Ebay Delists Virtual Property Unless Its From Second Life
Trading virtual property on eBay is a big no no unless you are trading virtual property from the Second Life virtual world. Trading virtual property from World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs is forbidden. Originally the eBay ban was for all virtual items but News.com reports that traders of Second Life virtual items have been thrown a life line.
eBay spokesman Hani Durzy told CNET News.com Monday that that exemption stems from the auction giant's interpretation of what Second Life is.
"If someone participates in Second Life and wants to sell something they own, we are not at this point proactively pulling those listings off the site," said Durzy. "We think there is an open question about whether Second Life should be regarded as a game."
That statement should make Second Life publisher Linden Lab very happy, as it has tried for years to hammer home the point that its virtual world is not a game. But to have that position supported by as august an institution as eBay should definitely bolster Linden Lab's argument, regardless of what other observers think.
One argument that Second Life is no longer a game is that you have news agencies, embassies and department stores like Sears setting up a virtual place inside the virtual world. More discussion of the ban on virtual goods except for those found Second Life can be found on Auctionbytes, Marketing Vox and ITWire. Also at Auctionbytes Ina Steiner speculates about the possibility of a Second Life acquisition by eBay.
If you run a "Second Life" search on eBay you will currently see over 100 items -- most of which are Lindens or Linden Dollars -- the currency traded inside the Second Life virtual world.
Trading virtual property on eBay is a big no no unless you are trading virtual property from the 
