Let me know what your PA username is. I can look into it, and message you privately why the extra information was requested.
Our systems are yes, over-protective.
But we have to be.
For example, the anti-RS account propogandists state that anywhere between 50-90% of account sales on sythe are scams (I have not verified this), whereas on PA, account orders that have problems hover at around 6% (still high in my opinion).
On top of this, the emergence of BTC on the scene has not brought about positive change in terms of regulation and due diligence for virtual commodities.
We do not offer BTC as payment methods anymore... why? Nearly all of the processors in the BTC space are now having their merchant acquiring bank accounts closed, funds frozen, etc. etc. and it all has to do with compliance and due diligence.
There are times when we ask for the added information because of shady dealings, and then there are times we ask members to go the extra mile due to items we find in our systems which warrant extra verification.
Someone may come to PA with good intentions, and have no desire to scam. However our risk management systems are so robust that we have the ability to track chargebacks or other "pings" to a person's eCommerce history from other venues.
Do I think we are overly strict?
Yes.
However, PlayerAuctions has nearly doubled in transaction volume across all games. Relaxing just a "little" opens up unacceptable risk both over time as well as for our members.
Case in point, a few years ago... we had one particular member who had a very high "internal rating". He had in fact been with us for many years. The long story short, is that it proved to be a very stinging lesson for us, that -even- with long time "trusted" members, follow policy and procedure and don't take the risk.
It is this mentality that has largely contributed to the ramp up in our growth. People know that when they come to PA "we do our due diligence", and will bend over backwards to keep all parties safe (Including ourselves, since we absorb fraud costs).
We may loose "good users" from time to time. But the amount a single "good user" contributes (remember, we make 10% off a purchase), pales in comparison to the potential loss we face of a "bad user" (100% of their purchase history).
Guys, for all the "shortcomings" that PA has... we have been around for now... 15 years (as of two months ago). We provide a service that isn't just for the "end user" in mind, but for the whole of an industry which says that "you must waste your time grinding in games, to keep up with your friends". We are here to help with legitimizing gamer secondary markets and to help publishers realize the extreme benefit of allowing users to "ascribe value" to their gameplay.
The only way to convince higher-ups, is to make sure we have everything in order.
Bear with us, because we do provide a lot more benefit than many realize, even in the midst of our over-strictness.
@OP and DarkestDream
Both of you can ping me with your usernames. I'll take a look.
Jake
The guy who runs PA
