%&@& Price Gougers

[nymue262626]

OK, I am a 50 druid, in a guild where everyone is at least 15 levels lower than I. I grew up grouping with friends, who all left EQ about the time I hit 40th. Since I loved the game so much, I continued ..

However, my ability to camp uber_mobs is severely limited because I'm not in a uber hunt pack. Therefore, some of the items I'd really like are not feasibly gotten by myself, and I have to auction to buy them.

Now, I've been sitting in EC for the last 2 weeks auctioning to buy a certain item (I'm not going to tell you what because I'll get flamed "just go camp the damn thing" or whatever). Everyone I've spoken to (including two high level druids who just struck up a conversation and gave me advice) says to not pay more than 2500 pp for this item; most of them say 2k is a fair price. So I'm offering to pay 2000pp, willing to go as high as 2500.

BUT everyone who has sent me tells (only 2 - 3 people) to sell the item won't sell it for what every druid on the server seems to think is a "fair" price. Now, this is a very sought-after item, and a lot of druids want it. I had one of these conversations:

Nymue: /auction WTB Such_and_Such
Seller: Hello, I have that
Nymue: Awesome! How much please?
Seller: Make offer (BTW, I HATE THIS)
Nymue: 2k
Seller: Hmm ..

Twenty minutes later, Seller comes back:

Seller: Sorry, was hoping for at least 4k
Nymue: Man, I can't afford that, hope you get it from someone
Seller: Oh, I will, easy to sell at that price

I realize this item is in high demand, but DAMN! If the fair price is 2k, and I'm offering 2k or willing to go a bit above that, why are the only people who are selling the item selling it for double the going rate? Must be because they enjoy driving the poor druids (who could really use the item) crazy by making them bid on it (even if they're the only druid in the selling zone who's auctioning to buy the item).

Price gougers drive me nuts. I sell at fair prices, I have never gouged someone or misrepresented an item to get a higher price for it. Yes, this Seller will eventually get 4kpp for his item. But if the "fair" price is 2k, and he sells it for 4, I feel very sorry for the poor druid who scrounged and saved every penny, only to see it going for 2k later. I know it's free enterprise, and capitalism at its finest, but I'm still pissed off about the whole thing. My server has gotten really bad about this; really decent items you have to pay out the nose for, regardless of what everyone tells you it's worth. If you need to buy it, you have to give your first born child.

Whew, I feel better.

~Nymue~

[Cloudane Trihart]

Well, I kinda know how you feel (on a much smaller scale - I've never even *seen* 2k) Just keep looking, you'll find it for the right price eventually. But if it's *always* more than that, then maybe you have the wrong price after all?

Remember, prices vary greatly between servers.

And yes, I hate that "Make offer" too :) They say that about 90% of the time, so you kinda learn to deal with it, but it's still annoying, especially when you don't have the slightest clue what the item is worth.

[ColvinCozener]

And I thought this would be a rant about druids farming Ravenscale and selling for overinflated prices. Oh well.

[rtfm]

selling for double the normal rate?

seems the normal rate is double, no?

make offer? weeds out the shoppers.

btw /auction WTB is always a sure sign that you will pay more for the item. If I have something that comes up in a WTB, ill see how generous they are.

Just cause they said "I have that" does not mean that it was exactly sitting around gathering dust.

good rant though.

I would like to see the one from the seller about 'cheap skate' buyers, too, though;)

[Kallia Sylurian]

"Make offer" also can be the fact that the seller doesn't know what to sell his item for. Unfortunately, I don't usually KNOW what to offer so I don't make one.

I also think of it as being a very open haggling tool. I don't want to offer someone too much or too little for an item and I don't want to be tricked into paying to much either. I guess those annoying /shout "Price check on such-and-such!!" may have a use after all.

[Azeroth FireWolf]

There is no set economy in EQ, people have the right to sell an item for whatever they want. If you meet someone selling it too high, dont tell him that "it goes for .....", I hate when I am selling something and someone is trying to tell me what to sell it for. Just find someone else selling it cheaper.

[Mandril Winterwolf]

Heh, I also remember Nymue back in the day when we sold gem inlaid gauntlets for 1k apiece. 2k is a good price for the item ye are lookin for, 3k is probably average (on our server). At your level jump on in the morning during the week someday and annihalate some Hill Giants. Withdrawals from the bank of Rathe are where I always get my hard cash nowadays, too many alts. Hang in there, sooner or later one of your friends will hit Karnors and hook ye up.

Mandril Winterwolf
60 Preserver
CT

[DindayenDarkwood]

You sell at whatever price people will pay for, if people will pay 4k for item so and so, then the going rate is 4k

[nymue262626]

Heya Mandril <hugs>

Yeah, that was before I opened my big fat mouth and told people (ahem) how to do the Gem Inlaid Guantlet quest ;-P

Nymmie

[Ligge]

"make offer" = send me a tell when you decide what you want for it :)

[DaCrazyCook]

Your definition of a 'fair price' is what you want to buy it at.
Geuss what? If i get offered say, 750pp for Donal's Arms, that seems fair, its nearly a k, and the person is getting something pretty good. But the fact is, i can sell for 1k. And you call people like that price gougers? Wait until your mid/late 50's when you start dishing out a few hundred pp per spel drop. Ever seen something like Acumen or Aegolism for sale?
When you start needing to buy really high priced items, you'll start taking whatever extra $$ you get. And geuss what? You won't see it as price gouging, you'll see it as money for a days earned pay.
~Kinmuan~

[tandaina]

OMG what server are you on??? 1K for Donal's arms?

/picks her jaw up off the floor.

[Twinskey Babolinskey]

Kinuman!! my home skillet~

The nameless is home to a very differnt economy then most servers. I was at my friends house who plays on Karana and someone did a PC on the DW helm in the Ft Mts. My friend looked to me for an answer since I'm 20 levels beyond him and I told him 1.5k if your lucky (this was months ago) and the whole zone laughed at him saying it was 4k atleast... I had gotten my Paly twink one for 1k a couple of weeks prior.

Items, and auctioning just get in the way of playing IMHO. Stay away from them and you'll be happier for it. The only thing you need are velium fire opal rings ma~

[Tydaan]

>Nymue: /auction WTB Such_and_Such
>Seller: Hello, I have that
>Nymue: Awesome! How much please?
>Seller: Make offer (BTW, I HATE THIS)
>Nymue: 2k
>Seller: Hmm ..

>Twenty minutes later, Seller comes back:

>Seller: Sorry, was hoping for at least 4k
>Nymue: Man, I can't afford that, hope you get it from >someone
>Seller: Oh, I will, easy to sell at that price

Funny thing is, I usually see these people auctioning the same thing for days or even weeks. Easy to sell at that price, huh? More like this person knows if he/she is persistent enough, it will eventually sell at that price. Sad thing is, it usually does sell at that price. If more people refused to pay the gouged price, then sellers would have no choice but to lower their prices.

I, personally, have a set amount that I'm willing to pay...if they don't like my offer, I do the same thing you did and tell them good day. Many times I'll get a tell a few minutes later saying "ok, I'll sell it to you for what you offered". If you stick to your guns, you will eventually get the price you are willing to pay, but I agree that it's frustrating having to auction for so long to get any item you want.

Tydaan Skywatcher
35th Season Druid
Tunare Server

[Hydropolo]

Poor Druids? There is such a thing beyond 29? ;-D I was playing my friends druid and my cleric at the same time, had the druid going around offering ports at 10pp (free for CRs) etc, and always giving sows as a departing bonus, and I was making quite a bit (I had to log my cleric to keep up with the demand for ports....). Well, not only did I repay my 500pp debt to him, but split the remaining 500 between the 2 of us...

Speaking of gougers, druids are usually the ones I'm fighting to get an item at a decent price since they often can and will pay a higher price just to have it.

Then again, there seems to be lots of money floating on bristlebane.

[Aidon Rufflefuzz]

<chuckle>

At level 55, I have less than 3kpp to my name. That's poor.

Granted I suppose if I wanted to waste entire days killing green HGs or porting people I could have a bit more money, but ultimately, I'd rather get to level 60 and complete my epic. So I keep enough cash around to be able to afford any spells I see for sale (except when the putzes want 10-15k for the pet spell).

Aidon Rufflefuzz
55 druid
Celestial Knights
Karana

[Sollex]

UHG!!!! If I seen one more newbie try and get 50pp out of a stack of Spider Silks, Im gunna slit my wrists!!!!
Ok, so..they made the silks/pelts stackable, so that means the going price is 30-50pp a stack?!!
I blame the high lvl Tailors for making the price on Silks go through the damn roof.
I think verant "nerfed" the spider spwans in a few zones and made the silks drop alot less than they used too. I remember going to Everfrost awhile ago(2 months), and being knee deep in spiders, it was like that when my main(55 war) was a newb in Everfrost Peaks too. There used to be trains of 6-7 spiders all the time, back in the day.
Now, you would be Lucky to see 3 spiders(giant, large) in the whole zone at one time, and then have half of them or more NOT have a single silk.
It might just be me(I doubt it) but, since they made the items stackable, there are a whole LOT less to go around.
We pay Money for this damn game every Month, is it too hard to ask to make more spiders spawn and a better chance at gettng silks?..I think not.
I just got so pissed today in WC hunting spiders,(I go to Misty,NK,Everfrost,EC,Sro for silks) and killed 6 spiders in like 20 min and NOT ONE damn SILK. :p
I give 1pp a silk and 25pp a stack of silks, I think that is a HELl of a deal for lower lvl players to make GOOD cash for damn silks, I wish I had such a money maker back in the day when I started out...sheesh

Sollex Iceblood
Krizlin Bsizzlin
Tunare

[TaraForestChild]

Sorry you can't get what you want, but it comes down to two things really. One is the law of supply and demand. Some people will wait till they get what they want for the item. Who says because some people say X is a fair price that anyone who asks for more then that is gouging.
The other thing are peoples different personalities. Some are nice and kind and will sell something cheaper then they wanted because they are helping you out; others couldn't care less and just want the most they can get.
Just like the ones who are selling. if you are patient enough you will get what you want, for the price that you want to pay. If you don't want to spend the time waiting then you'll have to spend the extra dough.

Tara

[rtfm]

50 a stack?

Scirocco in his tailoring thread, was offering 200 a stack.

Supply and demand....

With the shawl quest you are going to find this on all servers.

[Elexia Raindancer]

I have to laugh at this one, that is rediculous but I know the feeling. I had a level 6 necro try and sell me his 17 Spiderling Silks, Yes spiderling, not even full spider silk, for 45pp, I told him he was outa his gord. He said his freind sold a stack for that a couple a days ago, I told him his friend got very lucky, he said no he didn't I see them go for that much all the time. I know this guy was lying out his teeth, maily because lately I have been working on trade skills pretty heavily, and have been in ec and wc for days on end, buying spider silk hq pelts and such, and at the begining spiderling silks (for silk thread). I would usually pay 3pp per stack of spiderling silks and 5pp per stack of spider silk, which was and still is above the ammount they usually go for, 1-2pp per stack of spiderling silk and 3-4pp per stack of spider silk. So as an example of how much I wanted to rip this noob a new one, I made him feel stupid. I instead went into nektulos forest killed about 30 spiderlings inside about 15 minutes and came back and gave him the 20 spiderlink silks left over from finishing off the trivial skill for cured silk (no longer need spiderling silk unless I get an order) told him ok I did that in 15 minutes, do you honestly think you can sell something for 45pp that someone of 5th level or higher can get inside of 15 minutes?

Sorry price gougers annoy me, Especially that ass holes that try and sell hq bear pelts for 40pp, I buy them for 30 which is, in my opinion reasonable, and I buy alot of pelts at that rate, never more, I will not be afronted by the ideots that are out to cheat people outa there hard earned cash.

Elexia Raindancer
49th level Druidess
Solusek Ro

[Elkin Arbors]

Wow that much for a stack of silk. Crazy! As far as the HQ bear pelts go. 40pp is pretty common on Rodcet Nife. But then again the bags that are made out of them go for 120-140. IMHO that's where the gouging is.

[Elexia Raindancer]

Just for the info, Sol Ro handmade backpacks go for 50-70pp. So 40pp for a hq bear pelt is not a good price, the ratio of failure rates compared to ammount you have to spend, doesn't compensate for the cost in my opinion. And for those of you that are working on your skill level and worried about making money, if you are making backpacks, your doing it wrong. Get your skill points from tailored quivers, not only are the hq cat pelts cheaper (5pp each) but you can take your skill upto 115 with them, and save you bear pelts till you get your skill past 88 (trivial) and then you might be able to make some cash from them.

Prolly too much info, but oh well, isn't that what a rant is for? :-P

Elexia Raindancer
49th Level Druidess
Solusek Ro

[bottlerockit]

Being only a 17 druid I need to call upon the services of older Porters from time to time. I am more than willing to pay what I thought was the standard price of 10pp.

I see this guy shouting in the zone GG's avail send tell.
I send tell.
He wants 25pp.
I say no thanks.
I find someone else, pay 10pp, I'm GTG!
When I get to where I'm going, there he is again shouting through the zone GG's avail sent tell.

After a few hours my buddy was logged in and wanted to come pick me up an GG me elsewhere (no charge from him ever).
When we get there - he's in that zone now shouting GG's avail send tell.

When I can, I play EQ for 8-10 hours at a time (hehe- not often enough though).

Anyway, this guy was doing nothing but taxi-ing ALL night long.

Over the following week - same guy - same thing - I had my friend send him a tell asking how much for GG from NK to BB.
This time the guy was charging 35pp. I had another friend send him a tell when he actually needed a GG for CR. Told the guy it was for CR and he wanted 15pp up front! My friend says "I'm naked - no plat on me" the guy says "go to bank or borrow plat from somebody"!

I can't wait to get my gate spells but not so I can profit at all. I just want to be able to pick up a few friends from where ever they might be and group to fight somewhere together.

When I started I thought the going rate was 10pp for GG or TP unless it's for a CR.
You can "farm" a zone (for NPC loot) but don't go around "farming" Player Characters for their hardearned Plat!

/thanks for letting me vent.

[Tudamorf]

nymue262626 says: Nymue: Awesome! How much please?
Seller: Make offer (BTW, I HATE THIS)

Yep. Once you see the magic words "Make offer", 95% of the time it means the seller is testing to see if they can rip you on the price. If you are naïve enough to actually make a reasonable offer, they will generally just ignore you, seeing that you're not a clueless consumer who can be easily defrauded. I usually just ignored the "make offer" sellers and wrote them off for the greedy, unethical âssholes they (generally) were.

An honest seller will very rarely say "make offer" -- they will either list a price, or list items for which they want to trade. If they don't know the price, they will do a price check, not say "make offer".