Architect Archive

Since there are overwhelming responses from the thread "Crafter's Alliance - Fix the economy once and for all!"(http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=architect&message.id=16292)

I suggest we start making server specific threads to certain etiquettes that participating server architects would follow on that specific server.

For Starsider, I propose the following: ( starsider architects, please feel free to voice your opinions about the proposed guidelines)

1. Adhere to the 3 cr/unit Minimumpricing scheme. This is to encourage all participating architects to at least price their finished products in a reasonable, somewhat profitable manner. This is by no means an attempt to "price fix" things. We are just trying to achieve an industrial standard for the bare minimum instead of creating a monopoly. Everybody should be free to undercut everybody as long as all sides adhere to the 3 cr/unit minimum policy. (note: starsider architects, if you all feel we should rise the 3 cr/unit min., please state your "ideal" minimum, and we can work from there)

2. When confronted with comments like "I can get that for half the price from so-and-so". Please politely find out the name of the said "so-and-so". This is not to start a lynch mob or a boycutting squad. We will -NOT- start any black lists of any sort. Many aspiring architects out there are not educated on the economic structure of our server, and perhaps we can educate them on that by passing their names amongst us and let them hear how we decide on our price structure.

3. In order for these to work, it takes a great deal of time and effort to pull this off. Hardship and difficultywill, no doubt,be present for those who decide to participate in this program. I propose that we keep a friend list of all the architects on starsider that are willing to participate in this attempt to salvage our own profession. We should view this list as a last resort to help each other endure any economic hardship that lies beforeus.

4. We need to start seriously looking at possibilty of sub-contracting. As a semi-soloing architect, it is beyond my capability to produce one PA hall per day, but if enough of us pull together, we can share the wealth around according to the work that we get. This would increase our response time, customer service, as well as our ability to compete with large PA architects. This would also help alliviate the problem of novice architects finding it hard to make a living.

Any suggestions, comments, observations, ideas? If we're going to start obeying to a minimum pricing rule, we might as well start setting up some other guidelines for us to follow.

Im not on Starsider, but here are a few problems I see with your plan:

1. PA pricing. People are always going to sell lower to their PA buddies. What are your rules for that. I don't think you will be able to get people to agree to raising the price for PAs.

2. Used market. As people start moving up from small houses, personal extractros.... They are going to have old deeds on them. Are you going to buy these back from people and sell them at the higher price? I can see a day where small houses are on the bazaar for 3k by the dozens.

3. With Urban Planner coming people really want to push to master architect as soon as possible. All the master architects are gonna love your plan. All the non masters are gonna hate it.

To make it work here is what I think you need to do:

1. Focus on higher level items. Don't worry about small houses, or even medium mineral extractors. Focus on medium houses, factories, fusion gens.

2. Set up an apprentice network as others have mentioned. The best way to get folks to not undercut you is to get them making things for you at a decent price. Have all your members will to buy structural mods for 750 or 800 credits per. Have people willing to buy walls at 10k per. Create a more lucrative market for people to sell components to so they won't sell cheap finished products.

A lot of people see what we charge for a large house and think that we sell as many large houses as merchant sells guns. That isnt the case, but a lot of people go into architecture anyways. Also,most don't read these boards. The market is all but dried up save for large harvesters, which will soon be dried up as well. The 3cr per minium is rather standard and hard to go lower than that. Anyone who does will lose money so that doesn't bother me so much. Not sure what else to say on this matter.

I never charge less than 3c/pu. I always have more buisness than I can shake a stick at. Thats with my current network that brings in 62k ore units a day. I still have to put people on a list just to fill all the orders I have on a constant basis.

There will always be those that charge less and they will eventually get tired of the extra work they have to do to keep up or fall behind and go out of buisness. Either way they will raise thier prices or leave the profession. However there will always be someone else new to the profession that will take thier place.

I am on starsider.

A couple notes:

- I set my prices around 3cr/u for retail, and rarely if ever drop them. I never drop a price because someone says they can get it somewhere else. I politely say "well then why would you buy it from me? go buy it from that guy!". I do give discounts on furniture to people who buy my houses.

- I do most construction for my guild for free. They paid for this architect, and it is more their skill than mine, to be honest (60 harvester, 40k per day, guild hall in second game week).

- Also, I will make stuff for allied guilds for cost. This doesnt change. It is what we do in times of war

- Blacklisting, lynch mobs (tho I think this was tongue-in-cheeck, a mob of angry dedicated architects would get wiped by a lesser wort pet) I won't have any part in. I say we lead by example. I'll talk to these people and tell them that they are losing themselves and me lots of money doing what they are doing. But if they are too thick to get it, I'll leave it be. You guys can go off and get eaten by the lesser wort if you want to.

Lol, lesser wort....rofl....

Anyhow, actually this is a great post. I see alot of Starsider architects posting on here. On Starsider we're pretty hard hit by this because mainly of the guild TIO. Nothing against them, much, but when they started, they were undercutting everyone and everything at everyone's expense. It has shook the architect community, even after TIO stopped really selling structures.

Architects on Starsider, and everywhere really, need to realize our goods are worth far more than people are paying for them. People are going to find dirt cheap prices only if we provide them. I do not want to price fix, but selling under 3 creds a resource is ridiculous, and you can make that, at the least! There's no reason to sell for less. All it will get you is less money for your time, and a tell from one of us asking you why you do it. If we're getting nasty insults from customers because of you, you will hear from me. Hopefully you're new and just need some help with your prices.