Tonnel Network is one of the oldest venues for trading upgraded Telegram Gifts. If Portals is the “shop”, Tonnel is the “trading terminal”: low fees, advanced analytics, emphasis on fast trades through a Telegram bot. This guide is a detailed look at the platform and the scenarios where it beats competitors.
TL;DR
-
Tonnel Network — gift marketplace with two interfaces: Telegram bot
@tonnel_network_botand a mini-app. - Fee: ~3-4% on seller — historically lower than Portals and MRKT.
- Strength: low fee, developed floor analytics, inline bot commands for quick trades.
- Weakness: simpler UI, liquidity on long-tail collections is thinner.
- Escrow: trustless on-chain via TON smart contracts.
- When to choose: large trades, arbitrage, floor analytics, high-volume trading.
Below — detail.
What Tonnel is and where it sits on the market
Tonnel Network was one of the first to build infrastructure around upgraded Telegram gifts. Launched in 2024, practically in parallel with the upgrade feature itself. At the time, the secondary market was mostly unstructured DM trades with high counterparty risk; Tonnel brought trustless escrow via TON smart contracts.
By 2026, Tonnel holds a steady second-to-third place in aggregated trading volume among gift marketplaces. Exact figures are not published, but tracker channel signals and community estimates suggest Tonnel captures roughly 15-25% of daily secondary gift volume (Portals around 40-60%, the remainder split among MRKT, Getgems, and niche venues). This is an estimate, not official data.
Tonnel’s signature trait is its appeal to volume traders. Those doing 10+ trades a day usually keep Tonnel open alongside Portals: lower fee = more net proceeds per trade.
Architecture: bot plus mini-app
Telegram bot @tonnel_network_bot
The historical interface. Works via inline commands and standard Telegram menus:
-
/start— main menu with sections “Buy”, “Sell”, “My Deals”, “Analytics”. - Inline mode for quick search: type
@tonnel_network_bot plush pepein any chat — get a list of current listings with prices. - Floor movement subscriptions.
- Direct TON Connect for transaction signing.
Mini-app
Modern tile catalogue. Opens from the bot or via direct link. Functionally mirrors the bot, plus:
- Visual floor charts per collection.
- Attribute previews directly on cards.
- Convenient filtering and sorting.
Many active users combine: mini-app for browsing new drops and analytics, bot for fast buy/sell via inline commands.
Escrow: how a trustless trade works
Tonnel uses a classic two-sided smart-contract escrow model. Steps:
Listing
- Seller opens their gift in inventory, hits “Sell via Tonnel”.
- Bot composes a TON Connect transaction: transfer of the NFT from seller’s address to the Tonnel contract address.
- Seller signs. Once confirmed on TON, the gift physically belongs to the contract.
- Contract stores in state: “this NFT is available for X TON; proceeds go to address Y”.
The gift is now visible in the catalogue with status “available”.
Purchase
- Buyer finds the lot via catalogue or search.
- Hits “Buy”. Bot composes a TON Connect transaction: send X TON to the contract address with payload referencing this specific listing.
- Buyer signs.
- Contract receives TON, retains ~3-4% fee, sends remainder to seller, transfers NFT to buyer.
All in a single atomic on-chain transaction. There is no state where the buyer sent TON but did not get the NFT (or vice versa).
Cancel
- Seller invokes “Cancel listing” in the bot.
- Transaction instructs the contract to return NFT to seller’s address.
- Seller pays gas (~0.05 TON).
iTrustless does not mean risk-free
On-chain escrow protects against counterparty fraud, but not against user error. Sign a transfer to a phishing contract masquerading as Tonnel and you lose the gift with no recourse — the legitimate Tonnel contract was never involved. Defence: always verify the contract address through ton.app and only sign transactions initiated from the official bot.
Fees: the breakdown
Tonnel’s baseline fee model at time of writing:
| Party | What is paid | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| Seller | ~3-4% of price | Tonnel contract (marketplace) |
| Seller | ~0.05 TON | TON network (listing gas) |
| Seller | ~0.05 TON | TON network (cancel gas, optional) |
| Buyer | Lot price | Seller (net of fee) |
| Buyer | ~0.05 TON | TON network (buy gas) |
Example on 100 TON. Seller lists at 100 TON. Buyer pays 100 TON + ~0.05 TON gas. Contract retains 3.5 TON (assume 3.5% fee), sends 96.5 TON to seller. Net of listing gas, seller takes home ~96.45 TON — about 1.5 TON better than Portals (~94.9 TON).
On trades from 500 TON upward, Tonnel’s advantage compounds to tens of TON. This is precisely why large volume routes here.
Which gifts are supported
Tonnel supports all upgraded Telegram gifts that exist as NFTs on TON. This includes:
- Top collections: Plush Pepe, Heart Locket, Crystal Ball, Loot Bag, Lucky Charm.
- Exclusive drops: early limited issues with 5-15K supply.
- Mass releases: new collections with millions of supply.
- Seasonal/holiday drops: New Year, themed Telegram releases.
Not supported:
- Non-upgraded base gifts.
- Third-party NFT collections (TON Diamonds, TON DNS, anonymous numbers) — Getgems handles those.
- Jettons and regular TON tokens.
When Telegram drops a new collection, Tonnel’s indexer picks it up automatically — usually within hours of the first on-chain listing.
Liquidity: where Tonnel is strong and weak
Strong collections
On top collections (Plush Pepe, Heart Locket), Tonnel maintains a dense order book — spread between best bid and ask typically 2-4%. On large mass-issue collections (Loot Bag, Lucky Charm), similar story.
Weak collections
On long-tail collections (niche drops, micro-supply exclusives), Tonnel’s liquidity is notably thinner than Portals. On some lots you may be the only seller — meaning your price “freezes” for days. For such lots it makes sense to dual-list on Portals, or even withdraw to Getgems for an auction format.
Grails
Granular attribute filtering on Tonnel is weaker than MRKT, but basic filtering works (model, top-level backdrop). Grail hunters typically use MRKT to find, Tonnel for price check and final execution when fee is critical.
Tonnel vs Portals
| Parameter | Tonnel | Portals |
|---|---|---|
| Seller fee | ~3-4% | ~5% |
| Top-collection depth | High | Highest |
| Long-tail depth | Medium | Medium |
| Floor analytics | Developed | Basic |
| Granular filters | Basic | Basic |
| Interface | Bot + mini-app | Mini-app |
| Trade speed | 5-15s | 5-15s |
| Beginner UX | Medium | Best |
| Telegram inline commands | Yes | No |
| Referral programme | — | — |
Core distinction: Portals optimizes for speed and simplicity, Tonnel for low fees and analytics. On a single trade, choice depends on size: under 50 TON — Portals usually (UX advantage outweighs), from 100 TON — Tonnel usually (fee outweighs).
When to use Tonnel — matrix
| Scenario | Use Tonnel? |
|---|---|
| Sell large lot (100+ TON) | Yes — fee advantage is meaningful |
| Buy top collection quickly | Marginal: Portals faster, Tonnel cheaper |
| Cross-marketplace arbitrage | Yes — core use case |
| Floor dynamics analytics | Yes — deeper than Portals |
| Grail hunting | Better to find on MRKT, price-check on Tonnel |
| First gift trade | Lean Portals — simpler UX |
| Long-term hold | Listing not required; buy wherever cheaper |
| Volume trading | Yes — strongest use case |
Tax in Russia
Same rules as other marketplaces apply: selling upgraded gifts formally generates “other property” income, subject to personal income tax 13% (15% above 5M RUB/year). On large regular volumes FNS may reclassify trading as entrepreneurial activity, which changes the regime.
Worth documenting:
- entry price of position;
- exit price;
- TON network gas and marketplace fees (count as costs).
More in the general gift market overview at /en/blog/telegram-gifts-2026-how-the-market-works/.
Security
Main threats
-
Phishing clone bots:
@Tonnel_Network_Bot(capital L),@tonnel_network_pro_bot, etc. They copy the interface but the destination contract belongs to attackers. - Fake mini-app links in channels. UI identical — only the smart contract address in transaction payload differs.
- Social engineering: a “Tonnel manager” in DM asks you to connect your wallet to an “updated” version of the bot.
Defence
- Open Tonnel only via ton.app or a direct link from the official channel.
- Verify the bot has Telegram’s verified checkmark and is exactly
@tonnel_network_bot(these exact characters and underscores). - Before signing each TON Connect transaction — read the payload. Tonnel’s contract address is known and published in their documentation.
- Two-factor auth in Telegram is mandatory.
- Never sign “approve all” in TON Connect, on any marketplace.
Further reading
- Portals: Telegram Upgraded Gifts Marketplace Review 2026 — the main volume competitor.
- MRKT.online: marketplace review — grail-hunting venue.
- Telegram Gift Marketplaces 2026: Portals vs Tonnel vs MRKT — short three-way comparison.
- Getgems vs Tonnel vs Portals: comparison 2026 — extended comparison adding Getgems.
Tonnel is the “trader’s” choice, not the collector’s. If your goal is 50 trades a day where every fee percentage point turns into real TON, this is your venue. If you trade occasionally — Portals’ comfort may outweigh the fee gap.
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