Warcraft Mobile Auction House Dies Quietly in a Corner
Announced on April 4th so is unfortunately not a very bad April Fools’ joke, the Remote or Mobile Auction House app is being retired on 18th April.
The WoW Remote Auction House will be deactivated on April 18, 2018. On that date, you will no longer be able to view Auction House listings or make Auction House transactions through the official WoW website or the WoW Armory app, and all links will be removed from our website. After April 18, you’ll still be able to use the WoW Armory app for all other purposes, including accessing your character profiles, talent calculators, event calendars, and more.
API & Community Sites Unaffected
Some World of Warcraft community sites make use of Blizzard’s API to access Auction House–related data, and we will continue to support for that. If you regularly visit a site that accesses data from the Auction House to keep an eye on the price of fish, you (and they) can continue to do so after April 18. Carry on fish-watching to your heart’s content.
Azeroth Auctioneers Need You
In the meantime, eager auctioneers all over Azeroth are still available and conducting business as usual, so seek them out for all of your Auction House needs. Time is money, friend!
A bitter blow to the gold making community.
Sorry
I feel like this is my personal failure to teach about, to promote, to explain how to use, and my failure to encourage other gold content creators to explain how to use. Because it was such a powerful and secret tool, I did not teach enough about it, and I should have done so.
Why the Mobile Auction House Matters
For posterity, the mobile auction house was used for
- Re-posting transmogs easily, because it ignored the stats (eg … of the whale)
- Re-posting trade mats easily, because these were items you would want to undercut
- Sniping and fast purchase of rare items at cheap prices – used in conjunction with The Undermine Journal fast email notification (click to learn how)
- Hiding from rapid-fire undercutting competitors who thought you had logged off
- Picking up gold from Sold Auctions
- Connecting with the auction house and watching sales prices during the day, when you were at work for example
- Posting items for sale directly from the mailbox
What about The Undermine Journal and Trade Skill Master?
The API remains unaffected, so the Undermine Journal and TSM should carry on as normal.
There had previously been some quiet worries that the Undermine Journal would be closed. This was because of the lack of API. The API was since restored, and will continue despite the loss of the mobile / remote Auction House.
It’s worth making sure that all your eggs are not in “one basket” and to learn how to also use the wowuction website.
Coming Back for Battle for Azeroth?
There is conflicting hearsay about whether the mobile auction house will return for Battle for Azeroth Expansion (announced for August 14th 2018). One source saying that it had been totally discontinued for financial reasons, with very few players using it, and that the loss of the website interface pointed to it being far too difficult to reinstate unless re-written from the ground up.
At the same time, another source on Reddit says that “They already said at Blizzcon 2017 that both current apps would be retired for a new all inclusive app”
It would be a very strange, backwards step to remove a mobile app in a world increasingly accessing the internet from mobile devices. The Legion app, which allowed you to manage your order hall and your alts, has been a success.
I’d like to believe that a new remote auction house app is coming, but my fear is that with the hype surrounding Battle for Azeroth, and the focus more and more on pvp esports and pve mythic invitational esports, that “AH pvp” is simply not a priority for Blizzard devs.
Suggested Solution – Charge Extra for the Remote Auction House
Reading through the World of Warcraft Magazine number 3 (published in 2010) I found a reference to the Warcraft Mobile Auction House in this article that could give a suggested solution.
Click to read the whole article.
mobile auction house article
In the article, the magazine says that the remote auction house costs an extra $2.99/month.
I was making Warcraft gold in 2010 and remember the charge, but I don’t remember when the charge was removed and when it went free.
Could reinstating the charge cover the cost of running the Mobile Auction House?
“An optional subscription to World of Warcraft Remote will let you buy, sell, and collect your earnings for $2.99 every 30 days”
Would you be willing to pay for a Remote Auction House app?
Yes I would pay
[bctt tweet=”I would pay 2.99 for the Remote Auction House app. C’mon @warcraftdevs ! ” username=”thegoldqueen”]
No, the remote AH needs to be free
[bctt tweet=”Reinstate the @warcraft Remote Auction House app now” username=”thegoldqueen”]
No, the remote AH needs to die in a fire
[bctt tweet=”Hey, remote auction house, go die in a fire” username=”thegoldqueen”]
About the Author
Warcraft’s longest running Gold Making blog, The Gold Queen is written by Alyzande since 2010. Working on her 14th level 110, she has 9 years expertise in making gold, 19,000+ achievements, 1593 days played, over 39 million gold earned, and now playing World of Warcraft Legion live on www.twitch.tv/thegoldqueen The Gold Queen blog teaches you how to make gold playing Warcraft using ethical trading, auction house flipping, crafting, reselling, snatch lists, and farming gold making. Want more updates on Warcraft Battle for Azeroth? Support my Patreon for exclusive pre-release Gold Guides.
