Lately, there has been much discussion and debate over whether it’s realistic for Diablo 3 players to think that they can actually make a decent income by selling the loot they acquire. With the introduction of the RMAH (Real Money Auction House) in Diablo 3, many players are already having visions of grandeur over the possibilities of becoming rich just by farming items, then selling them for real cash via the RMAH.
Will this be possible? Probably not.
It’s unrealistic to think that grinding away on Diablo 3 for hours and hours could actually result in a decent profit by way of selling on the RMAH, let alone providing a reasonable income.
First off… there will be thousands of players doing just this, so the competition and underbidding will be fierce, and that’s just with ‘the players’ themselves. I won’t even get into what the Chinese farmers will do to the overall economy once their supply chain is in full swing.
Secondly, no matter what sort of shape the D3 economy is in, it’s doubtful that the insane game-time investment would reap enough of a reward to even compete with the likes of a part-time job at Mickey D’s. The vast majority of items that drop will likely be in abundance on the RMAH, so it’s doubtful those items will be the least bit profitable once you factor in listing fees, PayPal transaction fees, time invested, etc…
In other words, people are kidding themselves if they think they’ll be able to quit their day job and become a successful ‘power seller’ on the Diablo 3 RMAH.
However… will it be possible for hard-core and casual gamers to make a bit of pocket money off of this new system..? You bet.
Some players may even be able to look to the RMAH system for a part-time income, but it won’t be by way of farming for hours and hours. ‘Playing the auction house’ is where the money will be. That, and the occasional dose of luck.
I think that if you’re an intelligent player, with realistic expectations, you could probably turn this hobby into something that’s profitable enough to pay for PC upgrades, and maybe even a few RMAH items for yourself along the way. The trick will be to capitalize on deals either through the RMAH or regular auction house, then learn the timing on when best to list said items and for how much.
In addition to that, I’m willing to bet that extremely rare drops will carry a premium, provided a player is willing to part with them. It’s hard to estimate what sort of price tags these premium loots will carry, but I could definitely see some items being listed for hundreds, and maybe even thousands. Ten years ago it was not unrealistic for some of the rarest weapons in Diablo 2 to fetch in upwards of a few hundred bucks. Considering the vast improvements to game play and the increased fantasy-world-immersion of the Diablo 3 gaming experience, I’m certain that players nowadays will be even more willing to drop large sums of money on in-game items – especially since the sales will be 100% safe, legal, and the items delivered instantly.
Just look at how much freaking money people blow on f**king Farmville..! The graphics are s**t, and you can’t even do anything with that stuff…
I think it’s safe to say that there will be some guy out there willing to pay a hefty sum of money for an extremely rare item, provided it will be best-in-slot for his character and build, and will increase his enjoyment of the game by helping him lay waste to legions of players in the PvP arena. I’m not the sort of person who would drop some serious coin on a top caliber item, but I can see why someone else would – because there’s value in it.
Back when I played D2, I eventually started purchasing items off of ebay for use on my characters, because I knew that no matter how much I played, I’d never ever see some of this stuff. Now granted, I didn’t spend that much money on paid items – maybe $80 in all over a few months – but I did willingly drop hard-earned real-world dollars on some pixels that would help me kick more ass. Was it worth it..? Hell yeah. That $80 I’d spent increased my enjoyment of the game ten fold.
I’m certain I’ll be doing this again in Diablo 3. For a casual gamer like me, who can only spend maybe 5-10 hours per week playing, the RMAH will be a godsend. If Axe of the Frozen Dude shows up on the RMAH for a reasonable price, you can bet I’ll be grabbing it for my Barb. 😉
Time is money, so if you can afford the item, why waste countless hours of your life in a video game when you can buy the thing off of the RMAH right now and start nuking players with it. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Alright… so back to the topic of ‘making money’ off of the D3 RMAH…
I’m sure there will be a few of us fortunate enough to come across some valuable loot, but those occasions will probably be few and far between. It’s doubtful that anyone will be able to rely upon the Diablo 3 Real Money Auction House to sustain a ‘real world’ existence, but I imagine some of us will make a few bucks along the way…
Regardless, I sure can’t wait to experience it…
By the way… I want to give a virtual high-five to Darie of Imperion for coming up with the soon-to-be-legendary moniker, “Axe of the Frozen Dude“. Blizz has got to add that item to the game. 😀
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