Sony's EverQuest auction site a success

It has been just over a month since Sony launched its Station Exchange, which allows EverQuest II players on specified servers a chance to sell their items and characters with Sony's consent (and a few fees so that they can skim a little bit off the top). Many were outraged that Sony would actually endorse item auctioning, but how fares the system? Pretty well for Sony, at least. In just the time that Station Exchange has been open, over $180,000 in virtual property has been traded. Wow. Furthermore, the average user spent $70 on the auction, which seems quite a bit on the ridiculous side to me. I bet Sony is happy, though: any multiplayer online game they publish from now on will feature an online auction of some sort.

Chris Kramer of Sony Online Entertainment says he sees the Station Exchange as a way to "purify" non-auction servers with people who really want to play the game in the traditional sense (i.e. not as a job). Of the EverQuest II players who read this, how do you feel Station Exchange has changed the game?