Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: How much does a protocol ADV droid Chasis cost?
In General i thought i would just share my business practice ...i try to make a profit but also provide the lowest price i can to my customers. I just want to make enough to afford some things i want and keep my houses standing and have a few 100k of discressionary income.
In General I charge 3cpu for any normal resource use.......5 -7 cpu for any specific resource used 7 cpu for the resources used in sub components and 10 cpu for the resources used in makeing factory componets...12cpu for resources used for subcomponents of factory parts.....
Now based on some market theory techniques all this comes out to slightly above cost. Thats not total cost however . thats just total cost of production.
In Order to figure out total business cost you still need to figure out rent(maintance) on your homes and shops...all other costs of harvestors and power are considered already....than any other minor costs associated...so if u add about 5- 10% if you like(not this will cover the increased cost base on cost on other servers) you now have your Total Break even point. Add a standard acceptable profit margine....about 20%....anything more than 40% should be considered obsence.....and you have the cost which most effictively will sell your droids for the best price ....and give you the best profit.....by having the lower price you draw more customers... I do very well with this business practice and also only use resources of an OQ of 700 or higher. most of 800+
only time price should be higher is in times of high demand when its accept to raise price...after all your in such high demand your time is valuable and limited since so many people want it. But right now i dont care what you say we are not in high demand....demand is increasing but no high demand....yet....someday we will be though .....i hope.....although im happy with having a few hundred k id love to be as well off as some of the archs and weapons smiths i know with millions
In general no current droid should be end up being more than 45k if you want to offer a fair price.
Note: This is just a referance for those of you out there that may be intested to know a great point to make great profits and still keeping your costs low. Im not suggesting every use it, its just there for those of you that would be interested in a sold mechanism for figuring out a fair price.
Jenden wrote:
I don't see how you think that selling more quantity at a lower price is costing us profit. Yes, you may make more off each droid, but we have a more steady income and will end up making about the same amount (and a considerable amount more if we get a bunch of new DE's sometime). You sell for what you want to sell at, we'll sell at what we want to sell at, whatever floats your boat. Just don't complain if another DE takes your sales because he sells for less, thats perfectly acceptable.
Slythetove wrote:
50k is for a protocol (master chassis requires factory parts for subparts and rare materials) with 110 med (level 6 med) and food/chem craft.
Basically the medical module and food/chem craft are the most valuable combination of modules currently. I sell any droid chassis with 110 med and food/chem craft for 26k. You are paying for the functionality.
Now add to that the advanced protocol chassis (25k) and you get 51k, so I sell at 50k. I am content with the number of sales I make. These aren't meant to be fast moving items. If you choose to treat them that way and cost yourself tens of thousands of credits in profit that's your choice.
There's nothing unreasonable about knowing the value of your products. I see DEs put a 110 med and food/chem in a probot and sell it for 25k, and I think that's just insanity. There's no reason to do that. People who need these droids have plenty of money, and you sell the value of your own products and abilities short when you do this.
To each his own, but I want people to know that the money is out there to be made. You don't have to be like architects who are guilted into selling for 3cpu.
Because resources are the only fixed cost in the game. Therefore my margin is better than yours. Look at this extreme exageration to clarify:
For the purpose of this simplification, 1 droid = 200 resources used.
You sell 1000 droids at 1 credit per droid margin. Net profit = 1000 credits
I sell 10 droids at 100 credit per droid margin. Net profit = 1000 credits
You used 1000 x 200 = 200,000 resources to make the same money I did using 10 x 200 or 2000 resources. I still have 198,000 resources you don't have, and I made the same money you did.
Obviously this example is extreme, but finding the middle ground is the key. Some of you guys think that because you sell 10 droids a day you are doing well, but if you were doing it right you could be selling 3 droids a day and making more money. Just because you move more droids doesn't mean you are making more money. If you are playing the game to be UNICEF then fine. I'm crafting for profit. There's no other reason to craft.
You're right in that the middle ground is where you have to go for, I personally think (and would back up with the amount of cash and resources I have on hand) that my middle ground is just about right. You also have to factor in a few other things. I will get a tip on top of my asking price about half the time, about a quarter of those (so 1/8 the droids I sell) the tip is at least the price of the droid in addition to what I charged. I get these patly because I've got great customer service (or at least thats what my customers say) and partly because my prices are a little lower than most other DE's around. This increases my profit without decreasing my number of sales. As far as playing the game to be UNICEF, while that may be going a bit far, the primary reason I craft is because I enjoy making droids and I enjoy making people happy (which selling my droids for a reasonable price does).
Slythetove wrote:
Because resources are the only fixed cost in the game. Therefore my margin is better than yours. Look at this extreme exageration to clarify:
For the purpose of this simplification, 1 droid = 200 resources used.
You sell 1000 droids at 1 credit per droid margin. Net profit = 1000 credits
I sell 10 droids at 100 credit per droid margin. Net profit = 1000 credits
You used 1000 x 200 = 200,000 resources to make the same money I did using 10 x 200 or 2000 resources. I still have 198,000 resources you don't have, and I made the same money you did.
Obviously this example is extreme, but finding the middle ground is the key. Some of you guys think that because you sell 10 droids a day you are doing well, but if you were doing it right you could be selling 3 droids a day and making more money. Just because you move more droids doesn't mean you are making more money. If you are playing the game to be UNICEF then fine. I'm crafting for profit. There's no other reason to craft.
Slythetove wrote:
If you are getting tipped the price of your droid on top of your droid you are not charging enough.
eh, either way its my prices, I'll charge whatever I want. I'm not hurting for cash or resources in any way so I'll continue going my way.
Jenden,
I'm not attacking you, so don't take it that way. Once upon a time I thought charging 5 cpu was a good price. It was through interaction with other DEs here that I saw the error of my ways. I'm just putting it out there for others to learn.
If you're happy, then that's all that matters. I just hate to see people selling for low prices because they believe their products have no value. That's just not true. Even in the current state, droids have value, and DEs deserve to get paid for their craft just like the other crafters.
LOL I have to put my 2 credits worth in on this one.
1st please keep in mind there are so many people with so much money in this game they don't know what to do with it.
2nd I am a Master DE and I make droids for fun not a living. It is much less work to run 2 heavy mineral extractors and sell 100 to 200k of steel a week and make 300-600k credits,than it is to make 600k worth of droids. Plain and SIMPLE.
3rd to me and this is just my opinion but a droid chassis is worth at least 1/2 of a completed deed.
4th we have a really broken trade so I try an make the best of it ... a example I sell binary load lifters for 160 to 250 k depending on how I feel. Some say OMG that is so much... What good is a ADV BLL it has 0 use in the game except for a "status" symbol or a walking sign. So if it is being purchased the person buying generally has more money than they know what to do with. So let them pay... don't cut your own throat...
When asked about making droid frames I always tell people I am a Master and to me they are worth over half of what I sell a droid deed for. I then tell them I suggest they contact someone that is not a master if they are interested in saving money. Ifmoney is not a object I will glady make them for them.
Just a couple days ago I had a customer ask me what 1 of each type of droid frame would cost him. I told LOTS then ran the above by him. He asked what is LOTS and I told him 160k and immediatly got a 100k bank tip... when he picked up his droids he gave me 175k total. 
Play the game to have fun and just be honest with people... You might just pick up a 10k tip like I have for just talking to people about droids for 5 minutes. If you want to hustle and craft all day, run your factory all day and sell droids for 1/3 of what I do good luck ... give me your name I will refer you business.
Ok got my 2 credits worth in. Now to answer the question about protocol droid chassis.
I normally sell a protocol for 38k. I get 25k for the chassis. Why because they are a status symbol and people will pay that for them. Now that they are required for a shuttleport why should I drop my price?
Laaba - Master DE
Corbantis - Naboo
Laaba,
It's like I wrote your post myself man.
Notice we have the same price too? I totally agree.