Smuggler Archive
Thread: Smugglers: DROP UR KNIVES AND READ THIS
First off, quit trying to sell spice, because ever since brandy and canape came out our spices have been nerfed.
Secondly, dont try selling the equipment you grind out of your factory, its what you are going to be using to make more money then you do right now.
Heres what i suggest:
Theres 2 types of slicers out there.
A) The slicer who charges 100 credits per % increase.
B) The slicer who charges a flat rate (i.e.: 5k per item)
To maximize our profits and prevent being taken advantage of anytime we enter a highly populated city is either simply reply to the tells with "no i have no slicing gear on me" -OR- we can start doing what doctors do.....start charging upwards of 10-15k per item slice. Think about it, slicing has become a commonplace thing now, people NEED to have their items sliced, just as people NEED to have their stats buffed. You see how buff prices went from 10k right on thru as high as 15k in some places. Although we offer a random service, much like he pre-nerf doctor buff system, we still offer a service that can be rendered to nearly ANYONE in the galaxy.
Its ridiculous if i multiply the number of slices i have done since mastering smug by 10k id probably have 5 times the cash I do now. Theres plenty of money to be made in this until the Smuggler Revamp arrives in July of 2006.
Sound off on this let me know what you think....I think its frigging time for us to stand up and start getting more reasonable prices then we have been getting.
I will preface this by saying I do not need to worry about making money.
I do not sell spice (occassionally I will sell a crate for $20k still ... or $5k to a friend.
Second, I never have sold equipment and do not sell or give it to noobs that are grinding. I did it without clamps, and so can the noobs.
Third, for your two types of Smugglers, you are flatly incorrect. There are many types of Smugglers. For example, I was charging $5k per slice for over six months and within the last few months started raising my prices and have moved to an adjustable pricing scale (currently $450 per %) ... yes I do get rejected at times ... and no, I do not care. If they try to negotiate and entertain me then I adjust.
Fourth, The only way I would agree to saying "I don't have any slicing gear on me" is if you actually do not. I would never encourage you to lie. Be honest and tell them what it will take for you to slice their gear.
Fifth, "Everyone charge 10-15k..." ideas will not work. Charge what you want ... and you will either get customers or you won't. I get nearly $100k for a set of Ubese armor and over $100k for a suit of Composite. I make plenty of money ... some of that may be as a result of my history as a Smuggler, but I am sure that some of it is because people need the gear sliced.
Sixth, you said "Plenty of money to be made before the Smuggler revamp in July, 2006" ... please don't throw dates around.
Seventh, I think it is time for you to sit down, think about how to make money and be a Smuggler. Everything does not have to be a "Price Fix" ... Smuggler is one of the best professions in the game and actually does give you the ability to make large sums of money. My highest profit month was upwards of $50MM in net profit.
Lastly...I understand your points, but I think you need to look outside the box to determine how best to accomplish your goals. People will pay, people will come to you. You need to establish a reputation among your player-base of trust and the ability to get the job done. I have people come for me to find the strangest things ... as a Smuggler your contacts will grow. Also, it tends to take money to make money, so the more you have ... the more profits you will make if you play your cards right. One of the most common things I see that I personally view as a mistake is Spamming ... take this advice seriously ... do not Spam ... there are many players like me, and when I am in places such as Coronet, Spammers are quickly added to my ignore list. You may be thinking 'so what, I get many more customers by Spamming' ... keep in mind with that Quality is better than Quantity. If you really want the customers that can bring you a deal for $120MM (which I have gotten...and I can afford to bring to spend) these types of players that can afford to spend more money than you can dream of ... do not go to Spammers. (Disclaimer: I can understand spamming for Locked Containers).
I hope this post is not taken in the wrong way. I have tried to be constructive, but also provide feedback on general ideas to improve your overall profitability.
ColonelRechna wrote:
Ok, Im tired of being a slice monkey, and until we get our long awaited and even longer pushed back revamp we need to figure out a way to make money.
First off, quit trying to sell spice, because ever since brandy and canape came out our spices have been nerfed.
Secondly, dont try selling the equipment you grind out of your factory, its what you are going to be using to make more money then you do right now.
Heres what i suggest:
Theres 2 types of slicers out there.
A) The slicer who charges 100 credits per % increase.
B) The slicer who charges a flat rate (i.e.: 5k per item)
To maximize our profits and prevent being taken advantage of anytime we enter a highly populated city is either simply reply to the tells with "no i have no slicing gear on me" -OR- we can start doing what doctors do.....start charging upwards of 10-15k per item slice. Think about it, slicing has become a commonplace thing now, people NEED to have their items sliced, just as people NEED to have their stats buffed. You see how buff prices went from 10k right on thru as high as 15k in some places. Although we offer a random service, much like he pre-nerf doctor buff system, we still offer a service that can be rendered to nearly ANYONE in the galaxy.
Its ridiculous if i multiply the number of slices i have done since mastering smug by 10k id probably have 5 times the cash I do now. Theres plenty of money to be made in this until the Smuggler Revamp arrives in July of 2006.
Sound off on this let me know what you think....I think its frigging time for us to stand up and start getting more reasonable prices then we have been getting.
We are smugglers. It is expected that we lie.
Geevo wrote:
Fourth, The only way I would agree to saying "I don't have any slicing gear on me" is if you actually do not. I would never encourage you to lie. Be honest and tell them what it will take for you to slice their gear.
Geevo wrote:
Seventh, I think it is time for you to sit down, think about how to make money and be a Smuggler. Everything does not have to be a "Price Fix" ... Smuggler is one of the best professions in the game and actually does give you the ability to make large sums of money. My highest profit month was upwards of $50MM in net profit.
$50mil credits in a month?! What the hell have i been doing wrong? I thought i knew what a smuggler's job was but apparently i have been screwing it up somewhere. I'm not broke by any means, but i sure wouldn't mind learning from you what you are doing to make ends meet as well as you do
(pulls up school desk and notepad) teach me dude!
atytula wrote:
We are smugglers. It is expected that we lie.
Geevo wrote:
Fourth, The only way I would agree to saying "I don't have any slicing gear on me" is if you actually do not. I would never encourage you to lie. Be honest and tell them what it will take for you to slice their gear.
But when we do, we lose customers ... be honest and they usually return.
Atreyus wrote:
Geevo wrote:
Seventh, I think it is time for you to sit down, think about how to make money and be a Smuggler. Everything does not have to be a "Price Fix" ... Smuggler is one of the best professions in the game and actually does give you the ability to make large sums of money. My highest profit month was upwards of $50MM in net profit.
$50mil credits in a month?! What the hell have i been doing wrong? I thought i knew what a smuggler's job was but apparently i have been screwing it up somewhere. I'm not broke by any means, but i sure wouldn't mind learning from you what you are doing to make ends meet as well as you do
That month (January 2004), I did several things (and $50MM was an approximation ... it was probably a bit higher).
All numbers approximate
$5MM slicing ($5k per slice at the time)
$15MM "Finding" things for people ...
$250k Spice
$100MM Faction sales (about $32MM net profit for me + my partners share)
And once again ... no shouting was involved.
I mean how do you find people with the kind of money to make it worth your while and how do you approach them to offer your services.
Your post SEEMS all good stuff greevo except you don't say HOW to do any of that...
ONE-ARM wrote:
How do you get started selling faction?
I mean how do you find people with the kind of money to make it worth your while and how do you approach them to offer your services.
Your post SEEMS all good stuff greevo except you don't say HOW to do any of that...
Get up to the rank of Colonel
People ask me ... I don't look for them
There are a couple of reasons why I don't say how ...
1) Nothing stays constant ...
2) It is sales skills. I work with a Bothan where we split the profits, he is pretty new. Within the last week, we each sold a Forward Outpost. I sold it for 2.5MM, he sold it for 1.8MM ... an extra 700k profit because I negotiate better.
3) I don't share all of my secrets
4) I have conveyed (on many occassions) the important things to me ... (eg. No Spamming) that can help you do well.
It took me about2-3 months to make my first million...and it has grown exponentially since then. If I don't have a net increase in 5-10MM per month (after I waste everything) then it is a waste of a month. The most I have spent in any single month is approximately $40MM I think.
I don't look for money/deals ... they come to me.
The most important things are:
1) If you don't value your own services, nobody will
2) Don't Spam
3) Treat everyone respectfully (Enemy and Ally)
4) Think outside of the box to make money