Merchant Archive
Thread: I'm curious is anyone a Pure Merchant?
Bazalan
Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:59 am
#14
IssogiKa wrote:Aye, I'm a Master Merchant/Master Tailor/Master ArtisanIssogi'ka Itydo<-UNA->Guild Leader & Master Tailor
How is that pure merchant? You craft.
ilica
Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:05 am
#15
My boyfriend and I share an alt that is master tailor/BE. She can't get merchant points becauseof BE taking up so many points, and then on top of it the skills they have you do for scout doesn't include mask scent. Whichthat is another argument for another board. Somy mainis merchant 3001, master swordsman, tk 0013. I wish the professions included some merchant abilities. I don't want to be master merchant, just enough to put up a vendor or 2.
FreaDra
Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:08 am
#16
KopaL how is that you're "not supposed to get rich off of someone else's labor in realife"? I sat and thought about the stores I tend to patronize on a weekly basis, and couldnt think of one which the merchant made his own good, aside from the pizza place. Go to the convenience store, the shoe shop, video store, grocery store, etc. Who makes their own stuff? Even the "mom and pop shops" usually dont make their own stuff. On the other hand, they *do* support local crafters (like the ones making the hand knitted sweaters) by selling their stuff. Merchants usually dont have time to both make the stuff and man the store.
Thats how it works in RL. At least where I come from.
frea
Message Edited by FreaDra on 09-16-2004 04:09 PM
Xconxors
Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:13 am
#17
Alepe wrote:
I consider myself a pure Merchant. I only have one account, and I craft nothing. I currently have (6) vendors. They all sell products that I bought at wholsale prices. I buy from the crafters and resell them on my vendors. Just like the way it is supposed to work in real life. It works well for me. My biggest problem is finding quality crafters that play the game long term. To many people get bored with the game after 3-6 months. Blame SOE (easy scapegoat) then they quit.
With 2 people in the mix, prices are higher than someone with 2 accounts who has his own vendors.Is this whymost successfull merchants have 2 accounts? You certainly can't build a template that includes ANY combat element with a single account. This of course, is exactly what SOE has in mind. Wanna sell something? Get a second account.
The supreme hassle of selling your wares through someone else plays a role in why you can't find crafters to fill your vendors. They have to sell for less, so you can mark up their wares to what they would make if they had a second account.
Are you picking up an a theme here? Most successful merchant / crafters have 2 accounts.
Balkstar
Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:28 am
#18
Balkstar is a true merchant. He has no combat abilities to speak of, so his main income source is the spices he makes, and any slices he is able to fanagle off the streets.
I have stated a new character, however. Coosin is a Fencer that keeps my combat skills honed. With the exception of a 50k grant at the beginning of the game, a house, and free slices from Balkstar, the 2 accounts are completely independent and don't rely economically between each other.
KopaL
Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:19 am
#19
FreaDra wrote:
KopaL how is that you're "not supposed to get rich off of someone else's labor in realife"? I sat and thought about the stores I tend to patronize on a weekly basis, and couldnt think of one which the merchant made his own good, aside from the pizza place. Go to the convenience store, the shoe shop, video store, grocery store, etc. Who makes their own stuff? Even the "mom and pop shops" usually dont make their own stuff. On the other hand, they *do* support local crafters (like the ones making the hand knitted sweaters) by selling their stuff. Merchants usually dont have time to both make the stuff and man the store.
Thats how it works in RL. At least where I come from.
frea
Message Edited by FreaDra on 09-16-2004 04:09 PM
That's not really what I meant. What I was trying to point out is that it's wrong for that to happen not that it doesn't happen. And in real life the people with the huge stores usually have educations in business so they are better prepared for running large stores and more stores with larger inventories. But as an example, A furniture maker can make furniture in his shop and have a store front where he could sell his stock and make a living without needing to sell through a huge store. And it can be done with minimal business knowledge. And in real life, the big stores work thier asses off in distribution, and marketing. AndI don't know which stores you shop at but just to name a few small U.Sstores that sell thier own lines of products that they actually make themselves, Walmart, Sears, JC Penny's oh and almost every restaurant and grocery store. Those companies also have other companies that produce products for them but they do in fact make items on thier own as well. And when you buy your Sears Craftman wrench, is it the best wrench you can buy? .. Nope, you get a better wrench from the Snap-On tool man. Now Snap-On isn't exactly "mom and pop" but you can see what I'm saying.
I've tried to figure outhow to make a living with the new merchant changesbut it always comes back to me raping my toon of herPvP skills or droppingweaponsmith and living broke. I'm not one of the people who complain about every little thing wrong with this game. And those who know me in-gamecan tell youthatI'm the one who always saysto figure out a way to keep having fun despite the "fixes". True,I believe Merchant is the most boring andirrelevant profession in the game but I don't scream to remove it. In factI think merchants should beable to sell more items than they can now.However, I think a MasterWeaponsmith, Armorsmith, Chef, Tailor,DroidEngineer, or Architect should be able to sell more items than a3hour old toon with Bus 4!And we should be able to without having to waste more skill points on merchant.I really don't why I'm the only one who see's this. Maybe I'm just a complete idiot.. my wife tells me I am all the time. Is 1 vendor with 1000 items really too much to ask for after mastering an elite crafting profession? That is still only about half of the average craftersprevious stock. An AS with bus 3 can only sell 10 complete sets of comp armor with a psg at one time. I have purchased more than 10 sets at a time.
KopaL
Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:29 am
#20
Alepe wrote:
I consider myself a pure Merchant. I only have one account, and I craft nothing. I currently have (6) vendors. They all sell products that I bought at wholsale prices. I buy from the crafters and resell them on my vendors. Just like the way it is supposed to work in real life. It works well for me. My biggest problem is finding quality crafters that play the game long term. To many people get bored with the game after 3-6 months. Blame SOE (easy scapegoat) then they quit.
Who are they supposed to blame for the boredom? SOE is reponsible for the game content. If they fail to make things more exciting they are to blame. You can only do quests so many times before they all become the same. Talk to npc.. go kill something .. return to npc. I found my niche and then SOE changed it up on me. Now I'm a master WS who sits and chats for hours until I go to bed. SWG is nothing more than an expensive chat program. /pats Devs on thier backs.. Way to go guys!
Indene
Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:06 pm
#22
Alepe wrote:I consider myself a pure Merchant. I only have one account, and I craft nothing. I currently have (6) vendors. They all sell products that I bought at wholsale prices. I buy from the crafters and resell them on my vendors. Just like the way it is supposed to work in real life. It works well for me. My biggest problem is finding quality crafters that play the game long term. To many people get bored with the game after 3-6 months. Blame SOE (easy scapegoat) then they quit.
Pretty much the same story for me. Even got banned from some shops for buying merchandise and importing it to my vendors in a PC. (The vendor was outside of Theed and the crafter didn't like me buying up most of their output. I always left some on the vendor so their customers would not suffer the annoyance of an empty vendor.)
I currently have 9 vendors. 4 sell stuff for crafters. They offer to my vendor. I buy from them then resell at the price they ask it to be sold for. 3 are hostesses directing customers at our mall. 2 I sell very special resources on. I consider my main businesses to be mining and Import/Export. I do craft sometimes but only for myself and not for sale.
-Indene- (INDY Inc, Riverbend, Naboo, Kettemoor)
PhoenixOrion
Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:17 pm
#23
By "Pure" Merchant, do you mean a full on Master and not a dabbler?
I personally on my main consider myself a businessman, but not a full on merchant. I have Novice Merchant and that is about all I can afford to get - what with being a Master Smuggler, Master TK, Novice Armorsmith, Novice Weaponsmith. Only leaves me with around 5 skill points left with which to dabble with. I'd love to master merchant, but I just am not willing to give up Master Smuggler or Master TKA to be able to PVE. 
Bruutal-SunRunner
Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:02 am
#24
Im a Master Merchant/Master Smuggler, I run 3 stores (soon to expand to another), buy weapons, armor and resources at wholesale, I slice weapons and armor by the crate and resell on my vendors.
I had a lucrative business with a PA, took a hiatus, came back a few weeks ago and have been rebuilding my business.
The changes made to the profession,(disclaimer... in my very humble opinion) have made merchant enjoyable again.
DingoBoi
Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:17 am
#25
Xconxors wrote:
With 2 people in the mix, prices are higher than someone with 2 accounts who has his own vendors.Is this whymost successfull merchants have 2 accounts? You certainly can't build a template that includes ANY combat element with a single account.This is a bold faced lie. I am a master crafter, master tka, high level merchant and low level politician. I see both combat and crafting there. This of course, is exactly what SOE has in mind. Wanna sell something? Get a second account. When space does launch I'm going to drop most of my current poli and crafter skills to reallocate to shipwright. I'll still have master tka. Seems like I can do both. OOOOH, but wait... i want to be a starship engineer too.... Hmmm.. guess tka will have to go then if i want to be the uber crafter rather than just a master of one.
Casmaran
Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:42 am
#26
What is really funny, was I became a Merchant the week the game started, and as I had thought the merchant class would work using your own brains and not relying on Game Mechantics I began by buying out from high level crafters and selling on Tattoine, wich harbors allot of combat charaters. First I made allot of money, second all the crafters I was buying from were upset at the fact that I was making more money then they were on the same product. I would find a supplier then when they found out the profit I was making they would quite selling to me and make there own vendor.
The merchant class as a Master is great fo thoes who "use" it right, you can get rich with propber placement of a shop, and enought capital to get started, Never hunt again, never craft, never hunt resources, and have all the free time to enjoy your time.
The merchant class as a Master is great fo thoes who "use" it right, you can get rich with propber placement of a shop, and enought capital to get started, Never hunt again, never craft, never hunt resources, and have all the free time to enjoy your time.