The farmers then sell their items and the popular online rift gold through online sites. An interested buyer visits these sites and selects the game he's playing. The buyer browses what's available, selects what he wants, and enters his credit card number.

At this point, the player must trust the farmer and wait for him to complete the transaction in-game -- the farmer must enter the game, and either arrange a meeting, or use the in-game postal service to send the items. Because it is against the end-user license agreement of most MMORPGs, there's no guarantee or any recourse if the farmer doesn't deliver the promised goods. I've heard that many people have been scammed in this way.

If You Can't Beat 'Em...

Sony, the creator of the EverQuest series of MMORPGs, has embraced this practice by creating Station Exchange. It allows users of specific EverQuest II realms to exchange goods and even power-leveled characters for real money, and Sony guarantees the transaction.

A "realm" or "shard" in MMORPG parlance is a copy of the game world. Currently, Sony only supports Station Exchange on two realms out of the 25+ realms available.

Is It So Wrong?

In my opinion, there are many reasons why you shouldn't buy items or power-leveled characters.

It destroys the economy of the game. In the game, unlike in the real world, all users start on a level playing field. I like that.