Combines for Guildies?

[Maevenniia]

free or at cost for guildies.

I'm GM'ing pottery at the moment, so they get a free Star Ruby encrusted stein, and only need to provide me with a vial of distilled mana for the Golden Idol of Tunare (because the mana vials cost 270pp in the bazaar, and I am perpetually broke due to trying to skillup, hehe) I also provide them Crucibles of Escape and Ceramic Bands for free. Sometimes i get extra components from them, too, so it's a mutually beneficial setup

[Seriena]

Combines for guildies and friends are free of course. Guess I'm lucky, I've never had a problem with guildies or friends understanding "Sure, as long as you get all the supplies"

Most of them already know where to look for the supplies they need, they don't even ask - I love that. And I've never had anyone complain when I say, "Lets get together later, I'm right in the middle of something".

[GunnyBurlfoot]

Mwhaha

For the humor impaired

THIS IS A JOKE!!

I make my guildies crawl on their hands and knees to comb my foot hair with a silk toothbrush, always whispering in a soft voice "Gunny, you're the greatest thing since JumJum" for the privilege of telling them how much I'll deign to charge them for telling them where to go farm the components that I might combine for them when I'm really bored for a mere 10k or 500 Misty Acorns.

/JOKE OVER

And then I woke up....

Ahem. I do the same thing as most in this thread. Free combines to guildies, RL friends,and real good online friends if they provide the components. I am not going to count coppers ("Oh, you only have 35 Dire Wolf Tufts? Don't worry about it, I can cover you!"), but I can't just say "Don't worry about those 3 blue diamonds, I can cover you!" as much as I wish I could, even vendor bought Blue Diamonds (love when I find them on vendors) cost 262p.. that adds up fairly quickly!

If they want it RIGHT NOW, then I charge them only whatever the components cost me in Bazaar to buy (if it's even available). Only thing I insist people MUST get themselves is Misty Acorns. Those are never for sale in Bazaar, and I hate mowing the Misty Thicket lawn (seriously, it's like I"m mowing my yard.. and I'm paying 12.95 a month to do it !

[ItienneEQ]

POTC for guilds

A lot of this has to do with the size of the guild, I think. If we're not talking about too many people, and the players are all reasonably well known to each other, then free combines and even POTC aren't a big deal.

I got my tailoring skill up during the "boom time" for robes. So the first few POTC earrings in my guild were paid at cost by the recipients. Then robe profits started rolling in, and the first thing I did was reimb those people. The second thing I did was fund guild POTC out of robe profits, as I was gaining skill. I kept a separate robe mule so the incoming and outgoing cashflow was separate from my personal plat. When I hit 250 tailoring I gave a "robe dividend" of 1 to 3 robe sales' worth to each guildmate who had helped me with components.

It's still my standing policy that earring for guildmates are free. We're a small guild though, 20ish people and 70ish characters thanks to a lot of multiboxers and alts. I've got my guild pretty well trained, really. =) Guildmates know they're getting free stuff because it's paid for out of the profit we make selling tradeskilled stuff, so noone in the guild would screw us (and themselves) by reselling what we make.

I can see the advantages to joining a big guild where you may not know everyone, and there's a higher chance of assholes just from sheer numbers. I'd never join such a guild, but if that works out best for you in other ways, I can understand how free combines and no reselling might not work out. For instance, if your guild has a group of people who aggressively farmed for valor or judgement ring components, I can see doing combines with the deal that you'll get a cut of their resell profits. They did the farming, so I wouldn't forbid them from reselling, but you should get some kind of combine fee or percentage for your skill.

Bottom line is you'll start off with the moral high ground if you offer free or at-cost combines for guildmates. If they want to "just reimb" you, tell em what the cost will be, adding in for your time spent or for the cost of buying inconvenient items at bazaar prices, and ask if they really want to pay that. If you get burned, you can take the issue to the officers if you find out guildmates have been taking unfair advantage of free combines.

[Phabos]

Like most folks, I'll give free combines to friends and guildmates (small guild), including picnics and Liquid Meat to those who want/need them. I'll even send donations flying at my friends for twink gear and other odds and ends. (You know who you are, and you're welcome.)

These donations aren't usually asked for, although I don't mind so far as I'm not busy or harassed.

As far as anyone else, I don't broadcast my tradeskills generally, and I usually don't respond to people seeking combines done. On the rare occasions I do, I will do the combine for free or whatever donation is given.

Phabos
Drunken Paladin of Brell
Tarew Marr

[Lilosh]

I'll even send donations flying at my friends for twink gear and other odds and ends. (You know who you are, and you're welcome.)

*looks innocent*
*Slips a "Thank you" note to phabos , behind his back*

-Lilosh

[Araon]

I am happy to do any combine that gives me a chance at a skill-up, whether for a guildie, friend or otherwise. All I ask is that the components for all the combines are prepared beforehand. I just explain that the odds for success aren't all that great and they should be prepared to get nothing if the almighty RNG is not looking on me with favour....

If an item is trivial, then that's another story though, for example, I would do the smithing sub-combines for the mistletoe cutters in preparation for the final combines as they are a little above what most people can easily get in smithing.

As far as the general question is concerned, I've gotten so much assistance from guildies and friends on my tradeskilling (free imbued gems, mugs of sea foam, leather padding, essence of sunlight, blue diamonds etc.) that I will be going the extra mile for all those kind folks, free clicks being the least of what I owe them

[Nihixul]

For guildmates, I... well... oh wait... that's right! I am not in one.

Friends (and there are only a couple who fit this) get free combines, everyone else pays. I don't advertise my services, but people have asked at times (regarding tailoring), and if it's something silly, I will do it for free, if it's something moderate (130-190 range), I will charge a nominal fee, or leave it up to them. Things that are higher, though, I charge a bit less than half of what I would sell the item for. That might sound steep, but they are free to do whatever they want with the item, including sell it. *shrug* The way I see it, once our transaction is complete, we neither should feel indebted to the other.

[Taraddar]

I'll do combines on most things free of charge. I won't gather all the components or do a bunch of trival combines for free tho. You want GLM, you make all the meats and I'll do the final combine. The exception would be if i happen to be skilling up on that item. Then it's usually cost or a little bit above. I also won't usually explain every little thing to them. I just refer them to the site. Luckily most have done enough tradeskills or gotten enough done I don't have to worry about that.

If they don't want to bring me all the components for a combine I'll still make the most items for them but I will charge them and more than just component costs. A good example is sickles for the PotC quest since thats my first skill. For guildmates I sell them for 1k as opposed to the 2.5-3k I get in the bazaar. I usually gives me a bit of profit even if I sell them all to guildmates to compensate me for my time since they do take a bit of time to make.

The way I look at things I may have invested my time and money into getting the tradeskills but my guildmates are there to help me and so i'll help them. I've gotten help from various different people in different ways so i'll help them out in return.

[wombat]

Combines

Basically I charge a third the retail cost for retail combines. Guild or friend combines are free if they bring ALL the ingrediants (personal use only, only once has someone been thrown out of the guild for abusing this).

I made an exception when my guild was equippping all 51+ chain and sheild bearers from CT raids since most people couldnt find the mold/poison vial/bloodwater etc merchants if they were strapped to them. I was constantly getting tells from many lost guildees or those who couldnt find the right place on eqtraders to locate the merchants :roll:

So to save the grief I kept everything (molds etc) on me (I had the Guild store of Ikky Bluds and Tae Ew in any case) BUT I skimmed off some of the cash loot from raids to pay for it. The end result was that at the end of a Blud Raid I had a line of Rangers (hoping not to die from not using Jolt enuff) and Shammies (not wanting to die from casting Slows) and Sheildbearers, all in a line next to the SH forge, so it all got done with minimum inconvenience to everyone. People still had to organise their own distilled mana vials btw

Gotto go now, the wombats undermining my rainwater tank again :shock:

[B_Delacroix]

I do combines for guildies for free. Though many go to outside sources for their combines (and thus pay). For the ones I have done combines for, oddly enough they left the guild shortly after being given the stuff. Hmmm, maybe there is something I'm doing in my combines....

For the really hard to do stuff, everyone gets a warning of "no guaranteed success even on trivial stuff". Also, don't expect me to buy all the nightmare stones and material for you on that nightmare armor. I'll do a combine, I won't break my bank account, though.

[OberonMiM]

i do cost of combines for guildies for free. or at cost (if i have to acquire/purchase/farm the componts myself)

[Chenier]

Hee hee, reminds me of the guy who spent a couple weeks trying to convince me that he knows my wife...a fact which my boyfriend found rather startling :P

<-- still wants to be Verdandi's wife!

er...something. =)

***
When I was guilded, combines for free. I'd even give out free handmade back packs to those who needed them, being the majority of the hq hopper hides I had were donated by other members, it was only fair. Acrylia studded too, to some degree. I had a list at one point of people who wanted a. studded cloaks and I'd make them as soon as I got components as donations from other guildies. It worked out.

[Sylphan]

You folks are way too nice to your guildmates. People should earn what they get. There's very little difference between 'twinking' and 'free combines' and 'powerleveling'. Maybe your guildmates give you lots of free stuff too, or help you get your epic, or give you a bunch of tradable armor in exchange for your 'free' combine... in that case it all works out, you get as much as you give. But I bet most don't. And maybe your guilds do a lot of twinking and powerleveling too... in that case free combines must seem natural.

Before I continue I should say that there are lots of types of guilds. Guilds are organized different ways, have different motives, etc. So there should definitely be different policies in different guilds.

Your skill in a trade is valuable. Some skills are less valuable perhaps since almost anyone could get to 200+ in three hours with 100pp... but even then there's some value. And some skills are much harder.

Your time is also valuable. Reimbursing you for the cost of store-bought ingredients is totally bogus, unless you're paid extra for the time you spent running around buying them.

And then there's knowledge... some people couldn't make armor even if they could get smithing to 250 in five minutes with five platinum. The time you spend reading EQTraders is valuable. Every time you spent an hour looking up recipes that other guy in your guild spent an hour at the necro camp in Sebilis... remember that and value your time accordingly.

I'm disappointed that nobody mentioned any issues of honor. In my guild we try to play honorably in an OOC sense even when we're not actually roleplaying. We play the game as intended. We don't break the Play Nice Policy or the EULA as a matter of principle. We don't buy and sell accounts, or items, because that's not appropriate in a RPG. We don't powerlevel or twink eachother because that's not appropriate in a RPG. And none of us expects free tradeskill combines any more than we'd beg free platinum or free gear or free powerleveling from eachother.

We do plenty of favors for eachother though, since we're friends. I do free combines for those who help recover my corpse, or enchant a stack of emeralds for me, or help me farm silk... we help eachother out. Being guildmates allows a lot of flexibility for doing favors. Strangers don't ever get the option of helping me farm items or letting me borrow their bank space or bringing me trade items from whatever zone they happen to be in... a stranger either brings me every item for a combine or buys from me in bazaar. But aside from those sorts of trades and favors, guildmates pay for their combines, or even pay bazaar prices for finished goods. I've made a few K profit from guildmates. I have no qualms charging them when they haven't done much to help me. And they recognize that it's fair and don't feel cheated (generally).

We buy and sell non-tradeskill items to eachother too. I even sell items to my own alt characters (for a profit). But since my own characters have an intimate knowledge of what components I need, they often get some really good deals by farming stuff for me. And in the end I feel more proud of my alts, knowing they earned their own way into level-appropriate gear.

[Xtailia]

My policy for guild mates is free combines if they give me the components, or at cost if it is just easily acquired merchant bought components. They take the risk of failure however. I usually just say they give the components because then I don't have to collect money if I fail. I do however offer insurance, at a cost of 10% of cost. If I fail, I cover costs.

Of course, good friends I do all work at cost. When I was only around 200 at jewelcraft, a friend was having a wedding. I wanted to supply the rings, so they gave me the money for two diamond velium rings. I failed 4 times. I never told them that the rings had cost me 2kpp out of pocket. However, I swore off diamonds until I was much higher skill.