Do you perform combines for people?

[Abazagaroth]

This is my written policy:

http://www.skylord.com/dragonslayers/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1576

I do bend those rules on occasion though, friends I'll combine anything for, other GM tradeskill people I'll combine anything for, I've also been known to be a soft heart when it comes to making something for a poor paladin too =)

All depends on the situation, last night someone had 10 of all components, and wanted me to combine a legs, 2 bracers, and boots for him. He offered to let me keep extra components and pay for the combine. Since legs take 3 rings he obviously didn't have 10 total tries worth (only had 10 rings worth of components). I told him I'd charge him 5000pp for all the combines. Took 3 tries to get legs, then last ring made some boots. He got Luminant Legs and Luminant Boots, I kept the extra components, didn't make him pay the 5000pp. I've done that more than once when people ask me for special combine requests outside of the guidelines I set, I set a price, if they are willing to pay it, I rarely end up charging them. It weeds out the scammers usually, leaving those trying to stretch their dollar to upgrade their equipment.

I try not to worry about what happens to items once I've combined for someone, but then, I don't have a lot of "serious" human smithing competition (there are several smiths but none are very active), and I've made my plat so don't worry about it much. Hell, most of my smithing now I'm only selling 1/3 to 1/2 of it to cover costs, then giving the rest away free to nice people, former guildies, friends, etc.

Serious tradeskillers always get free combines from me. Many have helped me in the past and I try to help them when I can.

[Zopharr]

Combines?

I got burned doing combines on the BD armor soon after the stuff came out - did combines for two pieces for someone I didn't know (was still excited that I could actually *make* something decent), and saw the guy selling the items the next day. So I'm not a big fan of doing combines for strangers.

For friends or guildies, I'll do combines for free, on the proviso that if they ever get rid of the armor they pass it down to a guildie or sell it to me at component cost. Helps out the guild and I don't get competition.

For people I don't know, I will do combines at 5k a sheet, charging on successes only. (So 5k on bracers, 10k on arms, 15k on BP, etc.) I will make sure the person knows the risks involved - that I had a run where it took 8 tries to make boots, etc. If they are still game, I'll set a time and do the combines for them. Only had a handful take me up on it.

At that point, they are free to do what they want with it. If they want to sell it, fine - there's not that big a resale market for dwarven and ogre plate on Quellious. I've taken no risk, gotten a profit, and they will probably spend a (frustrating) month trying to sell the item for relatively little gain.

If they don't like the price I charge for successful combines, I explain to them how I got burned before and thus why I price the way I do. If they still don't like it, I tell them they are free to find another smith.

One thing I generally will combine for free is mistletoe cutting sickles. I *despised* making sickles to get Zopharr from 242 to 250, with all the myriad subcombines and components. If someone comes to me with the handle, blade and pommel ready to go - or has done the homework and all the running around to get the mistletoe tempers made, etc - my helmet is off to them for putting in the footwork to save some plat. I'll combine until they get one sickle for their use. That's just me though - I NEVER make sickles on my own now, even for guildies (they have to fetch components as well). I'll also do yttrium sheet combines for free. And if a tradeskiller wants combines - well, odds are good I have a friend who can use their stuff, or I have before, so we end up trading combines.

Anyway, that's just me. It's worked well for me on Quellious to date.

Most important is you decide how *you* value your time, come up with a policy that you are comfortable with, and stick with it.

[wombat]

Combines

I do free combines for freinds, guildees and Trades types who have helped me etc. Its all FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.

Because I dont do it for everyone I havent been abused apart from once and that was when I was less discerning.

Hardly anyone has ever come to me with all components as they go troppo getting them all :roll:

Basically I sell off-peak (Oz) and am low volume so I have a low profile so I dont get bothered by scammers the way the on-peak GM's do.

Sometimes I make gear that I know is for sale to pay back a player who has helped me (Chanting 100000000000000000000000000000 bricks of Brellium for instance LOL) so they can buy spells etc.

Swaps with another GM (Tailor/Potter etc) is always a winner, have had some very nice deals for both parties that way.

[Denadorn]

I do it rarely and when I do combines for strangers they must provide me with three times the componets (all). If they want to know what is required i type ... www.eqtraders.com....

Or they can pay cash... preorders i give a discount to (i hate selling in bazaar)

Repeat sustomers.. meaning they want another DIF piece i give price cut.

Who has not had the toon say "ITS JUST HITTING A COMBINE BUTTON"... i usually answer fine then load it up into the forge and hit your combine button. Again I am a nice guy (no really) but i will not have my time/money/exp belittled by someone. By the way saying that gets you put on ignore.

[Xorshaik]

Consider their level or guild, think of something they could do but which is only possible due to their advancement, then ask what they would think of doing that for you without any charge. "Could you give me a VT key please sir? It's just one charge off of that staff from Emporer."

[RehabbKorntool]

Do you perform combines for people?

Generally?
Nope..

I always seemed to get the same scenerio.

Someone bringing me about half the componants for a combine which would yield a %30 sucess rate. Then they stand with their hand out for a finished product and a smug attitude like they did me a favor for the chance at a skill-up. I'll pass.

[kuronekosama]

re:

BD combines, no way, not happening, period. Be a guildie or go away. Everything else however, I'll usually click for free.

[Taraddar]

Consider their level or guild, think of something they could do but which is only possible due to their advancement, then ask what they would think of doing that for you without any charge. "Could you give me a VT key please sir? It's just one charge off of that staff from Emporer."

Interesting point but don't ever try using that one =)

The emp no longer drops a staff with charges which used to summon 2 stacks of 20 since they didn't want them to be tradable. Even when that was the case it still took camping 10 shards from all over SoL, getting a glowing orb of luclinite off a standard SoL boss and get a container from akheva which requires an essence emerald. Then repeate all that for everyone in the guild, or how much fun it is.

[faithkills]

No Combines, paid or free, period, unless they are well known to me, guildmembers or not. Yes people have joined guilds just to take advantage of guild smiths.

FK/Quellious 61/95, 245, rest near 200

[Pinepath]

Combines

Maybe it's just the fact that I skilled up to 250 before new blue diamond cultural even existed, I didn't start smithing seeing those platinum piles dancing ahead. Doing a combine for someone costs me exactly as much time as it takes me to do it, nothing more.

There are certain categories of people who are not interested in the hassle of gathering materials, and those folks will buy from the bazaar. If someone is interested enough to learn what is needed and gather up materials, and wants armor for thier own use, I'm happy to make it for them. It's still a game...I get some use out of a tradeskill I spent time on, earn a little plat, and they get to go away with nice armor. I don't really see a downside to that.

[Flabbo McFattyfatfat]

Then they stand with their hand out for a finished product and a smug attitude like they did me a favor for the chance at a skill-up. I'll pass

Right on brother! Perhaps its just the little red hen syndrome, I was the one who did hundreds of shadowscream combines (after spending stupid hours just trying to get the zone to work), and back in the day I was the one who lugged non stacking ore from grobb to ogguk to do banded. Do some research, bring it all, and cough up some cash for a success, or smith it yerself. Ones a hell of a lot easier!

I will take trades on gear, at roughly half value. Way I figure it, if I wanted to spend all my time auctioning an item, I may as well auction somethin I made myself!

Some people dont like the cash and carry attitude, but theres not a lot of things I want that arent stupid amounts of plat.

[Tenei]

I do combines for guildies for cost of materials no combine fee. Everyone else pays. It cost me money to get my smithing and tailoring up to what it is and I had to eat a lot of the costs, so of course I want to make some money back from my skills.

[Unnone]

Nope

Combines for good friends: Yup. I take care of my good good friends. It takes you a while to get into this category. A long while. I'd say I have maybe 5 good friends in EQ. People I can call on for help on stupid, innane, long, boring camps. People that I've swum through lava looking for the corpses of, finding the zone from Sol A to the lavafall outside the king room in Sol B (yes, it exists). These people usually bonk me when I refuse to let them pay me.

'Friends': These days I do combines for what they want to pay. Sometimes I'm a grouch or a grinch, and quote them a price. I used to make the armor for them for some extra bds, or plat in exchange. These are people I know, but I have asked for help, and usually are 'too busy' to help out, but can help tomorrow or the next day. Yeah, sure. Well, I'm kinda busy today to get to the forge, but maybe tomorrow....

Acquaintances or Combines for friends of friends: They better catch me on a good day, or they fall into the next category.

Everyone else: Half the market value of the finished item. If it's a sickle, better fork over 1500pp. Black halberd, 3k. Cultural, 5/10/15k. Paid on success of course. You did half the work getting the parts. I'm doing the other half - putting them together. Don't like it, do your own smithing. I'm not Santa Claus.

Do I feel bad charging? Nope. No one helped me get my smithing up. Not one leather padding came my way. My friends didn't help me get my smithing up when I was working on it the first time. One person put herself out enchanting ore for me when I was making armor like crazy. She's also my bestest eq friend ever ever. Two of her twinks are armored now. My guild didn't help me get my smithing up. Someone in my guild wanted me to do a dp bp combine after she had left me sitting in icewell when I needed a corpse summon so she could go to an xp group. I quoted her a fee higher than I would quote someone I didn't know. She went through the roof - I loved every second of it. It was funny how many 'friends' I got when the new cultural armor came out. It's funny how many of them are still 'friends'.

I viewed every combine from the point of someone trying to take advantage of me. Cynical? Yup. My smithing *was* a fun thing on the side I did to break the monotony of camping and killing. Suddenly, everyone and their brother wanted me to go spend 4 and 5 hours gathering materials, diamonds, and crafting components for them, without offering anything in return. Then people I didn't know started wanting me to make stuff for them. Now....I don't know about you, but no stranger has ever given me 30k when I've walked up and given them 5k. That's what a successful combine is.

My smithing, my terms, my skills, and my choice to say yea or nay to thee. I don't need to do the combine for you - you need me to do the combine for you. So bring some flowers, some wine, get us reservations at a nice restaurant, and some movie tickets. And bring your plat.

Ariaka. 250 smith on the Tribunal, with a cynical look and her hand held out.

[Aktunka]

I have the following policy. If you bring me all of the items and ONLY need the smithing parts done, I will do combines of the items for 3k, and charges are only applied to successful combines. If they want me to do the brewing parts or whatever, i say no. If they bring me the stuff with all the brewing and pottery done, then i will do the smithing combines for them..

Luckily for me, troll cutural is so completely useless that I will never be competing with these folks. The best troll made items are the ykeshas, but since they have like no stats, they are not much better than a frostbringer at all. That makes them not able to be sold for much more than a frostbringer, like around 15-16k. And with all the cost for blue diamonds, time involved in ground spawns and farming acrylia, etce etc, it just isn't worth it to me to make the stuff. So, I wont be competing and if they choose to resell, more power to them. My method, they put up all of the risk in the first place. I make pure profit. Works for me.

[Khelandra]

I just want to let you all know that not EVERYONE is out to get you. I play on Quellious and at one point was in a very small guild. I was looking to help upgrade our MT's armor so I was on *gasp* my level 1 bazaar mule when I came across one of our reknown server smiths. To make a long story short he agreed to do the combines for 5k each if I gathered the components. So I gathered everything up and in the end our MT had some really nice armor that he is still wearing many months later. Thanks Aurthur/Tenasi On the flip side there are people who can and will.. happened all the time with JC and still does I am sure so do go with what feels right to you but understand not everyone is just lookin to make a scam off your talent.