Merchant Archive

Kudos to Margie and the many fixes she has brought us lately! Most of these have been bug fixes and design adjustments which we are all extremely grateful for. Now that the bugs are being handled, let us start talking about ways to make the Merchant class better.

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Margie Wrote:
The correspondent system was not for us to list "Issues" it was to list ways to make the class better….

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What will make the Merchant Profession better? Before we list many small improvements, we need to agree with one main idea and get the Developers to live breath and design with that idea in mind. I would like that idea to be:

Merchants need to stand out more.

Merchants need a bigger difference between Artians-Business3 and the Merchant Profession. There are not many tangible differences between business3 and Master Merchant. To say that after investing so many skill points is heartbreaking. We need better bells and whistles to justify the skill point investment. We need more bells and whistles to make the profession more desirable. We need more things that make us stand out!

Almost everything I do to make my character succeed over Business3 guys is a product of my imagination and out of game work. It would be nice to have in-game support via my profession. Such in-game support could come from:

- Store Music
- Store Furniture
- Eye catching building layouts (inside and out)
- More Robust Merchant abilities for the Bazaar
- More Robust Vendor options
*Vendor Admin
*Targeted Discounts

The list could be much longer. This forum is full of great ideas... But the list is not my point. We need the Developers to understand that Merchants need to be able to stand out more. The signs were a start, but I think we all agree that we are hoping for more flash, more notice, more reason for other players to envy us. If we can get them to acknowledge that merchants need to stand out more, and design with that in mind; we can be more confident that their improvements in the Merchant profession will be to our liking.

Yes, please give me a reason to keep my Master title.

I'll be master within the week and so far I'm quite dismal about it. I've been talking to all of the proffessions that produce items and have had a hard time convincing them that it's in their best interest to have me list their wares on one of my well distributed vendors. "What's the point?", they ask. " I have business III and I already have a vendor in my house."

This is also part of the problem as people don't see any benefit to supplying goods to a merchant. Perhaps because we don't stand out that much?

"Yes, please give me a reason to keep my Master title. "

Sold mine back this morining.

and wouldnt ya know it, there are some fixes in the works like 30 day instead of 7 day limit on listings.

But, even with that, it is not enough to maintain master. I am going to keep allot of merchant skills, probably the line for max vendors, and definately the planetary listing. The 3po that does not talk is not enough to waste allot of points on imo.

The way my luck goes though, whatever line I sell back will improve. LOL.

Just noticed this...

"What's the point?", they ask. " I have business III and I already have a vendor in my house."

The point is, at least for me, and you guys probably already know this, is...

I ran a couple tests. On at least 4 occasions, I did not enable planatary add campaign. Those days where miserable sales. On days that I did, there was a huge increase.

The basic difference is, unless you(with business III) have something set up that really sticks out, your shop is a one time buy. People do not wp average places. Most of the sales I have made from other players are places I accidently bump into. Most likely, I wont bump into again. When I am looking for something, I turn on the map and look there. The places in that list are where I go. If your shop is out in the middle of nowhere, I doubt I will ever find it, or want to find it.

Basically, business III gets you the ability to sell without the bazaar or being online, but doesnt put you on the map. That to me, is the biggest merchant selling advantage.

With the new price sceme on vendors. I can actually do just as well with a Busniess 3 vendor. I am focusing on selling power. I sell out quickly. I am thinking about selling my house and moving into a neighbors. I do not need adbarking or planetary advertising. I do more business through emails ads and macro yelling than I ever got through the advertising gained by Merchant skills. I was a store with everything, but was being killed by the 7 day issue. Even with that fixed I am thinking of focusing on power and freeing myself to do other stuff. Maybe I'll also be a CH...

special houses for retail store that are only available to merchants and built by architects is a great way to add content to two professions. Of course, they have to be non-transferrable to others.

I was chagrined this week when the two days I wasn't able to get online in the morning to activate planetary advertising turned out to be my biggest sales days ever. Nevertheless, I do think it helps; but I sell more through the bazaar, commission sales and other methods that do not require merchant abilities than anything I'musing skillpoints for.

I have thexpfor master merchant and intend to get the training when I can find someone to train me because I'm expecting a radical shift in the economy and possibly our profession when player cities are available. If I'm wrong about that, I'll start selling back skills one or two patches after I get set up in a city.

Actually I am hoping the tents do not take up lots space, thus we can free up lots for harvesters and such. I see Draznar's Power Distributers in many cities.... Oh well Probably will only be able to place in a city that you are a resident of... Will have to test.

I hope tents are like the opposite of camps in that you can only place them inside a city, yet like camps they do not take up one of our lots.

Well, I for one, do better business when I put my vendor on the map. I don't STAND , and I am always listening in town for people wanting this or that. I send them tells when I have what they are looking for.I agree that after Business III, there is not much need to continue, but as a Master Merchant, I should have some kind of distinct advantage over your average crafter with his/her own vendor. Advertising III is easy to get, and now, your average Joe Crafter can have the same presence as I do, with a Master Title!!! (kind of like in RL having a nurses assistant being on the same skill lvl as a heart surgeon) To that end, I believe that it should be more worthwhile to be a master, so move the planetary map listing to the master merchant rank. This is what being a merchant is all about, >>ADVERTISING<<<! That would definately make a master merchant more appealing to play, and we would be more sought out for our talent by the the melee classes that have an artisan skill on the side, or the crafters that want to have more than one master skill. (tailor/archetect, CH/entertainer...and so on) As it is now, our only unique ability can be had for a handful of experience points. I know that this change would anger the casual merchant, that just puts up a vendor, and keeps it stocked with merchandise that they make themselves, but they are the master merchants bread and butter, and if we have nothing to offer them, why would they take the time to even talk to us?!? I work closely with a master tailor, 2 weaponsmiths, a master archetect, a doctor, and was working with an armorsmith, but she has some RL issues, so I am looking for another. They keep me supplied with all the stuff that I sell. I spend all of my playing time taking orders, visiting harvesters, delivering resources to my suppliers, emailing and picking up orders, and sending out post purchase thank you emails, and special offer mailings, and shouting out my adbark messages as I run from town to town on my errands. I don't have time to start a crafting profession for myself, but I work HARD for the people that are my partners. If I can't offer this person

OOOPS, didn't mean to end that long winded post like that.

The point is, merchants DON'T stand out as a class with a unique ability, and they should, as all the other classes do. Give us something that NO OTHER CLASS has. For a merchant, I feel that should be advertising. Make anyone who wants to advertise their products globally come to us, not just put some points into merchant, and do it themselves.

There, I guess I'm done with that rant.

Looking forward to the new fixes coming, they will make my life a little easier.