Merchant Archive
Thread: Focus Thread: Galaxy-Wide Vendor Search
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Elyssa
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:00 pm
#1
Tiggs posted some information about a new vendor searching system over in this thread.
Please use this thread to post your feedback on it and I will point the devs toward it.
UPDATE FROM TIGGS
Based upon community feedback we have decided to take this design internally and work on it some more before we release it to Test Center.
Based upon community feedback we have decided to take this design internally and work on it some more before we release it to Test Center.
Message Edited by Elyssa on 02-13-2005 08:50 PM
Andymantium
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:05 pm
#2
I don't think a buyer should be able to retrieve the item from anywhere in the galaxy. Not only does this hurt some merchants in the form of xp, but it negates the purpose of our Advertising skill tree. Fewer people will even bother shopping around like they do today, so shops everywhere will be empty.
I think most here are in favor of a galaxy-wide searching system, but at least make it so the item requires in-person pickup.
Marjaliisa
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:08 pm
#3
I am opposed to this.
Took me a yearto get a good shop location, just finished decorating it nicely and for what?
Also, when I was in a PA, and our doc needed good Lok avian, we would put together a party, hunt lots of meat and GIVE it to him. When our architect needed woolies, we would hunt them and GIVE them to him.
So, if you are not in a PA, you will not succeed. The crafting market will be dominated by 4 or 5 big PAs, just like Wal-Mart or Standard Oil.
Hell, there are players with so much money, they could sell swoops for 1cr for years and still have money left.
Not to mention advertising and hiring are now essentially useless....
IF, however, they left out the prices, so all that was shown was availability, and IF they made a player come to the shop to find the price, then I would not mind this change.
Obo_alCan
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:11 pm
#4
I think the instant delivery should be removed, or at the least charged for. I think if customers don’t have to go to our shops anymore then that could do some damage. Also my shop looks nice, it should be seen 
.
I also think this should be similar to registering on the map. It should be a merchant skill and should increase maintenance on the vendor. Perhaps a Master skill, or is that too much? Being a 4403 merchant right now, I’d go back to Master for this.
Otherwise, if it stays as described, the advertising branch becomes redundant.
.I also think this should be similar to registering on the map. It should be a merchant skill and should increase maintenance on the vendor. Perhaps a Master skill, or is that too much? Being a 4403 merchant right now, I’d go back to Master for this.
Otherwise, if it stays as described, the advertising branch becomes redundant.
BeesKnees
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:13 pm
#5
Sorry about the new post I created. I was working on itand didn't see you create this one.
So here is a repeat of what I said:
Sounds great on the surface but I would rather have people come to my tailor shop. I realize I would have the option to turn it off but then would I survive in that marketplace?
Adisadvantage to being able to search from the bazaar is that people may lose incentive to create nicely decorated shops or malls. Why not stack them next to each other in a basement? Ok, that's an extreme. It's just that now I'm wondering if I really do want to spend time moving to a larger place and decorating a newshop.
Another disadvantage is that people have built communities that specialize in being "the place" to go to buy everything you could want. It brings life to player cities.
So, question is: Will Coronet be packed with people staying there to do their shopping and player cities die off even more?
Elyssa
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:13 pm
#6
The following is my "as a player" opinion:
I disagree with any system that allows a player to see my prices or retrieve their items without visiting my vendor in person.
Being able to comparison shop from a central location will only favor those players who for one reason or another can afford to undercut everyone else.
Secondly, a significant portion of my business comes from people who look around while they're in my store and see other things they may not have been specifically looking for.
This "impulse buying" is extremely valuable to me as a merchant.
However, the ability to see *IF* something you are looking for is on a specific vendor and get a waypoint to go shop there is a very good idea.
DocSavag
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:18 pm
#7
I completely oppose remote sales. This will make our shops irrelevant it will be the lowest price and distance and planet won't matter. Searchable vendors yes. Remote purchasing..no!
Gyopi
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:18 pm
#8
I already posted this in the other thread, but I wanted to put it here too so sorry for repeating!
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.
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.
Novock
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:19 pm
#9
OK here's my thoughts.
1. Changes as proposed guts the merchant proffession
2. Elimnates the need for two entire rows of skils advertising and hiring
3. Eliminates all the functionability of the proffession outside of actually seeling
4. No need to have multiple vendors just throw it all on one.
5. No need for developing a customer base
6. No need for finding and developing a good storefront and location
7. No reason to take the time to decorate stores and/or vendors (just throw a vendor up in a storgae house)
8. No purpose in the merchant tent nobody is going to visit it.
9. Small crafters will be eliminated and any merchant who acts as a retailer buying from crafters and selling to the public will be out of business.
10. Cities who are funded in whole or in part by their merchanst will now loose sales tax revenue as well as shuttle fees for those coming into the city.
11. This will push many people out of the merchant and crafting proffession for those with huge resource suppliers and guild advantages will be able to push prices below the standard lone crafter.
The only upside as it currently sits is that it will be very easy on the customer never having to travel farther than coronet.
Crusaders
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:20 pm
#10
I think system is great additon and if people do not like it they have option of turning off the function and people would have to goto your shop then. they had this for a short time in orginal beta happy to see they finally putting it back in woot woot
EnigmaBSc
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:20 pm
#11
Elyssa, I agree with your points entirely.
I run a shop with several friends on Infinity. When we first set up we were a group of players who all started our characters on Talus. Because of this we felt a certain affinity to Talus and always have and always will consider it our home. As we saw more and more players leave Talus to head to "greener pastures" we decided to do something about it. We set up a shop with low prices to try and encourage people back to Talus. This change would throw all of that work out the window. There would be almost no point to having Talus anymore. Except for Talusian water and some of the Jedi trials there will be absolutely no reason for any player to travel to Talus at all if this change goes through.
EnigmaBSc
I run a shop with several friends on Infinity. When we first set up we were a group of players who all started our characters on Talus. Because of this we felt a certain affinity to Talus and always have and always will consider it our home. As we saw more and more players leave Talus to head to "greener pastures" we decided to do something about it. We set up a shop with low prices to try and encourage people back to Talus. This change would throw all of that work out the window. There would be almost no point to having Talus anymore. Except for Talusian water and some of the Jedi trials there will be absolutely no reason for any player to travel to Talus at all if this change goes through.
EnigmaBSc
EnigmaBSc
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:23 pm
#12
Crusaders wrote:I think system is great additon and if people do not like it they have option of turning off the function and people would have to goto your shop then. they had this for a short time in orginal beta happy to see they finally putting it back in woot woot
Why would they bother? Why would they even look for shops that aren't listed on the bazaar?
EnigmaBSc
DocSavag
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:23 pm
#13
Crusaders wrote:I think system is great additon and if people do not like it they have option of turning off the function and people would have to goto your shop then. they had this for a short time in orginal beta happy to see they finally putting it back in woot woot
In beta you at least had to go to the store to pick it up. Why bother having vendors at all? Why not just give us unlimited access to the bazaar with no price ceiling?
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