We have already spoke about the controversial Auction House system in Diablo 3 over at Diablo 3 Auction House, but now it is time to answer some of the questions players have been asking about the Auction House. Questions listed below are related to both the gold and real money Auction Houses.
1) If an item I purchased is nerfed, can I get a refund?
Blizzard has stated that all Auction House sales are final and will not refund or otherwise make accommodations for you even if the item has been nerfed in a patch. Make sure you want the item before you buy it!
2) Why can't I see the real money Auction House in my Diablo 3 interface?
The reason for this is that the RMAH (Real Money Auction House) was not included in the release. It was originally planned to be included in the game on the 22nd May, but was then pushed to the 29th May. As you can guess by reading this post, it was further pushed back to the 12th June. Given the recent problems Blizzard has been having with account security and Auction House transactions, you can bet it will be delayed even further.
3) Can Hardcore characters use the RMAH?
Hardcore characters are limited to the gold only Auction House, and apart from that they can only buy/sell with other hardcore players. The reason Blizzard gave for this is that they don't want people spending real money on items just to loose them when they die.
4) How much will Blizzard take from each sale?
For the gold Auction House there is a 15% flat fee on each successful transaction.
For the RMAH, the free structure is a little different. When selling equipment (like armor and weapons) a fixed amount is deducted. The fee depends on your region and the possibilities are listed below:
- USD - $1.00
- MXN - MXN 12.00
- BRL - BRL 1.80
- ARS - ARS 4.50
- CLP - CLP 500
- AUD - $1.00
- GBP - 1£
- EUR - €1
- RUB - 50 RUB
When selling "commodities" like gems, gold, crafting materials, and other stackable items a 15% transaction fee is applied like the gold Auction House sales. The reason there is a different transaction fee between these items is that equipment is sold on a per-item bases, while commodities are sold in stacks. Because of this, there is a big possibility that the stack will be divided between multiple sellers resulting in multiple transactions. If the previous fee structure was implemented the buyer could end up paying multiple transaction fees per auction.
5) How do I cash out?
After selling an item in the RMAH you have two options for where the money goes. You can either leave it to it's default state where the money will go in your Battle.Net Balance which you can use to buy things from the Blizzard store, or link your account with Paypal and have the money go there. Paypal transactions are subject to a 15% transaction fee APART from the cut Blizzard puts on every sale (see previous question), so that's $30 taken by Blizzard for every $100 you make (assuming you are selling commodities).
Some other rules apply here. You have to set which method you want to use (Paypal or Battle.Net Balance) prior to each auction you put up, on a per-auction basis. Money put in your Battle.Net Balance can not be transferred to Paypal. Also, not all regions will support a third-party payment method such as Paypal at launch.
If you choose to use your Battle.Net Balance to store your money please be aware that there is a $250 limit placed on how much money can be stored here. Once you go over that limit, you must either spend some of it or make future auctions use Paypal. In regions where Paypal is not available, you will not be allowed to create more auctions until your Battle.Net Balance is reduced.
6) Will the Auction House reveal the seller name?
Both the gold and real money Auction Houses will be 100% anonymous. This means that nowhere in your auction is your real name, character name, or BattleTag listed. This was implemented to provide an extra layer of security as well as prevent farmers putting up multiple high end items up for auction from being pestered by people asking how they got them.
7) How many auctions can I create at the same time?
All accounts are limited to a maximum of 10 auctions in the gold Auction House as well as 10 in the RMAH, making for a total of 20 auctions at the same time. Note that stacks of items count as a single item, and expired items listed in your completed tab still count towards the limit until they are removed by the player.
8) How long does it take for money to appear in my chosen payment method?
Money can take up to 3 days (sometimes longer) to appear in you Battle.Net Balance or Paypal.
9) Will Blizzard be putting up items on the Auction House?
Blizzard has stated that the Auction House is strictly player only and they will not be posting any items on it. This is so they don't interfere with the game economy.
10) Can I access the Auction House while playing?
The Auction House can only be accessed from the campaign screen. If you are in the middle of a game, you will have to leave if you want to use the Auction House.
11) How do I pay for auctions?
Gold auctions will obviously take gold from your character, while the RMAH can be set up to take either from Paypal or from your Battle.net Balance.
Hope this Diablo 3 Auction House Faq answered all of your questions, if not please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer you.
Most of this information was taken from the very long and detailed Blizzard Faq on the subject.