Selling is not duping

I grow increasingly bored of the relentless attacks on the innocent act of selling an item in Ultima Online for gold. Almost daily I read a wise ass comment equating someone's desire to sell an item with duping or some other exploit that is against the rules of the game.

Guess what? Selling items is not only perfectly legal, but it is encouraged. If the creators of Ultima Online did not want us to sell items, they would not have bothered with the entire vending system. Being a merchant in Ultima Online is a noble profession. It requires far more effort and creativity than sticking your Greater Dragon to the Shadow Lords.

I personally never play the game with the expectation of receiving a reward. If I want to kill Shadow Lords, it is because I want to experience just how difficult it is to do so. It turns out that it is not that difficult given the ever present two dozen Greater Dragons feasting on it. If I want to attend an event in game, it is again because I want to experience the story behind it and see how others react to it. I -never- do anything in Ultima Online with the hopes of getting a reward and not surprisingly, 999 out 1000 times, I don't manage to get one.

You know why? Most items that are worth having will have a spawn rate lower than the existing demand for it. I could a) treadmill whatever that needs to be done till I finally beat the odds and get the damn item, or b) save myself some time and just BUY the item that I want. Both of these options are valid playing styles. Not only that, they have a largely symbiotic relationship.

I find that option B is far more suitable for me and I am glad that some people are willing to sell their Mempos or whatever else, affording me the luxury to not spend hours doing something that I do not necessarily enjoy. I will happily spend my gold on items that I want. I will not go to U.Hall and demand that a Mempo to be placed in my bank while crying foul about anyone who is selling one.

(Yes, this is my first post in like three months! I still play Ultima Online frequently but have not had the time to blog!)