Discussion - Does it drive anyone else nuts when people are stupid and drive prices into the ground? (1 Viewer)

[an_image]

I hate the opposite more; artificially inflating prices. I see a lot of effort going into skewing prices high. Competition will naturally drive prices down to their balance point. What you're experiencing is market normalizing, it's just not the frequent 'norm' anymore. Especially on FV. Prices spike back and forth as sellers at both ends tip the balance around. With the modern situation in EQ, I would expect that extra volitility.

Regardless, you're simply complaining your margin isn't high enough in the end. If the margin isn't high enough: pick a different sector, improve the efficienies of your process, or go 'out of business'. That's how open markets work. It's worth remembering that a lot of players are not trying to be billionaires, pay bills irl through EQ, or well-equip a box crew. I would not assume players are pricing in ignorance or stupidity. Their behavior is simpler than that. They are pricing at a profit margin they are satisfied with ... wether they realize it or not.

Well said Harashi, also timing is important. What may appear to you as sellers liquidating at a loss may actually mean they've made their profits and now they're just clearing the bank to move on to their next trade. Someone else said it before...now may be the time to buy them out under costs to resell later.

 

[an_image]

On a different thought related topic with prizes crashing on tov/cov raw materials...great time to buy out suppliers to raise your tradeskills on alts. You can max out tailoring, baking, blacksmith pretty quick with that stuff. Food for thought there too, going the old fashioned route may actually be more extensive in some servers right now...i've seen Velium Infused Spider Silk and pelts for 100 plat per...which is dirt cheap for skillups.

 

[ChatWithThisName]

Toe...if you source your own components the production costs are a lot lower, i think that's what Sum1 may be aluding to. If you're doing your own farming, then your only true cost is what you're mentioning. Otherwise you're paying for vendor mats + raw mats from suppliers.

EX: If i'm farming all my own Velium Infused Spider Silk, Raw Velium Ore, and Velium Infused Pelts...my production costs for TOV armor are extremely low. Not sure if that hits the mark, but it may be what he's alluding to. As long as my sales are more than those costs i'm the green. It doesn't matter what baz traders are charging

I think where toe is going with that is that the individual component prices are worth more uncombined, than combined, therefore the price for the completed product is too low. However, I would argue that due to the amount that is dropping the components are more than capable of filling multiple roles. The components themselves can be used in various recipes to make various items, and would count towards trophy progression as well as skill ups in general. Where as selling the final product has a somewhat limited use. Bulk components tends to be more profitable than the gear items individually depending on your server.

With that said, if the concern is a loss of the final product, don't make the final product. Just resell the components.

But keep in mind that the components on a current expansion with a failing market and poor EXP zones will likely be volatile. The prices will rise and fall on a whim. People are going to flood the market with both the final product, and the components themselves. Chances are due to the struggle to be competitive the vendors might actually be shifting to components. Those components are plentiful and it's only going to serve to drive down the prices of the final products. Ultimately it's going to boil down to the supply/demand of the items. I actually stopped going through the bazaar to sell things. Now, I'm not interested in running a dedicated toon for vendoring, nor do I care to deal with 10 slot bags of junk in my bank, or setting up a trader at all. But I don't mind using the barter system to get rid of stuff cluttering my inventory when I have no use for it. If the cost is your concern and you're still hell bent on making the final product, you want to setup both a buyer and a seller. Barter system is designed with people who want to source their goods and resell them, but it's a multipart system when going through barter.

You set your buy price unreasonably low on barter and people like me will take whatever the highest offer is, even if it's 50 plat each. Then you can either resell the final product or sell the individual components. Now you spend a lot of time in the bazaar and I spend a lot of time doing other things, like killing stuff.

If you're buying the components from other players in the bazaar who have a trader, that's where you're going wrong.

 

[an_image]

I think where toe is going with that is that the individual component prices are worth more uncombined, than combined, therefore the price for the completed product is too low. However, I would argue that due to the amount that is dropping the components are more than capable of filling multiple roles. The components themselves can be used in various recipes to make various items, and would count towards trophy progression as well as skill ups in general. Where as selling the final product has a somewhat limited use. Bulk components tends to be more profitable than the gear items individually depending on your server.

With that said, if the concern is a loss of the final product, don't make the final product. Just resell the components.

But keep in mind that the components on a current expansion with a failing market and poor EXP zones will likely be volatile. The prices will rise and fall on a whim. People are going to flood the market with both the final product, and the components themselves. Chances are due to the struggle to be competitive the vendors might actually be shifting to components. Those components are plentiful and it's only going to serve to drive down the prices of the final products. Ultimately it's going to boil down to the supply/demand of the items. I actually stopped going through the bazaar to sell things. Now, I'm not interested in running a dedicated toon for vendoring, nor do I care to deal with 10 slot bags of junk in my bank, or setting up a trader at all. But I don't mind using the barter system to get rid of stuff cluttering my inventory when I have no use for it. If the cost is your concern and you're still hell bent on making the final product, you want to setup both a buyer and a seller. Barter system is designed with people who want to source their goods and resell them, but it's a multipart system when going through barter.

You set your buy price unreasonably low on barter and people like me will take whatever the highest offer is, even if it's 50 plat each. Then you can either resell the final product or sell the individual components. Now you spend a lot of time in the bazaar and I spend a lot of time doing other things, like killing stuff.

If you're buying the components from other players in the bazaar who have a trader, that's where you're going wrong.

Agreed. At the end of the day there's a balance to it all. In my opinion it's well and good to compete and turn a profit, but never put profits over people. People are the heart of EQ. My advise is diversify, take turns, get to know some of your fellow traders. We're all in it for the fun.

 

[Berkz]

Probably the wrong way to go about it, but what I do now is not to worry about any crafts, just the components, and defiant armor. I put a full inventory of armor (which costs me nothing to get) and wake up to 80% of it gone. Maybe not making a lot of plat as others do, but I am fine with that. I make a group of newbies, park in an abandoned area, and farm defiant until I get a week's worth