Merchant Archive

As this seems to be the most appropriate forum for this question....

I run a business on Chilastra (Power Company) that is about to expand. Do any of you other merchants (resource based ones that is) still utilize lot trading?

Do any of you that read this forum still utilize this.

Just trying to get a feel for how successful it is for you.

Thanks

---------------------
Khazid Durcour
---------------------
Master Doctor - Master Muscian
CFO of TCO
Chilastra

Alts: Ot'alyia (M. Artisan - M. Architect - M. Shipwright - Merchant), Thendios (M. CH - Pistoleer)

I use lot swaps quite often i have about 40 harversters on static lot swaps and run a resource company i pull what ever pops under the static harvs and usually sell it for 2cpu and i do a respectful amount of business

Isnt it funny how the color of love is the same color as blood?

I DONT WANT CALLER ID ---- I WANT CALLER IQ

I can see utilizing lot trading to offset collection for high resource volume professions.

The unfortunate side of the equation is that, in my opinion, the developers haven't aclear experience and record having to actually deal with the economics of a game business surviving.

I've long postulated as to what their goals actually are with the Merchant, and other crafter professions in general. The complete lack of vision for the Merchant profession has developed a malaise that permeates our posts, our expectations and our ability to operate businesses within the scope of a poorly documented system.

The funny thing is that the lot trading problem only becomes a problem when people want to quash a competitor, IMO. It's not something that is done as a fix from a sense of fairness, as there is no fairness in this profession. It's not something that is done to correct a problem.

As for myself, my solution was to have a large number of accounts and directly control the lots that matter to me. I have 8 accounts and 9 same server toons, with 2 more coming within 2 weeks and eventually plans to have all the 8 primary accountsgain padawan mostly for the lots gained. Once there, I'll probably cull my accounts by whatever is excess. I estimate at least 2 accounts will be shut down, and possible a third one, too.

But "denying through silence" is a terrible corporate decision that SOE uses to keep us all in the dark. Six months ago I considered being able to put up with it. Recent "fixes" have again established a track record of the devs correcting symptoms while never addressing the problems.

Lot trades provide as viable an example as anything. Instead of developing a system ingame where we can RELIABLY rent lots (as merchants? imagine that), instead of providing ingame methodologies for contracts, instead of providing extra storage (even possibly fee-based), instead of doing anything whatsoever to assist crafters/merchants with 19 months of people committing fraud, stealing our ingame properties or providing a single iota ofproperties right standards we get squat. Anyone with an ounce of experience trying to operate a business in the game that grows beyond the limits of a single toon's sphere of control has zero support whatsoever from the developers or the CSR team overcoming the rampant fraud that occurs when we have to place our trust in another character. Hell, SOE won't even allow a juvenile to sign an NDA for their games, but they force us to accept oral agreements from the same juveniles as to the security of our ingame property.

Lot trades at least provide you the security that you have something the other party in the contract wants to keep secure. That's more than I canopenly state above the production team, the CSRs or anyone in management for this game. They ask us to become community members, to make this our hobby, to give it breadth and scope of life, but drop us like dead flies when it comes to addressing any of our concerns over security. This is why there are cross-server lot trades, folks.

Fivo Asia

- Strength In Numbers - Loyal Subjects of the Empire
Asia Brothers Industries - Asia Hall SiN CiTY, Dantooine (Offers Vendor at -4703 -1404)
A player bodyguard can't protect you either, something agroes you, you are dead. The
only difference between a pet and the person, is you pay the person to stand there
and watch you die. -- Straker Atrella

cccccccccccccccccccc
Kohs V'sto
I wanted Smuggling for Christmas
but all i got was
<--- this stupid hat.
I am Jack's ignored profession.
Luke Skywalker is DEAD!

Thanks for the reply Cafa. I too am not that pleased with the direction that the Merchant profession has gone, but have not had the same problem you do with renting of lots.

I've done it, and very successfully. Most recently I had eleven people renting out between 4 and 8 static lots to me. I wrote a macro that would pay them their rent each week (I paid about 5k/lot per day).

I shut that business down though, and really wanted to explore cross server trading as a way to offset the expense of rent.

---------------------
Khazid Durcour
---------------------
Master Doctor - Master Muscian
CFO of TCO
Chilastra

Alts: Ot'alyia (M. Artisan - M. Architect - M. Shipwright - Merchant), Thendios (M. CH - Pistoleer)

Ganymede, my idea here is to do static trades. Feel free to look up the account I'm setting this up on chilastra.ot'alyia.

Now, my next question for you all. Which forum here is best for advertising said trades? I supposed I could spam the trade forums, but I dont' think that is productive. And it definitely doesn't really belong here. Looking for suggestions.

Thanks again,

Khaz

---------------------
Khazid Durcour
---------------------
Master Doctor - Master Muscian
CFO of TCO
Chilastra

Alts: Ot'alyia (M. Artisan - M. Architect - M. Shipwright - Merchant), Thendios (M. CH - Pistoleer)

cccccccccccccccccccc
Kohs V'sto
I wanted Smuggling for Christmas
but all i got was
<--- this stupid hat.
I am Jack's ignored profession.
Luke Skywalker is DEAD!

I actually use 25 fusions on my own toons to handle the dynamic aspect of my business. My static lots will go for solar only to just supplement the final business model. I'm not trying to dominate the universe, just take a good slice of it.

---------------------
Khazid Durcour
---------------------
Master Doctor - Master Muscian
CFO of TCO
Chilastra

Alts: Ot'alyia (M. Artisan - M. Architect - M. Shipwright - Merchant), Thendios (M. CH - Pistoleer)