Business And Economy Archive
Thread: In Game Auctioning vs Forum Auctions
All we would need to add is:
Remove the credit cap on only auctions on the bazaar. The instant sales can keep its cap as it is now.
Allow us to set the length of the auction in days, rather than the instant 7 day auction as it is currently.
Allow us to set a buyout price on auctions on the bazaar.
Those few options added to the auction section of the bazaar would bring a lot more people in game. The sorting options to find the items we want are already there.
AnXdiety wrote:
This is something I've mentioned in the past in a few places. The game supports an auction system in game that works with a credit cap. I suggest removing the 6k credit cap on Auctions on the Bazaar within game and allowing a buyout price to be set. Allowing players to run auctions on the Bazaar much the same way we run auctions on the trade forums. We could bring the solution to auctions that players have created for themselves on the forums to inside the actual game. Logically you would rather have players spending time within the game itself than on the forums.
All we would need to add is:
Remove the credit cap on only auctions on the bazaar. The instant sales can keep its cap as it is now.
Allow us to set the length of the auction in days, rather than the instant 7 day auction as it is currently.
Allow us to set a buyout price on auctions on the bazaar.
Those few options added to the auction section of the bazaar would bring a lot more people in game. The sorting options to find the items we want are already there.
Actually, I see a different sort of thing entirely for an Auction system within the game. Let me lay out the idea:
1) Give Master Merchants an Auction house ability. They can work in association with the Mayor (Master Politician needed) and place the structure within a city. (To keep # of Auction houses down further, require said city to be Metropolis in size and improved Job Market, limited to ONE Auction house per city) - This also gives Master Architects a new building to craft - and potentially a new type of Vendor for them to build as well. (instead of the Merchant creating one, it would need to be crafted, as to be tied into the database & give several professions benefits from the new idea)
2) The Auction house can hold a fixed number of the new special Vendors. This would make it so Auctions for different types of items could be restricted to one Vendor - IE, A Food vendor could only accept and Auction food items.
3) Seller would then offer his item to the Vendor, specifying his Minimum price, Increments and duration. Note that there should be no buyout price - If someone wishes to sell items at a fixed price, they would need to use a standard vendor. Also, Auctions should be not be able to be cancelled - if the seller chooses to sell at auction, they take the risk of the item selling at a lower price than if they sold it personally.
4) Buyers can search each vendor for items they desire. They can input an opening bid, and a proxy bid. Again, no buyout price should be listed for an Auction.
5) Merchant receives a 5% fee from each Auction.
I think by adding a system such as the one laid out above, we can keep the Bazaar for the lower end items, Fixed price items on personal vendors, and create a new way for Merchants and Cities to gain prestige. As a by product, it would stimulate the in game economy to do just that - stay in game.
DonjoGrget wrote:
The main thing that you would need to work on is having a system that would not discourage people from picking up the merchant skills to sell their goods. How to do this, I don't know, but that is the only thing that I can think of that would make a system like this bad.
Actually, the system itself would be self-correcting. If a player can sell product X for 6k every day, it would be best for him to get his own vendor and sell them at 6k, and NOT to put them on Auction and potentially sell it for less AND lose 5% automatically per sale. WHile there would be those who decide to use an Auction format exclusively and pay the fees - I think many would see that they could keep more money to themselves by selling a basic product on their own vendor, and save Rare items to place on Auction.
If this would be used in game I would also recommend a proxy bid feature so people would not have to refresh over and over towards the end of an auction. Though there would still be people raising the price just like there are on ebay, the thing is here people would acctually have to prove that they have the money before they bid.
The reason I wouldn't want to see it a full blown merchant ability is because the majority of people that make loot auctions on the forums are not merchants by trade in the game. This would only force people to befriend a merchant or get a merchant alt themselves. There is a large inconvience in befriending a merchant to auction your items when most merchants are already too busy just trying to keep stock in their stores to keep track of auctions for numerous other people.
AnXdiety wrote:
I could be mistaken but merchants already have the ability to run an auction without a price cap on a vendor. The only thing they are missing is the ability to set a buyout (which they can do manually by unlisting and selling if contacted) and the ability to set the length of the auction.
The reason I wouldn't want to see it a full blown merchant ability is because the majority of people that make loot auctions on the forums are not merchants by trade in the game. This would only force people to befriend a merchant or get a merchant alt themselves. There is a large inconvience in befriending a merchant to auction your items when most merchants are already too busy just trying to keep stock in their stores to keep track of auctions for numerous other people.
This is a misconception, IMO. Auctions require the ability for feedback on both sides of the isle. A vendor situation with a merchant doesn't allow that function whatsoever.
Imagine the Trade Forums taken to a game setting. You have botrh in-game and in-game email options in the auction terminal (for lack of a better concept). The terminal can be used to play live bids or email bids to a parser. The feedback would be available on a email and/or terminal interface basis.
As to the merchant issue. Anything that circumvents the merchant profession is bad, AFAIC. You use your skill points to get what you want and let merchants use theirs to want they want.
Fivo Asia