cash, traded for eStore points, or traded for any equivalent service or consideration. Accounts violating these terms may be permanently banned.”
Here are some of the questions you asked about this updated virtual item policy, followed by our answers:
Q: Can we still trade items in the Clubhouse Trading Room?
A: Yes. Using our in-game trading system is still allowed.
Q: Can we still send items through KinzPost?
A: Yes. See more about this below.
Q: Can we still sell items for KinzCash back to the WShop?
A: Yes. Selling items in the WShop is still allowed.
Q: Can we still arrange for trading items on the Webkinz Newz trading forums?
A: Yes.
Q: What if a trade of virtual items was arranged between two players outside of Webkinz World, like on Facebook?
A: As long as it is a straight trade of virtual items through the Clubhouse Trading Room —not involving eStore Points, real money, or equivalent services—where the trade was arranged doesn’t matter. Remember KinzPost is for gifting ONLY, not for trading.
Q: Can we still gift items to friends and family through KinzPost?
A: Yes. Anything sent as a true gift is fine. But if that “gift” was sent in exchange for real money, eStore Points, or equivalent services–THAT is not allowed.
Q: Does this mean we can’t buy or sell any virtual Webkinz items on sites like eBay?
A: Correct.
Q: Can we trade codes for virtual items or virtual pets for real money, eStore Points, or equivalent services?
A: Codes are yours and can be sold/traded as you see fit. Just remember that you can’t trade the codes for virtual items in an any way, as virtual items can only be traded through our in-game trading system. Also, if you trade codes for any service that breaks our Terms of Service, your account will be considered to have broken our Terms of Service as well.
Q: I paid real money for some of the virtual items and pets on my account. Doesn’t that mean I own them and can do anything I want with them?
A: No. Please refer to our User Agreement which states that all game content “is owned, controlled or licensed by or to Ganz”.
Q: What about buying pet Adoption Code tags from places like eBay or other sites?
A: While buying the physical Webkinz pet Adoption Code tags that are not attached to a plush toy from a secondary seller on sites like eBay is not forbidden in our User Agreement, it is not recommended. An unsealed Webkinz pet Adoption Code may already be used, or could potentially compromise your account’s security.
Did I miss any questions you still have about this update? And what would you like me to report on next? Let me know in the comments below.
Ganz, if you want us to trade items exclusively in the in-game trading system (trading room), then fix the trade room glitches!!!! People get burned all the time when someone fast removes the agreed item, and replaces it with something like food. Trading multiples of the same item can trigger issues, too. You also need to moderate it better – I’ve avoided it for years because people in there can be really mean… and I’m an adult! If I’m intimidated, I hate to think of how kids feel about the bullying.
I have been trying to contact support regarding an old account. How long does it take to receive a response?
I had an account from when I was little, and I know I’ve been on in the past three to four years. Is it still there, or is it gone now? I would check, but I can’t remember my password and the link to change it doesn’t work.
Please contact webkinzsupport@ganz.com