Original story continues
Virtual goods being sold for real money isn’t a new thing and them being sold for ludicrous amounts of money isn’t new either. But I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone just paid a quarter of a million Rand ($23850) for a virtual knife in Counter Strike.
The new owner of this pretty stock-standard looking knife would prefer to stay anonymous but the image above shows the final price this knife went for. From my understanding these exceedingly rare items are unearthed in weapon crates and the StatTrak knives allow the user to track certain statistics while they are being held by the user.
There are a bunch of other StatTrak knives currently for sale in the Steam marketplace for between $150 and $300.
Now I understand the appeal of having the special items and the fact that many people spend tons of micro transactions just to have a unique piece or a slight edge over their competition. But spending more than many people earn in a year on a virtual knife for a video game just seems to be insane to me.
It’s not like this knife even gives you the ability to dominate your opposition. How much money do you have to have to be able to throw this amount away?
One rumour doing the rounds is that the Russian Mafia use these in game trades to launder their money. This rumour I think started with World of Tanks but has since spread to Team Fortress 2 and Counter Strike.
I’m actually more comfortable thinking there are evil people out there laundering ill-gotten gains through our hobby than gamers actually wasting this amount of money on digital baubles and trinkets.
Last Updated: April 14, 2014
Rince Striving Abomination
April 14, 2014 at 10:05
What a chop.
Hammersteyn
April 14, 2014 at 10:25
How do you kill a retard?
Give him a knife.
Matthew Holliday
April 14, 2014 at 11:02
everyone runs faster with a knife
Hammersteyn
April 14, 2014 at 11:11
It certainly would make the Comrades Marathon a lot more interesting.
Ottokie
April 14, 2014 at 10:05
3 AM on a Monday morning… I rather take free sleep!
Umar's Sin
April 14, 2014 at 10:07
I would feel much more at ease thinking this is criminal activity…if someone actually spent that money on virtual items……
http://www.desktopwallpaper2.com/desktop-wallpaper-home/8c5c6391fed2b7f66a0f9b0706dbe49f-3-1440×900.jpg
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2014 at 10:07
What the fuck fuckitty fuck? And I thought someone was crazy for buying one of my TF2 items for $7.
Umar's Sin
April 14, 2014 at 10:08
You should change your name to black market merchant Trevor…
Admiral Chief in Space
April 14, 2014 at 10:10
“fuck fuckitty fuck”
hehehe, made me lol
Matthew Holliday
April 14, 2014 at 10:59
Dota 2 has items that start at 230$
one item sold for 38 000$ last year.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2014 at 10:19
I don’t see how this could be money laundering. You can only buy stuff on the market with funds from your Steam wallet. So whoever did this would have to transfer funds into their wallet from a proper bank account. Whoever receives the money can’t transfer it to a bank account from their wallet in turn.
Mark Treloar
April 14, 2014 at 10:25
Except the transaction does not appear to have taken place in Steam, so money changed hands.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2014 at 10:33
Where did it take place?
Unavengedavo
April 14, 2014 at 11:14
In the clouds? O_o
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
April 14, 2014 at 14:19
THE POWER OF THE CLOUD
glassofwater
April 14, 2014 at 11:32
Ebay.
Jedi JJ
April 14, 2014 at 10:20
My mind cannot comprehend this.
Admiral Chief in Space
April 14, 2014 at 10:21
Money laundering makes sense, the rest doesn’t
Jedi JJ
April 14, 2014 at 10:23
It’s a great idea for money laundering actually.
VampyreSquirrel
April 14, 2014 at 10:27
Time for Virtual Nkandla? 😛
Johan du Preez
April 14, 2014 at 13:51
True nothing new here they have been using eve online for the last 10 years for money laundering.
OminousRain
April 14, 2014 at 10:31
I also think (or hope) its money laundering.
I can not think of anybody that can spend that much money on something like this.
B4d R0b0t
April 14, 2014 at 10:35
Mt friend bought a ship for R3500 on Star Citizen……
Matthew Holliday
April 14, 2014 at 11:00
Not quite the 38 000$ enduring wardog sale from Dota 2, but stil 23 000$ is nothing to laugh at
Unavengedavo
April 14, 2014 at 11:17
Not really surprised, you do get people that have more money than they know what to do with. Take for instance the guy who offered Wu Tang Clan $5 million for their one of a kind never to be remade copy of The Wu – Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wu-tang-clan-gets-5-million-bid-for-single-pressing-album-rza-claims-20140402
Donovan Noyle
April 14, 2014 at 11:41
This happened with Diablo hence the closing down of the Auction house. Big money laundering going around atm with virtual sales of items. In the case of Diablo it was found to be a way of dodging tax.
Andy
April 14, 2014 at 12:16
It says $23.85. Twenty Three Dollars and Eight Five cents.
If it said $23,850 then that’s different.
Ben
April 14, 2014 at 13:47
Full retard achievement unlocked.