Merchant Archive

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Saera wrote:

My only complaint about resellers is that as a crafter, I put a lot of hours and sweat into what I make. I price it the way I want, not what other people think I should. I love my business, and the people it brings to my shop. I love it when people say "I love your shop!" I love it that people come out of their way to my shop to buy things because a friend told them about it.

Now you may be asking what does this have to do with reselling? Well I'll tell you my opinion I don't like people reselling my stuff for the purpose of reselling it. I prefer people come to my shop and get it from the source, cause I guarantee you that the person reselling it knows nothing about my chosen crafting profession. I don't spend hours of my time keeping my vendors stocked to have someone come and buy me out for the purpose of reselling to make a quick buck. If you buy out a crafters vendor and think that it's ok because they got their money.. yea in a way you are right. But not every crafter is out to make money, I know I'm not.. I am a crafter for the love of the profession not what it does to my bank. The thing you don't consider when you buy out a crafters vendor is that the next person who comes along isn't going to find what they want... it hurts my business.

The major problem I have is that I mark all my items with my "mark"....that means that item is carrying MY name, not yours. It's MY reputation on the line, not yours. I've spent lots and lots of MY time working on that reputation, you didn't. So yea, I guess I take it personally when someone put's that valuable, well earned reputation at risk by selling my stuff at their store marked up.

If you really want to resell my stuff - talk to me. Ya know what that is.. /tell soandso, or email soandso.. it's not done a lot anymore But I guarantee you if you contact me in regards to placing a large order to resell I'd be more than willing to help you out..and more than likely sell to you at a price lower than I sell on my vendors. I'd rather fill a large order than have to go thru a ton of emails because you bought a ton of stuff off my vendors and aren't going to actually use it. It's win/win situation really.

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I like your attitude. I wish I were on your server so we could do business.

-Indene-

It's not a dirty word at all and yes, it is the way alot of merchants work. However, I do believe it is polite/considerate to send a bulk order to the merchant him/herself via an email rather than emptying their vendors all the time. I believe all of us dread coming online after a weekend off to find our vendors have disappeared from a lack of items on sale (especially if you sat there 5 hoursattempting to luck out on aa good looking vendor). Also, most merchants believe their prices are fair and if you send them an order for a huge amount of goods, they're most likely very willing to comply in getting you what you need or want. Again, this way you don't make yourself the enemy. If you can sell someone else's good just as fast as they can, but at a higher price, then there isn't really a need to suck their vendors dry. You've already got a well established customer base.

Supplier deals are the way to go.

Raryyyc ~ Wookieewoman Master Architect/Master Artisan/Master Merchant

1. Raise their prices to retail price levels.


2. If they are really determined to sell at a lower price to the end user, they can flood the market so that it pushes the supply line outward which will cause a drop in the point that the supply line meets the demand line which equals a drop in price thereby making it so that the 'low' price is now more in line with the markets new price.


3. Handle sells through private means to ensure that the product goes to the end user if this is a passionate point for you.

Bottom line is vendors are open to the public. If your role is a crafter (manufacturer), then be just that. If you also want to be the retailer, then behave as one and sell at retail prices. And what is a retail price? Where supply equals demand. Crafters (manufacturers) in game and in real life are not the sole dictators of what the end price on an item will and should be. Demand and competition factor in and that is all that is happening here as I see it.

Quick addendum: if the item is purchased using deceipt to obtain the item at a discounted price. That is a whole different story. What I have said is more specific to buying off of a public vendor.

I tolerate resale to an extent. I don't like reselling (and people reselling my products), because I feel it is taking advantage to my skill points, my skills.

If I find that someone resells my stuff, I will not make anything for them again.

I don't like people reselling my crafted goods for a couple of reasons.

One, it's my work, my effort, and I sell for what I think is a fair price. By reselling for a higher price, you're not hurting me, but you're artificially inflating the value of the armor. If you buy me out and resell, then you're hurting my customers.

Two, it's my name. I don't want to hear, "I got a suit of your primus, but it cost me1 mil" when I sell it for 750k. I don't want to see my good products being resold under someone else's name. The armor itself might have my name on it, but once it's bagged, the reseller can put their name on it.

Three, I am not someone else's cheap labor. When I was first certified, I'd do RIS for 1 mil for people if they brought me the loot drops. Then one of the first people I did it for--who I bent over backwards for and lost money on, because I never did get paid--turned around and tried to resell is 1 mil suit of RIS for 10 mil to my alt. This was right after he'd been talking to me about getting more 1 mil suits made, and he admitted it was for the money. Why should I net 200k-500k on what he's making 5-9 mil on?

Four, I am a retailer. It means I am an end-of-the-line point of sale. If someone really wants to sell my stuff wholesale, they can ask, I'm accomodating.

As for looted goods... So long as they're not artificially jacking up prices, while I'm not nuts about it, I don't worry about it much either. (Example: Periodically, someone will buy up all the 30K kits for under 3.5 mil and resell them for 4 mil, artificially inflating the market.)

Exception: I don't care if someone resells something that they bought and are done with. That is entirely their right and it's a whole different thing in my book. I just don't care for people buying my crafted goods just to make a profit off of my work.

I also don't care if I sell something cheap just to move it out and someone resells it to make a little money off of, especially if it's something on my 1-cred vendor. Buy ALL my 1 cred stuff, please! I HAVE LOTS COME AND GET IT.

I saw this one and had to add my 2 creds worth..

My friend and I run a SW shop. We've 2 toons each, a combat and a merchant. Our goal is to be able to totally supply our customers. That's the total focus, customer service. That said, when I can't contract bulk astromechs (I still have some crated flight comps) I scour the market for the lowest priced droids, buy a few of each level that I need and resell them. I don't clean anyone out, (anymore 'cause I bent some feathers over that) but it does take me time and effort to track these droids down. So I add a modest markup for my efforts.

There are cheaper astromechs out there.. but they aren't next to all our other vendors in a convienent location.. My vendor isn't listed, it's only for pilots already shopping for parts or supplies. And yes, perhaps some may consider it hypocritical, but if I catch someone buying up all my droid stocks, I will ban them. As it means I have to go buying again.