   Best way to do virtual item sales
  I've got an online game where users can use "gold" (gold is purchased with real money) to buy special upgrades in the game.  I'm working on adding virtual items that can be bought with this gold as well, but I'm trying to decide the best way to go about doing this.  The way I see it is that I have two options:1. Sell the items in the same way as the upgrades so that the items are always in "stock" and can be bought at any time at any amount.2. The items get stocked into a virtual items store on regular intervals (such as every 30 minutes), so that there are a limited number available at any given time, and the rarer ones aren't stocked as often.With option 1, users can have instant gratification because they can get whatever item they want at any time.  However, this could devalue the items and make it seem less fair to non-paying players.With option 2, it could bring about impulse buys because users will be trying to buy the items faster before they sell out, and this could make the perceived value of the items higher.  However, this cuts out the people that don't want to mess with that and just want to buy their gold and go get the items they want, whenever they want.   
  I don't really see a question in there.The availability of online goods is a design decision.  It is probably more profitable to have the goods available at all times, since you never know when a customer will have the impulse to buy.  But by the same token, artificial scarcity can increase perceived value under some circumstances.  I would prefer constant availability, but you are in control of your design.  Having a few unique items available for auction or for limited duration can be good.  Once you have a community built up, you could attempt both ways and see which offers you the best overall results.On the business legal side...  If it involves real money, you will need to discuss it with a tax professional, and also with a legal professional who knows financial law.  There are laws and regulations which must be followed when you maintain an account from real-money funds.  If you allow in-game goods to be traded to other players in your own virtual economy it opens the door for much virtual crime.  If you allow getting money back out then there are even more laws and regulations, and it opens the door to more serious real-world crime like money laundering.If you decide to maintain accounts with virtual money, proceed with caution.   ;  As the title of this thread asks, which is the best option?  I'm just looking for opinions here to get some different perspectives from my own.  This isn't a new game and I'm not new to developing online games or the legal matters behind them.   ;Quote:Original post by alias_bobAs the title of this thread asks, which is the best option?No, the title of the thread didn't actually ask anything."Better" is entirely subjective.  It is completely defined by your situation.  Here are some things to think about.I don't see the options as mutually exclusive.Nothing prevents you from having some items available for a limited time and other items available at all time.Consider sites like Amazon.com with their little daily short-term specials (to get you to come back frequently) along with their regular inventory of items.  They are very successful at using that type of offer.Disney has found that for their movies it is most profitable to keep them locked up for a decade, cycling through them.  Short-term availability has been used for decades on the Home Shopping Network and similar programs.  There are many web sites that offer daily deals.  In each case, they have found profit in limited availability.There are also counterexamples.  Staple items generally don't benefit from artificial scarcity.  Imagine going to a grocery store and finding that the items you need are intentionally unavailable.  However, if the cheap item is out of stock but the expensive item is on the shelf some customers will pick the expensive item, others will visit another store.  It would take some effort to watch your customers and determine if they are more likely to buy the expensive item, or more likely to pass, and determine the margin difference between the two.Items that are impulse purchases are best to have available at all times.  Consider the candy in the checkout line.  Consider the super-size option in fast food.  They are unlikely to be purchased if they were not constantly offered.Much online game content fits the description of impulse purchases.  Perhaps they had to buy in $10 increments and they have $4 left over.  They have some extra money in their account and they want to spend it.  If you happen to be there at the moment they want it, they'll buy; otherwise you miss the sale.Availability impacts your customer's perception of the company.  Disney's vault is widely held as an evil money-making scheme.  The economy in WoW has several features often mentioned as evil behavior.  Copy-protection systems impact the cost and availability and are often mentioned as evil.  The "evil" reputation reduces their customer base and increases the anger of existing customers.  But in each case the companies believe the decision is better for their business.Availability also relates to the cost of the items.  While it is less frequently available you can potentially earn more for them.  Balancing the availability, frequency, costs, revenue, and profit is an exercise of business calculus.Availability should take into account your customer's visiting habits.  If your customers are transitory or rarely visit then everything is seen as short term, you may be better served with constant availability.  If your customers are frequent visitors then you can be well served with some limited availability items.  You need market research based on your specific product, your specific customers, and your specific business environment.   