The courier in question.

Someone has bought an in-game Dota 2 item for an eye-watering $38,000.

Dota 2 player "PAADA" sold an ethereal flame pink War Dog courier for $38,000 in a auction on the Dota2Trade subReddit.

The ethereal flame pink War Dog courier is so coveted because of its rarity. It is a legacy courier, that is, a courier that was opened within the first few weeks of "unusuals" being able to be unboxed (in Dota 2 you can obtain items via random chests and item drops).

In Valve's hugely popular multiplayer online battle arena game, the courier is used to transport items from your base to your team, and vice versa.

As Redditor ColtonisWright explains, ethereal flame is a visual effect. Pink is the colour of the courier. Pink is rare because it is not one of the 10 set colours Valve created soon after it found a bug associated with black couriers.

"Now every 'legacy' courier aka a courier not a part of the 10 set colours are VERY rare as they are each unique in their own way," ColtonisWright continues.

"The War Dog is the most sought after courier type, ethereal flame is the most sought after effect, and the shade of pink is very sought after. This combination makes it extremely rare, and one of a kind."

There are only four other known pink ethereal flame war dogs, apparently.

While $38,000 is a stunning amount to pay for a virtual item, it is far from being the largest amount. In 2010 Entropia Universe player Jon Jacobs sold a virtual space station for $635,000.