eBay Actively Delisting Virtual Goods
'Second Life' Goods Not Affected
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6154372.html
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Auction site eBay has banned the sale of nearly all virtual goods by proactively delisting auctions containing those items. The new rules cover all characters, currency, weapons, attire (armor), and even accounts for online games including World of Warcraft and Everquest II.
Most of these titles already ban the sale of such goods via their Terms of Service (TOS) Agreements, or require that the goods be auctioned over their own system, such as certain Everquest II realms. Players who break the agreements are subject to temporary or permanent bans at the publisher's discretion, but many players get away with the real-money trades with little consequence.
eBay's move is in an effort to help protect users, "Any policy decision we make...has to do with...basically a good buyer experience and good seller experience on the site," said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy. "We want people to continue to come back, and we want people to have good user experiences on the site."
The biggest fish in the sea has almost completely left the virtual goods market, eBay will still allow the listing of Second Life items. The reason is simple if not a bit unexpected, Durzy says that "We think there is an open question about whether Second Life should be regarded as a game." At any rate, other third party sites, such as IGE are probably celebrating eBay's move, for it will only bolster the amount of people using their services.
Most of these titles already ban the sale of such goods via their Terms of Service (TOS) Agreements, or require that the goods be auctioned over their own system, such as certain Everquest II realms. Players who break the agreements are subject to temporary or permanent bans at the publisher's discretion, but many players get away with the real-money trades with little consequence.
eBay's move is in an effort to help protect users, "Any policy decision we make...has to do with...basically a good buyer experience and good seller experience on the site," said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy. "We want people to continue to come back, and we want people to have good user experiences on the site."
The biggest fish in the sea has almost completely left the virtual goods market, eBay will still allow the listing of Second Life items. The reason is simple if not a bit unexpected, Durzy says that "We think there is an open question about whether Second Life should be regarded as a game." At any rate, other third party sites, such as IGE are probably celebrating eBay's move, for it will only bolster the amount of people using their services.