Will you do a GM combine for me?

[Cobbeth]

What do you guys do? I really struggle with doing GM combines for a small fee because of the time and money I put into doing the smithing to 300 and the GM quests. Someone else on my server does this, and now people just buy the scales and take em there to be combined.

Just want to know if im being greedy by only wanting to sell the ones I make.

[Xulan]

What do you guys do? I really struggle with doing GM combines for a small fee because of the time and money I put into doing the smithing to 300 and the GM quests. Someone else on my server does this, and now people just buy the scales and take em there to be combined.

Just want to know if im being greedy by only wanting to sell the ones I make.

Not at all. I charge 7k per scale/swatch used in a combine, and I think that is more than fair. Someone else I know charges 5k per scale. On masters, I charge 1k per sheet/swatch, etc.

There are 2 things to consider:

1. Your time and effort you put into your skill. You should, imo, charge people for the usage of it (of course friends/guildies get free =) It takes *your game time* to go and do the combines. Charge for it.

2. You never know what they will do with the armor after you combine it. Would you like to do a free combine for someone and then they go and sell that item for 75 to 150k? (and people do do that) At least make some on the front side when you do the combine.

If you have someone doing it for free, they are most likely just wanting the skill-ups. I did a handful for free until I got a feel for what I wanted to charge, but those few people helped me also with the GM symbol quest and also are in my debt for future things I may need =)

I don't really get the 2nd part where you want to know if you are being greedy by wanting to only selling the ones you make. If you don't want to do combines at all and only sell ones you make that is just fine.

[Dalmoth]

I would only do it for free for guildmates and good friends. I will do combines for people at 5k flat fee because it helps to fuel my tradeskills, but I would turn down someone on something they couldn't put directly to use. They also turn around and tell other people. I find it hard to make stuff on consignment but it has happended a few times, I normally just make something and put in the bazaar and after a few weeks it sells.

[cattywumpus]

There's another issue to consider with the cultural combines.

With most combines there is nothing lost when you push the button. You can have the customer bring you everything and just hit the button for them.

With the cutural combines you are sacrificing a pattern you had to work for. You will have to work to replace that book the pattern came from yourself. You also invested some of your own cash and time creating the pattern from the book.

I don't see how anyone in good conscience could expect you to do it for free.

Now, as to how much is fair to charge, that's a whole new can of worms and likely to start flame wars. Charge as much as you think is fair and make sure it's clearly agreed to up front. If your customers complain then refer them to someone else (recommend the guy doing free combines and hope he goes bankrupt doing it).

[tnexus]

I generally don't like asking for money simply because I skilled up for my own enjoyment and use. No one else could make me GM WE gear so I did it on my own. If they ask how much I generally say whatever you feel like it's worth. Oftentimes guilt tripping yields better results though I never take money for a fail. A lot of times I make good contacts because I'm doing combines for high end twinks which gives me a good contact for later. People remember you and it pays off.

[crystilla]

/wave Cobb

You're not being greedy at all. Everyone has a right to put a cost on their time and most people do charge something for the attempt (or donate for the attempt, even if a failure).

The DoN armor will be good for probably another year and a bit before something else better comes along; take a look at how many years we had to deal with the Underfoot cultural (for dwarves) for example when there was so much better out there. Therefore there will always be a market for it as twinks and mains come of age. There's always non raiding guilds or non Time guilds gaining new members, etc.

I think I'm the one Cobb's talking about who never charges if handed the ingredients (though I do get paid for the water/brellium and a small part I include for the pattern - about 120-150plat per BP/LEG attempt). But how often do I actually do these type of combines for people? About 2-3 a month only (total of about 5 attempts in total). That's not a ton and there is no 100% success rate.

What ends up happening on the attempts I fail on is I'll use my own scales, make the item and put it in the bazaar on a mule. Had my contact buy an item once that way. Sometimes they come back to me but it can take several weeks or a month before they have the money or the scales to try again.

If I have to front the item myself (buy the ingredients out of my own pocket, make the combine up front and then turn it over), I charge bazaar pricing. It's only if I'm handed the drops or the money to buy the drops do I not charge them - - since in my mind, I'm out a few clicks of a mouse and the pattern (which I would have done the quest for even if the armor stunk and no one wanted to buy it) so I consider the pattern a "sunk cost" to use that accounting/finance term.

I've been a tradeskiller since Aug 2001 when Crys was formed. Back before Luclin came out, I was in ec tunnel, with my network of young players farming hides for money so I could make the backpacks and sell them - or I was in freeport getting tailoring and blacksmithing to 120-130 range.

DoN armor is the first time I've actually made any money off my skills and I have 4 at 300 and the other 3 above 250. I'm just a tradeskiller first, businesswoman second.

[Eggborn]

I charge 5k per scale on combines, if a success. I most normally make things for people who I am 99.9% sure they are gonna be wearing it. I make them get their own scales, come with me to Cabilis and watch me combine. I also will make occasional random augments from scales I may pick in the bazaar at lower prices. I sell them on a trader at competitive bazaar prices. I never make armor and find the scales myself. I simply dont enjoy spendng time doing the buy/sell thing enough.

Lately, however; many of my guild members have been donating scales to me from their groups instead of selling them for their own profit, even if I am not in the group at the time.

With these donated scales I will do combines for my guildees for free. My guild has always provided me with many many many free items during the years to skill up with. I figure, with that and that I have been guilded with most of these people for years and years it's ok to gear up my guild. Plus, I want my guild geared up so we can progress. I have also made a few things for friends who pass on all tradeskill items that drop in groups with me. I ended up making profit on some of those things, I think I at least owe them a few items for it if they need or want them.

This does lose sells for those who are making for a profit yes, but it gears up my guild. I never have much pp to work with, but I have always managed to smith and do other tradeskills via trading with other TS'rs or getting donations from my guildmates. Works very well for me anyway.

[Trogdor]

I post on the server boards offering to do combines for free and I respond to "looking for GM xxx" /oocs. The reason is that there used to be a guy on Xev who charged exorbinate prices for high level combines and I figured having someone around to do the same combines for free would balance it out.

Also, I do tradeskills because they're fun, not because I want to make money. When I want to make money for tradeskills, I get a group thats farming [insert high priced drop here (e.g. ornates back in PoP, nice attunable gear in OoW, metallic drake scales in DoN, etc.)]. It's way faster to make PP that way anyway.

Plus, making an_uber_piece_of_cultural_gear_01 or awesome_aug_of_uberness_03 for someone builds an awful lot of good will.

[Leafbiter]

I have made the habit of asking for 2x the components necessary to make the combine. If I succeed on both, I make out with a nice piece I can sell in the bazaar. If I fail one and succeed one, then I'm just out a small amount of time (and the patterns, but those I have in abundance and would have anyway since my char actually wears the armor). If I fail both, then those are the breaks and I make it clear to the customer that it might happen before I do the combines.

[Veril]

I charge 10K for a success. Failures are free. Guildies are free.

[Sharrien]

I've mostly done combines for guildies who have been quite generous in giving me extra glossy hides they didn't need (since I succeeded on first try every time). I rarely do combines for strangers, usually only if they are offering a donation up front.

[-Nadanog-]

I did my first combo for a fee last night, a complete start to finish radiant apatite of pure sight that required jewelcraft, smithing, and alchemy > 300 and I think I went easy on the guy asking only 10k for a success 0 for a fail. Just for the stress alone I should have charged 50k.

[Ishwar]

I happily do combines per donation, at least on GM armor. I might feel different about it if I was actually selling it myself, but I am not right now.

I have gotten paid well for the combines I have done, and I can always decide if i want to do it again for someone.

[Boleslav]

This is an old topic. I can't say I ever had anyone ask me to do combines on Banded armor, but I did have people ask for me to combine Fine Plate for them back in the day. Even some pieces of Ornate Chain when it was new. That continued with the old school cultural, Shadowscream, Acrylia armors, Black Acrylia weapons (the Halberd was all the rage for a while), into blue diamond cultural to the new recipes today.

The discussion has also been almost the same each time. Charge what you feel comfortable charging and don't worry what others decide to do. There will be the occasional instance where someone skilling up effectively kills a market by doing combines for free, but folks find a way to move on.

Boleslav Forgehammer
Paladin of Brell in his 68th Campaign
Tunare (E'ci ) – Sacred Desitny

[Rendael Brigh]

Yes it was hell when some troll smith would combine for free on TP a couple years ago. It really ticked me off so much I made my feelings known.
There was no way to get business once people heard about him.