Merchant Archive
Thread: Guild Monopoly , should Bizzar Vendor searching be introduced.
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Ridenar
Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:58 am
#1
I've previously posed that as a customer I'd love the ability to search vendor from Bazzar as follows:
Planet-> Private Vendors->Armour->Composite->Body-> (sort by price)
Most players agree the Vendor(s) with the standard high quality amour at the best price will get the bulk of the sales..
But, (thinking as a none Guilded Crafter) How will the little guy compete?
I see Crafters in guilds cleaning up, because the materials needed (Hides etc) are generally donated by hunting members of the guild, so the guild Armoursmith can offer his wears at a reduced price no lone Armoursmith (expecting to make some what of a profit) can beat..
It's comparable to when a large supermarket chain opens a new store close to a small town and aggressively undercuts the small private store owners to drive them out of business..
Comments?
I'd love to hear from non guild and gilded Crafters
cheers
R
Message Edited by Ridenar on 01-30-2005 01:58 AM
Ybagi
Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:59 pm
#2
I'm not in a guild and I'm doing just fine.
I'm a weaponsmith so I'm not dependant on organics.
There are additional complications to being in most guilds for a crafter.
I've been in 2.5 guilds, and what I've found is that more is usually asked from you than what you receive in return(without a doubt there aresome exceptions).
Jutewr
Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:53 pm
#3
Eh, as a guilded crafter, I find that just being in the guild doesn't affect my prices. Sure, guildies bring me things that I need, but that affects the items I have in stock, not my prices. I have higher end prices for my server, and priced them there on purpose. It's more likely that someone else would undercut me than me undercutting them. I like to think that people shop at my mall for quality and quantity, not low prices.
To clarify my point: Although it is possible that a guilded crafter will set their prices lower, each crafter, guilded or not, makes their own pricing decisions.
Message Edited by Jutewr on 01-31-2005 04:55 PM
Ridenar
Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:40 am
#4
Hi, the point I was making is once punters can search from bazzar against player vendors, the merchant with the best pricesis gonna clean up...
AT the mo cause I hate vendor hunting, I stick with the first half decent guy I find and I know alot of players who do the same..
but..
come the search capability, I may well shop with the cheapest guy around whoever that may be on the day I'm doing the search..
doesn't it stand to reason a well supplied guild crafter can out price the solo crafter?
Elyssa
Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:08 am
#5
DesktopSaki wrote:
I'm am wholeheartedly and 100% *against* vendor searching by price...
Personally, I agree with your assessment.
I'm all in favor of having some kind of searchable interface to allow you to find vendors with what you're looking for but you should still have to visit the vendor in person to find out the item's price AND purchase it.
The idea here is to generate foot traffic for your store.
If people only go to the cheapest place (and they will, wouldn't you?) it will create an environment of unhealty competition where the only people who get any sales are the ones who can undercut everyone else.
Also, people will frequently see other items they might be interested in as they visit your store and will purchase more than the single item they were seeking.
Ultimately you will make more money from these 'impulse buys' than most anything else.
DocSavag
Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:56 am
#6
I'm not afraid of prices being displayed but the real purpose of the idea is a "locator" for items that you want to buy. The goal is to stop you from visiting 12 vendors to find a T21 because the first 11 only sell Carbines. So prices aren't necessary. A robust search system that allows you to get a waypoints of shops that have the merchandise you are looking for in stock is the key.
DesktopSaki
Thu Feb 10, 2005 1:23 pm
#7
I'm am wholeheartedly and 100% *against* vendor searching by price because of what it did to EQ. Those who have money to burn or guildmates providing free resources *will* put the little guys out of business by undercutting. The prices on the market then bottom out, and this guy keeps providing mates with free armor (or whatever) in exchange for supplies, and keeps making pure profit, while no one else can afford to keep up. Before you say it can't happen--it can, will, and has. Single individuals have wrecked or monopolized entire niche markets on servers--or even entire markets like all pottery, jewelcrafting, etc.
Right now, the market is much more even because people find reasonably priced vendors and stick with them, people have to advertise and gain good word of mouth--the little guy can compete. Search-by-price will also mean no one has to offer CS. Just the cheapest price in the galaxy.
While on the surfaceit seems like a very sensible move to add searching for vendors by price, I strongly feel it will do more damage than good.
Message Edited by DesktopSaki on 02-10-2005 03:25 AM
Dimear
Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:20 pm
#8
I know this has been discussed several times before, but I'll put in my opinion too. As a merchant, Iwould like the ability to advertise my wares on the bazaar. As a customer, I'd like the ability to find what I need without visiting 200 shops. As a sane person, I'd like to reduce the city spam.
I personally think that a great way to implement this would be for merchants to list stuff on the bazaar in a separate tab, have it cost more to list, and have the advertising range by limited by merchant ability. So a customer on Corellia wouldn't be able to see items listed by a low-level merchant on Naboo. Also, make the customer visit the shop to pick up the item. If you're really concerned, make it a 10% listing fee or something. The auction option might actually be useful here...
I do agree that this may lead to some people undercutting others and cutting into their profits. But this is one of the risks of a free market - one of the things that makes SWG's economy so great.
DesktopSaki
Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:57 pm
#9
DocSavag wrote:
I'm not afraid of prices being displayed but the real purpose of the idea is a "locator" for items that you want to buy. The goal is to stop you from visiting 12 vendors to find a T21 because the first 11 only sell Carbines. So prices aren't necessary. A robust search system that allows you to get a waypoints of shops that have the merchandise you are looking for in stock is the key.
That, I have no problem with. I think it's an excellent idea. I have spent far too many hours combing the non-sortable vendor listings on planetarymaps trying to find someone who might sell harvesters, going from planet to planet, only to find all the vendors labeled "Heavy Harvs" only carries personal wind extractors.
If they leave the prices off the search function, I'll be completely behind the idea.
Marjaliisa
Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:26 pm
#10
Dimear wrote:
[T]his is one of the risks of a free market - one of the things that makes SWG's economy so great.
Unless, of course, you are an oil refiner in 1890 trying to compete with Standard Oil....
Dusk
Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:36 pm
#11
Psst ... take a look at what Tiggs just posted in the in-development forum .....
Gyopi
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:03 pm
#12
As a merchant and a crafter, I am really hoping that the ability to register your vendor is very high on a merchant tree (at least tier 4 if not master). If not it will make global advertising obsolete and it will force most crafters to become the equivalent of small internet storefronts which sell at the bare minimum price.
Ideally the system should give a list of vendors with the item that you are looking for and you should have to visit. As a tailor I would say that half of my sales are from people who come in to get one item and while browsing the vendor find several other things that they like. I would really not want that to change!
Vendor searching is a lot better than the current system where you run all over the galaxy looking at vendors to try to find what you want, but there do need to be some restrictions in order to actually keep the economy healthy!
--Just speaking as a player here of course.
Ideally the system should give a list of vendors with the item that you are looking for and you should have to visit. As a tailor I would say that half of my sales are from people who come in to get one item and while browsing the vendor find several other things that they like. I would really not want that to change!
Vendor searching is a lot better than the current system where you run all over the galaxy looking at vendors to try to find what you want, but there do need to be some restrictions in order to actually keep the economy healthy!
--Just speaking as a player here of course.
Elyssa
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:07 pm
#13
Please post your feedback about the new system in the focus thread that I started.
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