Architect Archive
Thread: Architect doomed to be poor?
If you know your business, you can make plenty of money in Architect. Architect is primarily a matter of logistics and business savvy.
Right now, on Gorath, demand is down a bit due to the exodus of the Hologrinders but, at the same time, it feels like a lot of Architects have dropped out, and there are complaints that its getting hard to find good heavies.
Basically, if you can keep a vendor stocked with about 100 harvesters of various sorts and sustain the logistics to build 30-50 a week, you'll do extremely well. Very few architects have the dedication needed to maintain this level of stock, but those who do can become quite wealthy - not quite as wealthy as the best weaponsmiths and armorsmiths - but we can make PLENTY of money.
Pawlin wrote:
Dvnce wrote:
Ya it was fun.Thanks for helping me killssome time at work today.
I like to defend the "undercutters" out of principle. They are too often picked on around here and made out as the source of all evil. Besides Dayln left so someone has to.
And I don't necessarily think that the future is peachy. I think its just as likely that the sky will fall as some folks think. "only the paranoid survive"... is a successful business philosophy.
hehe.. yeah .. to bad I had a ton of stuff to get done today... Hey .. Everyone has a right to sell for what everthey want.. Its all good.. It just shows a element of respect if you recognize the market prices.. but yeah .. Bottom line if what you are doing brings enjoyment to the game for you then you are getting your 15 bucks worth ... and as far as paranoia .. It is my goal to lure all of you into a false sense of security and BAMN allow the foundation to be pulled from under you........
or am I ?????
Anian wrote:
"2) dumb architects...these are people who price things way under their value for many different reasons...this is what is killing the profession more than anything else.....too may archtitects poisening the well thru stupidity or just trying to make a quick buck."
- I will rebuttle this point until the day comes that I do not play this game anymore.
My main character is no longer an architect. But, this comment is more focused toward all crafters than just architects. If you can find a way to make goods, sell them at a very inexpensive price comparitively, and still have fun with the game...then there is no reason you shouldn't do it. Most of the architects that do price things lower than the rest of the archs out there don't do it to make life miserable for their competition. Who knows, they may have founda way to mine their resources at a very inexpensive in-game price (maybe by use of multiple characters that they own or multiple characters that let them use their unused lots). Maybe they found a vendor that sells in bulk for 1.5 to 2cpu. Honestly, when I was in the resource supply industry, I was able to mine ore at like 0.6cpu. So, if you feel you want to sell your end products for a price of 2:1, then so be it. You're still making a huge profit based on what you can mine your main resource for.
Not all architects are out for a quick buck. Some of us (like me) prefer to sell for cheaper prices just because I still make more money off those inexpensive sales than I'll ever need (including maintenence costs on harvs, factories, power gens, houses, and vendors).
Anian
Though ... I really dont stress what other people sell their stuff for anymore.. I do want to make a statement about this..
Ok .. it is great if you can sell for 2.1 and make a sufficient profit to make yourself happy.. that is fine and all.. However there is a thing about common curtesy towards others in your profession.. just because you have done what ever it is that allows you to do this .. via lot trades.. multiple accounts.. what ever.. doesnt mean the majority can.. Heck .. I buy 80% of my resources for 2-2.25 cpu for the sole purpose that I am puting over 10 people to work. and giving them a source of income.. The Truth of the matter and you may be the one exception ... is people that are selling at well below what the normal market is established at are doing it out of fear.. Fear that the market will run dry... so in their mind selling so low will ensure that they will sell.. I am sorry but this mentality is ignorance.. yes our market will slow down.. it will fluctuate.. but it will never completely dry up.. and there will be enough business to continue to provide means for you to do what ever else you wish to do in this game.. I do price a little lower than market normal prices (very little) on some things and some I am higher.. But the simple reason I never dip a more than a hair below is out of respect of my fellow Architects..
As said before many times.. things are worth what people will pay.. let that establish the market for things.. tell me honestly.. If you make more money than you need... does that really Hurt you?
Dvnce wrote:
[snip]
As said before many times.. things are worth what people will pay.. let that establish the market for things.. tell me honestly.. If you make more money than you need... does that really Hurt you?
Re: undercutting.
Undercut all you want. I have diversified business throughout every single crafting medium.
The last time someone decided they wanted to play I put two vendors in amerchant tent up beside their house and sold everything he did for 50% LESS. Everything.
I did not advertise, I did not even World Map Advertise. The vendors were named "Cheaper Than X" and "X Price War". I come to find out later on that he only had 6 million to sink into the deal and that's why he quit relatively soon. I ran the vendors there for a full two weeks after he changed professions. I have no problems with anyone selling anything they want, I do have problems with people selling things at obvious losses to hurt other players.
If you wanna price war with people be prepared to do so. You can't have it both ways. Some in the community are proactive about the economy. I am one of those on Tempest. In the architect profession it is almost impossible to operate as a single login unless prices range at the 4.5 to 5 cpu point, IMO. I work to keep it there.
First off, well said Kronos!
Finigol, if you like the idea of being an architect, do it. I make plenty of money to enjoy everything this game has to offer, and still have plenty to give away to help others have more fun playing too.
There are several good points on this thread. A lot of good advice for starting out. I can't stress enough how important it is to mine your own resources though. This will save you all kinds of credits in the end. I have one harvester pulling up energy full time, and then rotate the rest around the other resources I need, with at least 3 going on ore at any given time. Ore is probably the resource you will use the most of, so try to get some of those going asap.
The dumb architect comment, totally uncalled for. That is by far one of the most moronic things I've ever seen anyone post on here. The profession is not dying. My business is thriving right now. And about 80% of my business comes by word-of-mouth, with the other 20% from people that happen to notice I'm a Master Architect. I don't do any active advertising, and my vendor is in my home on Lok, in a place that rarely sees any passing travelers and has no shuttleport. So how can I live so comfortably, selling only furniture and structures, without doing any spamming at spaceports, if the profession is dying?
The answer is simple. I sell quality goods at fair prices. I offer several benefits for repeat customers and bulk orders. And I have other ways of making my business known throughout the galaxy. Finigol, if you want to be successful in any crafting profession, here's my advice:
1. Sell the highest quality goods you can make at whatever prices you feel are fair.
2. Don't just be polite to the customers that you do get, but be honest with them. Answer any questions they may have, and take the time to get to know them. Most people appreciate the fact that you take an interest in them, not just give 'em a deed and shove 'em out the door.
3.Thank customers for their business with you. I try to make it a point to email everyone that buys something from my vendor and thank them. I can't tell you how many repeat customers I have now, solely because they were impressed I took the time to do that, and NO other crafter they've ever bought ANYTHING from, did. Am I the only one that does that? Maybe, but I hope not.
4. Try not to be dependent on others for your resources. If you can become self-sufficient, you will save a lot of money. The only times I've ever bought any resources, were times that someone placed a large order and I just would not have the resources on my own to make the deadlines they requested.
Architect is a fun profession. I enjoy walking into a pa city and saying "I built that." And it's even more fun seeing what the owners do with the structures you build.
Hope this helps. Have fun!
Zao Bawa
ok... look at this at this in this light.. its great if you mine your own stuff.. but if you are anything like I was when I mined my own stuff... you have 1 factory.. 1 small house... and in that small house you have 3 backpacks full of resources.. and a crafting station.. (looks great huh)
There is really no right to say that Arch A is screwing customers because he is selling his Heavy Miner at 180k .. as there really isnt much right to say Arch B is screwing the econmy by selling that same Harve for 130k ..Its not the sellers right to decide what is fair market value.. that is something tied 100% tothe market and what the market is willing to pay..
But,.,. one common theme that comes up in all of the peoples arguments on why they are 130k .. I make enough to bring enjoyment to me in the game... (and that is very important ).. Imagine this though ... Why not have others mine for you ... pay them 2 cpu for their ore(or what ever amount is standard in ure server).. and charge more.. it is obvious that there Is room to raise your prices because the guy selling at 180k is having no problem sellinghis goods..
What happens in this scenario Is now you can actually have a building up used for storage.. Have a building up as a house .. Have a building up as a work shop.. and then Have an extra factory up to make production smoother.. Then .. You have also employed a few people that are now making a decent income to help them pay for the things that make the game good for them ... See where I am going with this.. ?? Yeah .. You dont have to go up to the hihgest prices.. but you have to honestly admit that is room to raise your prices enough to do this and not change your income... still offer a fair price.. and enjoy the game in more ways than you could without buying more accounts...
Zao_Bawa wrote:
Good for you, Dvnce. Glad that's working out for you. Interaction with others is probably the main reason all of us are playing mmorpg's in the first place.
I, however, run my business as the sole employee. Most people I know do, so those are just tips that have worked for me. I am in a guild now, and they have dedicated factories up for all guild members to use, as well as two additional storage facilities. This does make it easier for me to pull up the resources I need to fill orders, and I would recommend this type of action to anyone who finds such a guild. It is much easier than using all your lots yourself.
Good luck with your business, Dvnce. Hope it prospers without losing any of the fun that comes along with the profession.
Zao Bawa
yeah .. all is good.. once I started working and getting people involved I have risen up to one of the top archs on Gorath.. but advice was not really what I was meaning to do ..
though I dont charge at the top of the price range.. I wanted to show how the 180k really isnt rippen anyone off.. and at that price alot more people are getting a peice of that money.. the arch and the resource suppliers.. and thus the 180 price actually helps more people than hurts because in most cases more than one person is benifiting and contributed towards that 180k price.. Also if we seperate our selves from needing resource suppliers ... we are then seperating ourselves from our biggest customers..
Dvnce hit it on the head - arrange your *gameplay* to have "fun" - whatever the hell that means to you.
- unlike the physical world, people are here to have *fun* as their primary activity. It may be that person A has a definition of "fun" that includes amassing a huge fortune. It may be that person B has a definition of "fun" that includes making lots of stuff and giving it away to people. Those are both absolutely valid definitions for those people, and I'm not going to "judge" either one of them if their definition doesn't match mine.
- Like the physical world, there is so much more to a business than *price*. Yes, any crafter needs to understand their *cost* and it's relationship to the *price* that they sell goods for. The *only* relationship that matters is that in the long run price must be greater than cost - period. More importantly, there are many different things that people value - prompt service, full vendors, bulk discounts, good roleplaying, free advice, etc. My business model is low-medium volume, lots of free advice and prompt service, and full vendors. I charge at the high end on my server. The guy down the street is high-volume and low price. There are customers that prefer buying from him. There are other customers who buy from me. Both of us are having fun playing the game however we want to.
If someone is charging more than me, then it doesn't bother me. I don't feel "poor" or "stupid" because they might be making more money. I might look at their operation and see if I can see if they deliver more "value" to the customer and learn from that.
If someone is charging less than I do, it doesn't bother me either. If they set it so very low that they are constantly out of product, pretty soon they will be out of business. If they set it so low that they have to spend all their game time running 200 borrowed lots, then that's how they want to spend their game time, but it's not something that I enjoy doing.
The people that buy from me on an ongoing basis don't balk at my prices because they value all of the other things that I provide. If someone's first and only concern is price, then they aren't my customer.
And as far as the marketplace changes, I expect it to slow down, although not go off a cliff. As it does, I'll shift my product line to match what people are buying and/or slow down production. It's ok - it really doesn't put food on my table in the physical world.
Good for you, Dvnce. Glad that's working out for you. Interaction with others is probably the main reason all of us are playing mmorpg's in the first place.
I, however, run my business as the sole employee. Most people I know do, so those are just tips that have worked for me. I am in a guild now, and they have dedicated factories up for all guild members to use, as well as two additional storage facilities. This does make it easier for me to pull up the resources I need to fill orders, and I would recommend this type of action to anyone who finds such a guild. It is much easier than using all your lots yourself.
Good luck with your business, Dvnce. Hope it prospers without losing any of the fun that comes along with the profession.
Zao Bawa
BUT tbh I enjoy making what I can make and altho not mega rich I've enough credits and probably 10mill units of decent resorces that ensures I can sit and be comfortable.
Recently it's been slow on sales but then it goes like it did this weekend and I sell 5 mill of stock.
Can be kinda baffling at time and you do get a mentatlity of some newer architect's selling at cut throat prices because they want the sales.. But the way I see it these cut throat architects will only be able to survive in the market so long & the old and established crafters will still be there.
100-200 items on my vendor and I consider it well stocked atm and allows me do just do custom orders for a week or go and shoot and beat stuff up with my guild, which is always fun