What we restrict on Buy Me a Coffee

Buy Me a Coffee is built to support creators - writers, musicians, artists, educators, developers, and many more - who are doing meaningful, creative work. Our mission is to make that easier, more sustainable, and more rewarding.

To protect this space and everyone in it, we have clear rules on what can and can’t be shared or sold on the platform. These rules exist to keep Buy Me a Coffee safe, legal, and welcoming for the community we care deeply about.

These rules are part of our Terms of Use. They apply to your page, your posts, your products, your messages and your comments.

Most creators never have to think about these restrictions. But we’re laying everything out clearly - no fine print, no gray areas - so expectations are always clear.

What’s not allowed on Buy Me a Coffee

Here are the types of content, activities, and products we do not allow. If you see something missing or unclear, email our team at [email protected] . we’d rather clarify than take action later.

Illegal or prohibited activities

We do not allow anything that breaks the law, violates international regulations, or supports harmful behavior. This includes:

IPTV subscriptions or unauthorized streaming services or any other service giving access to content you do not hold the rights to
Distribution or sale of illegal drugs and substances, including controlled substances
Weapons, firearms, explosives, or other dangerous goods
Human trafficking, ransom, or bribery
Tax evasion or schemes to avoid legal obligations
Providing fake references, forged documents, or fake ID services
Unauthorized replicas, counterfeit goods, or software keys (e.g. Windows, Steam)
Hacked data
Items that are illegal under US federal law or under the laws where you or your supporters are located, such as non-compliant CBD products
Hacked or pirated software, including mods or cheats
Selling event tickets or processing payments for events you don’t directly organize

Adult and sexually explicit content

We do not allow adult content, services, or anything sexually explicit. This includes:

Pornographic content or explicit sexual material including depictions of sexual acts and nude genitalia
Nudity or fetish content presented in a sexual context (e.g. lingerie, bikini shoots, adult cosplay)
Content that glorifies or promotes bestiality
AI-generated content that meets the criteria for adult or explicit material
Live chat platforms with adult themes
Adult video stores
Online dating services
Fetishes or non-pornographic adult content that leads to confusion or disputes over policy
Any content involving minors or non-consensual acts - this is a zero-tolerance violation. This includes any content that sexualizes a minor or depicts the nudity of someone who appears to be a minor. Such content will result in immediate and permanent removal, the account will be terminated, and will be reported to the appropriate legal authorities. There are no exceptions and no appeal.

Note: Artistic nudity is allowed if it is clearly presented as art, such as life drawing, painting, sculpture, and not sexual in nature.

Violence, harm, and dangerous content

We do not allow anything that promotes or glorifies harm - whether physical, emotional, or psychological. This includes:

Violence or harm toward people, property, or animals
Harassment or bullying of a person or a business, or encouraging others to do so, including direct and indirect threats of physical harm against individuals or groups
Content that encourages activities likely to cause serious injury to the person doing it, to people nearby, or to animals
Self-harm or suicide content, including encouragement or romanticization and content that instructs on suicide, self-harm or disordered eating
War glorification - content that praises, romanticizes, or celebrates acts of war or armed conflict, in any format (text, video, images)
Extremist ideologies or the promotion of violence including content produced for or on behalf of terrorist groups
Excessive gore or disturbing media
Content that exposes private information or doxxes someone without consent including payment card details, financial account numbers, medical records, government-issued ID, and home addresses or locations. Publishing a person's private details to expose or intimidate them is never allowed.
Discussing your own experience with self-harm or suicide, or offering recovery and support resources, is allowed.

Hate speech and discrimination

We do not tolerate hate in any form. We take this extremely seriously. This includes:

Content that promotes hate or violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics including national origin, disability, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, and caste
Slurs, dehumanizing language, or coded dog-whistles
Accounts created to attack or harass individuals or communities

Financial and regulated services

We do not support services that require regulation, involve deceptive practices, or fall outside the scope of our platform. This includes:

Pyramid schemes or get-rich-quick programs
Investment opportunities or passive income claims
Cryptocurrency tokens, NFTs, or crypto-related fundraising
Debt relief, credit repair or financial consulting without professional credentials
Tax, legal, or financial services offered without licensing
Gift cards or resale of digital cash equivalents

Misinformation and harmful claims

We do not allow content that spreads misinformation, especially when it could harm public trust, safety, or well-being. This includes:

Health misinformation, including anti-vaccine narratives or fake cures
Political or election misinformation including manipulated or deceptive content about civic processes or newsworthy events
Historical denialism or distorted accounts of past events
Conspiracy theories, hoaxes, or manipulated content meant to deceive
Discussing contested topics, reporting on them, or analysing them is allowed. Presenting fabricated claims as fact is not.

Misrepresentation and impersonation

We do not allow content or accounts that mislead others by impersonating individuals, organizations, or brands. This includes:

Pretending to be another person, including creators, public figures, or team members of Buy Me a Coffee
Using AI-generated media (voice, image, video, etc.) to impersonate someone without their clear consent
Impersonating or misrepresenting a company, institution, or brand in a way that causes confusion or harm

If you're creating parody or fan content, it must be clearly labeled as such and must not deceive or mislead users.

Scams, deception, and platform abuse

We do not allow:

Posting anything you know to be false or misleading
Fake giveaways, or promises you do not intend to keep
Setting up a page to collect money under a false identity or false cause
Unsolicited promotions, mailing lists or auto-responders run through the platform, or repetitive content posted to game visibility
Scraping or crawling the platform, interfering with how it runs, or opening new accounts to get around a restriction

Fundraising, events, and gambling

We do not allow:

Political fundraising or campaign donations
Unauthorized raffles, lotteries, sweepstakes, or gambling
Gambling content, tips, or systems
Event ticket sales or payment processing unless you are the verified host
Event planning services, and work that requires physical labour or in-person attendance, such as repairs or installations

Regulated or restricted products

Some physical and digital items are not allowed on Buy Me a Coffee, even if legal in your country. These include:

Food or drink products
Medical products or health supplements
Skincare, beauty, or cosmetic products (unless clearly handmade and properly labeled)
Any product - digital or physical, you didn’t create or don’t have rights to sell such as resold ebooks, courses, software, templates, fonts, presets or video clips, and mass-produced physical items like electronics, toys or jewellery that you did not make
Any product that encourages, depicts or results from cruelty to animals

Intellectual property

Only post and sell work you created or have the rights to. Do not post content that infringes someone else's copyright, trademark or other rights. If you believe your work has been used without permission, email [email protected] with proof. We remove infringing content and terminate repeat infringers.

What happens if these rules are violated

We strictly enforce these policies to protect the community. Violations may result in:

Immediate removal of content
Hiding content or making a page private
A warning and a request to fix the problem
Restricted features, such as the Shop or direct messages
Held or delayed payouts while we investigate
Account suspension or permanent ban
Refunds issued to supporters

Reporting to law enforcement where necessary or where someone is at risk

What we do depends on how serious the problem is, whether it looks deliberate, and whether it has happened before. Repeated or serious violations lead to permanent closure. Some categories, such as child safety, are permanent on the first instance. We may also take into account serious conduct outside Buy Me a Coffee, such as fraud or harassment directed at our community. We use automated tools alongside human reviewers to find content that may break these guidelines.

Appeals

If you think we have made a mistake, email [email protected]. Someone who was not involved in the original decision will look at it again, and we will reply within 3 days. Child safety removals are not open to appeal.

Reporting and blocking

If you see something that breaks these guidelines, report it to [email protected]. Tell us what you saw and where, and we will look into it. You can also block a creator or supporter at any time, and we will stop showing you their page and their content. We do not share the identity of the person who reported something with the person reported.

Final note

Buy Me a Coffee reserves the right to determine what violates these guidelines. Our moderation decisions are final and made to protect the platform, its creators, and their supporters. You can appeal a decision as described above, except for child safety removals.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive. We continuously monitor platform activity and will update this article as needed to include new types of content or behavior we find harmful or inappropriate.

These rules are not here to restrict creativity - they exist to safeguard the amazing, values-driven community we’re building.

Finally, we make no apologies for removing individuals who abuse the platform or put others at risk. If that’s not you, you’re in the right place - we built Buy Me a Coffee for creators like you!

Let’s build something amazing, together.

Related pages: Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy.

What do we restrict on Buy Me a Coffee?