Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the more recent games released, and players are still hard at work perfecting their towns, unlocking terraforming tools, and inviting new villagers to live there. But while some are working hard in-game using the game's natural resources, others have taken to hunting for what they need on eBay.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the Switch followup to the 3DS' Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Players are invited to customize their islands from the ground up, in pursuit of the perfect island paradise.
There are plenty of resources to collect in New Horizons, typically in abundance. Players have the ability to collect these items for themselves, or to even utilize Animal Crossing time travel to get ahead of fellow players, whether they're looking for money or crafting materials. However, some AC: New Horizons fans saw an opportunity and began to list valuable items on eBay from the game, like Bells, the game's main currency, and Nook Miles Tickets, which allow players to visit mystery islands.
Given that players frequently spend a considerable amount of money on in-game microtransactions, it might not come as a surprise that some are willing to spend a little cash to get ahead in a game. However, the sheer number of purchases are staggering. Some sellers have now netted up to $6700 overall after selling over 300 listings for 400 Nook Miles tickets just since the game's release on March 20th.
While most players are probably thrilled that this Animal Crossing lacks microtransactions, it's clear that those who want an edge aren't afraid to spend some cash. At this time, it remains to be seen if Nintendo will take action against these sales. It could theoretically put an end to them just by changing which items players are able to drop or mail and therefore share with others, but it's a difficult line to walk, as if too many resources are locked that way it could frustrate honest players who are just trying to pool resources with friends.
However, Nintendo may choose to not take action at all. Animal Crossing: New Leaf also saw some of its items being sold on eBay, and no major changes were made to limit players from doing so.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: eBay (via AnimalCrossingWorld)