Quote Originally Posted by DreadRabbit View Post
We already do. Buyers (and I mean players buying anything in game or buying from gil sellers) determine the average prices of items sold. If people didn't agree with the gil botters' prices, then we wouldn't be having this problem because no one would be buying from them.

Everything you just said you can already do with items in game. Why on Earth do you need premium items to do the same things? People are already buying gil because they want easier access to what's already here. How is adding more items to the pool of things players want going to change that at all? If you really want to get in on the premium item trading that badly, then go buy some EB bracelets and go to town.

Back to OP: SE's cash shop hasn't done anything yet to warrant criticism and calling out as being unethical. Cash shops are a norm, and as long as things are purely vanity and are in some way controlled, I have no issues with it.
No, I personally take little interest in premium items, or vanity gear for that matter.. Which is part of the reason why I've never bought anything from cash shop..

What I AM saying is, if the gil <-> $ was controlled by players, then gil prices would drop significantly, RMT won't be as profitable, botting won't be as profitable, AND it will open up the pockets of crafters who are hoarding hundreds of millions, if not billions of gil and have nothing to spend them on, thus make the economy healthier.
I say this for a couple reasons:

1. Legitimizing the gil <-> $ trade will eliminate the back alley premium that RMT companies currently have, once everybody's in on it (not everybody WILL participate, but it will make the pool larger for sure) gil prices WILL drop as a result because of:

a. Reduced risk, Current gil prices are determined with the cost of new account built-in. PLUS quite a bit of labor costs. Majority of players don't calculate their gil as being worth as much as companies do, less overhead and less determination to make a real profit.

b. Increased competition, once a majority of the player base is enabled in the gil-trade, the legitimate kind.. It will drive the prices down. Simple fact, RMT profitability will also drop.


2. Crafter money going back into circulation.
There's a reason taking real life currency out of circulation is a crime, because it is a detriment to the economy. Looking at the current situation of things, many crafters are sitting on hundreds of millions of gil and have nothing to spend it on.. More money gets produced, more money goes to the crafters, and it stays there.. Eventually, economy WILL crash with this model. You already see few crafters that are able to crash the MB single-handedly, let people trade gil for cash shop items, and you will open up their wallets, provide a little boost the economy needs, and maybe even restart from square one, give everybody a fair chance. Chances are, the crafters will STILL make their way back up to their riches, but the point is, the money WILL move given enough motivation. Right now, there is no motivation for the money to change hands.