Tailor Archive

Your costs have absolutely NOTHING to do with supply and demand and do not enter into this discussion, though they could be entered since you're using more materials, thus more resources, thus more cost for the same total sales. Total sales less production costs equals total profit. We have the same total sales, I have less production costs, I have more total profit. Explain to me how there's any way that selling for less to make less is a good idea? And that's why I say you're stealing from yourself, you have higher costs and less profit. Increase your price, sell the same number of items, you have more profit. Does this affect anyone but you? No, but does it give you more money? Yes. Stealing from yourself. Sounds like a pretty silly idea that way, doesn't it?

Until the Emperor passes the Tailored Goods Price Setting Act, I don't see the problem with "over" or "under" charging. I'll sell my stuff for whatever I want to sell my stuff for. That's free enterprise. This economy's got far worse problems than a rogue tailor.

Of course, this is from the guy got bored one day so he sat around giving away Master items to random passers by, so what do I know, eh?

I would love for the Tarq. tailors to meet (at least once) to talk about priceing, shop locations, resources,and to see just how many of us there are. I have seen Lola, Lora, Rarlossk posting...perhaps I will post on the Tarq. forum to see if there is any interest.

Thanks

Lets say I actually succumbed to your "more profit is better and more fun for me" brianwashing, how pissed do you think my customers would at me, when they ask me for a new fleshwrap or whatever and I say.

"Oh sorry, that item you bought yesterday for 6000 is now 12000 because I have chosen to make sure that my playstyle doesnt infinge on someone elses, so my prices now have to match every other price gouging Tailor on this server"

Yeah I dont think that would go over too well, and I have no doubt that had I started out charging outrageous prices for my stuff I would be much richer than I am already. But becoming the richest or even one of the richest tailors on my server isnt my goal, my goal is too have fun, which I am doing.(Not sure how rich one really needs to be in this game, I guess enough is never enough)

P.S. To LoraJ, Dont count on me giving up anytime soon, I heard theres a space expansion coming in a year, thats going to mean new clothes too I'm sure. Plus the new colors on Test. Also I think I'll be taking the cloth enhancing line from BE, that should be cool, when they getit working.

A Tarq Tailor meeting is an excellent idea, ready when you are.

Items are worth what people will pay for them.

Here's an example.. I used to sell a ton of soft undershirts...pricedat 250-300cr or so. Then one day I get an "auction complete" email saying that one of my shirts sold for 900cr. I apparently priced it wrong as I was listing a variety of items. Frankly I was embarrassed for having made that mistake.

The point isthat this personthought that my simple black/black undershirt was worth 900 credits.

Did I "rip him off?" No.. because he didn't have to buy my shirt.

This applies to every item we sell. Things are worth what people will pay for them.. IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

I don't care how much your resources are, or whether it's a full moon, or a month with an R in it. If someone pays you 50,000 credits for a pair of black leather gloves.. then in that moment in time, the gloves are worth that much. Probably never again, though. :-)

"" Ri'a Ocoli
"" Novice Tailor, Kettemoor
"" Clothes by Ri'a is 1km north of Keren at 1145, 3800
"" .. my door is always open, stop by any time!

My prices have varied a bit, though never did I think to sell as cheaply as you are, one day that fighter's flightsuit was 12k on the vendor, the next it was 15k. Still sold. No one asked or said anything. And I'm not asking you to change your ways for anyone else because obviously you are only interested in helping yourself. Well, increasing your prices (even if you still sell for less than everyone else) only helps you. You'll still get your volume since you're still cheaper, only you'll make more profit. Granted all that profit doesn't do a lot of good for you, but I spend more time than I like stocking my vendor already, I'd rather be out earning some rifle or architect experience. To each their own, but the economics don't lie. You're underpriced.

You remind me of a Used Car salesman, who puts a lemon on the lot for$10,000waiting for someone who doesnt know any better to come by, and convince them its worth this much money.

And I suppose you also actually believe that a Valentino Suit is really worth $2000 just because someone wants a suit made by Valentino. Worth to me, atleast in this "game" is how much did it cost me to get it, I then take that and mark it up, due to my skill as a Master Tailor and thats my price, period. I dont really care if someone would actually pay 12000 or more for one of my master level items.

Not to mention I wonder how many 12000c fleshwraps you sell when they institute decay, hmmmm

I have never once denied that I'm underpriced for the market, I'm not stupid. I know what other tailors are charging for things on my server, because everytime I sell something to someone and they say "Wow, I just had a tailor try to sell me that for twice that much"

You might also want to watch out for asecond round of mission payout nerfs.

My guess would be that I'll sell about twice as many to replace the ones that break. And just to make it clear, I sell them at 15k, not 12k. Perceived worth is the name of the game. I became a tailor because I refused to pay that much, or, in reality, didn't expect I'd ever get that much as a pure entertainer. Since that day I haven't worn anything (clothing at least) that I didn't make. So is it worth 15k to me? No, but it is to everyone who has bought one from me, and who am I to tell them that they're wrong.

Oh, I can't *wait* for them to implement decay. Then at least all this time and effort I'm spending to get primo fiberplast, polymers, and metals will finally pay off!

Forget repeat business, I want to say that I have the most durable clothing in the Galaxy!

But your point about the Valentino suit is dead on. It is worth what people will pay for it, be that 2K or 250K.

Just because *you* believe that price should be wedded to costs does not make it so. If no one ever paid 12K for a fleshwrap, then no Tailor in any Galaxy would sell them at that price. The prices exist because the market supports them.

I am not disputing your right to set your own prices. Hell, sell Master items for 1 credit for all I care... just don't tell me I'm ripping people off when they voluntarily pay what I ask.

Before I respond, I would like to say that this is certainly one of the more interesting and valuable discussions I've seen on these boards in a long time.

Anyways

So you're saying that simply because I could possibly sell my master level stuff for 12-15k, that I should have to just to make everyone else on my server happy. I dont think so. People are only paying that much because at some point a Master Tailor said "I'm selling my stuff for this much" and now that has become the defacto price range. Why is it people haggle over the price of a medium house versus the cost of resources to build it, but not over clothes, or weapons for that matter, their just as over priced as anyone else. The Master WS's of Tarquinas should be lucky I didnt take that up.

Could you even imagine how much a large house would cost if the architect used your scale of mark up.

I dont think my calculator has that many decimal places.

It should be about what is a fair price, not what someone that doesnt know any better and is used to paying inflated prices will pay.

I, for one, do not advocate price fixing. Like I said above, charge what you want.

It is common knowledge, I believe, that Artitechts get the shaft big time. All the discussion I have heard on the topic is that houses *are* ridiculously underpriced.

Weapons and Armor are a better analogy. I'm sure if you look at the cost of the items it is nowhere *near* .65cr/unit + profit (I would also debate the whole .65cr price structure. That seems to be based solely on harv maint fees and power. What about travel? Finding a good harv location? Getting to it unharmed, etc., etc.?). WS and ASs can charge ridiculous markup, and people will always be willing to pay. Why? Because the combat types *need* these things to make money themselves! It's like selling water during a drought...

As for clothes, I guess you could say that entertainers *need* them, but from what I can tell they're a fairly broke lot.

For everyone else clothing is a luxury item. People buy it because they want to customize the "look" of their character. That's why dusters commonly go for 4k to 5k. They only require Field III, but everyone wants them, so they don't go for the 3K that I would charge simply based on the skill level (which is highly arbitrary, I'll grant you).

I thinkyour used car salesman analogy is fallacious. A car's value is dependant on whether it works or not. Our clothing is currently indestructible, so if you find a look you like you will never need to by it again. Somone who pays 12K for a fleshwrap isn't someone who "doesnt know any better", they are a person who would pay 12K for a fleshwrap.

My lunch is over, so I'm back to work.

In closing I would just like to paraphrase Digital Underground and say "Charge whatcha like!".