Diablo Wiki - User contributions [en]

Auction House

2012-08-24T03:24:24Z

Markco: /* Resources */

An ''Auction House'' is an in-game mechanism to allow for easier trading of items for items or money. Diablo II did not include this sort of feature, but many MMORPGs do, notably [[World of Warcraft]]. Diablo III will feature an Auction House (AH), which comes in two main varieties: the [[gold]]-based Auction House will allow players to sell items, crafting materials, and even their characters for gold. The [[RMT]] (Real Money Transaction) Auction House will allow the sales of the items listed prior, but the caveat is that they are for real-world currency. Namely, Euros, Dollars, Rubles, etc. Real-world money transactions within this wiki entry will be referred to as RMT, or “currency” transactions.

The benefit of an auction house is that players can put items up for sale in an automated system. They need not be present to sell their item or spam ads about their item in the chat channels. It's also easier to find items you want to trade for, since other players don't have to be online for you to see "[[WUG]]".

The Auction House is restricted between SC (Softcore) characters, and HC ([[Hardcore]]) characters.
The AH was revealed during the late-July 2011 Press Event, and the first images and information about it were released on the first of August of the same year.
* Official [[Auction House FAQ]]

==The Auction House(s)==

As stated, the Auction House system is divided into RMT transactions (of which [[Blizzard]] will assign a fee for every listing, whether the item or character is sold or not), and gold transactions (which will also be assigned a fee, albeit one that doesn't cost the player real-world money, just gold).

===Interface===

[[File:Ah-rmt-gold-sale-item.jpg|thumb|450px|The same item showing gold and RMT sales.]]
The Auction House is available for use during any point in time, including in the [[Battle.net]] menu, the game's main menu, the lobby, and also in-game.

The items for sale are listed by category, and each category has their own set of variables that the player may choose to search for. For instance, if a player is seeking a weapon with [[lifesteal]], they will be able to specifically search for that [[mod]].

In addition to this, Blizzard has also implemented a system where the player may select a character of their own choosing, and the auction house will perform a "smart search" based on the items they have equipped, and what could conceivably be an upgrade for them. The efficacy of this system is as yet unproven, as an "upgrade" for a specific build can be quite hard to define.

Your auction house history is also tracked through the battle.net client, showing the player what they bid, what they won, what they lost, etc.

===Bids and Buyouts===

Much like an auction house found in any other game (or on online sites such as ebay), a player may choose to bid on an item, or to pay the full buyout.
The seller can place a minimum bid on the item, which is the minimum they are willing to accept for it (whether it is gold or an RMT transaction). They can also place a buyout on an item, where the purchaser may choose to simply pay an up-front cost in order to secure the item without needing to watch the auction, hoping they aren't outbid.

===Hardcore versus Softcore===

Trade in the Auction House is separated between game modes. Hardcore characters cannot use the softcore auction house, and vice versa. In addition to this, hardcore characters may only use the gold-based auction house. Any and all items, including characters for sale, may only be purchased with gold.

===Auction Storage===

Items that will be put up for auction, or items purchased at auction, are sent to and from the shared [[stash]]. The shared stash itself can be increased in size by purchasing larger tabs (with gold this time, not currency).

Seeing as how the Auction House can be accessed at any point in time, inside the game or in the battle.net client, a player can choose to send an item directly from their inventory to the auction house. The item will be removed from their inventory, and if it sells, then it is removed from the system entirely. If an item does not sell, it will be returned to the player via their stash.

===Preventing Item Flood===

[[File:Ah_search.jpg|thumb|250px|The search window for the AH.]]

Item flood was a long-time worry for specualtive Diablo fans when faced with the prospect of an Auction House. Item flood consists of a player putting up junk items that had little-to-no value in the auction house in bulk, effectively flooding the market with things that nobody would conceivably want, making searching a difficult and frustrating prospect.
Blizzard has decided to initiate a fee for each item listed, whether it is gold or currency, and this fee is taken out regardless of whether or not the item sells. A similar system is used in the gold-based auction house for World of Warcraft and it is fairly effective; in that game, the listing fee is a proportional percentage of the vendor worth of the item in question, believed to be roughly 25%. For low-level items, this isn’t as much of an issue as the fee is fairly small (and nobody bothers to put them in the auction house because they simply won’t sell), however the fees for expensive weapons and armor can often add up.
This also helps to prevent players from grossly overpricing their goods in the auction house. While it will be the players who define the worth of an item, there’s always that one oddball in the bunch who thinks a quiver of arrows should sell for at least five million gold.

In addition to this, there may be a gold surcharge for selling an item in the Diablo III auction house, but this has yet to be seen. It has been an initiative in WoW since the AH’s debut, and this acts as a gold sink. Up to 10% of a seller’s winnings in the AH would go to the gold sink, as a fee for using the auction house.

===Face-to-Face Trading===

It was widely speculated (and even assumed by some) that the trade system within Diablo III, which was a mystery until mid-2011, would feature face-to-face trading as in Diablo II, or a bartering system of one sort or another. While this eventually was seen to be false, it isn’t unlikely that players will find themselves trading items directly with other players. Perhaps it could be two players who happen to find good drops for each other in a game, friends or [[guild]]mates playing together, or someone within a chat channel advertising their goods.

It is extremely likely that [[gem]]s will find a home within a bartering or face-to-face system that will be built up by the players, along with other common (yet randomized) items like [[Rune]]s. It is assumed that the game will support this with at least a simple trade window and chat channels dedicated to trade.

==Method Behind the Madness: Why RMT?==

* See [[RMT|the RMT article]] for more on this topic.

Blizzard has always staunchly opposed real-money transactions for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons which hits close to home for the company who created battle.net, which is plagued by all manner of hackers, dupers, botters, and spammers, is that they are unable to control the legitimacy of the items being sold on third-party websites, they cannot control the security behind the transaction, and they are, to put it bluntly, not profiting from people who are buying and selling “their” virtual items.

This entire subject is rather a moral and ethical, not to mention ‘’legal’’, quagmire. Yet, Blizzard has always opposed these transactions for the reasons listed above, and others. Their reasoning for finally allowing it, in their own game no less, is twofold: they are able to control the transaction, and they are also able to profit from it. A player will no longer feel the need to go to unreputable websites which may contain malicious software that steals their personal or account information. All of these transactions now take place within the game’s client.

This isn’t to say there aren’t many questionable activities that may occur in an RMT auction house, however. With the success of [[World of Warcraft]], Blizzard has become a rather large market for gold farmers, scammers, and spammers. With the ability to directly make money from what they are already (illegally) doing, it is extremely likely that if Diablo III is successful, it will attract these less-than-savory elements.

===RMT Transactions and Keeping a Secure Account===

With battle.net, the newest version of it, all of the metaphorical eggs are in a single basket: a player’s account, their personal information, their game keys, their digital rights, their payment information is stored within a single account. It has become rather commonplace for accounts to be “hacked” or stolen or, as Blizzard likes to say, “compromised”. With the advent of an RMT auction house, the implications of a “compromised” account are incredibly dire. It remains to be seen how secure this RMT auction house system is.

It is always wise for a player to follow proper security guidelines to make sure they do not have their account stolen. Blizzard offers [[authenticator]]s for sale which enhance security a great deal, and it is also well advised that a player doesn’t wander to unreputable websites or other areas of the internet which may hold some malicious intent, including clicking links or banner ads for hacking or cheating advertisements.

More information on keeping a battle.net account secure can be found on [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=30791&pageNumber=1&searchQuery=security Blizzard’s official customer support website].

====Paypal and Battle.net Balance Fees/Purchasing====

There are two types of methods for retrieving funds won in the Diablo III Real Money Auction House (RMAH).
The first is Paypal. Paypal is an external third-party service employed by Blizzard to distribute auction proceeds to translate into real-life funds, or, in other words, when a player wins an auction and sends it to their paypal accounts, they can either have it sent to a valid credit card, checking account, or otherwise use it to purchase items from anywhere paypal is accepted (which is almost anywhere on the internet for "Western" citizens).

Battle.net balance can only be used in the RMAH, and on Blizzard's store, linked from their homepage. The upside to the battle.net balance is that the player will not have to give paypal any "cut" or fees for the service. Battle.net balance usage in the RMAH requires the player to have an [[authenticator]] attached to their account.

For battle.net balance, any purchase made must be at least equivalent to one USD, or $1. No purchases below that amount may be made, and no further fee will be incurred. Transaction fees are calculated differently for commodities (such as [[gold]] or [[crafting]] materials), which will be a flat %15 instead of a flat $1 USD fee.
Higher fees are present when the player uses paypal. There is still the $1 USD minimum, and still the $1 USD charge from Blizzard (or 15% on commodities), however paypal will also take a fee from the transaction in an amount equal to fifteen percent of its value.

The maximum amount of money that can be held in a battle.net balance at any time cannot exceed $600 USD, or its equivalent in other currencies.

Purchasing with paypal also requires the player or account owner has a cellular phone with SMS messaging capabilities[http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/legal/d3rmah_tou.html]. The account holder will be sent a code once an auction has been won requiring them to enter the code into the in-game interface in order to complete the auction.

====Winning an Auction in the RMAH====

There are some things to keep in mind when winning an auction with RMT. The first being that any email sent to the battle.net account will have no links to click, there will be no further need for the email, barring the usage of a code sent via SMS message to paypal users. There is a notification email sent out whenever an item has been purchased in the RMAH, and it follows this very precise format:

::''Title'': Diablo III Auction House: You sold an auction!
::''From'': do_not_reply_auction_house at battle.net
::''Body'': Greetings "name" ("[[battletag]]"),

::Congratulations on your successful auction in Diablo III!

::Item name "Name of Item"
::Time of transaction "Date, Time, PDT"
::Sale price "Currency Amount the Item Sold For"
::Transaction fee $1.00 (In whichever applicable currency)
::Applicable taxes $0.00 (In whichever applicable currency)
::Your proceeds "Currency Amount" (In whichever applicable currency)
::The proceeds from this auction will be automatically transferred to your Battle.net Balance. Please allow up to 72 hours for the proceeds to transfer. To view this auction, please see the ::"Completed" tab in the Diablo III Auction House user interface.

::Thank you for participating in the Diablo III Auction House!

::Regards,
::Customer Support
::Blizzard Entertainment

Any email that is not in this format, or requiring the player to click links, is fraudulent, and should be reported to hacks at Blizzard.com.

===Blizzard’s About-Face on RMT===

Blizzard has made their stance clear throughout the past ten years or so on RMT transactions, and it has never really been a secret affair. Here is a direct quote (amongst many) from the company in 2007, pertaining to World of Warcraft[http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/blizzard-wont-support-legit-rmt-service/]:

<blue>The game's Terms of Use clearly states that all World of Warcraft content is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, and Blizzard does not allow 'in-game' items to be sold for real money. Not only do we believe that doing so would be illegal, but it also has the potential to damage the game economy and overall experience for the many thousands of others who play World of Warcraft for fun ... While we can understand the temptation to purchase items for real money, we feel that players can find ample equipment and money for their characters within the game through their own adventuring and questing.</blue>

However, in the [[Auction House FAQ|official FAQ]] for the Auction House, Blizzard stated:

<blue>We’ve always tailored our business models to match what we’ve felt would be most appropriate and effective for each game and in each region, and that’s the case with Diablo III as well. The item-based nature of Diablo gameplay has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organizations. This has led to numerous customer-service and game-experience issues that we’ve needed to account for. Our primary goal with the Diablo III auction house system is for it to serve as the foundation for a player-driven economy that’s safe, fun, and accessible for everyone.</blue>

The foundation of the decision appears to be Blizzard giving up the legal battle against RMT agents around the globe, and may signify a paradigm shift for the rest of the North American industry. It remains to be seen what impact this will have, not only on Diablo III and Activision-Blizzard, but on PC gaming in general and the future business models of the games industry.

==Development of the Trade System==

The trade system was one of the largest mysteries behind the game up until the press event in July, 2011. A bartering system or an auction house were largely the chief speculations, but only one could come out the victor. Below is text dedicated to the time when the auction house system was unknown, including developer quotes and interviews.

===Blue Comments Prior to Announcement===

Jay Wilson commented on trading in an interview from [[BlizzCon 2009]]. [http://g4tv.com/games/pc/28197/diablo-iii/articles/68225/BlizzCon-2009-Diablo-III-Game-Director-Interview/]

<blue>We haven’t made a decision about something like an auction house, but we want a better trading system than the one in Diablo II. It could take the form of an auction house or it could take the form of a new trade system that is easier, facilitating trades through Battle.net. That could be another way that players could trade items without having to actually go into the game. We haven’t made a decision on any of that, but we are going to do something to that end. We consider it really critical to the game.</blue>

Prior to that, in January 2009, Diablo 3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] weighed in on the whole issue of Diablo 3's [[economy]] and trading mechanisms. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-auction-houses/]

<blue>Just a couple of my own cents on the system. First off we really don’t have a solid plan for any sort of external trading system, that is anything beyond being in the same game with the person. We know we’d like something like that though if at all possible.

Foremost – spamming is bad. I think trade channels usually suck because of the requirement to spam. The amount of time and effort spent just to get your items noticed borders on brain-explosiony. Throw in the lack of easily gauged economy and you’re usually left out in the dark, laughed at, ripped off, etc. Your suggestion seems to mix the idea of an auction house and trade channel, in that you can use a channel in-game to spam, and then have some sort of UI to trade the item. That definitely solves one issue, which is needing to leave the game and just sit in a chat channel. What it doesn’t solve is needing to sit in a chat channel and spam. Sure, you could probably play and spam the channel every once in a while but it’s really not the cleanest approach. You’re still spamming a chat channel, you’re still limited to the people that want to see that spam (ie not many).

Since you brought it up let’s move on to the World of Warcraft’s auction house. World of Warcraft did not invent the auction house trading system. It may have certainly refined it, but an irrational hatred of the game that some of you seem to have really shouldn’t translate to game systems that aren’t original to it. There are some major advantages to an auction house similar to WoW’s. You don’t have to be present being the biggest and best. You can be playing with friends, PvPing, asleep, at school or work, and someone has the ability to see your items, and you have a greater chance to sell/trade them. You don’t have to spam a channel, you don’t have to even be online and playing. That’s HUGE, and really the main reason so many people use trading systems such as websites and forums for Diablo II. You want to focus on playing the game or not playing the game, not sitting around hoping someone wants your item.

It also helps form a visible and easily identified economy. I’m a new player, I got a sword I think it’s probably pretty nice, I can go on an auction house and search for it or similar swords and get an idea of how much it should sell for. In this case being in a trade channel is no better whether it’s in-game or out of game. What you’d probably end up with is people still going to forums and more static styles of trading found on websites, but even then any unified sense of economy is spread thin. Maybe that’s not such a bad system in itself, and an official trading site could work. Of course what you lose either way though, auction house or website, is in-game player interaction. Which is what I assume you’re striving to keep.

When it comes down to it, any change or addition or removal of any systems have to be weighed. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning and state we don’t know what if any types of trading systems will be in the final game. Maybe there won’t be, it may be that eventually we settle on leaving it Diablo II style. We have some ideas of what would be cool, but at the end of the day we’re not going to do anything that isn’t far and away a more positive change for the game. </blue>

==Item Searching==

This is a compilation of what mods you can search for in the Auction House within the Game. This information does not include the mods that can be sometimes found on Set or Legendary Pieces. Also, Please note that some item modifications require a class specific item in order to obtain the mod. Considering that only that class should be looking for that modification I did not see the necessity of making this distinction.

*All Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Arcane Power on Crit: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Helm,
*Arcane Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Armor: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Attack Speed: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Amulet, Gloves, Ring,

*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Bash: Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Cleave:Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Frenzy: Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Hammer of the Ancients: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Overpower: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Rend: Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Revenge: Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Seismic Slam: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Weapon Throw: Belt,
*Barbarian Skill Bonus: Whirlwind: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,

*Bleed Chance: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Block %: Off-Hand,
*Bonus Min Arcane Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Cold Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Fire Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Holy Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Lightning Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Physical Dmg: Amulet, Ring,
*Bonus Min Poison Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus Min Weapon Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Bonus vs Elites: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Chance to Blind on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Chance to Chill on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Shoulders,
*Chance to Fear on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Helm,
*Chance to Freeze on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Belt,
*Chance to Immobilize on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Boots,
*Chance to Knockback on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Bracers,
*Chance to Slow on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Pants,
*Chance to Stun on hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Gloves,
*Cold Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Crit Hit Chance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Bracers, Gloves, Helm, Ring,
*Crit Hit Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Amulet, Gloves, Ring,
*Crowd Control Reduction: Off-Hand, Amulet, Helm, Ring,

*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Bola Shot: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Chakram: Chest Armor,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Elemental Arrow: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Entangling Shot: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Evasive Fire: Chest Armor,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Grenades: Chest Armor,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Hungering Arrow: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Impale: Chest Armor,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Multishot: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Rapid Fire: Off-Hand,
*Demon Hunter Skill Bonus: Spike Trap: Chest Armor,

*Dexterity: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Experience: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Extra Health from Globes: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Fire Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Gold Find: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Has Sockets: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Bracers, Chest Armor, Helm, Pants, Ring,
*Hatred Regeneration: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Chest Armor,
*Indestructible: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Shoulders,
*Intelligence: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Life %: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Chest Armor, Helm, Ring, Shoulders,
*Life Regeneration: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Life Steal: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Belt,
*Life after Kill: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Amulet, Ring,
*Life on Hit: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Amulet, Ring,
*Life per Spirit Spent: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Helm,
*Lightning Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Magic Find: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Mana Regeneration: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Helm,
*Max Arcane Power: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Helm,
*Max Discipline: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Chest Armor,
*Max Fury: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Belt,
*Max Mana: 1-Hand, Off-Hand, Helm,
*Min Bleed Dmg: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand,

*Monk Skill Bonus: Crippling Wave: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Cyclone Strike: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Deadly Reach: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Exploding Palm: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Fists of Thunder: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Lashing Tail Kick: 2-Hand,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Sweeping Wind: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Tempest Rush: 2-Hand,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Way of the Hundred Fists: Helm,
*Monk Skill Bonus: Wave of Light: 2-Hand,

*Movement Speed: Boots,
*Physical Dmg to Attacker: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Physical Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Pickup Radius: Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Shoulders,
*Poison Resistance: Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Reduced Dmg from Elites: Off-Hand, Chest Armor,
*Reduced Dmg from Melee Attacks: Off-Hand, Amulet, Bracers, Chest Armor,
*Reduced Dmg from Ranged Attacks: Off-Hand, Amulet, Bracers, Chest Armor,
*Reduced Level Requirement: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Shoulders,
*Spirit Regeneration: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Helm,
*Strength: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Vitality: 1-Hand, 2-Hand, Off-Hand, Amulet, Belt, Boots, Bracers, Chest Armor, Gloves, Helm, Pants, Ring, Shoulders,
*Weapon Dmg %: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,

*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Acid Cloud: Helm,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Fire bats: Helm,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Firebomb: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Haunt: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Plague of Toads: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Poison Darts: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Spirit Barrage: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Summon Zombie Dogs: Helm,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Wall of Zombies: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,
*Witch Doctor Skill Bonus: Zombie Charger: 2-Hand, Off-Hand,

*Wizard Skill Bonus: Arcane Orb: Off-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Arcane Torrent: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Blizzard: Off-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Disintegrate: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Electrocute: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Energy Twister: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Explosive Blast: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Hydra: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Magic Missile: 1-Hand, 2-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Meteor: Off-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Ray of Frost: Helm,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Shock Pulse: Off-Hand,
*Wizard Skill Bonus: Spectral Blade: Off-Hand,

== Resources ==

Dozens of sites have popped up to offer advice and strategies for making money via the RMAH. These range from informative to "get rich quick" scheme peddlers, and the reader is admonished to remember that the only person sure to get rich with a get rich quick scheme is the one selling it.

* [http://www.diablo3goldsecrets.com/order_now.html Diablo 3 Gold Guide] covers making gold and money playing the auction house.

* [http://diablo3markets.incgamers.com/ Diablo 3 Markets] covers the game economy, tracks exchange rates, and aims to inform readers about the online economy.

[[category:trading]]
[[category:economy]]
[[category:battle.net]]
[[category:Auction House]]

Auction House

2012-03-09T16:52:23Z

Markco: /* Resources */

Auction House

2012-01-14T14:05:14Z

Markco: /* Resources */

Auction House

2012-01-14T14:04:58Z

Markco: /* Resources */

Real Money Trading

2012-01-14T14:03:47Z

Markco:

'''Real Money Trading''' or '''RMT''', refers to the practice of spending real money for digital goods such as game [[item]]s, [[character]]s, [[gold]], or other such features or services.

Diablo III officially supports and allows RMT through the in-game [[Auction House]].

==Background==
RMT has a long and fairly sordid history, and has been illegal, or strongly discouraged by most Western game developers, especially in [[MMORPG]]s. (Where RMT is most common, since the games have virtual economies in which gold and other resources have real value.)

Prior to Diablo III, Blizzard did not permit any form of RMT in their games, and the company has engaged in long-running and generally-successful efforts to stop character leveling services and gold farmers/sellers in [[World of Warcraft]]. This isn't to say that players can't legally buy extra features and services in WoW; Blizzard began selling special mounts and other features for real money, and also enabled realm transfers and character faction transfers in 2008.

==RMT in Diablo 3==
To the shock of most observers[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/everyone-hates-d3s-drm-rmt-and-no-modding], in July 2011 Blizzard announced that the Diablo III Auction House will have a real money aspect to it. The real money is only usable for item (and eventually character) sales for softcore (non-[[hardcore]]) characters, and it operates in tandem with the in-game gold trading auction house. Players may list items on either service. Blizzard charges a flat fee for each item listed (to discourage players from flooding the market with junk items), then takes another fee from successful sales. Proceeds can be spent on Blizzard merchandise and games, or withdrawn in actual currency, after another fee is paid to Blizzard and the financial partner.

See [[Auction_house#Method_Behind_the_Madness:_Why_RMT.3F|the RMT section of the Auction House article]] for more details.

===No Hardcore RMT===

Since the first announcement of the Real Money Auction House, Blizzard has been adamant that [[Hardcore]] characters will not have access to it. Hardcore characters can use the Gold Auction House, but there is no real money element to Hardcore item trading. From the original [[Auction House FAQ]]:

<blue><b>Can Hardcore-mode characters use the currency-based auction house?</b><br>
No. Hardcore characters will only have the option to buy and sell items together with other Hardcore characters via a separate "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house; they will not be able to use the currency-based auction house. Hardcore mode is designed as an optional experience for players who enjoy the sense of constant peril that comes with the possibility of permanent death for a character. All of a Hardcore character’s items are forever lost upon that character’s death, so to avoid the risk of a player spending real money on items that could then be permanently lost when the character dies, we decided restrict the use of the currency-based auction house in Hardcore mode. </blue>

This seems to contradict one of Blizzard's main reasons/excuses for adding the RMAH -- that players were selling items for gold anyway (in Diablo 2) and having to use shady third party sites to do so. That players will use third party sites, or perhaps even ebay, to sell items in Hardcore is clear, and Blizzard has not yet addressed this contradiction.

One explanation offered by fans is that Blizzard is worried about the legal issues of permanently lost items. The question is, if Blizzard enabled currency trading in Hardcore, took their cut of the sale, and players then lost (forever) the items or characters so purchased due to a Battle.net realm failure or other technical issue, could players sue Blizzard for the loss of their investment? Sue to regain the transaction fee?

Blizzard has never commented on this issue, but as legal issues pertaining to the the ownership of virtual items remain in an evolutionary state, it's not unreasonable to think this factored into Blizzard's no-RMT in Hardcore policy.

===RMT Fees in Diablo 3===

While the fees have not yet been finalized, they are $.15 for an item listing and $.65 for an item sale, in the Diablo 3 Beta. Thus an item sold for $1 would only yield a $.20 profit, which is hardly worth the trouble. Given the costs, such an item would probably be more profitable to sell in the gold auction house, as the fees there are a percentage of the gold, rather than a flat fee.

[[Bashiok]] argued back against criticism of the RMAH fees in a forum post in late December, 2011.http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blue-on-rmah-fees

<blue>The listing and transaction fees, which are flat fees, are being kept as low as we possibly can keep them. Right now in beta it’s 0.80 ‘Beta Bucks’ total if you list and sell an item, and it’s possible it’ll be around that in USD for North America at launch. We still don’t know yet, though, but we’re trying to keep it as low as possible. And of course keep in mind that we still intend to offer a number of free listings per week. If someone wants to just use their free listings every week, they’re more than welcome to. We anticipate a lot of people will go this route as it’s a no-risk situation and no fees are taken if the item doesn’t sell.</blue>

As some fans pointed out, the "low as possible" figure is whatever Blizzard sets it to. After all, they're handling the entire transaction -- there are no outside fees -- so they could set the price to zero, if they wished. Obviously they need to cover their costs for hosting Battle.net and developing the software in the first place, and moderation and support, but that would surely cost a lot less than eighty cents per sale.

There are other factors, of course. Since there's no subscription fee for Diablo III, Blizzard is using the RMAH to generate income off of Diablo III long term, or at least clear enough to cover the hosting costs. Also, if auctions were all free, players would post everything without any judgment, entirely spamming up the process. Some cost keeps the system from being clogged by junk, and provides a basic check on the lowest level of the economy.

Time will tell if the eighty cent fee is viable in the final game, and Blizzard will surely be responsive to player needs and economic functions, as they have no previous experience running this sort of system either.

<br>

==RMT in Other Games==
Other developers with less popular games have taken more pragmatic approaches, and some have come to accept RMT in their games, with them the eBay-like recipients; skimming some % off the top of every auction or cash trade.

Many other games, especially ones popular in Asia where most players play in baangs and pay an hourly fee (which makes the concept of paying a bit more for better items or other upgrades seem a natural extension of the financial model), are more accommodating of RMT. RMT is seen in virtually every "free online" game, since those use RMT and ad banner loads to fund their operations. In popular games such as [http://www.maplestory.com MapleStory], the basic game is free, but players can buy cooler outfits, better equipment, or access to the full game or extra dungeons/items, for cash fees.

==Additional Information==

* Markco writes extensively about the RMAH and gold auction house at [http://www.diablo3goldguide.net Diablo 3 Gold Guide].

* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_economy Virtual Economy] page on Wikipedia.org provides a comprehensive overview of this issue.

* Scott Jennings, a long time industry insider, [http://brokentoys.org/2008/09/25/how-to-stop-gold-farming/ discussed the distaste] most Western gamers feel for RMT, and later wrote [http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3740/Real-Money-Real-Problems.html a more general overview] of the realities of RMT in his weekly gaming column.

[[category:reference]]
[[category:exploits]]
[[category:controversies]]
[[category:Auction House]]

Auction House

2011-08-08T17:39:21Z

Markco: Resources for ah

An ''Auction House'' is an in-game mechanism to allow for easier trading of items for items or money. Diablo II did not include this sort of feature, but many other MMORPGs do, notably [[World of Warcraft]]. Diablo III will feature an Auction House (AH), which comes in two main varieties: the [[gold]]-based Auction House will allow players to sell items, crafting materials, and even their characters for gold. The [[RMT]] (Real Money Transaction) Auction House will allow the sales of the items listed prior, but the caveat is that they are for real-world currency. Namely, Euros, Dollars, Rubles, etc. Real-world money transactions within this wiki entry will be referred to as RMT, or “currency” transactions.

The benefit of an auction house is that players can put items up for sale in an automated system. They need not be present to sell their item or spam ads about their item in the chat channels. It's also easier to find items you want to trade for, since other players don't have to be online for you to see "[[WUG]]".

The Auction House is restricted between SC (Softcore) characters, and HC ([[Hardcore]]) characters.
The AH was revealed during the late-July 2011 Press Event, and the first images and information about it were released on the first of August of the same year.
* Official [[Auction House FAQ]]

==The Auction House(s)==

As stated, the Auction House system is divided into RMT transactions (of which [[Blizzard]] will assign a fee for every listing, whether the item or character is sold or not), and gold transactions (which will also be assigned a fee, albeit one that doesn't cost the player real-world money, just gold).

===Interface===

[[File:Ah-rmt-gold-sale-item.jpg|thumb|450px|The same item showing gold and RMT sales.]]
The Auction House is available for use during any point in time, including in the [[Battle.net]] menu, the game's main menu, the lobby, and also in-game.

The items for sale are listed by category, and each category has their own set of variables that the player may choose to search for. For instance, if a player is seeking a weapon with [[lifesteal]], they will be able to specifically search for that [[mod]].

In addition to this, Blizzard has also implemented a system where the player may select a character of their own choosing, and the auction house will perform a "smart search" based on the items they have equipped, and what could conceivably be an upgrade for them. The efficacy of this system is as yet unproven, as an "upgrade" for a specific build can be quite hard to define.

Your auction house history is also tracked through the battle.net client, showing the player what they bid, what they won, what they lost, etc.

===Bids and Buyouts===

Much like an auction house found in any other game (or on online sites such as ebay), a player may choose to bid on an item, or to pay the full buyout.
The seller can place a minimum bid on the item, which is the minimum they are willing to accept for it (whether it is gold or an RMT transaction). They can also place a buyout on an item, where the purchaser may choose to simply pay an up-front cost in order to secure the item without needing to watch the auction, hoping they aren't outbid.

===Hardcore versus Softcore===

Trade in the Auction House is separated between game modes. Hardcore characters cannot use the softcore auction house, and vice versa. In addition to this, hardcore characters may only use the gold-based auction house. Any and all items, including characters for sale, may only be purchased with gold.

===Auction Storage===

Items that will be put up for auction, or items purchased at auction, are sent to and from the shared [[stash]]. The shared stash itself can be increased in size by purchasing larger tabs (with gold this time, not currency).

Seeing as how the Auction House can be accessed at any point in time, inside the game or in the battle.net client, a player can choose to send an item directly from their inventory to the auction house. The item will be removed from their inventory, and if it sells, then it is removed from the system entirely. If an item does not sell, it will be returned to the player via their stash.

===Preventing Item Flood===

[[File:Ah_search.jpg|thumb|250px|The search window for the AH.]]

Item flood was a long-time worry for specualtive Diablo fans when faced with the prospect of an Auction House. Item flood consists of a player putting up junk items that had little-to-no value in the auction house in bulk, effectively flooding the market with things that nobody would conceivably want, making searching a difficult and frustrating prospect.
Blizzard has decided to initiate a fee for each item listed, whether it is gold or currency, and this fee is taken out regardless of whether or not the item sells. A similar system is used in the gold-based auction house for World of WarCraft and it is fairly effective; in that game, the listing fee is a proportional percentage of the vendor worth of the item in question, believed to be roughly 25%. For low-level items, this isn’t as much of an issue as the fee is fairly small (and nobody bothers to put them in the auction house because they simply won’t sell), however the fees for expensive weapons and armor can often add up.
This also helps to prevent players from grossly overpricing their goods in the auction house. While it will be the players who define the worth of an item, there’s always that one oddball in the bunch who thinks a quiver of arrows should sell for at least five million gold.

In addition to this, there may be a gold surcharge for selling an item in the Diablo III auction house, but this has yet to be seen. It has been an initiative in WoW since the AH’s debut, and this acts as a gold sink. Up to 10% of a seller’s winnings in the AH would go to the gold sink, as a fee for using the auction house.

===Face-to-Face Trading===

It was widely speculated (and even assumed by some) that the trade system within Diablo III, which was a mystery until mid-2011, would feature face-to-face trading as in Diablo II, or a bartering system of one sort or another. While this eventually was seen to be false, it isn’t unlikely that players will find themselves trading items directly with other players. Perhaps it could be two players who happen to find good drops for each other in a game, friends or [[guild]]mates playing together, or someone within a chat channel advertising their goods.

It is extremely likely that [[gem]]s will find a home within a bartering or face-to-face system that will be built up by the players, along with other common (yet randomized) items like [[Rune]]s. It is assumed that the game will support this with at least a simple trade window and chat channels dedicated to trade.

==Method Behind the Madness: Why RMT?==

Blizzard has always staunchly opposed real-money transactions for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons which hits close to home for the company who created battle.net, which is plagued by all manner of hackers, dupers, botters, and spammers, is that they are unable to control the legitimacy of the items being sold on third-party websites, they cannot control the security behind the transaction, and they are, to put it bluntly, not profiting from people who are buying and selling “their” virtual items.

This entire subject is rather a moral and ethical, not to mention ‘’legal’’, quagmire. Yet, Blizzard has always opposed these transactions for the reasons listed above, and others. Their reasoning for finally allowing it, in their own game no less, is twofold: they are able to control the transaction, and they are also able to profit from it. A player will no longer feel the need to go to unreputable websites which may contain malicious software that steals their personal or account information. All of these transactions now take place within the game’s client.

This isn’t to say there aren’t many questionable activities that may occur in an RMT auction house, however. With the success of [[World of WarCraft]], Blizzard has become a rather large market for gold farmers, scammers, and spammers. With the ability to directly make money from what they are already (illegally) doing, it is extremely likely that if Diablo III is successful, it will attract these less-than-savory elements.

===RMT Transactions and Keeping a Secure Account===

With battle.net, the newest version of it, all of the metaphorical eggs are in a single basket: a player’s account, their personal information, their game keys, their digital rights, their payment information is stored within a single account. It has become rather commonplace for accounts to be “hacked” or stolen or, as Blizzard likes to say, “compromised”. With the advent of an RMT auction house, the implications of a “compromised” account are incredibly dire. It remains to be seen how secure this RMT auction house system is.

It is always wise for a player to follow proper security guidelines to make sure they do not have their account stolen. Blizzard offers [[authenticator]]s for sale which enhance security a great deal, and it is also well advised that a player doesn’t wander to unreputable websites or other areas of the internet which may hold some malicious intent, including clicking links or banner ads for hacking or cheating advertisements.

More information on keeping a battle.net account secure can be found on [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=30791&pageNumber=1&searchQuery=security Blizzard’s official customer support website].

===Blizzard’s About-Face on RMT===

Blizzard has made their stance clear throughout the past ten years or so on RMT transactions, and it has never really been a secret affair. Here is a direct quote (amongst many) from the company in 2007, pertaining to World of WarCraft[http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/blizzard-wont-support-legit-rmt-service/]:

<blue>The game's Terms of Use clearly states that all World of Warcraft content is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, and Blizzard does not allow 'in-game' items to be sold for real money. Not only do we believe that doing so would be illegal, but it also has the potential to damage the game economy and overall experience for the many thousands of others who play World of Warcraft for fun ... While we can understand the temptation to purchase items for real money, we feel that players can find ample equipment and money for their characters within the game through their own adventuring and questing.</blue>

However, in the [[Auction House FAQ|official FAQ]] for the Auction House, Blizzard stated:

<blue>We’ve always tailored our business models to match what we’ve felt would be most appropriate and effective for each game and in each region, and that’s the case with Diablo III as well. The item-based nature of Diablo gameplay has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organizations. This has led to numerous customer-service and game-experience issues that we’ve needed to account for. Our primary goal with the Diablo III auction house system is for it to serve as the foundation for a player-driven economy that’s safe, fun, and accessible for everyone.</blue>

The foundation behind the currency auction house appears to be Blizzard giving up the legal battle against RMT agents around the globe, and may signify a shift in the paradigm for the rest of the North American industry. It remains to be seen specifically what impact this will have not only on Diablo III and Activision-Blizzard, but PC gaming in general, and the business models the companys whom make the games choose to pursue.

==Development of the Trade System==

The trade system was one of the largest mysteries behind the game up until the press event in July, 2011. A bartering system or an auction house were largely the chief speculations, but only one could come out the victor. Below is text dedicated to the time when the auction house system was unknown, including developer quotes and interviews.

===Blue Comments Prior to Announcement===

Jay Wilson commented on trading in an interview from [[BlizzCon 2009]]. [http://g4tv.com/games/pc/28197/diablo-iii/articles/68225/BlizzCon-2009-Diablo-III-Game-Director-Interview/]

<blue>We haven’t made a decision about something like an auction house, but we want a better trading system than the one in Diablo II. It could take the form of an auction house or it could take the form of a new trade system that is easier, facilitating trades through Battle.net. That could be another way that players could trade items without having to actually go into the game. We haven’t made a decision on any of that, but we are going to do something to that end. We consider it really critical to the game.</blue>

Prior to that, in January 2009, Diablo 3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] weighed in on the whole issue of Diablo 3's [[economy]] and trading mechanisms. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-auction-houses/]

<blue>Just a couple of my own cents on the system. First off we really don’t have a solid plan for any sort of external trading system, that is anything beyond being in the same game with the person. We know we’d like something like that though if at all possible.

Foremost – spamming is bad. I think trade channels usually suck because of the requirement to spam. The amount of time and effort spent just to get your items noticed borders on brain-explosiony. Throw in the lack of easily gauged economy and you’re usually left out in the dark, laughed at, ripped off, etc. Your suggestion seems to mix the idea of an auction house and trade channel, in that you can use a channel in-game to spam, and then have some sort of UI to trade the item. That definitely solves one issue, which is needing to leave the game and just sit in a chat channel. What it doesn’t solve is needing to sit in a chat channel and spam. Sure, you could probably play and spam the channel every once in a while but it’s really not the cleanest approach. You’re still spamming a chat channel, you’re still limited to the people that want to see that spam (ie not many).

Since you brought it up let’s move on to the World of Warcraft’s auction house. World of Warcraft did not invent the auction house trading system. It may have certainly refined it, but an irrational hatred of the game that some of you seem to have really shouldn’t translate to game systems that aren’t original to it. There are some major advantages to an auction house similar to WoW’s. You don’t have to be present being the biggest and best. You can be playing with friends, PvPing, asleep, at school or work, and someone has the ability to see your items, and you have a greater chance to sell/trade them. You don’t have to spam a channel, you don’t have to even be online and playing. That’s HUGE, and really the main reason so many people use trading systems such as websites and forums for Diablo II. You want to focus on playing the game or not playing the game, not sitting around hoping someone wants your item.

It also helps form a visible and easily identified economy. I’m a new player, I got a sword I think it’s probably pretty nice, I can go on an auction house and search for it or similar swords and get an idea of how much it should sell for. In this case being in a trade channel is no better whether it’s in-game or out of game. What you’d probably end up with is people still going to forums and more static styles of trading found on websites, but even then any unified sense of economy is spread thin. Maybe that’s not such a bad system in itself, and an official trading site could work. Of course what you lose either way though, auction house or website, is in-game player interaction. Which is what I assume you’re striving to keep.

When it comes down to it, any change or addition or removal of any systems have to be weighed. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning and state we don’t know what if any types of trading systems will be in the final game. Maybe there won’t be, it may be that eventually we settle on leaving it Diablo II style. We have some ideas of what would be cool, but at the end of the day we’re not going to do anything that isn’t far and away a more positive change for the game. </blue>

== Resources ==

[http://www.diablo3goldguide.net Diablo III Gold Blog] - Markco is dedicated to delivering new and interesting methods for making gold and money on the Diablo auction houses. Go here to learn more and discuss the Diablo III auction houses.

[[category:trading]]
[[category:economy]]
[[category:battle.net]]
[[category:Auction House]]

Auction House

2011-08-04T01:11:23Z

Markco: /* The Auction House(s) */

An ''Auction House'' is an in-game mechanism to allow for easier trading of items for items or money. Diablo II did not include this sort of feature, but many other MMORPGs do, notably [[World of Warcraft]]. Diablo III will feature an Auction House (AH), which comes in two main varieties: the [[gold]]-based Auction House will allow players to sell items, crafting materials, and even their characters for gold. The [[RMT]] (Real Money Transaction) Auction House will allow the sales of the items listed prior, but the caveat is that they are for real-world currency. Namely, Euros, Dollars, Rubles, etc. Real-world money transactions within this wiki entry will be referred to as RMT, or “currency” transactions.

The benefit of an auction house is that players can put items up for sale in an automated system. They need not be present to sell their item or spam ads about their item in the chat channels. It's also easier to find items you want to trade for, since other players don't have to be online for you to see "[[WUG]]".

The Auction House is restricted between SC (Softcore) characters, and HC ([[Hardcore]]) characters.
The AH was revealed during the late-July 2011 Press Event, and the first images and information about it were released on the first of August of the same year.
* Official [[Auction House FAQ]]

==The Auction House(s)==

As stated, the Auction House system is divided into RMT transactions (of which [[Blizzard]] will assign a fee for every listing, whether the item or character is sold or not), and gold transactions (which will also be assigned a fee, albeit one that doesn't cost the player real-world money, just gold).

===Interface===

[[File:Ah-rmt-gold-sale-item.jpg|thumb|450px|The same item showing gold and RMT sales.]]
The Auction House is available for use during any point in time, including in the [[Battle.net]] menu, the game's main menu, the lobby, and also in-game.

The items for sale are listed by category, and each category has their own set of variables that the player may choose to search for. For instance, if a player is seeking a weapon with [[lifesteal]], they will be able to specifically search for that [[mod]].

In addition to this, Blizzard has also implemented a system where the player may select a character of their own choosing, and the auction house will perform a "smart search" based on the items they have equipped, and what could conceivably be an upgrade for them. The efficacy of this system is as yet unproven, as an "upgrade" for a specific build can be quite hard to define.

Your auction house history is also tracked through the battle.net client, showing the player what they bid, what they won, what they lost, etc.

===Bids and Buyouts===

Much like an auction house found in any other game (or on online sites such as ebay), a player may choose to bid on an item, or to pay the full buyout.
The seller can place a minimum bid on the item, which is the minimum they are willing to accept for it (whether it is gold or an RMT transaction). They can also place a buyout on an item, where the purchaser may choose to simply pay an up-front cost in order to secure the item without needing to watch the auction, hoping they aren't outbid.

===Hardcore versus Softcore===

Trade in the Auction House is separated between game modes. Hardcore characters cannot use the softcore auction house, and vice versa. In addition to this, hardcore characters may only use the gold-based auction house. Any and all items, including characters for sale, may only be purchased with gold.

===Auction Storage===

Items that will be put up for auction, or items purchased at auction, are sent to and from the shared [[stash]]. The shared stash itself can be increased in size by purchasing larger tabs (with gold this time, not currency).

Seeing as how the Auction House can be accessed at any point in time, inside the game or in the battle.net client, a player can choose to send an item directly from their inventory to the auction house. The item will be removed from their inventory, and if it sells, then it is removed from the system entirely. If an item does not sell, it will be returned to the player via their stash.

===Preventing Item Flood===

[[File:Ah_search.jpg|thumb|250px|The search window for the AH.]]

Item flood was a long-time worry for specualtive Diablo fans when faced with the prospect of an Auction House. Item flood consists of a player putting up junk items that had little-to-no value in the auction house in bulk, effectively flooding the market with things that nobody would conceivably want, making searching a difficult and frustrating prospect.
Blizzard has decided to initiate a fee for each item listed, whether it is gold or currency, and this fee is taken out regardless of whether or not the item sells. A similar system is used in the gold-based auction house for World of WarCraft and it is fairly effective; in that game, the listing fee is a proportional percentage of the vendor worth of the item in question, believed to be roughly 25%. For low-level items, this isn’t as much of an issue as the fee is fairly small (and nobody bothers to put them in the auction house because they simply won’t sell), however the fees for expensive weapons and armor can often add up.
This also helps to prevent players from grossly overpricing their goods in the auction house. While it will be the players who define the worth of an item, there’s always that one oddball in the bunch who thinks a quiver of arrows should sell for at least five million gold.

In addition to this, there may be a gold surcharge for selling an item in the Diablo III auction house, but this has yet to be seen. It has been an initiative in WoW since the AH’s debut, and this acts as a gold sink. Up to 10% of a seller’s winnings in the AH would go to the gold sink, as a fee for using the auction house.

===Face-to-Face Trading===

It was widely speculated (and even assumed by some) that the trade system within Diablo III, which was a mystery until mid-2011, would feature face-to-face trading as in Diablo II, or a bartering system of one sort or another. While this eventually was seen to be false, it isn’t unlikely that players will find themselves trading items directly with other players. Perhaps it could be two players who happen to find good drops for each other in a game, friends or [[guild]]mates playing together, or someone within a chat channel advertising their goods.

It is extremely likely that [[gem]]s will find a home within a bartering or face-to-face system that will be built up by the players, along with other common (yet randomized) items like [[Rune]]s. It is assumed that the game will support this with at least a simple trade window and chat channels dedicated to trade.

===Resources===

[http://www.diablo3goldguide.net/ Diablo 3 Gold Guide] - A free guide to learning how to make both gold and real money using the Diablo III Auction Houses. Written by a professional gamer who dominated the World of Warcraft Auction House for three years. Go beyond a basic level of understanding and truly understand how to make the most gold or even real money with your time playing Diablo III.

==Method Behind the Madness: Why RMT?==

Blizzard has always staunchly opposed real-money transactions for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons which hits close to home for the company who created battle.net, which is plagued by all manner of hackers, dupers, botters, and spammers, is that they are unable to control the legitimacy of the items being sold on third-party websites, they cannot control the security behind the transaction, and they are, to put it bluntly, not profiting from people who are buying and selling “their” virtual items.

This entire subject is rather a moral and ethical, not to mention ‘’legal’’, quagmire. Yet, Blizzard has always opposed these transactions for the reasons listed above, and others. Their reasoning for finally allowing it, in their own game no less, is twofold: they are able to control the transaction, and they are also able to profit from it. A player will no longer feel the need to go to unreputable websites which may contain malicious software that steals their personal or account information. All of these transactions now take place within the game’s client.

This isn’t to say there aren’t many questionable activities that may occur in an RMT auction house, however. With the success of [[World of WarCraft]], Blizzard has become a rather large market for gold farmers, scammers, and spammers. With the ability to directly make money from what they are already (illegally) doing, it is extremely likely that if Diablo III is successful, it will attract these less-than-savory elements.

===RMT Transactions and Keeping a Secure Account===

With battle.net, the newest version of it, all of the metaphorical eggs are in a single basket: a player’s account, their personal information, their game keys, their digital rights, their payment information is stored within a single account. It has become rather commonplace for accounts to be “hacked” or stolen or, as Blizzard likes to say, “compromised”. With the advent of an RMT auction house, the implications of a “compromised” account are incredibly dire. It remains to be seen how secure this RMT auction house system is.

It is always wise for a player to follow proper security guidelines to make sure they do not have their account stolen. Blizzard offers [[authenticator]]s for sale which enhance security a great deal, and it is also well advised that a player doesn’t wander to unreputable websites or other areas of the internet which may hold some malicious intent, including clicking links or banner ads for hacking or cheating advertisements.

More information on keeping a battle.net account secure can be found on [http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=30791&pageNumber=1&searchQuery=security Blizzard’s official customer support website].

===Blizzard’s About-Face on RMT===

Blizzard has made their stance clear throughout the past ten years or so on RMT transactions, and it has never really been a secret affair. Here is a direct quote (amongst many) from the company in 2007, pertaining to World of WarCraft[http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/blizzard-wont-support-legit-rmt-service/]:

<blue>The game's Terms of Use clearly states that all World of Warcraft content is the property of Blizzard Entertainment, and Blizzard does not allow 'in-game' items to be sold for real money. Not only do we believe that doing so would be illegal, but it also has the potential to damage the game economy and overall experience for the many thousands of others who play World of Warcraft for fun ... While we can understand the temptation to purchase items for real money, we feel that players can find ample equipment and money for their characters within the game through their own adventuring and questing.</blue>

However, in the [[Auction House FAQ|official FAQ]] for the Auction House, Blizzard stated:

<blue>We’ve always tailored our business models to match what we’ve felt would be most appropriate and effective for each game and in each region, and that’s the case with Diablo III as well. The item-based nature of Diablo gameplay has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organizations. This has led to numerous customer-service and game-experience issues that we’ve needed to account for. Our primary goal with the Diablo III auction house system is for it to serve as the foundation for a player-driven economy that’s safe, fun, and accessible for everyone.</blue>

The foundation behind the currency auction house appears to be Blizzard giving up the legal battle against RMT agents around the globe, and may signify a shift in the paradigm for the rest of the North American industry. It remains to be seen specifically what impact this will have not only on Diablo III and Activision-Blizzard, but PC gaming in general, and the business models the companys whom make the games choose to pursue.

==Development of the Trade System==

The trade system was one of the largest mysteries behind the game up until the press event in July, 2011. A bartering system or an auction house were largely the chief speculations, but only one could come out the victor. Below is text dedicated to the time when the auction house system was unknown, including developer quotes and interviews.

===Blue Comments Prior to Announcement===

Jay Wilson commented on trading in an interview from [[BlizzCon 2009]]. [http://g4tv.com/games/pc/28197/diablo-iii/articles/68225/BlizzCon-2009-Diablo-III-Game-Director-Interview/]

<blue>We haven’t made a decision about something like an auction house, but we want a better trading system than the one in Diablo II. It could take the form of an auction house or it could take the form of a new trade system that is easier, facilitating trades through Battle.net. That could be another way that players could trade items without having to actually go into the game. We haven’t made a decision on any of that, but we are going to do something to that end. We consider it really critical to the game.</blue>

Prior to that, in January 2009, Diablo 3 Community Manager [[Bashiok]] weighed in on the whole issue of Diablo 3's [[economy]] and trading mechanisms. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-auction-houses/]

<blue>Just a couple of my own cents on the system. First off we really don’t have a solid plan for any sort of external trading system, that is anything beyond being in the same game with the person. We know we’d like something like that though if at all possible.

Foremost – spamming is bad. I think trade channels usually suck because of the requirement to spam. The amount of time and effort spent just to get your items noticed borders on brain-explosiony. Throw in the lack of easily gauged economy and you’re usually left out in the dark, laughed at, ripped off, etc. Your suggestion seems to mix the idea of an auction house and trade channel, in that you can use a channel in-game to spam, and then have some sort of UI to trade the item. That definitely solves one issue, which is needing to leave the game and just sit in a chat channel. What it doesn’t solve is needing to sit in a chat channel and spam. Sure, you could probably play and spam the channel every once in a while but it’s really not the cleanest approach. You’re still spamming a chat channel, you’re still limited to the people that want to see that spam (ie not many).

Since you brought it up let’s move on to the World of Warcraft’s auction house. World of Warcraft did not invent the auction house trading system. It may have certainly refined it, but an irrational hatred of the game that some of you seem to have really shouldn’t translate to game systems that aren’t original to it. There are some major advantages to an auction house similar to WoW’s. You don’t have to be present being the biggest and best. You can be playing with friends, PvPing, asleep, at school or work, and someone has the ability to see your items, and you have a greater chance to sell/trade them. You don’t have to spam a channel, you don’t have to even be online and playing. That’s HUGE, and really the main reason so many people use trading systems such as websites and forums for Diablo II. You want to focus on playing the game or not playing the game, not sitting around hoping someone wants your item.

It also helps form a visible and easily identified economy. I’m a new player, I got a sword I think it’s probably pretty nice, I can go on an auction house and search for it or similar swords and get an idea of how much it should sell for. In this case being in a trade channel is no better whether it’s in-game or out of game. What you’d probably end up with is people still going to forums and more static styles of trading found on websites, but even then any unified sense of economy is spread thin. Maybe that’s not such a bad system in itself, and an official trading site could work. Of course what you lose either way though, auction house or website, is in-game player interaction. Which is what I assume you’re striving to keep.

When it comes down to it, any change or addition or removal of any systems have to be weighed. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning and state we don’t know what if any types of trading systems will be in the final game. Maybe there won’t be, it may be that eventually we settle on leaving it Diablo II style. We have some ideas of what would be cool, but at the end of the day we’re not going to do anything that isn’t far and away a more positive change for the game. </blue>

[[category:trading]]
[[category:economy]]
[[category:battle.net]]
[[category:Auction House]]