The base purpose of Playerauctions is to provide safe transactions for virtual goods. However, there is one aspect of the market that is a no-win situation that I would like to hear an inside opinion on.
Account sales (specifically, Runescape) are a nightmare for buyers. Jagex accounts can be recovered by the original owner at ANY time: For example, my first main account was hacked roughly 6 years ago, and I recovered it last year regardless of the registered email, recovery questions set JAG and bank PIN being set by another person.
Because Jagex's policies so generously allow account recoveries to the original owners bar none, I've heard of more than a few disputes where people have purchased accounts through PA, and also buying insurance, yet still being screwed out of their purchase. What aggravates the issue further is that the more valuable the account, the more likely an account recovery is.
In addition to this, the burden of proof is unreal. There's no way to "prove" beyond a reasonable doubt that an account was recovered, which can lead to messy disputes on both sides of the equation.
Compared to other market sites, PA's account sales are much more costly, but there is no way to make it more secure. Other blackmarket sites that buy accounts are infamous for scamming or having poor customer support simply because there is no way to please customers in the account sale business, so they buy accounts for almost nothing. The difference with PA is that the administration doesn't bear the financial flow through fraud, as soon as the seller receives the money for the account, the buyer is immediately at the mercy of the seller.
PA manages Paypal very effectively to make it a viable option for sellers, but there is really no guarantee that can be offered for account buyers. Is there anything in the pipeline for account sales via PA?
Account sales (specifically, Runescape) are a nightmare for buyers. Jagex accounts can be recovered by the original owner at ANY time: For example, my first main account was hacked roughly 6 years ago, and I recovered it last year regardless of the registered email, recovery questions set JAG and bank PIN being set by another person.
Because Jagex's policies so generously allow account recoveries to the original owners bar none, I've heard of more than a few disputes where people have purchased accounts through PA, and also buying insurance, yet still being screwed out of their purchase. What aggravates the issue further is that the more valuable the account, the more likely an account recovery is.
In addition to this, the burden of proof is unreal. There's no way to "prove" beyond a reasonable doubt that an account was recovered, which can lead to messy disputes on both sides of the equation.
Compared to other market sites, PA's account sales are much more costly, but there is no way to make it more secure. Other blackmarket sites that buy accounts are infamous for scamming or having poor customer support simply because there is no way to please customers in the account sale business, so they buy accounts for almost nothing. The difference with PA is that the administration doesn't bear the financial flow through fraud, as soon as the seller receives the money for the account, the buyer is immediately at the mercy of the seller.
PA manages Paypal very effectively to make it a viable option for sellers, but there is really no guarantee that can be offered for account buyers. Is there anything in the pipeline for account sales via PA?
, that being said, the team are heading in the right direction and all feeling confident at some of the quick fixes I have already begun implementing.