Merchant Archive
Thread: Umm why can't merchants do this? or can they?
A friend tried putting stuff on my vendor droid and was able to do so. Then he asked me why they couldn't be seen up for sale. Being so new to this I had no idea. I was just hoping that my friends could use my droid to sell things like on the bazaar, maybe with me getting some merchant xp for it. I wasn't even interested in charging a markup. But I really don't want to take responsibility for paying for items I know nothing about and then getting stuck with them if they don't sell.
I hope this is a wishlist item for dev attention. Being able to let others use your vendor, with or without a vendor markup or service charge, would be great. If this is how the current system runs, it's really no different than me buying stuff in trade window from people then marking it up to sell it. The system needs more flexibility in this area, I think.
Being a merchant involves taking the risk of losing money, the same way being a warrior involves the risk of dying. Each character class constitutes it's own type of risk.
While the idea of having someone able to post items on a merchant's vendor is cool (and I think it would be very convenient for both parties), there still needs to be risk involved for the merchant otherwise there would be no point in having it a unique class. Everyone would pick up the merchant tree because it'd be easy... I know it's really hard to be a merchant, but I hope it stays that way, otherwise there would be no niche for it, and those who want to be PURE merchants will not have a place in the game (as it is intended).
If you don't want the risk of losing money, then being a merchant shouldn't be your choice of profession. It comes with the job.
Blackmugen wrote:Being a merchant involves taking the risk of losing money, the same way being a warrior involves the risk of dying. While the idea of having someone able to post items on a merchant's vendor is cool (and I think it would be very convenient for both parties), there still needs to be risk involved for the merchant otherwise there would be no point in having it a unique class. Everyone would pick up the merchant tree because it'd be easy... If you don't want the risk of losing money, then being a merchant shouldn't be your choice of profession. It comes with the job.
No offense, but that's a pretty silly statement. In the real world, many smaller stores, particularly in the arts and crafts, decorating field still sell on commision. Selling on commision is a perfectly valid way to do business, but the profit should be low to adknowledge the lack of risk. If you want higher profit with more risk, then you can *choose* to buy things you suspect are underpriced and resell them at a markup. But the option for commision sales is needed, and contrary to what you said, completely realistic, valid, and appropriate for the merchants.
I am okay with the way it works now. I have established good relationships with a number of artisans of different sorts. Some of them are on a strict wholesale cost basis with me taking the risk of being stuck with the merchandise. From these folks I buy only good quality merchandise of items I know I can probably sell for a profit.
Others have a consingment arrangement with me. They sell to me for minimal amounts (usually through the vendor) and I buy the items and put them up for sale. Each item that is sold I send the share to the artisan and I pocket the rest. Yes this means that the artisan and I have to trust each other. That is part of the socializing of the game. It works out well for both of us. The people making goods and spend their time making them and I can stick close to my storefront and keep the bobcats from scaring the customers away 
If I have anything for the wishlist on these list I wish there was a sales report feature that would tell me the sales that I have had. This would make it easier for me to audit my items and know if I have paid all my suppliers what they are due.
DocSavag wrote:If I have anything for the wishlist on these list I wish there was a sales report feature that would tell me the sales that I have had. This would make it easier for me to audit my items and know if I have paid all my suppliers what they are due.
Hear hear! Yes, a sales report feature would be wonderful, for that and many other uses I can imagine. Currently, I have a spiral notebook by my PC with a lot of messy records in it, updated price lists, names of contacts that I buy and sell with, etc. etc.
Blackmugen wrote:I agree with you JazzmanianDevil, you made a good point.
Thankyou, Blackmugen. Rereading this however, I think I should clarify something where I dont' think I was clear.
I am not endorsing vendor commision sales as a way for merchants to get way ahead. I agree with you that risk/reward has it's place in non-combat roles. I'm thinking primarily of cases where we might like to help out our friends by letting them use our vendor to sell things we don't normally deal in and might not be as "on the ball" about their prices and such. Also, these would be cases where (hopefully) we wont' be looking to make a max profit, since it's more of a favor to a friend. If there's any reward for it, I would think the commision would be tiny (say 1 or 2 percent tops for most sales, with a minimum commision of three to five credits) and the xp gain, if any, should be lower than selling the things that we either make or take the risk of buying and reselling.
So, in short, I see it as more of a community building option, and a way to help your friends in other professions who have no alternative to the bazaar for vending their wares.
Just offer your items to his vendor.
You get to set the price YOU want for them, If the vendor agrees, he pays the price you asked, and the guns become his to do with as he pleases (i.e. Keep, Relist at a profit etc etc etc). If he declines to take them, then you can retrieve them from his vendor..