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Trading doesn't have to suck, be filled with scams, and take up a ridiculous amount of your gaming time. Answer: AH.
Let's go!
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The developers Jonathan and Hrishi in the video below:
INSTANT BUY-OUT TRADING in PoE2 & Itemized Aisling and other services in PoE 1?!?!
https://youtu.be/RskRFwgoQ5g?si=srdyAc4O-6OhZT7q
Acknowledged the need for an auction house with instant buyouts and a proper search function.
They aren't against trade but want to control it with gold as a limiting factor, preventing excessive flipping while keeping it accessible.
The devs are designing a system where trade exists but doesn’t overpower loot drops or crafting.
Instead of removing or limiting trade, they're integrating it in a way that maintains balance.
You can check these timestamps for verification:
1:56:27 – Discussion on auction house and trade improvements.
1:57:20 – How gold will act as a limiting factor for trading.
1:58:51 – Auction house plans and restrictions to balance trade.
The RMT's raise the market price's so it forces the player base to buy currency from their websites. It's a classic tactic.
They are part of the Taiwanese Gaming Mafia / Union and each person runs 5,000 bots each. They operate in all main MMO's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnauN2pkDBQ
Here’s a list of games with auction houses that prove Path of Exile 2 has no excuse:
EverQuest (1999)
Ragnarok Online (2002)
Final Fantasy XI (2002)
EVE Online (2003)
World of Warcraft (2004)
Final Fantasy XIV (2010)
ArcheAge (2013)
The Elder Scrolls Online (2014)
Black Desert Online (2016)
Albion Online (2017)
These games span decades and offer player-driven trading systems that are accessible and functional.
Meanwhile, Path of Exile relies on outdated trade methods that force players to use third-party tools.
How is this acceptable in 2025?
If developers could figure this out over 20 years ago, there’s no reason PoE 2 can’t have an auction house.
This isn’t about “philosophy”, it’s about refusing to modernize because they cater to the RMT's that dominate the current trade system and market.
Grinding Gear Games, take note—this is long overdue.
Why Do People Oppose Auction Houses? Follow the Money...
the people most vocally against auction houses in games like Path of Exile often have something to gain from manipulating and exploiting the current system.
The trading process allows for:
1. Price Manipulation: Without a transparent, centralized system, scammers can inflate or deflate prices through market collusion. They prey on inexperienced players who don’t know the fair value of items.
2. Exploiting Frustration: Many players don’t have time for endless trade whispers or haggling. This frustration is exploited by individuals who lowball desperate sellers and resell items for massive profit margins.
3. Gatekeeping New Players / Casuals: The complexity of manual trading acts as a barrier, keeping less experienced players from participating in the economy. This ensures that veterans or "market sharks" maintain their dominance.
4. Third-Party Tools and RMT (Real Money Trading): Some of these individuals rely on third-party tools or even real-money trading. A proper auction house would cut into their shady operations by making trading transparent and accessible to everyone.
An auction house can mitigate these opportunities for exploitation.
Transparent pricing and convenient access level the playing field, benefiting the majority while eliminating the advantages scammers and cheats currently enjoy.
Anyone fighting against that probably has something to lose on the black market.
How the Auction House might function:
1.
30-Item Sell Limit per 15 Minute Cooldown
Why It Works:
Reduces market manipulation by limiting the sheer volume of items bots can flood into the Auction House (AH).
Forces players to prioritize meaningful listings, which could lead to better-quality trades overall.
It’s a bot deterrent as they rely on scaling volume to generate profit.
Additional Suggestions:
Tiered Listing Limits: Base the cap on the item’s rarity or value. For instance, players could list only 5 unique items at a time but have no cap for common/rare items.
Cooldown for Adjusting Listings:
Include a short cooldown (e.g., 5 minutes) before players can re-list items they’ve just delisted to prevent price manipulation.
2.
15-Minute Cooldown After 30 Purchases
Why It Works:
Slows down automated buying, a tactic bots use to snipe underpriced items for flipping.
A cooldown across the entire account ensures bots can’t bypass restrictions by cycling through characters.
Additional Suggestions:
Exempt Crafting and Currency Items:
Allow unrestricted trades of lower-value items to avoid inconveniencing regular players who are purchasing crafting or consumables in bulk.
Cooldown Scaling: Increase cooldown duration after repeated cooldown triggers (e.g., after three 15-minute cooldowns, the next one lasts 30 minutes).
3.
Account-Wide Cooldowns
Why It Works:
Prevents bots from bypassing limits by creating multiple characters on the same account.
Makes botting less efficient by introducing downtime across the board.
Additional Suggestions:
Introduce progressive penalties for accounts that consistently hit cooldowns, such as further reduced purchase/sell caps or temporary bans.
Consider grace periods for legitimate players with high activity but no suspicious behavior patterns.
4.
Tier System for Items
Why It Works:
Limits apply only to higher-tier items (rare, unique, etc.), ensuring that restrictions target the most valuable trades where bots tend to operate.
Leaves low-tier gear trading unaffected, making the system less frustrating for average players.
Additional Suggestions:
Include dynamic pricing thresholds (e.g., only enforce restrictions on trades above a certain currency value).
Offer a premium trade option (e.g., pay extra currency for reduced cooldowns for critical purchases).
This approach is well thought out and tackles several key problems bots create in online marketplaces. Here's a detailed breakdown of your proposal and why it's effective:
5.
Dynamic Limits Based on League State
Why It Works:
Accommodates the natural trading spikes during the early and late phases of a league, improving player experience.
Bots typically focus more heavily on the start of leagues, so stricter rules during that phase make sense.
Additional Suggestions:
Monitor trading trends to dynamically adjust the number of items a player can list or the cooldown duration.
Scale limits per league participation milestones, e.g., more relaxed restrictions for players in late-game stages.
6.
Dynamic Taxation on Flipping
Why It Works:
Deters bots from profiting through rapid item flipping, a core strategy they use to manipulate the market.
Encourages thoughtful trading by penalizing unnecessary resale attempts.
Additional Suggestions:
Introduce graduated taxes: Lower taxes for items held for longer durations and higher taxes for rapid re-listings.
Tax could also scale based on item demand or value, discouraging manipulation of high-demand items.
Use a tax rebate system for items that don’t sell after being listed for a long time to avoid penalizing legitimate players stuck with unwanted gear.
7.
Cooldown Notifications & Transparency
Why It Works:
Improves player acceptance by explaining why restrictions exist and how they help maintain a healthy economy.
Reduces player frustration, as they can adapt to limitations when they’re clearly communicated.
Additional Suggestions:
Add a counter system showing how many listings/purchases a player has remaining before triggering a cooldown.
Provide tips or guides to help players optimize their trading activity under the system.
