Why do I get a 'Premium Content' error message when I try to download from The Exchange, even if the item is free?
If you see an error message in the Launcher stating that you do not have the associated Premium Content to install an item from the Exchange, you will need to obtain certain Premium Content items linked to the object you are trying to download.
Sometimes, when you download an item from The Exchange directly from the Search Results without looking at the item's Details Page, you might download an item that is based on Premium Content without your knowledge. Though an item is listed in the Exchange and available for free, if the item is based on Premium Content (i.e. an item purchased from The Sims 3 Store), you will need to buy the item from The Sims 3 Store in order to use the free object at all.
Items on the Exchange are based on styles created in Create-A-Style. When you download an 'object' from the Exchange, you are actually downloading a style attached to a pre-existing object. Thus, if the object your are trying to download came from The Sims 3 Store, you will need the Premium Content item in order for the Exchange object (or style) to work.
To see if the item you are downloading from the Exchange includes Premium Content, click on the item's title on the Exchange Search Results page.
Note: If you click on 'Add to Game' from the Exchange Search Results, the site will not alert you if you're downloading a Premium Content item. You should check the item's Details Page for more information.
You should now see the item's Detail's Page. Next to the item's picture, you should see a note indicating if the item contains Premium Content. Click on the 'Premium Items' link to view the Premium Content you need. If you want to get the item from the Sims 3 Store, you will have to make sure you have enough SimPoints.
If you click on the 'Add to Game' button from the item's Details Page, and you have not installed the Premium Item, you will see the following error message, asking if you want to proceed:
If you click on 'Add to Game,' you will download the item without the Premium Content. The error message will list any Premium Items used in the Exchange item. To obtain all Premium Content items, click on their title on the error message window.
After you download the Premium Content from The Sims 3 Store, if you still want your item from the Exchange, you should proceed to install the Premium Content item to get your Exchange object to work.
