I'm just going to go on a hunch to say that Merc's gold is legit. He simply just wants to get rid of what he currently has and is moving onto bigger, and better games; like PoE, something I think we all here are looking forward to.
What I find baffling though is, one of the people here who is "trusted" (MARICHELLE), has been selling IGG for 15fg per M, which is perfectly fine and reasonable; that's what the market calls for, yet now she is willing to give 500 million for 50fg?
Do you see something wrong with this?
It's either 1) a spam post, which is against the rules; 2) a post claiming one has an item or currency one does not have which is also against rules or 3) more spam, because in her other thread she says she has no gold to sell currently.
Now, normally I wouldn't bother to post, because this has nothing to do with me and doesn't interfere with what I'm trying to do, but in a strange way;
IT DOES. Why you ask?
Since I too, have been playing TL2 since day one, as I did with TL1; I've come here to unload what I have so I can also, like Mercsan get rid of what I have to get something out of it so I can move on, and not have it wasted.
So, what have I been trying to do? Get rid of my in game gold for currency here, and the first thing that happened was what? Two things happened...
1) I get PMs from marichelle and someone else named Inquitous, basically telling me to sell my gold at their rates so THEY can make FG too. That's fucked up. This isn't communism; this is a free trading market.
They were trying to push me out by making bogus threads like these here...
Inquitous' thread =
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=65907820&f=207Marichell's thread =
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=65908745&f=207These are also breaking forum rules; making threads of items or currency that they do not have. Marichelle even admitted in a PM to me saying that she hadn't sold any gold at that rate (I wonder why...), and Inquitous said they were doing this to push me out.
Where's my proof?
Here it is = 
Now, one admitted that they weren't actually selling the gold at that rate, while the other didn't, yet one (and quite possibly both) were questioning my legitimacy of my gold; seems I'm labeling it as "legit" gold, because it is just that. I've played since Day 1; I'm all over the TL1 and TL2 forums for a LOOOONG time now.
If they were selling their gold for this cheap, one would think it's not legit, considering the cost per Million, but they claim it is legit, now we see one of them is offering 500 million for 50fg? And yet people question me?
I've been around this site for years now; since '05 in fact (lost old account info), and I've ALWAYS conducted good trading habits and I don't lie to my customers, and I certainly don't try to act like a thug trying to push other traders out. Grow up.