CUEmu - Thread Posts

Gavvot

Wed May 05, 2004 6:46 am

I didn't made a full price list yet, but for what I sell for the moment :
Price is always max module included.
Adv R3 - 60K
Adv R2 - 50K
Adv Probot - 50K
Adv LE - 30K (thinking of lowering this one a little)
Adv Protocol - 30K (chassis 10K)

I plan to make some more cheaper droids still try to figure out the right price :

Adv DZ 70 combat - 15/20K
Adv R4 combat - 15/20K
Adv MSE - 8K

I'm also thinking of some extra cost for some modules.
I'm new DE so price is subject to changes without notice.

I also want to make available on my vendor betteries and customization kit.
I sell batteries at 50 credit per charge, so for a crate of 25 3 charge batteries it's a little more than 3.5K.
Still trying to figure out the right price for customization kit.

--
How to make a link in those forums
Look sir, droids. -4689 3336, Naboo, Theed

supermatteus

Wed May 05, 2004 8:29 am

#28

I have a very simple pricing system, I charge afixed price for thebase model or chassisand thenI charge per module, between 2k-6k depending on what the module is.

MSE - 1.5k

adv MSE - 3k

adv surgical / LE - 17.5k

adv R2 - 20k

protocol - 20k (premium due to ditanium steel & popular demand)

adv protocol - 25k (premium due to ditanium steel & popular demand)

adv R3 - 25k

adv Probot - 25k (premium as the probot has a combat bonus)

My modules are all between 2k - 6k apart from barker modules. I charge 10k for these as it will usually be the only module plus most ppl hate these droidsas you cannot ignore etc. yetthe merchants still love 'em!

So I would charge 50k for a Probot adv [ Probot adv chassis@ 25k + (5 * Combat Modules @ 5k) = 50k ]

R3 Entertainer Droid = [ R3 adv chassis @ 25k + (6 * FX mods @ 3.5k) = 46k ]

Protocol Barker = [ Protocol std. @ 20k + Barker Module @ 10k = 30k ]

I find people still bite my hands off with these prices which is the way I like it - although I did actually sell one of the protocol barkers (basic model with 1 module) for 40k

AudioOrgana

Wed May 05, 2004 8:30 pm

#29

Shian_Tavkin wrote:

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.

Of course they do - and I was one for quite some time. I actually was very anti-vendor at one point. In fact, I often go out of my way even now to support backpack DE's - at times when I'm too busy to take special orders I send the business on, and I never try to "quash" a smaller DE even though many times financially or market-wise I could.

When my six month anniversary of being a DE rolled around, I just got to the end of my rope with:

Customer :"What kinds of droidz do umake?"

AO : "Let me send you my catalog and FAQ.

"

(Sends...moments later)

Customer : "Which one is teh best?"

AO : "As it says in my FAQ, it depends on what you want it to do and which modules..."

Customer : "K. Which one is best tho?"

AO : "MSEs..."

...and eventually went over to an almost exculsive vendor business. I was just really tired of sitting in Cantinas with my droid out and title on and my brain going numb between tells and crafting...when four people are trying to order at once the fun/excitement level tends to drop and it just becomes work.

The quality and service are key, as others have pointed out - and I believe you can maintain that on an industrial level. I may not spend 30 minutes or more with every customer answering questions and chit-chatting over every single droid I sell, but I clearly keep documentation on common issues on my vendor and keep a well-maintained mailable FAQ. I am also available for email questions any time - and always reply promptly (even when I'm busy).

I keep those "backpack" DE's in business and in turn they help me - I raise awareness on a larger level of the droids out there that a backpacker just can't do by virtue that I've just sold so many droids my name is rather ubiquitous in some circles when it comes to droids (especially combat). A backpack (or "mom and pop" or however you want to put it - lower volume, personal sales) DE helps me by filling that niche that I can't anymore by sheer quantity of production.

It's Luke Skywalker (the DE, not the Jedi) vs. Industrial Automations. Both are valuable and can excel -but it remains to be seen if DE's can truly achieve the level of cooperation I think is possible. This week, the market has gotten a bit more cut-throat - between DE's that were not as ready for last Tuesday and are just getting on their feet with new droids, and those that have grinded up DE as "profession of the moment" (I saw five Novice-Master DE's in Theed last night besides myself, all at the same time - was very odd), and once structure maintainance is fixed and our products become more stable, it will be very interesting to see where everything falls.

AO

Message Edited by AudioOrgana on 05-05-2004 11:35 PM

TuskKiller

Thu May 06, 2004 12:24 am

#30

The droid I can find on Flurry server all seem to be around 50k. Excellent quality as well as crappy quality.

I consider this a bargain price.... my only complaint is find the specs/features I want..... I would easily pay 150k for the droids I want, the problem is finding them.... and "special orders" have taken months to fill (very sad) so I don't like going that way anymore.

Right now I'm looking for a high quailty harvest droid. If someone can make me a 120 harvesting droid, I'll pay 250k.

Of course I have 12 million from when I holo-grinded chef and made lots on brandy.... so price isn't really a consideration for me, quality and selection is. For the masses, it may be different.

TIOImrahil1

Thu May 06, 2004 12:28 am

#31

i sell my dorids on starsider

basically

i charge 5k if its a non chassie droids

15k if it is a chassied droid

+10k per module

ie a adv r3 (15k) +6 combat modules(60k) + 2 armor modules (20k) = 95k total price

the only exception is mse detonation droids i charge 2k per just because who would pay 15k for a 1 time use droid???

how ever i have taken custom orders for 6 module detonation r3s which are pretty much a toy item but due to the amount of resources there fee is in excess of 50k

i keep over 2000 deeds of common sold droids in stock 24/7

custom orders are filled in less that 30 minutes due to the inventory of parts i keep

some say i charge to much

but i say i have what you want in stock now so is the extra worth the convienience of getting it when u want it or not

gorthaur

AlphaGold

Thu May 06, 2004 3:47 pm

#32

I'm on syclla server and this thread has been helpful to me too. I've been debates about how much is fair on such and such server and how specialization is the way to go. Perhaps an idea would be to form DE only guilds. Most of the guilds I've encountered are just loose groupings of players with no real defined purpose other than, "hang out, have fun, and a cool sounding guild tag floating over my head." Not that there's anything wrong with that, but back when the term "guild" was first formed, it was a coaliton of craftsmen who got together to gain great market control and influence. A DE guild could do things like set prices so that they are fair to the consumer and so no-one is getting undercut.This guild could also establish who would specilaize in what sort of droid, establishing "territories" if you will. It would also help to driect consumers toeach other's shops, like if a combat droid seeker came to the shop of someone who speicalizes in medical droids. Finally, they is such a thing as brand regontion here. If this hypothetical guild were to become well known enough, and their droids were quality, people would actually start seeking the brand name. After all, this happens all the time IRL with people arguing "I always buy nike (or reebok, or addias, or whatever) because they make the best shoe."

Just tossing it out as a thought. What do the rest of you think?

Shian_Tavkin

Thu May 06, 2004 8:34 pm

#33

Just an interesting story..15 mins to server down and I get off the shuttle at Lok. 2 guys arrive and missed the shuttle out by seconds..so they have 10 mins to wait.

Can you do a food/chem and storage droid one says

Yep (insert normal chassis discussion) and thats sold..even before I said thanks the second guy wants the same thing but in a different chassis.

Both got their droids before the shuttle arrived

Both said they had asked many DEs to make these simple droids and had been kept waiting for weeks..weeks mark you

Still had time to get home, with thankyou tells ringing in my ears

So, that was satisfying..and thats what I enjoy about the DE life. My factories are work to me..my personal sales are the fun.

Each to their own eh Audio? But to do both is the best of all worlds.

Shian -- Master Droid Engineer/ Master Artisan

Droid Engineer Archive

Thread: Are my prices too cheap?