https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/30/18119736/red-dead-online-economy-grind-money-rdr2

Red Dead Redemption 2 players started exploring the Wild West together with the launch of Red Dead Online’s beta earlier this week, and they were soon met with the cold, harsh reality of the game’s economy. Missions and multiplayer modes pay out a pittance, and many of Red Dead Online’s purchasable items, upgrades and customizations cost considerable amounts of money.

Some of the more egregious examples, players say, are customizations for simple items like your character’s starter pistol. As noted in a popular thread on Reddit, customizing the basic revolver to be all black costs a whopping 12 gold bars. By some estimates, it takes roughly eight hours of play in Red Dead Online to earn a single gold bar, which would make a simple-looking upgrade a huge time investment. Upgrading a rifle costs nearly twice the number of gold bars, and a fully decked-out tent can cost 112 gold bars.