Merchant Archive
Thread: Is Vendor Search really a good thing?
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Idallia
Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:52 am
#1
I have to admit, I am very concerned this is going to drop prices to the point that crafting is not profitable. Already, some idiot was selling 99.8 repair tools for 2500 for a full crate, which would be right around cost if you harvested everything for it. That's 6.67 cpu for the finished item, when the metal used in it would probably sell for 8-10. Repair tools are fairly high margin item for me, which I thought was justified because a full crate lasts forever and they don't move that fast on the vendors. I sell a full crate of these for 22.5k. How can I compete with this underselling?
I am worried this "Feature" is going to make crafting unprofitable. What are you guys' thoughs?
I am worried this "Feature" is going to make crafting unprofitable. What are you guys' thoughs?
EldritchArms
Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:03 am
#2
I'm just going to wait it out.
I personally sell my 99.8% repair crates for 12.5k just as a convenience for city members, but thats niether here nor there.
The severe undercutting will happen and there isn't anything you can do about it. I would take some solace in the business models being used by these crafters. There's also a very high possibility that a great many of these super-low prices items are in less trafficed areas. The crafter probably dropped these prices to try and get people to his door. When he/she sells out quickly odds are they will adjust their pricing. If not they will eventually get upset that they arent making a noticeable profit and quit.
I think there will be a series of market corrections but I don't expect things to get too bad. That may just be my own sense of optimism but I think it's too early to declare the sky is falling.
So hang in there, youll come out the other side just fine.
DedalusX
Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:07 am
#4
Free markets right themselve over time.
Buy his stock and resell it. =)
Ragnaat
Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:42 am
#5
What are your thoughts on how you competed before? And on your own pricing before?
Idallia wrote:
How can I compete with this underselling?
Was it based on location that you competed? Volume? Reliability of stock? Length of time in the business?
I'm not saying the market isn't going to adjust, just that this person was selling at those prices before and for whatever reason you were still in business as well. Vendor search is here... give it a week or two and see what if anything changes about how many crates of repair kits you sell and go from there.
Doug123
Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:00 pm
#6
Why should everyone get the ability to sell for free on a galactic scale, when you need three boxes in merchant to have a planetary add campaign. This is a complete nerf of the merchant character. Why would anyone dress up their bots, or put messages on them when 99% of all sales will happen from a central bazaar terminal. There is only one solution to this disaster. This should be a master merchant skill, and you must locate a trustworthy merchant to transfer the funds to you after they sell your items for you.
Yet again we see they are taking away all the hard earned skills from merchants and giving them free to artisans, i am beginning to wonder why we invest any skill points anymore, its seems if we wait long enough they will give us all our skills for free ) I cant believe that the posts are not more concerned with the merchant and there viablity, and more concerned with pricing. There is nothing wrong with a free market, but this is at the expense of a class which had a very limited viability in the game. We need to get our voice heard, and get people who understand the repercussions of changes to make them listen before these types of changes are put into place.
Tessha
Intrepid server
Kyorlana
Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:11 pm
#7
I have to agree that this should be tied to the merchant skill tree rather than being available for all. It basically nullifies part of the tree completely and severely limits the usefulness of the rest of it.
Nice idea - less than ideal implementation.
Nice idea - less than ideal implementation.
darmokVtS
Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:45 pm
#8
Idallia wrote:
That's 6.67 cpu for the finished item,
[..]
How can I compete with this underselling?
6.67 cpu is not underselling, you should try not to overpay for your ressources next time so you can compete with the smart crafters who do not overpay for their ressources (mining cost itself is somewhere around 0.5 cpu).
If you pay as you claim 8-10 cpu for inshift materials to miners, find yourself some new miners
.Message Edited by darmokVtS on 03-24-2005 08:47 PM
AndJusticeForAll
Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:45 pm
#9
cant buy from bazaar term.. still have to travel to vendor
i think this should be available to anybody with planet adds
Message Edited by AndJusticeForAll on 03-24-2005 01:46 PM
ForceFielding
Thu Mar 24, 2005 9:06 pm
#10
I have spent over 5 mil on vendor items today because the search enabled me to see what they have for sale.
Otherwise all the items would still be in the dark
P__Day
Thu Mar 24, 2005 9:14 pm
#11
Well in effect the vendor search made 4-x-4-x useless, whats the point of being on hte planet map and dressing up your vendors now? x-4-x-x is kind of a waste, why bother with reduced fees when i can put down 1 vendor and just toss all the items on it , sure itl cost me more, but il save that on the stuff i dont have to pay for like planet map in 3-x-x-x and more dressed up vendors x-x-4-x
DesktopSaki
Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:07 am
#12
darmokVtS wrote:
6.67 cpu is not underselling, you should try not to overpay for your ressources next time so you can compete with the smart crafters who do not overpay for their ressources (mining cost itself is somewhere around 0.5 cpu).
Idallia wrote:
That's 6.67 cpu for the finished item,
[..]
How can I compete with this underselling?
If you pay as you claim 8-10 cpu for inshift materials to miners, find yourself some new miners
Message Edited by darmokVtS on 03-24-2005 08:47 PM
Depends on your server. On Eclipse, the best stuff you can use for this is a copper that'll run you about 20 cpu. It had a not-very-long shift last summer and hasn't been topped since.
Elioi
Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:17 am
#13
All of a sudden Hiring was usefull? Man, people make it sound like dressing vendors or having an Ithorian made people buy more from a vendor. Heads up people - nothing in this change affected the usefullness of the hiring line. Now advertising got pretty hosed in effectiveness, and there is a good argument there, but hiring really has nothing to do with it since remote buying and insta delivery were removed.
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