Digital products split into two kinds and no third, and each risks something entirely different for you. Confusing them causes most of the losses new resellers take.
Kind one: a direct top-up by ID
You enter the player's ID and the currency lands in their account directly. This is what happens with PUBG, Free Fire, Mobile Legends and the voice apps.
- For the customer: no codes to keep and no steps — they give you their number and receive immediately.
- For you: no code inventory, and no risk of a used or stolen code.
- Its only risk: the wrong ID. The top-up reached another real player and is never recoverable.
So the only barrier between you and a loss here is one step: show the player name and get it confirmed in writing before any deduction. Do not skip it even for a friend.
Kind two: a code card
You receive a code and hand it to the customer to redeem themselves. This is what happens with Google Play, Apple, PlayStation, Steam and Razer Gold.
- For the customer: it works as a gift, can be used later, and needs no ID.
- For you: no wrong destination — the code goes to whoever received it.
- Its first risk: the region. A code from the wrong region is rejected, and with PlayStation specifically the loss is permanent, because an account's country never changes.
- Its second risk: the source. A stolen code is disabled within days, and your customer comes to you, not the supplier.
The quick decision table
- Customer wants a top-up for themselves now and knows their ID? → ID. Faster, fewer steps.
- Customer wants a gift for someone else? → Card. An ID cannot be a gift.
- Customer does not know their ID and does not want to go looking? → Card, if one exists for the product.
- The game or app is not in your catalogue? → A general wallet such as Razer Gold, instead of turning them away.
How to answer "which is better?"
Do not offer a general opinion — ask one question: "for you or for someone else?" The answer settles everything. "For me" means an ID; "a gift" means a card. That question prevents most of the misunderstandings in this trade.
On profit the difference is clear: cards carry a thinner margin because their face value is known and compared instantly, while ID top-ups support a wider margin because the customer is buying service, speed and verification rather than a published number. A balanced store sells both: cards bring the customer in, ID top-ups make the profit.
The margin arithmetic for each kind is in how to price your digital products.