Combines for Guildies?

[ChaseFV]

ermmm

: pokes his nose in, peeks around, and doesn't see much controversy...

That being said, I, too, do most combines for guildmates free of charge provided they supply the critical/difficult to obtain parts. As for consumables such as drinks and food, I either charge about 50% of market cost (enough over cost that I won't go broke, though), or ask for other tradeskill supplies in exchange (tea leaves in exchange for QAT, e.g.).

[Marteeny]

I made the mistake of telling my guild that I will do free combines for them. Everyone wants PotC stuff. I have no problem hitting the combine button, but everyone just says "grab the components and i'll reimburse you".

Anyone who has done Potc stuff can empathize with me on this. What a PITA! I never gather the components to make one of each gift. If I am making the stuff, it is to sell and I will make a minimum of 20 at a time.
How much time would it take to collect the ingredients for 1 blessed fishing rod?

I no longer offer to do combines for my guild. Some of my better friends in the guild know I will always do combines for them, but they are also respectful about not expecting me to do everything for them.

Whew....sorry, sore subject I guess.

[Zeralenn]

If the deal is "get the components and I'll do the combine" then "you gather the components and I'll reimburse you" is NOT the same thing.

Just say a gentle "no". Tell them the deal is that they will gather ALL the components and hand them to you and you will do the combines, with no guarantees that the combine will be successful. Once you start the reimbursement path, there's no going back.

I do combines for guildies for free with all components, with a couple exceptions. I don't expect them to bring me enchanted ore for smithing -- but I will charge them for the ore and get it enchanted by a guild enchanter.

...Zera

[Verdandi]

I made the mistake of telling my guild that I will do free combines for them. Everyone wants PotC stuff. I have no problem hitting the combine button, but everyone just says "grab the components and i'll reimburse you".

That's when I hit the buzzer and say "Thank you for playing, please try again." I flat out refuse to do this. The first time they make this request I explain that if it's not worth their time to collect the components for themselves then it's not worth my time either. I'll spend as much time as necessary explaining how to get things, even though sometimes it would be faster to do it myself, simply for the sake of teaching them to do things for themselves. But the only times I gather components for free combines for them is if I know it'll be a much bigger hassle for them than it would for me for some reason (faction, dangerous locations, etc), or if it's a really good friend for whom I'd do this sort of favor anyway.

Very few people ask again after that, but if they do I usually mention it to the guild leader so he's aware of what sort of person we've acquired. Being helpful does not mean being a doormat.

[Marteeny]

Yeah, but then it turns into a tell-fest.

Guildeewantssomething_01: Where do i get velium bits?
Me: They have to be made. Go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: What do I need to make them?
Me: 2 sml pcs of velium and a coldain temper. Plz go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: Where does the velium and the temper drop?
Me: Try CC for the velium or buy it in the bazaar. The temper is puchased in Thurg. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: Which vendor in thurg?
Me: AAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Delfontes]

It's an "I scratch your back you scratch mine" thing in my guild.

My guild tailor sold me a robe of haunted dreams for 7k. I think he farmed most of the stuff, but they retail for 15k so I felt great about the deal. He has sold 5-6 for the 15k price.

Then when I make a run of kali/GLM/QAT/HMP's they have first dibs, and I offer it at barely above cost.

Most of my guild still will pay very near bazaar prices, even though I don't ask for much more than cost.

It is your guild, you shouldn't try to profit from them.

[pennyrose]

Interesting topic, but you guys are making me feel guilty. I'm in a small guild without a great many tradeskillers and have the highest skill in most, but not all, tradeskills. I like my guildies and want to do what I can to help them, but it can become a tremendous time sink.

Yes, I do combines for free if they supply the materials AND if they are willing to do it at my convenience. Don't you guys have folks who seem to expect you to drop whatever you are doing and get their free combine done?

What about people who want you to make them something, though? I sell completed items to guildies at my cost (or free if they are cheap to make). However, I really am not excited about stopping to make a full suit of banded armor for someone when it has long been trivial for me and I will usually refer the person to another tradeskiller in the guild who is working at about that level, if possible. And one thing I absolutely refuse ever to make for anyone is Wu's armor. I skilled up through Wu's just before they made skillups a bit easier for tailoring and it is a standing joke in my guild that I never want to see another piece of Wu's, let alone make one!

Seriously, I am curious how you guys handle this sort of thing. I want to be kind and generous to my guildies, but I play many hours a day and never seem to have time to begin to do all the things I want to do. If I jumped in and made all the pots, spoons, opal steins, banded armor, jewelry, etc., that people want, I would never have time to work on raising my skills. I also have a sort of rule of thumb on what I consider "nicer" items (probably seem trivial to you, but they are still pricey to me). I sell items like acrylia studded/reinformed armor or acrylia chain or PotC earrings to guildies at cost of materials, but I also need to sell some at a profit to cover the cost of failures or to finance other tradeskills. Thus when I make a batch of something, I earmark half for guildies/friends and half for Bazaar.

Delfontes post struck a nerve, also. I have printouts of most materials from here for most tradeskills and answer guildies' questions when I can. But, after answering some quick rudimentary questions, I refer the person to this site. I tell them publicly they need to go to this site and how good it is, and I will be glad to help them once they have done that. That has helped the situation.

Pennyrose

[Lorthien]

In my guild (Vis A 'Tergo), there are not to many tradeskillers, and the ones who do do it, tend to stick to one skill. As my sig atests Im a jack of all trades and a Gradmaster of none (yet). That being said if anyone has a question about Tradeskills they all know to ask me. I like with eqtraders corner on my laptop as I play on my main system.

I don;t charge guildies anything for a combine but I do force them to farm for me. When many start a new character I will get them to give me cinni sticks or pixie dust, morning dew or pelts. Lotta plains pebbles too. So maybe in a way I do charge guildies heh. I don't advertise my skills yet to the general public as I don;t feel I am the best qualified to do many combines, I will, however, auction things off that I have made.

[Cravin]

I genreally do combines for free to anybody if they bring me all the components I have no quams and hey if they sell it thas their business. Altho its kind of funny I showed my first Tempest Robe in guild and Immediately got lots of tells from guildies saying Ohhh I want that for my twink. To which I replied hey No problem lets go kill stuff in XXX and well get ya hooked up and well you could hear the crickets chirping afer that. The only part they needed to help me get was the tempest rune. I have done the 400 hours of forageing in stonebrunt mind you its a forage bot that I run while raiding when I dont feel like 2boxing but still. I have had 1 guildie that wanted the robe go out and buy the rune from the bazaar (dam him got them before I could buy) and he has his Tempest Robe. and I had 3 shots at a skillup. Everybody else can pay 30K and buy the robe from my vender in the bazaar. and since im the only person selling them (today) I own the market.

[Perseverence Rewarded]

I tend to do combines free for guildies. However I only do items they can't do themselves with a little skilling up. I wont make dairy spoons for someone. They can spend an hour at the forge themselves. I will explain what is needed and guide them but that's it. They can then make their own items after that and hopefully get the Tradeskill bug

For highend items I do all combines for free and most of the time I provide all the components at no charge. I have given dozens and dozens of Tae Ew Shields, Tae Ew Chain items, Night Terror Chain items, Heraldic Armor pieces, Nightmare Bows, Halas 10lb Pies, resist gear and such away at no charge. I do sometimes ask for components if I'm broke or in need of something. Sometimes I ask them to bring me items that have no bearing on the item they want made. Someone else needs something so I can get another person to get it for me. I end up with people bringing me stuff they have no clue about :P

For non guild members I dont do trivial items. I will do items that aren't trivial for 15% of market value if it is something I'm not using to earn money. Items that are in direct competition to what I am selling cost 66% of the market value, i.e., if they want a Tae Ew Shield(my biggest seller) they must pay 6000pp since I sell them for 9000pp. This tends to discourage them but oh well, I don't sweat it.

[Verdandi]

Yeah, but then it turns into a tell-fest.

Hehe yep, that can happen. If it's easy enough for them to find out what they need to know from the site here, I don't feel guilty telling them to come here and look it up. If necessary, tell em you don't have time to feed them everything and if they want their combine done to go look up what they need to know themselves. If "polite but firm" doesn't work then I take it to guildchat so that I have witnesses. Guildies will back me up and help get lazy bums off my back...and if necessary out of the guild. We place a high value on maturity and respect because the game isn't fun for the rest of us unless everyone has them.

Sometimes I don't mind explaining though, if finding the necessary locations via the site is more time consuming. Try looking up everything you would need to know to bring someone what they need to make mistletoe temper, if you know absolutely nothing about it or any of its components to start. Ugh.

[Lilosh]

Yeah, but then it turns into a tell-fest.

Guildeewantssomething_01: Where do i get velium bits?
Me: They have to be made. Go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: What do I need to make them?
Me: 2 sml pcs of velium and a coldain temper. Plz go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: Where does the velium and the temper drop?
Me: Try CC for the velium or buy it in the bazaar. The temper is puchased in Thurg. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, go to www.eqtraders.com for more info.
Guildeewantssomething_01: Which vendor in thurg?
Me: AAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HATE THIS.

This is the main reason I keep my tradeskills secret-ish from my guild.

Billy tells guild: Any Tailors around?
Lilosh tells guild: I am at 180, why?
Billy tells you: What do I make to skill to 180?
You tell Billy: Check eqtraders.com , it's too much to type out.
Billy tells you: Come on man. It can't be hard!


Nonono.... I learned my lesson in the last guild I was in. It was an EXACT REPEAT of what I quoted here. Step by step, intricate detail, and NOT LEAVING ME ALONE.

So when my guild asks for a tailor, smith, baker, or what have you, I don't respond.

The last time I tried to help was when a druid in my guild asked me how to make An Acrylia Studded Cloak. I tried explaining the process. Acrylia Studs confounded him. I spent 30-40 minutes explaining the process, and for WEEKS after that, I still got tells with wrong items. Even after I just told him to bring me 12 small pieces of acrylia, or 6 small bricks and the hide.

Bobby tells you: "Metal Studs" , is this it?
Bobby tells you: "Acrylia Boning" , should I buy this?

So when my guild asks for a tailor, smith, baker, or what have you, I don't respond. Unless it is a person who I *KNOW* to be competant.

(/wave Arakni)

*sigh*

-Lilosh

[Delfontes]

Nonono.... I learned my lesson in the last guild I was in. It was an EXACT REPEAT of what I quoted here. Step by step, intricate detail, and NOT LEAVING ME ALONE.

:roll: I don't understand stuff like this... I never have this problem in my guild. I have no problems telling any one of them exactly what is needed for anything I know about. Heck I routinely go to Eqtraders while on a raid to look stuff up and answer their questions.

Something about looking like I know what I am talking about, and having a function in the guild. . Until I can crit for 4k damage often in a raid, my function is GM brewer, and general knowledge of most things tradeskill related. My guild respects me for that, and usually leaves me alone.

Maybe you need a new guild if yours is a bunch of newbies asking the same question every day.

Heck, they would be pleased as punch if I shut up about tradeskilling every once in a while, hehe.

[Myrron]

If they bring the supplies, free combine. They all know ahead of time not to sell the items; they are getting my free services for personal items only. Often I only require them to bring some of the items (if they want acrylia reinforced stuff, I only ask for the hide and acrylia, for example). Also, a lot of people in my guild donate huge amounts of supplies without needing anything, so the surplus goes to guildies who can't collect everything. There are a very few items that I also sell to guildies, but when I do, it's usually around half the normal market price. I'd love to give things away to them for all their help, but unfortunately there are still some goods I need to sell for my own pp supply (which usually gets burned up quickly in emeralds anyway).

--Myrron

[Laliana Silverfangs]

If I have made the item without being ask, such as when I was skilling up to get 250 in baking, I'll sell at cost. If they have obtained to the items, then I will hit the combine button for free. If I'm required to get the components, I'll charge cost unless it's insanely cheap.

My guild Tinkerer gave me a wok for free, (since he had collected the components while lvling, and made it skilling), I went out and foraged for an hour in PoI for the grease that he requires. In this case, it's a I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine deal. It depends on the situation. Most of the officers are very adamant about doing combines for free. My guild smith, right now, is making Tae ew Shields and chain armor for everyone that can use them. All he requires, is a couple of guild raids in CT to farm for components, and for the those of us that can't help with that raid are required to farm froglok, sarnak, and iksar blood.

Well that's my 2cps.