1. #1

    Trading/selling accounts a legal gray area?

    Over the years, I have seen a few of my WoW and IRL friends trading or selling their accounts to either make money off the game when they quit or to increase their interest in their game. I personally have never done this and probably won't be doing so anytime soon. But with quite a lot of my friends getting into this selling/trading craze, I was just wondering if this should be allowed? I mean there are obvious benefits such as you can have more interest on the game but also obvious non-benefits such as the ability to be scammed and going against the TOU of Blizzard. So what do you think, MMO-Champion community? Should this be allowed and why? If not, why?

  2. #2
    Titan vindicatorx's Avatar
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    No, bad enough half the assholes who have gotten world first whatever and then turn around and sell their account.

  3. #3
    The Patient narzinor's Avatar
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    I think selling your account shouldn't be done. My account is worth about ten grand according to some websites, but it's -my- account. I put all the effort into it, and I think people should learn the game from the ground up. It makes for a better experience, and it (should at least) promote a better community.
    I had a cool sig... then photobucket ate my pics and now its borked. :/ oh wells...

  4. #4
    Also I heard a bunch of big names in WoW such as Reckful has brought accounts before? Just asking :P

  5. #5
    No wow account is worth ten grand...

  6. #6
    The Patient narzinor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidA View Post
    No wow account is worth ten grand...
    no one in their right mind would buy it of course, but I saw a website or two that said each of my characters were worth about 1200 each lol
    I had a cool sig... then photobucket ate my pics and now its borked. :/ oh wells...

  7. #7
    There's nothing illegal about it, but of course Blizzard can close an account for any reason or no reason at all.

    It doesn't matter to me either way although I guess if I gave up WoW, it would be nice to turn my "stuff" into real money.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by narzinor View Post
    I think selling your account shouldn't be done. My account is worth about ten grand according to some websites, but it's -my- account. I put all the effort into it, and I think people should learn the game from the ground up. It makes for a better experience, and it (should at least) promote a better community.
    It's not -your- account, it's Blizzard's account. Blizzard owns your chars, gear etc. You pay for accesing their servers.
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    Hemet was behind Garrosh's escape and time travel just so he could hunt big game on old Draenor.

  9. #9
    The Patient narzinor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marahdeka View Post
    It's not -your- account, it's Blizzard's account. Blizzard owns your chars, gear etc. You pay for accesing their servers.
    That's just taking what I said out of context. Yeah, if you wanna be really technical, yes it is Blizzard's account, but I use the account.

    Next time I'll just say its the account that blizzard owns that I use. Just to be technical.
    I had a cool sig... then photobucket ate my pics and now its borked. :/ oh wells...

  10. #10
    High Overlord
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    Quote Originally Posted by narzinor View Post
    I think selling your account shouldn't be done. My account is worth about ten grand according to some websites, but it's -my- account. I put all the effort into it, and I think people should learn the game from the ground up. It makes for a better experience, and it (should at least) promote a better community.
    No account is worth 10k. Unless you have like 8 chars with full realm first raiding achieves, full tier gear, multi r1's and multiple Corrupted Ashbringers and Atiesh's.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by narzinor View Post
    no one in their right mind would buy it of course, but I saw a website or two that said each of my characters were worth about 1200 each lol
    Yeah that's what I was getting at. If you can find someone to pay that go for it! But they'd be dumb as hell.

    I haven't played since WOTLK and my three 80's combine to be "worth" 3500. That's ridiculous.

  12. #12
    The Undying Wildtree's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HardCoder View Post
    There's nothing illegal about it, but of course Blizzard can close an account for any reason or no reason at all.

    It doesn't matter to me either way although I guess if I gave up WoW, it would be nice to turn my "stuff" into real money.
    It's against the TOU..
    Illegal by law, hmmmmm. well people cannot advertise it as that on eBay for example. Check how the sellers there word it, to be able to list it, otherwise eBay wouldn't allow the auction either. The accounts are Blizzards property, from there it's illegal also by law.
    You cannot sell something that doesn't belong to you.

  13. #13
    The Patient narzinor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidA View Post
    Yeah that's what I was getting at. If you can find someone to pay that go for it! But they'd be dumb as hell.

    I haven't played since WOTLK and my three 80's combine to be "worth" 3500. That's ridiculous.
    Yeah, I have 10 85's lol XD

    Quote Originally Posted by Wild Tree

    It's against the TOU..
    Illegal by law, hmmmmm. well people cannot advertise it as that on eBay for example. Check how the sellers there word it, to be able to list it, otherwise eBay wouldn't allow the auction either. The accounts are Blizzards property, from there it's illegal also by law.
    You cannot sell something that doesn't belong to you.

    Other than the "I did the work, you can do the work" argument, I see this as being the most important issue in regards to selling your account.
    I had a cool sig... then photobucket ate my pics and now its borked. :/ oh wells...

  14. #14
    Technichally all your doing is selling your login credentials, not the account

    Which is perfectly legal. Blizzard can't lawfully order you not to.
    Dragonflight Summary, "Because friendship is magic"

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by kidA View Post
    Yeah that's what I was getting at. If you can find someone to pay that go for it! But they'd be dumb as hell.

    I haven't played since WOTLK and my three 80's combine to be "worth" 3500. That's ridiculous.
    You'd be suprised. I remember reading this article back in '07

    http://wow.joystiq.com/2007/09/16/ro...for-almost-10/

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    You'd be suprised. I remember reading this article back in '07

    http://wow.joystiq.com/2007/09/16/ro...for-almost-10/
    Key words of your post were "back in '07"

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by prwraith View Post
    Technichally all your doing is selling your login credentials, not the account

    Which is perfectly legal. Blizzard can't lawfully order you not to.
    your correct. they cant sue you for selling it. but they can close the account and most likely will when they find out that the account is sold.

  18. #18
    The Patient
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    Straight from the Terms of Use:
    Ownership/Selling of the Account or Virtual Items.
    Blizzard does not recognize the transfer of World of Warcraft Accounts or BNET Accounts (each an “Account”). You may not purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, or offer to purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, and any such attempt shall be null and void. [...] Blizzard does not recognize any purported transfers of virtual property executed outside of the Game, or the purported sale, gift or trade in the “real world” of anything that appears or originates in the Game. Accordingly, you may not sell in-game items or currency for “real” money, or exchange those items or currency for value outside of the Game.
    Violation, from what I gather, generally results in account closure. Blizzard can't stop you from releasing any of your login & passwords, but they sure as hell can remove any and all access to an account "comprised" in this way.

  19. #19
    Its not illegal, its just against the ToS/EULA which makes it a bannable offense.

  20. #20
    Free Food!?!?! Tziva's Avatar
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    It's not a grey area. Your account is Blizzard's property, and Blizzard has forbidden the sale of it.

    If by "legal" you mean something you can go to jail for then no, but that doesn't make it a grey area. It is the violation of your contract with Blizzard, full stop.


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