Selling Virtual Property

Or how to avoid getting scammed.

So you leveled your WoW toon/s to 80, got him(them) decked out in ZOMG! Epix! Pewpewpew! then you decided you wanted to sell your account and move on to WAR/LOTR (or some other MMO). The classic way to sell your account is via eBay, and contrary to what anyone might try to tell you selling your WoW account is entirely legal and totally allowed by Blizzard's TOS and EULA.

From WoW's EULA, 4.(b) Ownership - You may permanently transfer all of your rights and obligations under the License Agreement to another only by physically transferring the original media (e.g., the CD-ROM or DVD you purchased), all original packaging, and all Manuals or other documentation distributed with the Game;

and Wow's Terms of Use, 10. Security of Login Information - You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the Login Information...

Blizzard give you the right to sell your copy of WoW, and while TOU 7. No Ownership Rights in Account makes it quite clear that you have no ownership rights to your account, Blizzard do make you responsible for the security of your WoW Account Info. Thus you have the right to sell your copy of the game, and you also have the right to provide someone else with your Account information.

BUT!!! (and yes, that's a big 'but') WoW's TOU 8. Account Suspension/Deletion gives Blizzard the right to suspend or delete said Account for any reason (or no reason) whatsoever. I'd say "so don't give them a reason to suspend/ban you" but it's kind of pointless when they don't even need a reason. If you agree to play their game you also agree to let Blizzard suspend/ban you at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. That's just how deals with the devil work.

Anyway, enough with the legal mumbo jumbo, let's get on with the Guide to selling Virtual Property.

Step 1 - Create your eBay auction, listing it as WoW Online Game, inc. all CDs for both Expansions, manuals, etc, (inc. bonus lvl 80 Character) or something like that. Feel free to list the pertinent parts of WoW's EULA by which you have the right to sell your particular copy of the game as long as you transfer all media that came with the game.

Step 2 - Accept the Paypal payment. Really, Paypal is fine; trust me. If you can get a Bank/Cashier's Check that's ok too, but Paypal is your friend. NEVER accept a Personal Check but if you must, make sure it clears first. Or sell it to a Check Cashing Agency, take the 10%+ hit, and let them deal with the scammer when his check bounces.

Step 3 - Do NOT email the Buyer your Account Name & Password, seriously, and no, you're not trying to scam them either.

Step 3(a) - Use UPS, FedEx, Registered USPS, or any Certified Mail Service which provides a Tracking Number and/or Receipt Confirmation to snail-mail the CDs, Gamebox, Manuals, etc, to the Buyer. Insist on receipt confirmation. Do not email the Account Name & Password to they Buyer (yet). Ignore any threats by the Buyer to leave negative feedback on your eBay Account if you don't email them the Account Name & Password RIGHT NOW!!!

Step 4 - Get confirmation that the Buyer has received your snail mailed items. If necessary, print out this information and keep it in a secure place. This is proof that the Buyer has physically taken possession of the item you sold, and it will save your arse and money in the event of a dispute.

Step 5 - NOW you can email the Buyer your Account Name & Password. Ignore them when they say they can't log in and they want their money back. Try logging in yourself and you'll see they've already changed the password from whatever it was you set it to, and if they didn't change it they're an idiot.

Step 5(a) - Tell them you know they've logged in because they've already changed the password so they should stop being a douche bag, go play WoW and lrn2play.

Step 5(b) - Tell them the Account Name & Password work fine because you just logged in using them, and here they are again in case they typed them incorrectly. Try logging in again and you'll see they've now changed the password. Refer to Step 5(a).

Step 6 - Provide Paypal with evidence of physical proof of delivery when the douche bag tries to dispute the transaction, claiming they never received the item and they want their money back. If you'd only emailed them your Account Name & Password that might have worked and you'd have been screwed, but you sent them a physical copy of the game and you have proof that they received it. Who cares that they agreed to pay $1,000 for a copy of WoW (inc. bonus lvl 80 character)? You sold your account on eBay and avoided getting scammed. You win!

Step 7 - Fire up WAR/LOTR (or your other new MMO) and enjoy.

Step 0 - (Yes, I know this should have been the first step) Avoid screwing over your WoW friends by letting them know you're going to sell your account, remove yourself from any Guilds, and delete all Friends in your Friends List before you provide the buyer with your account name & password.