Good then.
I do understand why housing items get replicas. Back in 2.0 and partly 3.0 you could sell them on Maket Board, so they just prevented "legal RMT" by making replicas instead of releasing original items.
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The reason is probably that seasonal housing items used to be sellable on the marketboard and since they didnt want a way to introduce RMT through official chanels all mogstation-items are untradeable. The gear already was, so it could stay as the original item but the furniture wasnt, so they added the "replica" to make it a different item. They wouldnt really need to do that with newer furniture since now all of it is marketboard prohibited, but maybe they're just sticking with a theme now?
I hope they are planning on changing this atm. I don't see a reason why they shouldn't be working like the previous summer event gear. Unless it's due to the reason the first poster gave, which seems a terrible way to treat players who have already showed their support by spending money.
Between these two options:
1) Have gear change automatically depending on your gender, but have only a single-gendered icon
2) Have to buy separate mog station outfits for both male & female characters
I would most definitely pick option #1! Ideally they'd find a way to also update the icon as well when it switches genders, but at least this option isn't requiring people to purchase two separate sets for $18 each. :X
I'd even be content if they would add an NPC that lets you swap ALL gear, not just the event/reward items, that would be great. The mog station purchases are poorly handled when it comes to storage options & gender swaps (fantasias).
Obviously it's the better choice out of those two options! But option 3 - resuming and updating the Calamity Salvager trade-in for gendered items - would be good too. Especially on the assumption that they can't alter the icon, or surely they'd do it already for the more visibly different but still shareable items.
It'd be nice if they stopped gendering items entirely so this would never be an issue. Like I can understand how it'd be a mess to go back and fix all the issues it's caused but going forward I donno why they keep doing it.
It's not a waste of money unless the items are deleted from your inventory upon gender change. You'll get tired of being a bunny and switch back and your items will still be there waiting to be donned again. No money wasted. ....except for buying the fantasia to switch to the fotm race.
How is your money wasted? You bought those items with your current character in mind. If you were to fantasia into any female race you would encounter the very same issue. I'd be looking at things a little differently, and changing genders will now give you access to a whole theme park of glamours you previously did not have access to.
I do understand where you are coming from though. For the money spent, being able to trade a piece of gear from one gender for another seems perfectly reasonable, but it's all about the benjamins.