Virtual World Auction Site

Ok, well here's a new one that I need to get off my mind. An auction website for virtual world items. I actually mentioned a little bit of this at a real cash economy (RCE) virtual world site that I am a member of (www.rceuniverse.com). So, here's the train of thought.

There are many massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) out there and it seems as if there are many more to come. For every game that is made, there is a forum set up for it, whether it be player made or company made. And because of the nature of the games, people end up buying and selling the items that they collect in the virtual worlds for game money or, in some cases, for real cash. Some games provide a simplified way to do it in game and others don't. The forum boards that are set up for these games tend to have a section in it for the sole purpose of selling and buying stuff. After the game and forum has been around for a while (if it is successful enough to make it this far), the trading sections tend to become very hard to search through to find what you want to sell or buy. On top of that, it wastes space for the forum that can be put to use elsewhere.

My proposition would be to collaborate with both the owners of these various forums and with the actual companies themselves to set up an out-of-game auction website where users can go to purchase items for the games they can play. This auction sight would encompass all the virtual worlds, not cater to only one. Depending on the agreements with the companies, the auctions can either be held with in game currency or actual cash. Sellers could set up instructions of where and when the trade will be made in game. Buyers would be able to purchase items they are looking for anytime rather than have to log on to their virtual world to find it. The big sales that seem to be conducted out of game can be held on the site. Users wouldn't have to constantly message the seller to see what the current bid stands at; instred, they can just see it in the auction. In some games where there are only shops scattered throughout the virtual world, it would make it easier for the user to find the item he/she wants without searching for hours at each shop in game. The auction site would work like Ebay. It would make a commission of the value of items sold. A portion of the sales would go to the companies which may be slighted by not using the selling functions in game.

Now, the problems I forsee (which could be overcome with some work) would be licensing fees, EULAs of the games that people would be selling items from, marketing the site to get more people interested and working with the companies of the games to allow for such transactions to be made.

So, let's throw this idea around and see if it would be doable. Would it work or wouldn't it? Is it worth a shot? What other problems may arise?

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Bob