Real Money Auction House Delayed Indefinitely and Why It's a Good Thing

Welcome Diablo fans!  We're nearly two weeks into Blizzard's latest and greatest incarnation of the Diablo series and so congratulations to those of you who have weathered the twin-storms of Hell's vile armies and Blizzard's constant battle with server stability.

In that vein, it should come as no surprise that Blizzard recently decided to delay the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) indefinitely.  For those of you just tuning in, the RMAH was going to be a place where players could meet and exchange in-game gold/items for real hard cash (with Blizzard pocketing a hefty 15% transaction fee).  So for the time being, we will have to settle on using the in-gold Auction House (AH).  Well, unless you want to go through disreputable 3rd party sites that change about $3 for 100k in gold.

I was initially skeptical when I heard about the RMAH.  I'm tired of companies attempting to monetize every single transaction in a video game.  But after the release of D3, I quickly became a huge fan of the AH and have used it extensively.  While I do not plan on letting Blizzard bleed more of my cash, I am now content that others may feel differently.  I am also very curious to see how the RMAH will function and where the trade of gold-to-cash will eventually settle.  That said, I am glad Blizzard chose to delay the RMAH.

E-commerce has existed stably for well over a decade now, but still, I tend to feel the slight tinge of skepticism every time I make a purchase online.  As a result, I tend to restrict my online activity to only the most reputable of sites.  When my credit card info goes across the net, I want 99.9999999% assurance that nothing will go wrong.  And on this vitally important area, Blizzard fails.
 
The AH constantly goes offline.  Prices fluctuate on goods radically.  Some of my auctions disappear, only to reappear with hilarious results:

My point is, the AH does not function to the level that I would require to use actual money.  I believe Blizzard is the victim of it's own success, players are flocking to their servers and placing demanding loads on the game and the AH.  I am not angry or upset at this naturally occurring problem (remember Diablo 2's Duriel memory leak issue, oh gods, I WAS ONLY 17).

We should all feel glad that Blizzard has acknowledged the problems facing the RMAH, and rather than jumping on the money train, have decided to hold back until the system is ready.  Now I must go and try to place a pair of pants on the AH for the 15th time...

-Z