Architect Archive
Thread: Architect Business Model
Furniture is great. Somehow something that is 700 credits (even though it is 5.5 credits per resource) people don't complain about versus a small house at 10k credits that is just over 3 credits per.
I wouldn't bother with the basic furniture though. Get up to the 2nd or 3rd skill box that is what is in demand. Since torches are the only light source that actually gives off light, torches sell like hot cakes, but you need the master artisan electronics GP module.
I utilize a variety of strategies for my Architecture business. First off there was the struggle to get to Master Architect. During that time, my goal was to be able to feed my own harvesters and reach Master level in a reasonable period of time. To do that I had 2 accounts available for my use. I had an equipment factory, a Naboo type 1 house and the rest of the 18 lots were open for harvesters. At first glance you might think I had it made, but it took me a couple of weeks to find the right balance between what to make and sell (to support the harvesters), what to put my harvesters on, and how many harvesters to dedicate to power. During this beginning time I only purchased materials to finish pre-paid orpre-committed jobs. I rarely built on speculation. I would build subcomponents and keep them in the bank so that when someone said they wanted a small house, all I needed to know was what kind and then I would assemble with my ready parts. This is a practice I use today even as a master.
Now that I have reached master, how do I handle resources? Here are the strategies I am using now.
1) I have an apprenticeship program with Novice Architects. They make walls for me which I purchase for 9k each. I also provide free training to any of them (for that matter I always train for free, but these novices getmoreattention). I also have the novices make small houses periodically or other subcomponents that do not need to be factory made. I pay 3cr per resource used for the finished product. This allows the novices to focus on mining Ore and a Metal for wall making. I know some of the novices purchase all of their materials for 2.5-3cr per and use me to help them power level by immediately purchasing their finsihed product. Even with crit fails, they have a ready buyer for walls if that's the route they want to go. Some novices only sell walls to me when they really need cash badly, others have used selling walls to me to power level from Novice to master and not doing much else. Also, once in a while if I need more walls, i will have 200k-300k worth of wall making resources to a novice and have them grind the walls for me. They get the exp and I get the finished product.
2) I have my own harvesters on the two accounts of my own. The strategy here is to get tehse to larges as soon as possible. I have extra larges for GAS, Chemical, and Flora to drop into my harvester rotation at will. I also have access to a friends account who sullpies me with 10 slots as well. Last night I needed additional storage, so a friend from another server created an account on my server and then droppde 2 medium naboo homes (for storage), 2 Structure factories and 2 Equipment Factories. He turned the admin over to me and then wont ever have to login again to do anything with these unless we move. This freed up a couple of slots on my main character and allows me to have a significantly increased production and storage. Right now I manage about 30 large harvesters at any one time.
3) I generate my own power, but may switch to purchased some day soon. Whenever radioactive is up, I drop 5 fusion generators on it that allows me to get power for .1 credit per unit. When radioactive goes away, I usually have 400-800k in reserve to allow me to run until it showsw up again.
4) I purchase some raw materials if the price is right or I need them badly enough. Frankly I don't see a viable model for purchasing raw materials for say 3cr eachand trying to eek out a living on the finished product.
I try to make large factory runs of regularly used components, such as Generator Turbines, Storage Modules, Small storage modules, harvester mechanisms, manufacturnig mechanisms, etc. I try to make each of these a run of at least 100. Though I think the largest I have done on Gen turbines was 80 so far. If necessary I will wait several days worth of resource gathering to allow me a larger run. I usually have 40-100 wallsin stock at any one time made from the novices that sell to me.
On my vendor I try to keep 1-4 of most items we can make. It isn't unusual for me to have a Generic PA hall and a Naboo PA hall on my vendor with samples of most houses, harvesters and factories as well. If someone needs something I don't have, my startegy is to be able to build frmo sub components and do the final assembly only. Example. Last night someone wanted 4 generic medium houses. They were a shuttle ride away. I had them built befoer they got on the shuttle.
Long term I am not sure if I want to be an architect like this. I am now exploring more furniture making and essentially keeping my vendor stocked. I have higher prices than many architects on the server, but I keep my vendor stocked and that is my strategy.
So .. that's my business model.
**** Side note - I always crack up at folks that sell resources for lower prices as you purchase larger QTYsin one shot. Is it just me? or wouldn't it be more valuable to have a stack of 250k of a specific Ore or Steel. I usually don't discount large stacks of resources when I sell them. That would give you more schematic flexibility. *****
I run two accounts, ranger and architect.
The first thing I did when I made novice was make a price structure that worked for me. I have not changed my prices since novice, with the exception of small houses (which I don't eventry to sell, if someone asks I make one). For the first week or so I used the ranger account running destroy missions to pay off the harvester bills. I got to buildings I and installations 4 by filling the occasional order and making walls, generators, etc for my own future use. I put up a structure factory as soon as I had the ability to make it and was making the parts for myheavy harvesters before I could assemble them (factory gave full xp at the time).
Once I got to that point I started emailing people looking for heavies on my server board. I built up a small clientele of mostly miners. These same people still come back to me for harvesters. They also told their guilds/friends and I have been a busy architect ever since.
I have always made a point of answering /tells. You would be amazed at the number of crafters that refuse to answer questions for their clients or help them decide the best items to buy for what they want to do. I also make a point of delivering when promised or earlier.
I decided early on that I would "specialize" in large harvesters and my prices reflect that. My prices for heavies are below the average price on the server, and my prices for houses are above the average. I can afford to sell heavies cheaper than average because I sell so many of them that the cost of making schematics with each resource shift is minimal on a per harvester basis. I estimate that I've sold 200+ heavies since reaching master.
A few weeks after hitting master I started looking for "apprentices" to build walls. Every time I am in town and see someone spamming houses and/or factorys for ridiculously low rates I send them a /tell offering to buy all the walls they want to sell at 9k each. Most take me up on it, and I have trained several to master.
Because of buying walls I can run a high volume business. It allows me to fill orders much faster than if I was limited to the resources from my own harvesters. Many of my customers are ordering 10-20 harvesters at a time so it really helps.
I've been master for a while now, and my strategies have shifted depending on my needs and the needs of my customers.
I started out selling most things for 2.5-3cr per resource - however, it quickly became apparent that people would pay more, so I raised prices to 3-4. That pretty much stayed the rule for structures for a very long time. I didn't make much money there, but once I delved into furniture ... yeah, that's a gold mine 
I sold furniture 1 items for 5cr/unit. All other furniture went for 10cr/unit -unless I made them in a factory, where I would sometimes give a discount to volume purchases. Made a lot of money from this, but it required a decent amount of time in-game and discussion with prospective customers.
I'm now to the point where I play the game for me. Interesting concept, but it's grown a bit more fun . Instead of playing to customer demands on the spot, I now require almost all orders to be mailed to me, and I fulfill them about once a day. This GREATLY reduces the time I spend in-game doing things that are not fun. I still serve a large customer base, and they still appear to be satisfied.
I used to borrow lots from friends. Was a pain in the rear - everytime resources changed, I'd have to scout for more, communicate these to my friends, and they'd go out and change things around. Probably a bit easier now that we have power and money carrying over.
I now only borrow 6 lots from one individual that I work with. They are med mineral harvesters, and I try to select either a metal or ore with them at every resource shift. I don't move them. Went one week on a 33% spot, but I think I calculated out I was still getting at or better than market price for the materials.
I now have several suppliers that provide ore and metal at 2.5 cr/unit. Doesn't leave me with a huge profit on structures, but it's enough of a margin that I feel it's worth my time.
My own 4 heavy mineral, 1 heavy gas, 1 fusion supply most of my misc needs. Alternating the gas with another fusion when energy runs low, or no gas is available. 2 lots are taken by a structure factory, 2 by my medium house. I empty my harvesters when resources shift, or on the rare occasions I run low on something. Now that power and maint are maintained on redeed, I gas them up with 20K maint and 15K power and let them go for 5-6 days without even checking them. If you haven't tried it, you won't believe how nice that is!
I sell structures to the public at 5-6cr/unit, and am usually available to make things within a day of the request. I have crates of all possible needs waiting in my house for instant use. I probably spent more time fussing with my factory (structure modules and walls!) than doing any other singlearchitect taskin the game. I've more or less stopped making furniture, due to the higher time demand (and the fact that I can't just stock 10 of each on my vendor due to maintenance costs).
Where am I now? Well, I'm out there role-playing, adventuring, exploring, and having a darn good time. I'm not slaving over a hot furnace cranking out parts. I'm not a slave to my customers. I have customers that respect me, and I them. It's a pretty nice situation.
I hope others have found a comfortable niche in which to practice their trade. Remember - it's a game. Have fun. Tickle a passer-by. Really
Oh, and I suppose while I'm at it, I'll work outa shameless plug. Any struggling architects on Bria that would like to dump some of their goods for 2.5 cr/resource - give me a ring. I'll buy them
Tamber it sounds to me like you are having fun..... there cant be anything wrong with that. Everyones goals are different, at least you know your goals and that is great!
Sometimes I buy my resources, some of the time I mine my own. I have a very good furniture business that supplements my architecture income.
I am not yet Master Architect and I have made well over a million credits.
I run a shop out of a Tat guildhall and my pricing is what some tell me is absurd. I sell anywhere from 250k-1m credits worth of product a day, every day. My price on small houses is 15k and I sell 10-20 a week. I sell medium houses for 80k for planet specific and 90k for generics, It truely isn't worth it to me even at these prices and I will be pushing my prices up on these items. Large houses are 175k on my vendors right now and I will be pushing my prices to 200k within a month. Halls I sell for 350k for planet specific and 400k for generic. Furniture is priced at 10c per unit aside from master stuff which I sell for 7500- 12500 a piece. Getting into harvesters I sell personals at 1800, medium min and water at 20k each. Solar sells at 25k. All the other medium level harvesters sell for 60k as do factories. Large harvesters are 150k across the board basically.
I know you were not asking for a price list but maintaining and pushing my pricing is why I can pursue my business model.
I am sure a bunch of people will freak out at me for the pricing one way or the other here, but guess what? It sells. I sell very high volume and almost everyone that comes in sends a friend. I can maintain stock because I can afford to buy resources in quantity. Customers that think they should be able to get a small house for 6k are a rarity and not the customer you want for a sucessfull business any ways. Price your products up, don't work for slave wages just because someone once yelled out they were selling factories for 20k. I sold 5 factories in 12 hours all to seperate people a couple days ago all at 60k.. not one person batted a eye at the prices.
Maintain good stock levels. People are willing to return to a well stocked vendor rather than hunt around for a deal. There time is worth credits just like ours is.
Buy resources any time you can afford them, I mean that... anytime. Resources are money in the bank, you can never have too many. Once a person has sold you a LARGE amount of resources offer them a cut rate on harvesters. Never lower your prices for anyone else, be very firm with your pricing or you will end up spending hours responding to tells from people looking to save a few credits.
Being a architect doesn't mean you have to be a pauper or a whipping boy. Start a shop you can be proud of and people will flow through the doors. Both to buy and to sell you the materials you need to expand your business more.
Madagain-Bria Gopher Extrordanaire
Plato-Bria Master Architect