Perhaps the most common question that runs through World of Warcraft player's minds is whether buying gold is worth the risk or not. As more foreign gold farming businesses (primarily Chinese) continue to establish, gold is now widely available for prices much cheaper than they were a year ago.
I'll be honest - I've once bought 50 gold for $4, but quickly regretted doing so. The service was bad (the gold was delivered in 2 days despite the business promising delivery within 12 hours), but that wasn't the issue. I felt ridiculously guilty when the gold finally arrived in my inbox. I felt that I was supporting slavery and below minimum wages. The 50 gold was quickly spent on junk items, and the junk items were quickly destroyed.
So, is it worth the risk? The definitive answer is no. Although Blizzard is fairly strict on gold selling and buying, it's highly unlikely that they'll ban a first-time-offender's account. Remember, Blizzard is a business too - they're not going to lose $180/year from you just because you bought a few hundred gold. The risk is that, thanks to GMs constantly monitoring suspicious in-game mail, you may lose the gold you just spent $100 on within hours. The gold is sent from "junk accounts", so the gold-sending character's name is generally a combination of random numbers and letters - something that is just a little too obvious.
Whether you buy gold or not is ultimately your decision. You'll just have to remember that there are risks involved and yes, you are supporting slavery and below minimum wages.
Liam Schembri is a professional writer and blogger. Having a passion for online gaming, he is the sole owner of World of Warcraft Guides and continues to update this popular resource regularly.
