Item Stack Resale Exploit

Permanent bans are the right answer to this, do not let this suckers get of easy. Of course for the accounts doing the exploits and to the accounts the profit was transfered too.

And here we go again. The pitchfork witch hunt in full hunter mode. No, simply banning everyone who participated in this once for life isn't the answer. No, it's not as easy as that. Credits could be transfered via the GTN, making it impossible to put forward substantial evidence that the receiving end is somehow connected. No, removing all affection from illegitimately created companion gifts on other accounts doesn't work.

And most important of all: No, I don't think removing credits the person has previously earned fair and square is a solution. It sends bad PR and isn't the best advertisement to entice new players.

I can also predict people will go into full: "YOU PARTICIPATED! YOU JUST WANT TO SAVE YOUR HIDE!" mode now. Yeah, we know. Everyone who advocates reason is always guilty.

Not 100% sure a permanent ban will help or is the way to go.

Maybe, apart from taking back cash, items, influence etc, I'd suggest a debuff (-5% on all stats) , ban from gtn (for 1-8 weeks), and a "Cheater" title always visible! Rather than losing your subs, make them suffer in-game!

I am talking about accounts involing in doing the exploit, not about accounts that happend to get exploited stuff. Of course BW has to determine the right accounts. But those accounts needs to be permantly banned. Everything else just sends out the message: Exploit early and exploit often because when it goes bad, well 1-7 days suspension and maybe some stuff removed. If it goes good, yay HUGE profit.

The issue here is many created separate accounts to participate in the exploit and then through gtn or other channels, got the items or creds back to their main accounts. Then it becomes very difficult for BW to say you exploited and sold to yourself, vs you bought a stack of exploited items off the gtn. Their credits made their way into the economy already. They took those exploited credits and bought legitimate items off gtn as well. Cant go back and reverse all sales - don't know which are legitimate or not. It's a giant web that can't be cleaned up.

This is why these exploits should be disabled (vendor temporarily removed from game, etc). It is too difficult to fully trace all the accounts and gains to the cheaters. And they will persist. Permaban their alt account- no biggie. It was all done for their main with the alt account being expendable.