Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Are my prices too cheap?
I'm on Starsider, and I sell a fully-loaded combat R3 (with all combat mods) for 80-85k, depending on the HAM. I sell loaded combat probots for 70k-75k. I sell surgical droids for 35k. I sell fully-loaded utility droids for about the same price, maybe 5k either way depending on what they ask for. My prices went up some because I discovered after a few days that some people were selling combat droids for 120k. That's too high to me. But at 70k-90k (depending on the droid), people have no problem. Most everyone has way over 100k. But for those who don't have that kind of money, I sell the few pre-patch droids I have as "beginner combat droids" for 10k. I also try to look for mid-level stuff that has different combinations and uses less slots, that I can sell for like 35k-40k, just to touch all markets and provide something for as many different professions as possible. You might try something like this if you want to provide something at lower cost, but you definitely can get much more money than 20k per droid. If you triple that, people will say "okay" without blinking an eye. I had one guy order 2 fully loaded droids, and as I was telling him a price, he just says he'll give me 200k, just like that. Yes, 20k is way too low in a game where almost everyone is loaded. One more thing. My prices are not based on any spreadsheet or resource calculation (although I'm eventually going to work on a more consistent price guide). I simply figure the value to the customer and the time, effort and rough expense to me, as well as what other DEs are charging, and try to be as consistent as possible, while also allowing some flexibility to make a sale. I figure that there should be a minimum "base price" for each fully-loaded droid, for all the time, trouble, risk and expense. Then from there I start roughly figuring what the mods should cost. This stuff isn't easy, its complicated. It takes a lot of time. You risk failures. Most people in the game have plenty of cash and will gladly pay it for a useful droid. People don't care so much about cost if the thing is useful to them. Consider all that when making your prices.
Rippen
I sell my R3's 4.5k ham, 40% armour and 598 combat rating for 80k.
I know some sell for 150k, and some sell for 40k.
I checked out 2 40k DE's products and they are 3.5k ham i can only guess the rest, but ppl are buying from me on word of mouth from others, because I use the best resources and if i get a failure or nothing less than great success in experimentation i junk it.
Make good products and ppl will buy from u, after all think what we spent learning to me MDE? we can't just made a modest profit or we'll never get to do the other profs that require a lot of resources.
Oh, and my suicide MSE's sell for 10k, and seem very popular
shucks cant raid your vendor now hehe
So, Chimaera
There are droid vendors with R3 Combats for 110k and Probots for 90k, but there are others at half that and some real bad people at half that again.
Now, everyone seems to be selling, and I'm somewhere in the middle 
well middle-ish.
The other problem is whatever the hype, people dont understand droid ratings, and so rubbish sells as well as good droids, or so I have observed on some vendors (no names - no pack drill)
So its really just as it always was..establish your loyal customer base, don't rip them off and (almost) everyone is happy. Ohhh and service..never underprice service. Its not about credits, its about happy customers..and thats something credits don't buy.
Thats my philosophy on pricing..and it seems to work fine.
LadyLeala wrote:
Just to note... the ONLY reason I break it down to "cpu" is so that I can monitor my profit.
Exactly...
AudioOrgana wrote:
I really wish more DE's would specialize - it's really the future of the profession.
There's now room for a lot of specialists, on every server...and we'll all be well off. Of that I have no doubt.
More and more there's people understanding how droids can benefit them...and finding every time/combat/crafting/whatever edge they can.
Oh yea...and the "Droids Rebuilt" wallpaper helped...
/bow
Respectfully,
I agree Audio
I would however say that the 'backpack DE has value too..in some cases a lot of value. I won't elaborate but I'm sure you know what I mean.
The 'Droid Shop' full of every combination is a fading concept, so that will be core selling droids and thats fine.
Specialization is key now, however it's looked at..only the very few can keep up with the variety (for now at least - perhaps it will settle down soon).
Friendly co-existance is absolutely possible between DE's and should be fostered as a concept. Certainly any DE I know well, knows if they ask me for something I'll more than likely give it to them. There is no need for the rival mentality some other proffessions display.
Hello, pricing always gotten me batty and in trouble. I normal lost money or ran low on funds with maintence and normal in game living till I found a DE that helped me with prices and then threw all his stuff at me when I finaly mastered and told me to make them all now lol.
Anyway I am on gorath and my sheet is simple. As for componants and stuff I never really bothered but figuring them out in the total price. Like the orginal poster I came up with a not so high price, but then again once a person buys that droid he won't really need to be back for a new one of what you make unless they don't know what they are doing and the droid will help them from now on and not really the maker anymore *not like it needs a tune up or anything* So the prices I guess have to bumped up from the dry spells we or I get.
Anyway here is my price list for on gorath, maybe it will help some people maybe i am wrong on some of them and will be told to mark up or down lol.
I only make really ADv modules and everything does sell and I don't run vendors I just go off emails from word of mouth and normal always working on a droid or two. Takes me time to make them though cause I don't do factories much and they all customed
mouse 500 Adv mouse 3000 ( I know they cheap and easy but with what you can put in them makes them worth the money I think )
Adv DZ70 6000
Adv WED 8000
Adv R5 10000
DZ70,Treadwell,R5 2500
R4 Adv 12,000 chassis 5000
Adv Power Droid 30,000 ( was 45k till they nerfed what can go in it plus got a friend for the cores)
Adv R2 35,000 Chassis 15,000
Adv Surgical 18,000 Chassis 7000
LE Repair Adv 12,000 chassis 4000
Adv Probot 30,000 chassis 5000
Arakyd Probe Droid 1500 other BH droid is 800 but neither sells cause they cheaper due to De's just massing them in factories.
Protocol Droid Adv 25,000 chassis 10,000
Load LifterAdv 40,000
R3 Adv 40,000 Chassis 18,000
Lvl 6 Medical added is plus 1000 to droid cost
Interplanitary Survey Droid 2000
All these prices was before the only chassis needing droid parts like we had to make two modivators and stuff one for chassis and one for the droid but i didn't drop the prices but then again for once I actualy have money lol.
I base mine on than chassis rather tham the modules fitted which I find (apart from a few) have about the same sort of resource requirements.
R3 Adv - 60k
R2 Adv 35k
Probot 30k
LE Repair 28k
Protocol 25k
With these prices they sell well, made 4 million since the publishjust making7 droid configurations. Now its starting to quieten down and my stock doesnt sell out in 2 days, Ill start making more different configurations to cater to the individual player (ie gonna make a 'Tank' LE Repair with Auto Repair, Harvest & Combat Mod, A specialized Healing droid with just stim dispensers, maybe a Power droid with autorepair etc).
As long as your happy with the price and they are selling its fine. Keep an eye out for people buying up 10 Droids at a time however, it means other players are probably reselling them for twice what you charge, so you may need to raise prices. Thats a good indicator that your prices are too low - reselling.
Gnirak wrote:
your prices are now right near mine and i find that to be the best prices for me.
Heeheee. You can still find some pre-patch probots and LE repair droids on there for around 10k!