Tailor Archive

I've been a Master for about a month or so and finally have my infrastructure set up (heavy harvesters, factories and fusion gen). I have a shop setup, but it's more of just a place I decorate that do lots of business. I usually go around and do only custom orders for people then leave their orders on one of my vendors.

Well,I read a lot of you have shops setup, true shops. I've check out other tailors shops, and their prices are almost disgustingly lower than what I've been selling a lot of my custom tailored items. My biggest problem with setting up shop is knowing what price to set. I have a muliplier pricelist setup...resource cost and a mulitpier for the difficulty level (like, domestic, novice and tier I stuffmade at cost and then maybe 1.25xcost at tier II, etc etc.)

I hate the idea of just guessing what people want, that's why I've been doing only custom orders until now. But I assume all you with shops must make a lot more than I do. Any tips of getting setup? How to stock vendors? Success and failure stories? Thanks.

Maile Insulis

Shadowfire ~ Master Tailor, Master Artisan & Master Merchant

Sorry, this will not help you much, but I think the best way to stock vendors is to start while you are working on obtaining master. That way you can make everything and try to sell it on your vendor. And though it may not sell or be the most efficient grind method. At least you will benefit with some xp gains that you can utilize.

However, in your situation, you have an established clientele, which is likely to do then to stock. I would start by making the things you like and the things you have made regularly for customers.

Honestly the best advice I can give is to keep a well-stocked vendor - about 500 items or more at all times. Nothing is more frustrating than having a vendor be unstocked after you've run all that way.

• what you want to make is your call. if you think a certain item is ugly, don't make any. They won't sell.


• if you DO make something - make it in black, red, white, purple, and some other colors. Maybe 2 on the black. If someone sees one lousy item in let's say blue, the person will say - but I wanted it in red /poutyface. Better that the person never saw the item at all. If you make something, make at least 4 or 5 colors.


• make the shoes to match the colors of your dresses


• try to keep the colors to a few shades and mark consistently (example: I use one shade of "purple" and one "light purple" - even though there are about 8 shades) This way people can match what they want.


• My big sellers: Doc dresses (until recently), lux gowns, light bustiers, low cut tops, striped slacks (confuses me!), fashionably pleated skirts, fleshwraps, leotards, grand healer robes, ball gown, muscle shirts by the truckload, paramilitary camos, white intricate dress and anything that looks like groomwear for the emergency hitching. Lately the boys all want to wear the thin pleated skirt and noble skirt.


• Don't be afraid to make noob items in bright colors. The soft undershirt is a big hit.

Get advertising 3. A must-have. Drop it after a few weeks if you get too much traffic and can't keep your vendor stocked.

Why vendors are cool

• "make me something cool in black" - never happens


• "Can u cut me a deal? How bout i giv u 12 hides for that fleshwrap." Eh, talk to the mouse, I'm not there.


• payment directly from bank to bank, no 5%


• customers who play at weird hours can come by and buy


• lots of publicity even from browsing clients (especially if your shop is cool)


• increased sales because people don't know what they want until they see it (SO true) - very few non-tailors know what all the schematics and colors look like.


• people can offer you stuff when you're not home (like resources OOOO)

Why vendors make me want to retch sometimes

• Customers try to return things. SOmetimes for more than they paid. Sometimes after the item has decayed to nothing. Sometimes after weeks because they are bored. Sometimes you didn't even make the item. Sometimes it's random non-tailoring stuff like 12 units of reptile meat.


• you don't get an e-mail when something is offered on the vendor. SO you have no idea whether something has been offered unless you check.


• customers shopping there may still bedemanding and annoying, just as demanding as annoying as they might be face-to-face. They send tells and expect you to rush back to the shop when they need something. The vendor is there so I don't HAVE to be!


• customers who have no idea how to flip the page or organize by category/title will freak out and send you panicked tells accusing you of having NO light bustiers anywhere!


• 30 day delisting - better than 7 days, but should be NO LIMIT.


• too much traffic - you may literally spend 2 hours restocking a day. This is unacceptable.


• sometimes people send you tells that your vendor is sooo cool, and you're sooo cool - and you have no idea who that person is. very very sad, no customer contact. They've spent probably half their bank account in your shop - and their names all get lost in the slew of e-mail.


• you have to sell to the other faction

Hope this helps.

Also advertising your shop on your server boards really does increase traffic flow. Even if no one responds to the post itself, they will go check out your shop. But make sure as the poster above said, keep it well stocked.

I often run 'specials' on certain colored items. I did pink this last week and it sold really quickly. I did all red and black items one week and those sold even faster than the pink!

I also run specials on BE enhanced items if I can get a good supply or if someone gives me free tissues.

Lots of things you can do to increase traffic flow.

I am advertising now for elf and santa suits and have sold 40 sets so far...