Shipwright Archive
Thread: WHOLSALING BAZZAR LOW BALLERS.. ETHICAL?
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Dupont
Wed Dec 22, 2004 4:52 pm
#1
I've noticed recently a trend (and read posts on this) of ship wrights selling ridiculously costly things on my home planet bazaar for pennies on the dollar. Examples are : Level 9 blasters for 5000 or Long Probes for 1000. I'm in retail in RL I know this is economically impossible. So I was thinking that since I KNOW thats impossible.. why not just by the guy out... item by item... eventually he'll go under.
I own a gas station/convience store in RL and competition is so tough in my area everyone literally out to "drive each other out of business" I obviously believe in a free ecomony and there are ways to use another's foolish pricing to sink them and I have no problem doing this in SWG. POINT: BUY THE PERSON'S STUFF UNTIL HE/SHE RUNS OUT AND RE-SELL IT AT A FAIR MARGIN.
My objective in this post isn't to clear my consience but to start a discussion on this. Perhaps its another "bad economy" mistake that SOE made when they designed SW.. much like the gungan head - architect thing. But space weapons are obviously more desirable than gungan heads and the cometition more fierce.
Qs:
-Do the same cut throat rules of capitolism apply in SWG or should there be more fairness?
-Is buying a "name brand" and reselling it in your own shop underhanded?
-If a given SW is so wealthy (for whatever reason) that he/she can give stuff away, why not get a piece of his/her wealth and resell?
newwb
Wed Dec 22, 2004 8:32 pm
#2
i think this is fine, these people just have to make ends meet, if they can do that, then theyre fine
Wokka
Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:35 pm
#3
Simply buying the guy out is not gonna put him under. You're increasing his wealth... very little, but still increasing it. Obviously he could care less about the money he makes on that sale, he just wants to reduce his inventory without destroying the item. Perhaps he's trying to make a name for himself by putting premium items up for sale.
And of course it is ethical. In RL, it's dumb cause most people still in any kind of business is trying to make more of that almighty dollar. In the game if you have millions of shamolians, losing a few ain't gonna even effect you in any noticable way.
I took a gamble of my own. I saw some good leather that someone was jonesin to buy. I saw 4 lots of 2k each on the bazaar. I bought all of it, split it into 500 units and resold it. I took a risk. It all sold in a couple days. Worth the effort and the risk I took.
Shipwright isn't the first profession to experience this, and it certainly won't be the last.
Wokka-wokka
Bahboo
Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:01 am
#4
Totally fair.
Ipersonally do it often and not just with the bazaar but withcompeting vendors as well.
This is a true free economy so its not against anyrules. As faras ethics, the golden rule is all theethics I need. Ifsomeone bought me out, I'd be happy to take their money and make more of whatever they liked so much. If they can sell it for more, good for them, everybody wins.
Message Edited by Bahboo on 12-23-2004 03:03 AM
Isrem
Thu Dec 23, 2004 4:20 am
#5
I rarely do this, never did with SW components before except some chassis from the bazar because all lower priced components I saw until now were of significant lower quality.
If someone cares about his customers and just sells for this low price not because of driving others out of business but because of his inner thinking that this are the prices that are fair and is content with very low profit margin then I guess this person will be very angry about this and will ban you from the shop. I would do so, too.
Of course you can send your friends then and buy all the goods until he gives up in the end ... but why making another person that angry and why investing time in such nonsense? Simply be better stocked, give better service and maybe team up with other SWs to be able to have a large stock. Buy loot for a significant higher amount than the chassis dealer and you will see people spending this money back in your goods.
If someone cares about his customers and just sells for this low price not because of driving others out of business but because of his inner thinking that this are the prices that are fair and is content with very low profit margin then I guess this person will be very angry about this and will ban you from the shop. I would do so, too.
Of course you can send your friends then and buy all the goods until he gives up in the end ... but why making another person that angry and why investing time in such nonsense? Simply be better stocked, give better service and maybe team up with other SWs to be able to have a large stock. Buy loot for a significant higher amount than the chassis dealer and you will see people spending this money back in your goods.
Mr_Flibble
Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:44 am
#6
It's not unethical I have started selling level 3 sheilds on the bazzaar and level 3 reactors (although one of them hasn't sold because it's rubbish) but the parts I am selling are as good as you can buy in most shipwright stores I've seen although they are cheaper and one guy bought almost everything I had on the bazaar, not a problem for me. I am grinding to master still so I need the creds but If I can make decent sheilds missiles and launchers and sell them why not instead of wasting the resources they are of slightly lower quality (not being a master and all) however the price reflects this and people should know they get what they pay for.
So if people want to buy directly from me in bulk all the stuff I make then they can have a quiet word with me and I will sell them my stuff (in bulk for a discount) and I will stop selling on the bazaar however if they don't then all the other people can buy my low priced components for a low price.
However I like playing the game so I am not constantly grinding shipwright. If I need to make stuff for my guildies or myself I will make a load of them keep the best ones and sell the rest.
If they are grinding things they are not making a loss selling them cheap because otherwise they would have junk on their vendors compared to the grind parts they made.
So if people want to buy directly from me in bulk all the stuff I make then they can have a quiet word with me and I will sell them my stuff (in bulk for a discount) and I will stop selling on the bazaar however if they don't then all the other people can buy my low priced components for a low price.
However I like playing the game so I am not constantly grinding shipwright. If I need to make stuff for my guildies or myself I will make a load of them keep the best ones and sell the rest.
If they are grinding things they are not making a loss selling them cheap because otherwise they would have junk on their vendors compared to the grind parts they made.
Message Edited by Mr_Flibble on 12-23-2004 05:45 AM
cleekjc
Thu Dec 23, 2004 7:25 am
#7
Maybe this should be a wake up call?
The player base is tired of you bending us over with your ridiculously priced equipment. I'll bet these "lowballers" as you call them were other professions that turned crafter to make a point. I only hope to see more "lowballers" in other crafter professions.
I just bought a tier 2 black sun light fighter (not even going to try and spell it) for 50k off a guild members vendor, and a texture and paint kit for 1k a piece, that is his retail price folks not a discount and he is still making a profit.
So open your ears and listen to your customers we are tired of being shafted, just so you can make millions (there is a difference in getting rich and covering your costs and making a profit) and no you don’t deserve to be a millionaire just because you are a crafting profession.......
WILDMAN_SOLO
Thu Dec 23, 2004 7:51 am
#8
cleekjc wrote:
Maybe this should be a wake up call?
The player base is tired of you bending us over with your ridiculously priced equipment. I'll bet these "lowballers" as you call them were other professions that turned crafter to make a point. I only hope to see more "lowballers" in other crafter professions.
I just bought a tier 2 black sun light fighter (not even going to try and spell it) for 50k off a guild members vendor, and a texture and paint kit for 1k a piece, that is his retail price folks not a discount and he is still making a profit.
So open your ears and listen to your customers we are tired of being shafted, just so you can make millions (there is a difference in getting rich and covering your costs and making a profit) and no you don’t deserve to be a millionaire just because you are a crafting profession.......
On the other hand though I bet you wouldn't blink while gouging a crafter for his soul when selling him a sub component or Loot drop to make the finished product.
It is a 2 way street mate. Looters Gouge crafters like there is no tomorrow, crafters pay and then pass on the expense to the customers. Unfortuantely it is the order of things for the time being untill the solo group cash nerf really starts kicking in. Everyone has still got bank balances busting at the seams but once that starts to evaporate prices will eventually be brought down a peg or 2.
Nifty
Thu Dec 23, 2004 9:40 am
#9
ifa pilot can't afford a shipwright's prices, that pilot isn't doing their job very well. With the chassis dealer buying components at 1k per level, pilots can make money hand over fist now.
If anyone is gouging, it is the resource gatherers. The monetary cost of extracting resources is nothing compared to what they sell higher quality resources for. The crafters who don't gather their own resources for whatever reason, simply pass that cost onto the consumer. Of course, the crafter could deal in inferior quality resources at a lower cost point, but that shows in the end product, which hurts the crafter.
It's kind of like professional sports. The demand for good athletes drives their prices (salaries) to astronomical values. The owners who want to field competitive teams have to pay those prices, because the demands of the fans requires the team to be successful. The cost gets passed onto the fan in the form of higher ticket and concession costs. The fan gladly watches the team succeed, but in the end complains about how much the games costs, and definitely how much the athletes make. Sounds an awful lot like resources to crafters to consumers in SWG to me.
Diorchas
Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:01 am
#10
It actually takes a great deal of time to be a good resource manager. Whenever you talk about them gouging (and I have seen a few that do, please don't mistake me) you're immediately discounting the service they provide as worthless. The prices they charge are not based solely upon how much it cost them in hard credits to extract the resources. They also mark up the prices because of the time and monotony it takes to actually make a good living at it. They do what others don't want to/don't have time to do and they charge for the service. PLain and simple.
inego
Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:59 am
#12
I am one of these people. Some people doing this aren't shipwrights. They just happen to find something better than they have and want to get rid of their lesser items, Not everyone has their own vendor to sell it on. Others have no other way of advertising their shop.
KaelBloodbain
Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:04 am
#13
If anyone is gouging, it is the resource gatherers. The monetary cost of extracting resources is nothing compared to what they sell higher quality resources for. The crafters who don't gather their own resources for whatever reason, simply pass that cost onto the consumer. Of course, the crafter could deal in inferior quality resources at a lower cost point, but that shows in the end product, which hurts the crafter.
-------------------------------------------------
This is exactly my thoughts on the matter. With a few exceptions, and you know who you are, 
I've seen resources sell at disgustingly high prices. 
I've seen resources sell at disgustingly high prices. (Please keep this in mind when you speak with your friendly SW )
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