Weaponsmith Archive
Thread: An almost master with questions
Br-10n wrote:
Oh, I dunno. I kind of stalled out at 1/3/0/4 in WS since I ran out of mass quantities for grinding. I've been selling a lot of DLT20s, D18s and DH17s in the bazaars. People that pick up novice marksman want a better weapon than the CDEFs but hardly anybody sells them.
Agreed.
I made master maybe 2 weeks ago, and I've been selling weapons for months, now. (Obviously, I didn't grind directly up the tree - got sidetracked by building a city and doing some favors for folks)
Begin by making the lowbie weapons. Make them as well as you can given the resources you have. Put some up on the bazaar, and some on your vendor (if you put up a vendor, which I would recommend). It will help some if you can get a friendly slicer to improve the damage ranges for you,without charging you too much. Offer to make him/her a bunch of WUK's in trade. For a while, make sure everything you put on the bazaar also refers people to your vendor location. Gotta get the word out that you exist. Sales may not be many, at first, but the big thing is to get people used to the idea of looking to see what you have. Then, when you really get your legs under you (master skill level, and more resources), there won't be much lag at all between you starting to make the great weapons, and people starting to buy them - 'cause they'll already be looking. 
You should do fine with the lowbie weapons, because most of the established masters tend to keep pretty busy making the high-end weapons. They'res-e-x-ier: not only do people prefer to use them,crafters prefer tomake them. This leaves you room to make some money, and to getpeople used to the idea thatyou'rea weaponsmith.
Also, make and sell powerups. They're pretty easy to make, and they sell well.Most people love 'em, and they're disposable, so thems what love 'emkeep coming back for more. Plus, if you're a master artisan, you make them better than anybody who isn't (given the same materials). You have that going for you, and you're already beginning toimpress folks by making high qualityweapon-related items. Trust me, that willboost you, given a bit of time.
I'd recommend selling powerups,D18's, DH17's, DL44's, DLT20's, swords, and a few metal staffs. You may be happily surprised at how many will sell before you master. I was.
Cheers - and good luck!
abecedary wrote:
Should be master within 2-3 days and am currently collecting resources as fast as I can, but I am wondering if I should start making what I can right away after master and have a very small selection on items on my vendor or would it be better to wait until I can make a larger variety of weapons? I dont want to alienate any potential customers from returning to my shop, but I do want to start making money soon. Will probably take a couple more weeks to have enough resources before I can offer a good variety. Do you think it would be best to wait or get to it right away?
Also, how difficult has it been for recent masters to get started in business? I see alot of people spamming their weapon shops all over and wonder if this profession is already overcrowded. I know everyone needs weapons, but really, will I find it hard to get business? I certainly dont expect to offer the best weapons on the server but I think I will be able to offer a good quality. Should I focus on lower prices or offer something in return for sales, e.g. free repairs, discounts for referrals, bulk discounts? As if keeping track of resources wasnt enough work...thank you in advance for your thoughts.
adamas
Your server may have a different situation from mine, but I don't see our profession as overcrowded. There are lots of folks trying on new hats, as they follow the holo-dream. People who just ground their way to master without examining what they're doing will always have a hard time selling, because they make junk.
If you like crafting weapons, you should be fine. Just have to make the best weapons you can, sell them earnestly, and give it some time. Many of the weaponsmiths you're seeing are dabblers, and they won't stick around. Weaponsmiths who do stick around find themselves with customers who love them. Even if you are not (currently) the top-dog WS on your server,as long aspeople learn that you make decent weapons, and that you'll stillbe around when they need you, they'll come to you. There will be those who insist they must buy only the "very-best." Don't sweat those; they're the minority. Most people love having a real weaponsmith close by, whether or not that weaponsmith is considered the king.
I would say don't focus on lower prices. You'll drive yourself crazy, trying to make sure you're always price-beating the competition. That's not crafting, that's K-Mart. If I had to do that to sell anything, I would quit the game - like yesterday.
Note: There will always (until the end of time) be someone telling you that you have to lower your price to something he declaresis acceptable. If it's been two weeks since the last time you sold one of those widgets, then sure, he might be in tune with whatyour market will bear. If your widgetsare selling at your price, though, then the market has told you you're pricing just fine. Don't bother arguing. Instead, politely thank him for his advice,and stick with what you're doing.Focus on making a good product, and selling for a decent price. Your customers will love you for the quality, and they won'tcare whether you're a few hundred credits lower- or higher than the next guy.
As for offering other kinds of goodies: I like offering free repairs on weapons I made. I don't know that it boosts my sales, any, but it feels friendlier to me. I also discount 20% for bulk orders of a full factory crate or more. Again, I don't know if this boosts my sales any, but I figure if someone's going to buy that much, they deserve a break on the price. That's just me, though - there's nothing absolute about it. I also like making improved CDEF guns a couple at a time, and giving them to newbies I meet.A master artisan with good materials, a good slice, and a powerup can get the max damage over 100 - I think that's fun.
I would say go ahead and set up your shop. Make what you can make well right now(powerups and lowbie weapons seem to work pretty well, if you get good materials and use your experimentation points), and start selling. Put stuff in the public bazaar. Get your name out there, attached to weapons. Sure, some people will look at your vendor, not see what they want, and move on, but chances are, they'll be back to look again, later. Put up a sign by your vendor, advisingshoppers that you're in the process of building up a resource stock, and if they don't see what they want, they should continue checking back periodically. People who would actually buy from you are pretty understanding. The demanding & impatient kiddies, you're better off without, anyway.
Lots of fun and best of luck to you, adamas!
Oh, I dunno. I kind of stalled out at 1/3/0/4 in WS since I ran out of mass quantities for grinding. I've been selling a lot of DLT20s, D18s and DH17s in the bazaars. People that pick up novice marksman want a better weapon than the CDEFs but hardly anybody sells them.