Bluie wrote:
I'm wondering if this change is involved with a fix to stop the duping racket somehow.
Absolutely. I think it may also have been the reason for the recent changes to the way the overflow slot and having full inventory works. (Now you can't harvest, craft or buy anything if your inventory is full even if the overflow slot is not.)
They're completely overhauling the consignment and offline selling system because of all the duping exploits, so there may be changes to anything related in the near future.