Diablo 3 Real-Money Auction House

Hey all!
As some of you know, Diablo 3 will have a working RMAH (real money auction house) system running.  And there are a few things that we should look at, before using it.  I'll try to go over what they have already released as info.

You will only be able to access a RMAH in your given region.  As of right now, The Americas, Europe and Asia.

How do I “cash out” from the real-money auction house?
As an advanced feature, players in certain regions will have the option of attaching an account with an approved third-party payment service such as PayPal to their Battle.net account. Once this has been completed, proceeds from the sale of items in the real-money auction house can be deposited into their third-party payment service account. “Cashing out” is then handled through the third-party payment service. Players must decide whether to use this method before posting an auction. Note, however, that if receiving the proceeds of a sale into a player’s Battle.net Balance would put that player’s balance over the maximum permitted balance, the player must receive the proceeds through an approved third-party payment service (in regions where available). In regions where an approved third-party payment service is not available, once a player’s Battle.net Balance reaches the maximum permitted balance, the player cannot make further sales on the real-money auction house.

Are there any account-security measures tied to the real-money auction house?
Players will be required to attach a Battle.net Authenticator, free Battle.net Mobile Authenticator, or Dial-In Authenticator (where available) in order to carry a Battle.net Balance over $100 USD (or equivalent local currency) . For more information about how to obtain an Authenticator, please visit this page.
Players who wish to use PayPal to charge up their Battle.net Balance or to “cash out” funds earned in the real-money auction house will be required to sign up for our Mobile Alerts SMS authentication service in Battle.net. When you sign up for the Mobile Alerts service, you will receive a text message on your mobile phone containing a code that you must enter on Battle.net to verify your identity. Once verification is complete, you can then move forward with your transaction. After this initial verification, you will be prompted to enter a new SMS code from time to time when accessing a feature that uses PayPal. Note that standard SMS messaging rates apply -- check with your cell phone carrier for details.
What’s the minimum and maximum bid I can set for an item?
In the gold-based auction house, the minimum you can list an item for is 100 gold, and the maximum is 100,000,000,000 gold.
In the real-money auction house, the minimum you can list an item for is $1.25 USD (or equivalent local currency). The maximum you can set is $250 USD.

Can Hardcore-mode characters use the real-money auction house?
No. Hardcore characters will only have the option to buy and sell items together with other Hardcore characters via a separate "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house; they will not be able to use the real-money auction house. Hardcore mode is designed as an optional experience for players who enjoy the sense of constant peril that comes with the possibility of death for a character. All of a Hardcore character’s items are forever lost upon that character’s death, so to avoid the risk of a player spending real money on items that could then be permanently lost when the character dies, we decided to restrict the use of the realm-money auction house in Hardcore mode.

Another very important note to Hardcore players:

If my character dies in Hardcore mode, will I lose the items that I purchased in the "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house for that character?
Yes. Again, Hardcore-mode characters will only have access to a "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house, not the real-money auction house, and will not be able to trade with non-Hardcore characters. Hardcore is an optional mode designed for players who enjoy playing with the risk of permanently losing their character if the character dies, and that includes the items they acquired with that character.

Auction House Fees

Before you post your auction, you’ll see any fees that apply to your listing displayed in the center section of the Sell tab. These fees will only be charged if your auction successfully sells, and will automatically be deducted from the item’s final selling price.

For Equipment (weapons, armor, accessories, and other unique items)

• Transaction Fee (Gold Auction House): 15% of final sale price
• Transaction Fee (Real-Money Auction House): $1.00 USD per item / $1.00 AUD per item
• Transfer Fee (when sending proceeds to PayPal or other authorized payment-service provider): 15% of amount being transferred

For Commodities (gems, materials, dyes, pages, recipes, and other non-unique items)

• Transaction Fee (Gold Auction House): 15% of final sale price
• Transaction Fee (Real-Money Auction House): 15% of final sale price
• Transfer Fee (when sending proceeds to PayPal or other authorized payment-service provider): 15% of amount being transferred

For more information on fees, see the FAQ

I'm still looking around for other details about the RMAH, and if I come across anything that catches my eye, I'll post a new blog about it.

IMPORTANT:  You MUST have a NON-Pre Paid cellphone to use the RMAH.

Thanks for reading.