Tailors Jacking Prices on Supplies... morally inept?

[Heartsong_Steelsoul]

At that level, you could probably hunt them, but not alone, and it's not exactly a popular grouping spot. :/

[Elii-Firiona-Vie]

after reading more threads, I see myself now heading to Shadeweaver to farm shadeling silks. Apparently they drop a ton.

I have gobs of low-med-high pelts too from EC. I have been leveling there from 5-13 and have saved the pelts. Now I just need LOY to go live so I can have some extra space for other things in my bank. =) I play on FV server so I can't have a mule and don't have/want two accounts just for the bank.

[Arbrelax]

We should all be Investment brokers for how much we all watch the market ecomony of different commodities fluctuate in the Bazaar.

Instead of Bears and Bulls.... we're Grizzlies and Rhinos.

Except most of are bad economists! :shock:

1) Monopoly can't exist without control of supply (ain't gonna happen as they keep making the mobs that drop the supplies in question and no one has been able - maybe some uber guild will try someday - to controll ALL spawn points 100% of the time ) or distribution (now someone could buy 500 accounts and try to hog all the bazaar trader spots . . . but not only is this unlikely it would result in a renaissance of the EC tunnel :!: ). Oligopoly could exist but how likely is it 500 vendors are all getting together to fix prices? Hell, without government assistance it doesn't happen often in real life where there is real money at stake and not plat. In fact, the premise of the question "what we think about tailors doing this to other tailors" harkens to the trade guilds of old, who were the first (outside of kings and other potentates) true monopolies. If that's what you want fine but please, lose the "moral indignation" because what you are really saying is don't screw each other, screw the consumer! :P

2) Higher prices increase supply. On my server (Bristlebane) it is my observation that, at least for the goods I desire, it has had the expected effects some noted above i.e., people thought, gee that's worth my time and effort to farm at that "unfair" price so I'll go do that, more supply came to market at the higher prices and . . . after a while someone got tired of all those silk, patches, pelts (insert favorite drop here) and voila, prices fell again. I've seen this trend for non-uber mob drops also, including (and especially I think) spells).

3) What is meant by the concept of price "griefing". Is it "griefing" if you "must have it now" and it is not available at a price you consider "fair"? Ha ha! How do you know what is a "fair" value for the time of the vendor? He/she sets it and if the market says "I'll pay that" well they win / if not, they have wasted their time or end up accepting a lower value for their time. It's still a voluntary market - don't like the price make/hunt it yourself then as obviously you must be a more efficient procurer of the item (the value of your time in plat X the time to get the item is less than what they are charging).

4) I never see complaints about "low prices" for anything other than tradeskill created items (which rests on some theory that low prices which perhaps the GM Tradeskillers could "afford" to charge will prevent new competition . . . or some other similar hooey)! What about the "silly" pricing I see on some mob drops that are below the value I can get selling it to a merchant! :shock: **** those unfair price cutters! They make all that time I spent hunting those mobs worthless (err . . . actually worth LESS as I can still sell to the merchants). This is the one trade anomoly that drives me nuts but . . . then again it may be explained by . . . naw they just dumb (or lacking in information easily obtained . . . such as trying to sell to a merchant :twisted: )

5) I think all in all, the EQ markets are functioning as they do in real life when efficient. The increased efficiency of multiple sellers and easy information on pricing, while not as efficient as the commodity pits in Chicago (probably the most efficient markets in existance) has had the effect which efficient markets do. More supply at lower prices - and the added benefit of no more silly debates about the "value" of items - its right there on the pricing screen . . . changing with supply and demand. (Alright, alright on this last point, there ARE still some debates in shout and auction in the bazaar over perceived mis-pricings. . . but they are from peeps who (a) ignore the truths of my last sentence in point 3 above, (b) lack the information on relative values or (c) don't understand that it's real peeps behind the toons and sometimes they behave in what the complainers believe to be "irrational" ways!

6) This of course has been a discourse in how things do work given the workings of efficient (or more efficient) markets. It is not a discourse in whether that result is "fun" (because we ARE playing a GAME ) I happen to think it IS fun, as I've been able to use this behavior predicting to deliver the goods to the market that get me what I think is an adequate return on my time AND buy the things I want (spells, weapons etc.) at prices I am willing to pay (especially as some come from mobs I could never hope to kill for a long time to come, if ever).

My advice is to not rail against the wind but rather TAILOR yourself a sail and let the winds take you where they will (or learn to tack and go where you want to go!)

[Grug]

OMG Arbrelax,

Very nice to observe someone with a couple of coppers to rub together in the way of economic common sense.

[TocapValdor]

It's all about demand/offer. On my server, i have seen someone come and buy all silk swatches. I had them at 20pp each, and they sold too. Someone needs to raise skill, and doesn't have time to go kill spiders, so they buy it the price they are in bazaar.

[PinyonTreedotter]

I changed the fundamental way I did tailoring when I was mid 190s. Up until that time, I have farmed or /auction for everything. I was not getting enough combine to be progressing the way I wanted.

Instead, I borrowed an account from a friend who doesn't play very much. I said I would pay her in items for her lvl 12 Pally (I told you she didn't play much). I then became a trader/tailor. I watched the market for acrylia, velium, rockhopper, pantherskin, HQ brute, etc. I set my buy prices and bought whenever I found my items below the prices I had set. I then made and sold what I could (Solstice robes helped, but not entirely). Until I was in my last few skill increases, I didn't make anything I couldn't sell. I made it to 250 skill and showed a tidy profit as well.

You can make a profit as a trader/tailor, but you need some restraint, patience, and a second computer. It helped, btw, that a druid has to med for 15 minutes between quads.

[Minta Rose]

Hauling this thread back on track by the ears. . .unless it's an earless iksar, in which case disregard the following.

The original case doesn't just overprice tailoring supplies, the tradermode overprices _everything_ (multiple mules). Given that, I thought the rant might be a bit misplaced, but then I remember. . . .This tradermode has also come around to me and bought me out, more rarely of late, but it's been done. Maybe using the cheap materials and keeping the expensive out on display?

--Tzigg (Tzimfemmestien), whose last experiment exploded and clung to her nose scales