Several discussions on Reddit indicate that
Ely.gg has been accused of price manipulation. For instance, users suggest that the site is run by a merch clan where members can manipulate prices by selectively reporting trades or even reporting fake trades to influence market perception. This practice could potentially violate RuneScape's Terms of Service (ToS) which prohibit market manipulation.
RuneScape's Code of Conduct mentions rules against "Macroing and third-party software/hardware" and "Real-world trading," but more specifically, it includes prohibitions against "Buying/Selling accounts and services" and "Scamming," which could be extended to include manipulations that create unfair trading advantages.
Ely.gg collects data from users, including trade information, which might be seen as a grey area if this data is used for purposes that could affect in-game economics or if it leads to real-world trading, another violation of the ToS. However, the mere act of collecting data for price checking isn't explicitly banned unless it's used for manipulation or real-world trading.
Ely.gg isn't software in the traditional sense but a website providing price information. However, if their tools or Discord bots provide in-game advantages or if they encourage or facilitate activities against the ToS (like real-world trading), this could be seen as a violation. The RuneScape ToS explicitly bans the use of third-party software that interacts with the game in unauthorized ways.
There's a noted skepticism about
Ely.gg within the community, with many users on Reddit suggesting caution or outright avoiding the site due to its practices. Jagex has not publicly stated that
Ely.gg specifically violates their ToS, but they have taken actions against similar behaviors (like banning accounts involved in real-world trading or market manipulation).
If players base their in-game trading decisions on potentially manipulated or inaccurate data from
Ely.gg, this indirectly affects gameplay in a way that might not align with a fair gaming environment, which is part of what the ToS aims to protect.
Given these points:
There's no clear-cut evidence from Jagex stating
Ely.gg violates their ToS directly, but the activities associated with it (like price manipulation) would certainly go against the spirit and letter of RuneScape's rules.
The practices of price manipulation, if proven or acknowledged by Jagex, would indeed violate the ToS. Users should be cautious about how they use information from Ely in-game and ensure their actions align with
#RuneScape's rules.
Ely itself isn't explicitly banned by RuneScape's ToS, the activities associated with it, like price manipulation or encouraging real-world trading, could be seen as violations. Players should proceed with caution and understand the implications of using third-party services for in-game activities.