Blizzard dropped a small bomb today that only the Gold AH will be available at launch. The Real Money Auction House will not be available at launch but be online approximately one week after that. Blizzard also put up a comprehensive Auction House guide, with all the information you ever wanted to know about the AH and how to use it.
The gold-based auction house opens its doors worldwide on May 15 with the launch of Diablo III, and we plan to bring the real-money auction house online approximately one week after that. This is a new service that includes lots of complex elements, so we are going to take a little extra time to ensure the game gets off to a good start before we flip the switch and open the real-money auction house for business.
For more information, head to the freshly minted Diablo III Auction House website, or check out the updated Auction House FAQ.