READ BEFORE POSTING: Marketplace Rules and Regulations

HOW TO POST AT THE MARKETPLACE

1.) The thread must contain the following:

* Item name with corresponding data and price (in GOLD ONLY) or item to be traded in (for trade deals).
* If possible a screenshot to accompany the item.
* The in-game name (IGN) of the seller, server, and if possible date and time the transaction must be conducted.

2.) Thread must be posted at the server subsection where the seller/buyer resides.
3.) Thread titles must not be too long as to be illegible, or the offending thread shall be edited to fit the browser.
4.) Threads must not be out of topic, and/or filled with spam or flame replies. Please read the Forum Guidelines on how to create a thread that comply with the Guidelines.
5.) Threads must accept deals only in GOLD or in exchange of another in-game item.
6.) Threads may require the seller/buyer to use the Private Messaging feature. For player and game account security reasons (to safeguard against fraud or phishing) cellphone/telephone numbers and/or email addresses should not be used in such threads.
7.) Items to be traded for can only be in-game items or items bought from the Item Shop.

SECURITY WARNING TO PLAYERS

Because of the high incidence of in-game fraud (or scams), it is the ultimate responsibility of the player to be careful when conducting his/her transactions with other players, especially when trading items or gold in exchange for items of comparable value. High-risk in-game items include the following:

* Upgraded armor
* Upgraded weaponry (especially with elemental attack attributes)
* High-level jewelry (rings, rosaries, etc.)
* Upgrade items (Protection Potions, Burr, Luxury Protection Potion, Fine Burr).
* EP Items (Oblivion Potions, Protection Necklaces, EP weaponry, Tele Cards, etc.)

Be cautious when making a transaction, and always screenshot transactions (so that in case of fraud or swindling the screenshots will be used as evidence for offical investigation).

DO NOT TRADE GAME ACCOUNTS!

There have been cases of fraud involving the trade of game accounts, and worse, these traded accounts are often accessed by the other party, thus stealing off in-game items.

Always practice game account security at all times and places. Please read game security notices regularly. Do not entrust to anyone your game account, username, password and PIN code.

WHY REAL-MONEY TRADING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

1.) RMT is defined as Real Money Trading, or the sale or purchase of virtual property (i.e. in-game items, characters/accounts, and gold) using real currency or EP cards, often in total disregard for game rules and regulations, and illegal circumvention of the achievement hierarchy (which is defined as achievements made by the player within the game without having to resort to RMTs).

2.) All items, characters and accounts used within the game are the intellectual property of the game operator and the game developer, and not by the players, regardless of the justifications and arguments of the RMT-oriented sellers/buyers.

3.) Despite claims to the contrary, any online game has a finite amount of lifetime for its development, operation and maintenance, until the game operator and/or the developer deems that it is time to shut down the game and its servers. Therefore unlike real-life objects and property which ca hold real monetary value even after decades, virtual objects and worlds have a limited lifetime (the average lifespan of an online game is three to four years). Thus the RMT-oriented buyer will stand to lose much in that case the game closes shop.

4.) RMTs are also a form of cheating, downgrading the game's entertainment value and undermines the achievement hierarchy. It is very unfair to most players who play hard to achieve what they want in the game, especially when someone bought an item, gold or a high-level character with real money in order to jump ahead of the rest and get into a high-level map area (as an analogy, the act of buying and using a character is like bribing school officials to gain a diploma without studying).

"A high-level character isn't just a high-level character: it's a marker of player status. If it's worn by someone not entitled to wear it, that very seriously annoys those who are entitled to wear it. It says something about a player's achievements: it's non-transferrable."

-- Dr. Richard Bartle, "Pitfalls of Virtual Property"

5.) Unlike sales of costly property (i.e. houses, cars, land) in the real world (where transactions of such property are legally documented), most RMT transactions are often risky and are wholly undocumented legally, ending in either fraud (scam) or estafa cases, where the buyer/seller does not receive the goods/payment in return as promised.

Worse, some of the in-game items/accounts/gold being sold through shady RMTs could have acquired from game account hacking.

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATORS

Disregard of the rules and regulations will result in the following penalties:

1.) 1st Offense: RMT posts will be deleted and a warning message shall be sent to the offender by the FMs/GMs.
2.) 2nd Offense: The offender will have his/her forum account locked down for a set period of time imposed by the official Game Masters.
3.) 3rd Offense: The offender will have his/her forum account locked down permanently, and the possibility of his/her game account/character banned from the game (if his/her username is identified from the forum or the use of his/her in-game name).

"The biggest pitfall of virtual property comes from the fact that the concept is so new: there aren't the
precedents, either in law or in practice, to be certain how it will finally be managed. Working with the
unknown, while perhaps exciting for those who enjoy gambling, is nevertheless on the whole bad for
business.

"The biggest pitfall of virtual property is this: the uncertainty of its status in law."

-- Dr. Richard Bartle, "Pitfalls of Virtual Property"

Play hard but fair and square. Online gaming is a pasttime, not a way of life.

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