Smuggler Archive

Do all the new Master Smugglers expect to get rich quick?

I got a /tell today from a newer Master Smuggler that was bored (standing in Theed wanting slicing business) and considering dropping Smuggler after such a short time. I ask myself the logic of expecting it to happen overnight.

I find it difficult to convey the importance of just standing around 'looking pretty' and getting to know people. Some fo the things that I see are:

- When a newer Smuggler wants to slice, sometimes he has trouble getting $5,000 for a slice.

- When a newer Smuggler starts, he feels a need to Spam Spam Spam.

- When a newer Smuggler starts, he wants to be as profitable as someone that has done it for over a year.

I have been around for a long time (in game terms). People offer me $500,000 to do one slice (yes rarely). People bring me their ultra-uber equipment and want me to slice it because they trust me. People come to me for business because I stood around (as I profess to others to do). People come to me because I do not spam (although I used to and learned my lessons).

I slice for some of the best known Imperials, Rebels, and Neutrals on the server.
I slice for some of the best known crafters on the server.

I sell faction to Rebels (usually for factional items)
I sell faction to Imperials (usually to change sides)
I sell faction to "People that want to be a Warrant Officer" with no questions asked.

I tell all Smugglers I talk to not to charge as much as I do. When people ask me my price and balk at it, my reply is simply one of two responses:

"If you are unable to afford my prices, there is Master Smuggler ABC that is XX meters away from us. He/she may be able to fit your budget."

(or)

"If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to look me up."

Some smugglers charge $110 per point in Faction. I charge (usually 140-200) depending on the size of the order and the type of client I am dealing with. I made my first $50,000,000 charging 180 per point ... people do pay (until advertisers give them the K-Mart mentality).

Spice, there isn't anything there currently but when there was I charged double the going rate. People buy. People buy. People buy. (Do I need to say it again? People buy.)

I also add every Master Smuggler I see to my friends list and if they are a Colonel, I indicate that as well. If I think someone is shopping prices for faction, I let the others know the prices I am offering. Can you guess what happens, they make sure that they do not undercut my price (and I would do the same for them).

If I am offering $150 per point, and a shopper asks Caylin (using Caylin because he is not on the same server) also gets a tell from me advising the status ... Caylin replies with "best I can do is 155 per point" ... more often than not, that just closed the deal (and you will have a partner to work with to close the deal).

It is late...I am about to ramble ... so before I go off to much ... Good night, may the force be with you all.

Semper Fi.

Bo' Tinsu

I hear you and understand, people have an inherent problem giving up their hard earned weapons to a total stranger. It does certainly take time to build up a client base. I don't bother doing single slices anymore I have several WS and AS that hire me and pay me whatever they feel like. It's very lucrative they take care of me I take care of them. Point being if you are a new smuggler get your name out there, show people you are trustworthy, and don't give up right away.

Its amazing how networking can help bring you business. Over the past few months, i've got numerous /tells from out of the blue and they usually go like, "I've heard from ________ that you are the guy to go for faction points." I don't have to adverstise anymore. They come to me and thats a pretty good feeling.

With regards to slicing, i've basically given up that trade unless someone sends me a /tell. There was a time when I would spend hours at end standing in Coronet or Theed slicing at 5k per slice. That got boring after a while, so now I charge 10k per slice and oddly enough, none of the people who have come to me since then have even batted an eyelid at the price.

/shrug

I guess i've basically come to the point where business comes to me and thats fine by me

Ackaak Adack
Bloodfin
"Wars not make one great."

Davian Shaw
Bloodfin
"You came in that thing?"

i usually charge 5 - 15k for a slice more for imps usually unless your an imp i know. i tend to charge 150 creds pr FP, more for people who wants to change sides, less for large orders. Most ive ever been paid for a single slice was 300k, legendary NS pike, 32% damage. Everyone needs to take time to build a client base, after i got to the point where i no longer have to depend on slicing to make money i get more questions about slicing then i ever got before. Smuggler is like any other prof, you need to take time to build a client base, myself for instance only buy armor from 2 smiths and weapons from 2 smiths since i know they have well stocked vendors at all times, and shopping from them saves me alot of time. Just because you are a M.Smuggler doesnt mean you can instantly make millions, since i wouldnt hand a great weapon to someone i dont know or have heard of, especially not to a spammer.

I charge 7k a slice and 10k per peice of armor. I have no problem. Master smugglers are rare on bloodfin nowadays, if they dont like my price I simply tell them to find another who will do it for less. They usually send me a tell later after they cant find any.

I had a guy who hasnt played in 4 or 5 months contact me to see if I was still a smuggler and If I'd slice his stuff,just because I sliced for him once and he remembered me. It takes awhile to build up a trustfull clientel(sp?). I for one never spamed ,just stood where people are and let them come to me. I'm not even searchable.

Just Dak - Flurry

Great post Geevo. I just got my slicer title a couple of nights ago and I am not in this for the money (feh, making money is easy, I like playing for the interaction and exploring everything I can ). That being said, I prefer to RP when people want a slice (if they don't RP then I drop it). Sometimes I do them for free (esp. for new players, but only if they RP ), but that is a rare occasion and usually when I'm in a REALLY good mood. Otherwise, I'm not looking to make 5mil in the next three days, three weeks, or ever.

I'm just hoping that I'll run into someone (profession is not an issue), that will RP a slicing encounter, and in doing so, make another newfriend. If someone is happy with the slice and wants to do more business, that's fine, but I don't expect it. I don't think you (or anyone else for that matter)are to blame at all for this. Some people feel that they need to be super rich to do anything cool in the game. Eh, to each their own. Me, I'll have just as much fun running random missions for NPC's and off terms for a while, then go into town and watch the lag, and an Entertainer, while chatting with friends (I really don't have a choice on the lag...dial up is teh suck ).

Graby

Cake or Death!!??!!

As with all economics and statistics, there is a "bell curve" on the weath of the game (and each profession).

I am on one end of the curve, others are on the other end, and many are in the middle.

If you look just at the Master Smugglers within the game on the Intrepid Server you can see a wide difference in assets and wealth. I am (as I am sure you all know since I do not hide it well) on one end of the curve and people ask me how I do it. My answers seldom make sense because in essence they skirt around the ideas of "I am a Smuggler, that is what I do."

There are many things that have gone well for me that cannot go well for many of you. Primarily, time playing this profession. I started on Tatooine, primarily in Anchorhead. I stood on the bridge working up the slicing tree and slicing for other people. It was easier back then because we were all noobs. When I hit Master Smuggler there were less than ten Master Smugglers on the entire server, and I believe all of them have either left the game or the profession.

I know Lorenzo and I have both been Master Smugglers for a very long time and there are a few others. My first piece of advice to the newer Smugglers is "Respect the elder Smugglers" because it will make you money. Most of us are rich and do not care about the slicing business (that leads to other business). We kick business to the newer Masters and we (as a whole) try to help out. Yes, we keep the most lucrative and enjoyable business, but we do kick business.

When we give advice, listen. Do not respond with "I am a Master, I know how to..." Our intentions are never to hurt, only to help you and to help the profession as a whole. While it bothers me when I see people doing business for what I believe is far lower than your time is worth, only you can put a value on your time.

Back to how I made money...standing in Anchorhead on the bridge, Kayyla (No longer a Smuggler) was my Master that trained me in most of my skills, and told me things to do and not to do. I listened, I asked questions, and to this day will always slice her stuff for free (and even sliced her Jedi stuff for free). Upon encouragement from her and some others, I left my comfort zone of Anchorhead and found that I could make more money in Coronet. I do not really understand it, but things just cost more and people would pay more 'in the big city' so I stayed shouting "Master Smuggler to meet ALL of your Smuggler needs ... Slice, Spice, Faction ... anything you need" (never included price because that removes some negotiation ability).

Eventually people started coming to me for business and I was getting deals that made me a millionaire (OCT-DEC 2003 I think). In January of 2004, I decided that I needed to be a Colonel to maximize my profits and paid about $3.5 million to finish the journey. After I finished that, I had less than a million again and within one month I made $10 million profit (including the cost of the rank). It was this time that I fell in love with selling faction, and when I started, I was the only one that I knew of doing it.

I will never forget my first customer, he would only pay me in $1-2 million incriments and insisted on watching me work with another Smuggler (that I used the profits to promote him high enough to hold the faction). Upon completion of this first order (a Detachment HQ) that I charged about 150 per point, he said "You should raise your prices, buying faction sucks for you." He recommended $180-200 per point and I updated my price. He then tipped me $10 million 'for a job well done' and I gave my partner $2.5MM of it (yes I keep most profits ... I got the deal)

These relationships grew, I networked with other professions and made things happen. Another deal (my largest deal ever) was for about $107 million for several bases, turrets, etc. In addition to the faction items this group of people wanted supplies. Armor, weapons, medicine, spice, food and a general gambit of items. In addition to the factional items, I aquired (through friends) all of the other needed items (at a quantity discount) and then added a service fee for aquiring them and I charged my normal slice fee for slicing them. There was an additional (probably) $10+ million in misc. additional items.

Many of you may not even remember this, but it used to be that Jedi hid. People would hide when they had a Jedi and the Jedi's identity. Smugglers (from when we could slice light sabers) and Doctors I believe (and could be wrong) were the two professions that knew the most Jedi.

There are ways to make money, and although there are some new challenges because you have a lot more competition, you can still do it. Learn, be creative, and work towards the non-existent "Crime Lord".

(that concludes another issue of "Advice while Geevo is at work")

May the force be with you

Semper Fi

i became a smuggler loooong time ago, admittedly for the money.

but not so much obscene amounts of money, more the "why would a person in RL become a smuggler" type of money.

if i wanted tons of cash, i know i could do a dozen other professions and be set for life in no time. but as a smuggler, i can be as greedy as i want, and still feel as if i earned every credit. i have a couple of million, then go on shopping sprees (maybe like a real criminal would, i dunno) and blow it all. then i go back to work doing the (quasi) illegal things that get me (relatively) rich.

for me, it's the attitude of a smuggler. greedy, capitalisitic, sly, yet always a few credits short of the big score.

that and the chicks, they love the smugglers.

InVictus Kell - Smuggler for Life
Started: Beta 2
Retired : 1-27-06

It's been fun...

I hate when people spamthat they areslicing, though you still do get the occational guy yelling, "is there anyone that can slice my weapon?" when he is surrounded by smugglers. I honestly don't do it for the money, I just think its fun. I'm currently the only master in my PA, which means I always have business, but I charge them very little. I've noticed though that when someone asks if you can slice for them that they will pay what you ask, be it 3k, 5k, 15k. They know that they can get the money backfrom one Janta mission.

Arcbane Taiva - Master Droid Engineer, Master Shipwright, Master Artisan
Ioan Nicolae - Master Smuggler, Master Pistoleer, Bounty Hunter
*ADSW* Arcbane's Droid & Shipworks 7178, -4317
Aurora, Naboo, Flurry