You can find anything on an online auction site: even things that exist on a computer server, such as high elves and barbarians.

There is a thriving economy in the sale of characters and paraphernalia in massively multi-player online worlds, such as Second Life and EverQuest.

Sony Online Entertainment LLC, the San Diego-based Sony division that produces EverQuest, is out with a new white paper describing the economics of buying and selling virtual stuff.

For example, it would normally take a lot of work to become a Level 70 Barbarian in the EverQuest game. But those who don’t have the time or inclination can buy the privilege. Bidding on one such character stood at $255 at 3 p.m. Feb. 7 at Station Exchange, the official Sony auction Web site.

The white paper, which analyzes the first year of Station Exchange, will be published on the company’s Web site by Feb. 21. Go to www.soe.sony.com.

The paper’s authors found that during the year ended in June:

• Total transactions amounted to $1.87 million.

• Players paid as much as $2,000 for a chance to use a specific character in a game.

• The average exchange rate for one piece of platinum — the imaginary money in EverQuest — is $7.35.

The study says there is “significant demand for a secure, sanctioned online marketplace.”

Not all marketplaces are equal, Sony says on its Station Exchange Web site. Sony raises the possibility that people buying characters and paraphernalia on unsanctioned sites can fall victim to fraud, including bait-and-switch schemes.

— Brad Graves