Architect Archive
Thread: Master Furniture White Goods
Grisbilen wrote:
Architect goods are worth less than raw resource prices to the public on Chimaera (imo)
I said this in another thread but I think it is germain here. No one uses raw resources as an "end" - they are just resources to get to end products. I view my role as a crafter in terms of taking a pile of raw resources and *adding value* by crafting it into something useful. If there comes a day when the buying public won't buy my stuff for the price of the resources that went into it, then thats the day that I'll conclude that my efforts as an architect are useless and stop doing them.
Think about it - if you say "the resources in this harvester/house/whatever are worth X but the public will only pay Y (where Y is less than X)", then the *marketplace* is saying "you are taking perfectly good raw resources and *reducing* their value! (Kinda sounds like English cooking, right? 
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Astev_Aris wrote:
As far as 50Kper set goes, I wouldn't buy it at that price, so to whoever is charging that much, I'm not sure where you're finding your customers. ...Charge what the market will bear.
That's just it, Bria is an expensive server. My other parlor sets range from 15K to 30K, so 50K for the master stuff pretty much falls in line.
Like you, I havest my own resources, including hide, so my production costs are very low. That's what can be nice about crafting on a pricey server, if you can keep your production costs down, you stand to make a GIGANTIC profitjust charging market price.
That said, I do price just a bit above other shops. I used to be a chef with the lowest prices on the server (Tarquinas), and I was miserable. I made plenty of credits, since I harvested all my own resources then, too. But my stock was cleaned out daily, and I had custom orders up the wazoo. I'd rather price high and re-stock at a comfortable pace, than deal in volume...and stress!! 
And while I've had a couple of complaints about my prices, by far the majority of feedback I get is applause for my well-stocked vendors. So I lose the bargain-hunters but gain the convenience shoppers, who are willing to pay a little extra for a complete selection. Since the latter outnumbers the former, I'm happy.
Re-read what Tushai just wrote several times till it sinks in. *You* choose your business model that makes playing the game *fun*. If you want to be the low-price guy on your server, go ahead - but there are a lot more things that go into it beyond just your pricing - you need to think about your production volume and how you will sustain it. You need to figure out how much time you want to spend stocking your vendors.
I came to the same conclusion that Tushai (and several others here) has stated - my prices for everything are on the high side (not the absolute highest) for my server, but I have a very well-stocked vendor (except for the past 2 weeks) located in a very convenient spot and give great customer service. I have more fun doing it that way and I give value to my customers.
I'd observe that most crafters who stay with a profession for a long time (I've been a Master Architect since Oct 03) have found some sort of balance that suits their personal play style. Quite often low-price/high-volume seems to burn people out. Your mileage may vary.
Here's my price determining plan on furniture:
If it's a nonspecific resource (metal, ferrous metal, steel, etc.) - 4 cpu
If it's a specifically named resource (Pholokite Extrusive Ore) - 6 cpu
If it's anonharvestable resource (hide, bone) - 8 cpu
If it's a nonharvestable, named resource, (Endorian Wooly Hide) - 10 cpu
If it takessubcomponents, figure themin following the above guide lines.
If the subcomponentshave to be facoty made and you are the one making them, add1 cpu to the normal price. If they're being purchased, pass along the cost with a small increase to cover time and trouble. (10%)
All the above is assuming that you are providing all the resources yourself. Hope this helps!