Merchant Archive
Thread: Merchant Correspondent Input Request (Week 1)
Without a doubt, the #1 problem with a bullet (or a blaster shot) is that vendors are not linked to the bazaar. This worked in Beta, so why isn't it working in the live version? (I know, I know, I shouldn't ask those questions...)
Without vendors being linked to the bazaar, the whole vendor thing seems kinda pointless for merchants. I love using vendors to distribute resources to the fellow Architects in my PA, and for selling items to faction members. But other than that, it's been a huge disappointment, and I'm just about ready to pack up my Merchant skill points until I hear this one problem is fixed.
I disagree 100% I don't want to see the merchants just be a fancy way to conect to the bazzar. I think merchants should be there own shops not linked to the main bazzar. If they are linked make it an advertising link/skill. Otherwise whats the point of the house banner or the advertising skills. If you just make a vedor linked to the bazzar then why in the world would i care about having a pin on the map? Plus then you can't sell to who you want to sell too. I know many vendors who are rebel only or imp only. I know many vendors that sell to thier PA only. I think the current system is much more imersive and fun. If you want to buy an item over 3k use your map and find a merchant!
For the list, my biggest worry is actually something that hasn't happened, but that I suspect WILL happen, so it's hard to list... Right now, NPC Vendors are (I presume unintentionally) priced at a ridiculously low maintenance level compared to other vendors. My worry is that when they "correct" this, the fees will be so overwhelming and punitive that they'll put tailor/merchants out of business.
The thing about tailors is that we need lots of inventory, to be able to sell all our various styles and colors. We *need* to list lots of items, even if they don't sell in a day or two, just so we can provide full service on our vendors. I'm afraid the prevailing pricing scheme is going to really, really hammer our business model once NPC vendors are changed.
This a sort of weird suggestion but let merchants sell a one time schematic that no other professions get(make a group of varying items from weapons to furniture to food) that can be used and crafted once (or maybe 5 times)by an artisan. Only elite artisan professionals could use them and then only if they have a certain level in their craft. Let them be crafted in the same way houses and such are (needing minerals or ore or hides and such).
I stated earlier that I was against making vendors a merchant only skill. I've read all the posts since then and I must admit I'm torn between opposite opinions now.
- On one side you allow players to open up a shop early on in the game without alot of hassle and trouble. This helps the aspiring artisan and/or merchant set up a reputation and get into the business fast.
- On the other hand, making vendors merchant-only insures that only the most serious dealers will set up shop. You'll have alot less wannabe artisans who stock their shop with low-quality gear for ridiculous prices. Basically overflooding the market.
I personally would rather see 50 player-owned shops on the entire planet of who I knowthey mean business because they took the effort and paid the extra skill points to learn the merchant skills, than 200 where 75 percent sells crap.
Two things that really threaten buisness:
1) (as you mentioned) Inability to retrieve items just purchased
2) Items poofing next time you take a shuttle. This has happened to me, friends of mine, and many of my customers. Sickening to buy something for 7k and then it vanishes when you take a shuttle. Good news is that in all the cases I've seen, the items magically reappear the next day or later in that game session. But it looks really bad when I'm getting tells saying "um...I just bought 12k worth of clothes from you and they all vanished when I went back to Corellia!" Not a good thing. 
As for stockroom, I would love for the stockroom to remain intact with the house if you remove the vendor, as long as a vendor is replaced within a short time.
First--Debug all the vendor issues.
Now for the diatribe:
The Artisan-Merchant is, in my humble opinion, a secondary concern of the Merchant class. As a 'pure' merchant I want artisans to have EVERY reason to market their goods through MY store for which I get experience and money. Just like you would hire a bounty hunter to hunt down a foe, or a smuggler to smuggle or slice, I want to be a useful part of the community too. If every shoe-shiner can make a store to compete with mine..why the heck did I work like a beast to get 1000's of experience points? Why do I travel all over the planets to bring great buys back to my customers? It's not like I can spend the money to buy stuff for the wife and kids.
--end diatribe
Why did I become a merchant? Because Jabba said that he'd been killing Jedifor years. While nothing beats pure skill and dedication, a powerful, wealthy and savvy merchant shouldn't be an easy target. I'd love to hire some Hutt mercenaries to protect my butt. Currently I can whip out a sliced blaster, 3 ADV probots, and hide under my Mk III personal shield generator..but Im still an easy target for anyone who wants me dead.
Anyway..I want my profession to mean something. I want my time investment to be just as important as a CH'er with 2 Rancors or a weaponsmith grinding out laser rifles. If Merchant isn't a viable profession, then lets scrap it so I can stop banging my head on the wall.
Csin Csity --Propgandist/Manager --almost master merchant
Prop. of Csin's Bargain Csity -400,-5500 Coronet, Corellia --Bloodfin
I think the ad barking working on again off again si tied to same reason teh plantary map is. After a server reset I need to reset ad barking and reset the map. also anyone notice that when you first place an NPC vendor thier name is white liek a quest mob and has no HAM bar and is not attackable> but once teh server resets the vendor laods as a normal NPC Yellow name and a HAM bar. This could be part of teh reason advertiosing always needs reset. They need to fix how a vendor spawns.. so that it spawns as an un-attackable NPC and with all custmizations intact.
Vendor Maintence. low level terminals shoudl cost a lto to maintain. the more stuff on it the more expensive (we are delaing with machines here not people). Once you get up into the higher level droids and NPC's and more efficent vendors they should have a lower maintence rate. an NPC works hard for you but doenst breka down and need more parts from operating a cash register. You pay a perosn the same regardless of how much they sell in a day. The machinery of a terminal seems to not be able to handel it as well. This also gives Merhcats an advantage over an artisan vendor.
Vendors in other peoples houses needs looking at..
I like the sign idea.. Make it advertising 1 Visaul effects. Ad 2 Ad barking (custimizable) Ad 3 Searchable listing (vendor yellow pages accessabel form any bazaar terminal) Ad 4 Plantary Map.
Effeicny. reduced bazaar fees is stupid espcially twice.. Replace effeicny 3 with Reduced travel costs. make the tickets so that only the Merchant who bought it Can use it. Businessmen travel a lot (espcially if on multiple planets) woudl be a useful feature and in line with the idea. If they ever get a delivery system in place. Reducded delivery costs. I like the idea of being able to drag an item like an attachment to the email and then send it to a specfic region.@theed
marqie wrote:
Unable to retrieve things out of vendors, including our stockrooms, is for the most part killing our ability to use our vendors with trust and confidence. The fact is, no merchant is going to place a 100k large house into a vendor, if there is a very good chance that we may not get it out.
Last night I had two items I couldnt retrieve. I discovered that those items HAD been retrieved, but the stockroom wouldnt reflect it.
This looks like it is the stockroom not updating with the change.
On top of that.. ALL the items I couldnt withdraw (that did, never the less, appear in my inventory) are now also showing up in the bazaar under "available items".
Regards,
Artuk
Merchant xp stops adding once you leave the planet ..this is very annoying as you are supposed to visit all plantets to find the best providers and the best selling spots.
Currently i dont put any vendor out of my native planet because they wouldnt bring me any xp. And i try to limit my travels out of the planet to buy merchandises as much as possible.
I do get xps from selling merchandises, but not for having vendors working and for having people browsing the vendor once im out of the planet. Please make this a priority fix, this really limits the interestof the profession, at least before we become master.
Another issue is the 1cr maintenance npc vendor bug. As it doesnt cost anything to maintain a vendor, artisans dont need our help, they just use their own vendor, and the market efficiency tree becomes useless.
NPC Vendors are very bugged. Here's a list of what's bugged:
1. Split resources not being retrievable. This actually isn't true. They are retrieved if you cancel and retry, but are never actually removed from the vendor's stockroom listing. I believe thatwhatthe "Fixed an exploit where you could steal things from vendors" line in In Development is referring to, as you can relist these items...
2. Items requiring you to cancel and retrieve a second time OR Items taking a long time to retrieve. Again, this only affects NPC Vendors.
3. And finally, the only bug that benefits Merchants: The broken maintenance fee. I'm guessing this will be fixed as soon as 1 or 2 are, as NPC vendors are more featureful than Terminals and Droids.