Artisan Archive
Thread: Vendor question....
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Bobx5000
Sun Sep 12, 2004 4:29 pm
#1
I just recent;y set up a swoop vendor, and went to check to see if it was o nthe world map, It wasnt, I checked almost everyting and it didnt show up, Is it that i can see my vendor or is it not showing up! It currently has(last time i checked) 3 swoops, is that too few items?
sciguyCO
Sun Sep 12, 2004 9:42 pm
#2
You can only register a vendor on the planetary map with the Advertising 3 skill box in Merchant. If you only have a vendor from Business 3 in artisan, that's not enough.
AFAIK, once registered there is no "minimum" number of items; although empty vendors do get un-registered.
Bobx5000
Tue Sep 14, 2004 12:06 am
#3
Ok well that just stinks, after the vendor maintenance runs out ill just destroy it, becasue no1 comes stumbling around looking for a vendor they dont know exists! THATS SO FRIGGIN STUPID!
LucidRoid
Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:31 am
#4
Oh no, don't say that. I have visited many vendors not listed at the planetary map, just passing by.
But then the door sign needa say more than "bob's shop", I mean, you needa tell what you sell--and be honest.
I am more of an over-head map user. Most of times when vandering around, both mounted pet or cruising vehicle, I have Ctrl+M on and will find a lotta interesting places, views and stuff of the SWG world. AND the vendors of course.
But I guess it also depends on how densely populated your galaxy is.
Zimoon @ Gorath
Chaosium_451
Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:17 am
#5
I stared my swoop business with Business IV. No overhead map for me. I made a comfortable living by advertising in cities. I'd hang in the cantina and every now and then call out a pitch, "Swoops for Sale" - once word gets around, business can grow quickly. Guildies are also a good source of sales / advertising. if you're in a guild, ask them to pass the word.
And you don't need to let the maintenance run out. You can withdraw maintenance from a vendor. If you really want to get rid of it, withdraw the maintenance and remove it. No sense wasting the creds.
Another option for you is to find a merchant who would be willing to sell your goods, or would be willing to let you drop a vendor in their shop. My partner is an amoursmith with only one vendor. He and I share a shop. All my vendors are on the map, and he gets great traffic by virtue of being in the same building as my vendors. Most guilds have a mall of some sort, so dropping a vendor there will increase business.
Message Edited by Chaosium_451 on 10-29-2004 11:19 AM
Dpjarrett
Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:32 pm
#6
Alot of good advice here. I would suggest that you not be frustrated by the fact that only merchants can register their vendors on the overhead map. Aside from the increased number of vendors and increased item limits on vendors the planet registry is one of the best perks merchants enjoy.
However, you don't need to have your vendor registered on the overhead map to be successful. If you don't have a guild or your guild doesn't have a mall I would recommend that you go to your galaxy's trade forum and create a post saying that you're a vehicle crafter who is interested in placing a vendor in an established shop. As long as other people in that shop have their vendors registered on the overhead map you can be assured that your vendor will get traffic.
I started out with just the novice merchant skill so that I could place one NPC vendor in my guild's mall. Since that time my business has grown so much that I now have a total of 6 vendors scattered around the galaxy and two shops all my own.
LadyGrey
Sat Oct 30, 2004 5:01 am
#7
Another idea for advertising: Make something to sell on the bazaar, such as crafting tools, backpacks, powerups, but something that is relatively easy to make, has a fair amount of markup (which means something above 3 cpu), and seems to move fairly quickly (selling out 25 items per week is my definition of quick). But, on the description for each item, put your vendor location,what you are selling (in this case swoops), and the prices you charge. I put Starshine Surprise on when I first started, because the name was appealing to people. The price of listing something on the bazaar is fairly minimal, and is one of the few ways of doing intergalactic advertising, since the bazaar can be seen throughout the galazy. You could even travel around, and put items in the bazaars of major cities, such as Coronet, Theed, and Bestine.
You could also list something for bid (rather than quick sale) for 6000 credits, so that it never sells, but I prefer to actually offer something that people can buy. I think it makes a better impression.
Dpjarrett
Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:53 am
#8
The good idea from LadyGrey made me remember another advertising ploy that I've used in the past which also utilizes the bazaar.
Step 1: Either craft or get about 10 backpacks. (I usually prefer to craft them since renaming 10 backpacks is kind of a pain.) Name them: "Equipment Pack with a chance to win a free swoop inside!" or something along those lines.
Step 2: Stick a swoop in one of the backpacks.
Step 3: Craft 9 cheap items and name them: "Thanks for playing! Please visit[waypoint]for all your vehicle needs!"
Step 4: Place the cheap items intothe other9backpacks.
Step 5: Sell the backpacks on the bazaar for 6k. Be sure to put in an item description that tells the buyer exactly what their odds of winning are. It also helps to put your vendor waypoint in the item description as well.
A few optional things you can do with this:
- Instead of the generic equipment packs that we can make as artisans, I usually use special ops backpacks or bounty hunter packs. If you can't make them yourself see if you can find a tailor who will give you a deal on a factory run of them.
- For my "cheap" item I'll usually craft a 99% weapon/armor repair tool or a vehicle customization kit. The point being to give them something that they'll actually be able to use.
- I've also been known to throw in a low cost piece of my merchandise such as a weapon power-up in addition to the cheap item. Essentially so that everyone gets something. Just be careful to have the same number of items in every backpack because people can see how full a backpack is when they view the details on the bazaar.
Obviously, using this method there is a certain amount of integrity required. Yes, you could just put cheap items in all of the backpacks and make some easy money, but I hope no one thinks the measly 60k they'll make off of this is worth risking their reputation and their time. If you really want to make 60k that badly just go spam Coronet for 15 minutes offering to sell swoops on the spot. It's alot easier and you won't have to be dishonest to do it.
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