[fanliorel]

I hate to admit it, but loong ago (like, early 2000), I bought two EQ items off of ebay. Back then I was brand new to MMOs, and even ebay was new to me, and I just couldn't believe how cool it was that you could buy virtual items in real life. I was a broke college student, but I bought a couple things, just for the heck of it (Lambent Greaves, I still remember those...can't remember what the other thing I bought was).

Anyway, i was naive and new to it all back then, BUT even then I knew it wasn't quite right. I never felt right about those pants, even though I'm pretty sure the sellers were just regular guys - not farmers.

I just want to point out that not all people who succumb to buying items are evil. Some are just foolish kids like I was. Most probably aren't, unfortunately - they're looking to get ahead. And, if you view video games as a hobby (which they are of course), there are always people willing to blow a lot of money on their favorite hobbies. Many people buy with a good conscience, believe it or not. But it's still not right in my opinion, and I want to add my voice to everyone else's about this.

There was an interesting thread started by an ex-farmer on the old EQ Diva site. http://www.eqdiva.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=83071 is the link if anyone's interested - quite an interesting story.