Gold sink

A gold sink is any process in the game that removes gold (or gold-equivalents) from the game. Gold sinks help maintain a stable in-game economy, otherwise the constant income from drops would result in rapid inflation.

The primary gold sinks in Guild Wars are the various NPCs who require payment for their services (crafters, skill trainers, merchants, etc.).

In-game, many players also use gold sink to refer items whose player-to-player trading price is far higher than the actual functional value. For example some high-demand miniatures trade for well beyond, even though the item confers no direct advantage to the buyer. Players might inaccurately describe such items as gold sinks even though the money remains with the seller, and therefore within the game.

A brief list of examples
Gold sinks:
 * Obsidian Armor (sinks both gold and high-priced materials)
 * Guild Halls (fully stocked, a guild hall sinks )
 * Destroyer Weapons (sinks gold, gems, and other materials)

Items inaccurately referred to as gold sinks (trade value exceeds functionality, but value remains in-game):
 * Crystalline Swords
 * Miniatures
 * Heavy Equipment Packs (these sink zoins, not gold)