Tradeskill Component Pricing Rant......

[Raienya]

What I am posting is my opinion, and mine alone, though I am pretty sure there are others who might agree with my frustration. I am talking about the cost of tradeskill components in the bazaar by players.

Why, oh WHY do people charge such insanely high amounts for tradeskill components? Do they not realize that is a good portion of why the high end finished products (ie, cultural armor, LoY robes) are so expensive?

I am trying to skill up both my wood elf druid (tailor, 168ish I think) and my human warrior (blacksmith, 158). After doing much research in the recipes section for trivials, I was hoping to skill up the tailor with Mithril Reinforced Armor, and the smith with some of the new LDoN armor, since that has become a nice bridge towards the high end skill.

I do not belong to a big or "uber" guild that is capable of having several LDoN groups going all the time, collecting the temper ingredients as they go. Nor can I afford to spend what little time I play (2-3 hours a day) camping tradeskill components and banging heads with other people doing the same. It's like spider silk hunting in EK. You have about 10 people (most either rangers or druids with track) running about looking for the precious crag spiders that drop up to 8 silks each. Most of these people are quite high lvl, so being able to do more damage than they do is out of the question. So, to the bazaar, where silks go for upwards of 50pp each.

Anyway, I was checking prices for some of the LDoN armor temper ingredients in the bazaar earlier. Not ONE of the ingredients (goblin bones, sand verbena, pondweed, or ice lichen) was for sale less than 200pp for EACH PIECE. When you throw in the cost of making HQ metal rings, that's ****ed expensive.

On my server, HG in Rathe Mountains, IG in Everfrost, and the Pyramid in OS (most of the best cash camps in the game) are perma-camped. Heck, the two guys in OS have literally not left that spot in over 6 months. So unless I turn my druid into a port-you-know-what for the few hours I am on, not a lot of pp-making prospects are available.

Just had to get this off my chest before I went out and either punched something, or just quit EQ period in frustration. Thanks for reading. I know it's not going to make any difference to the greedy, price-gouging players, but I feel better for having vented.

[Krazick]

People set and charge such high prices, because the UBER players who make a ton of plat selling Ornate Patterns/Molds (not to mention droppable weapons gizmos) will pay those high prices.

If people don't buy for the price set, the prices would drop. But since people actually pay it... the prices stay high, or go higher.

Why? Because there is too much plat in the game. The NPC vendor's don't absorb the plat generated by the Hill Giant Plat Farmers... or the items that the NPC vendors buy for 20+, 50+, 90+ Plat EACH that are useless to tradeskillers.

If you want the items, you either need to go and obtain it yourself, find a friend that will obtain it for you, or pay through the nose to some greedy PC who has obtained it. No matter what the item is.

Sorry, that is the way the EQ Bazaar has evolved to function.

I don't like having to pay 10 plat profit PER Mana Vial to an enchanter to simply sit and generate the vials. But if I have no other source for it... I will pay it.

[kiztent]

Re: Tradeskill Component Pricing Rant......

Originally posted by Raienya
On my server, HG in Rathe Mountains, IG in Everfrost, and the Pyramid in OS (most of the best cash camps in the game) are perma-camped. Heck, the two guys in OS have literally not left that spot in over 6 months. So unless I turn my druid into a port-you-know-what for the few hours I am on, not a lot of pp-making prospects are available.

If you think those are the best plat making spots in the game, you need to research more.

Originally posted by Raienya
Just had to get this off my chest before I went out and either punched something, or just quit EQ period in frustration. Thanks for reading. I know it's not going to make any difference to the greedy, price-gouging players, but I feel better for having vented.

Instead of selling for what the market will bear they should sell it at a price you find convenient.

I'd comment more but this thread is about 15 seconds from locking so I won't bother.

[Raienya]

Heh, you misunderstand just a tad, kiztent. My main complaint is that for the casual player who would really like to become a high lvl tradeskiller, it is nigh near impossible. I am not asking the people who sell tradeskill components to set their prices to "MY" convenience, but at a level where people without tons of pp or time to play could actually accomplish their tradeskill goals.

And the spots I mentioned are just a few, I am sure, but they are also ones that don't require a big force to accomplish either. And as I stated, during the 2-3 hours per day I can play, not a lot of spots are available as it is during prime evening time.

[Dunthor Warsmith]

The only way that can realistically happen (ie that prices will be lowered to "reasonable" prices) is to not have people be willing to pay more. If there are two people /auctioning WTB Object_of_Uberness, and one is offering 100pp and the other is offering 100kpp, and you have an Object_of_Uberness you want to sell, who are you going to sell it to? Most people would choose the guy offering 100kpp.

The exact same logic extends down to the tradeskill supplies. Many people are willing to pay (or feel is "appropriate" or "affordable") at one price, but there are a handful of people willing to pay a MUCH higher price. Once people realize this, most people price the wares to sell to that second group.

Those that price lower for the first group often wind up getting bought out by people that simply resell to the more expensive crowd, and thus their "noble" effort to sell at a "reasonable" price does little to actually get the items to their personal target audience (unless they can create a supply much larger than the demand for a prolonged period, making buyout unprofitable and/or unpractical).

[Emeraldeye]

yep

Originally posted by Dunthor Warsmith

Those that price lower for the first group often wind up getting bought out by people that simply resell to the more expensive crowd, and thus their "noble" effort to sell at a "reasonable" price does little to actually get the items to their personal target audience (unless they can create a supply much larger than the demand for a prolonged period, making buyout unprofitable and/or unpractical).

This is true. I used to farm and make leather padding and collected tradeskill bits and pieces I tried selling at a low price as I understood how expensive it could get being a tradeskiller myself. What happened each and everytime I did this was the same PC's would buy my product out and quickly price it at double my asking rate. In the end I quit selling in the bazaar and have worked up all my tradeskills saving every component. I do however supply friends, guildmate, and fellow tradeskillers with sought after supplies that I accumulate in my bank (God I miss merchant mining!).
The point being my products are no longer on the market because what is the point of selling lower if you are just going to be bought out by someone else who will sell the same item for more. In effect you are spending your time farming the item for them to sell for profit with little to no effort and by lowering your pricing you don't benefit the tradeskiller, but instead help fatten the merchant. Prices will only go down if we as a whole refuse to pay them.

[Chenier]

First of all, big hugs because I know how frustrated you are.

I think that if you are, as you say, a casual player, then you need to get into the mind set of a casual tradeskiller as well. You can farm during prime time and casually, slowly, build up your stock of components.

Purchasing components is the bazaar is for those who are not casual about tradeskilling; they are for blitzkreig, instant satisfaction or for the extremely lazy and/or wealthy.

You can not expect the market to sell what you want at the price you want to pay or what you think is fair. The market will sell at what is will bear.

Six months ago when I was extremely lazy and wealthy and wanted to blitzkreig tailoring, I bought every spider silk 10pp and under and every silk swatch 20pp and under for two weeks that was available in the bazaar. Today I looked at silk prices and there were oodles of silk swatches available for 5pp each.

Prices go up, prices come down....it sounds to me that farming the bazaar for components is not where you should be.

Play it casually - farm casually - tradeskill casually. (And learn some other places to farm cash =).

[Sulkano]

Originally posted by Chenier

Purchasing components is the bazaar is for those who are not casual about tradeskilling; they are for blitzkreig, instant satisfaction or for the extremely lazy and/or wealthy.

That is exactly it. These folks want nothing more than to skill up and move on. Most of the things made from these components (and I can speak from personal experience) are either vendored, given away, or sold at a fraction of what it cost to make them. And the sellers know it...thus the prices being what they are.

[Thicket Tundrabog]

Remember that the Bazaar prices you see reflect what *hasn't* been bought. When buying tradeskill components, I find that patience is best.

For example, I buy velium pieces, bricks and blocks. I know exactly what I'm willing to pay -- 12 pp per piece, 20 pp per brick/block. Often, prices are higher and I don't buy. Sometimes supply is very low and prices very high, so I know some impatient, cash rich tradeskiller has spent lots of plat. Nevertheless, there are many times I buy velium at *my* prices. It just takes some patience.

I apply the same principle to excellent sabertooth tiger hides, cobalt drake hides, oak bark and other tradeskill components.

Currently I'm slowly skilling up smithing (208 at the moment). I get all my LDoN components myself. When I reach 212, I'm looking forward to selling temper components in the Bazaar. I think 200pp per component is outrageous. I was thinking of selling them for 20pp each, but judging from this thread, I may sell for 50pp. Anything more is too much, in my opinion.

Thicket

[Lilosh]

Originally posted by Thicket Tundrabog
I was thinking of selling them for 20pp each, but judging from this thread, I may sell for 50pp. Anything more is too much, in my opinion.

Thicket

Slight Hijack, but I'm currently buying them from any friends who want to help out for 10p each.

:-)


-Lilosh

[Grenoble]

I've noticed that, where people buy from me and then mark it up outrageously, particularly silks, LoY robes dyes, and zone essences. At first I was kinda irritated...

But then, I thought...heck, why be upset? I'm still getting the price I wanted. I'm not greedy. It's also clearing my bank and bringing in a slow but steady income. I sat on zone essences for a very long time (at 5pp each, no less) until someone bought em to mark up. Fine. Let him/her sit on them now.

My latest is lucky cabbage, and maybe someone can explain this to me. They go for over 100pp each?! Is the +10 charisma really worth that? They didn't cost me much to make at all, so I sell for 85pp and they move at a nice clip.

Um...babbling now. Guess all I can say is hang in there. If the timing's right (and I do check at various times of the day) you'll find what you need at a purse-friendly price.

And if anyone on Emarr needs anything, let me know. Don't have the money for die-hard tradeskilling, but I often sell sub-combines simply because I know what a hassle they are.

[Maevenniia]

Originally posted by Grenoble
My latest is lucky cabbage, and maybe someone can explain this to me. They go for over 100pp each?! Is the +10 charisma really worth that? They didn't cost me much to make at all, so I sell for 85pp and they move at a nice clip.

Lucky Cabbages aren't being bought for the CHA boost (especially since 2 Opal Encrusted steins at +25 CHA each, selling for ~15-25pp in bazaar beats +10 CHA anyday.)

They are one of the 9 gifts for the Solstice Earring

[Grenoble]

OMG /bonk myself for not catching that!

Well, nonetheless, they don't cost me a whole lot to make, so I'll keep 'em where I got 'em. Thank you so much!

[Chenier]

Originally posted by Thicket Tundrabog
Currently I'm slowly skilling up smithing (208 at the moment). I get all my LDoN components myself. When I reach 212, I'm looking forward to selling temper components in the Bazaar. I think 200pp per component is outrageous. I was thinking of selling them for 20pp each, but judging from this thread, I may sell for 50pp. Anything more is too much, in my opinion.

I would highly advise that you rethink that philosophy. If you are going to sell on the open market, why would you want to cut yourself short of what the market will bear?

I certainly understand the desire to sell tradeskill components to fellow non-blitzkreig tradeskillers for a fair price, but if you selling to the wealthy/lazy/blitzkreigers who are willing to pay that price, you are the one who is loosing out.

Tradeskilling is expensive however you do it - don't sell yourself short just because you feel the prices you are charging are immoral. Just remember the difference between the open market and those you care about.

If you still don't want your prices to the market level, open on here on your server forum so that you can get connected with other tradeskillers - the people you really wanna sell to.

And make money off the wealthy. Because they certainly have no idea making money off of you.

[Quesci]

If you want to be noble and sell the components to tradeskillers at a reasonable price, offer them in the tradeskill channel on your server (don't spam, of course!). That's the only way I know to help out the tradeskillers without lining the pockets of the price gougers.

Also, that point about the price you see in the Bazaar being the price items are NOT selling at is true. There is a person on my server selling Imbued Emeralds for 200pp, with most other people selling for 19-50pp (the 19pp seller usually has hundreds for sale, so he knows his market, but even he sells out).

When someone comes through and clears out the Bazaar of emeralds, they leave the 200pp guy alone. Then when a new merchant decides to sell emeralds they see the 200pp and price their new emeralds accordingly. 100pp, 50pp, and as more and more merchants come on with new product the price drops back to 20pp average.

One thing I like to do is similar to the old tradition of seeding a merchant in a hunting zone so that the desired tradeskill item stayed in the buyable area (back when merchants only had 20 spaces...). If I am looking to buy a stack of Iron Oxide and I see:

Iron Oxide (20) 25pp
Iron Oxide (20) 45pp
Iron Oxide (20) 50pp

I will buy 19 iron oxides from the first trader and one from the second. That leaves the search like:

Iron Oxide (1) 25pp
Iron Oxide (19) 45pp
Iron Oxide (20) 50pp

It costs me an extra 20pp now, but hopefully when a new trader wants to price some iron oxide he will see someone selling for 25pp, instead of a low price of 45pp. I try never to buy out the entire stock of the low price folks.