How to buy/sell items and services that are non trade-able

This post is basically about how not to be a sucker when performing elaborate, hi-end and very expensive trades.

The only time a transaction is relatively safe in Guild Wars is when you correctly use a single Trade-Box transaction. Anything else, such as buying services, buying real life items (such as GW accounts) for in-game gold, performing transactions that require more than 1 Trade-Box opening can be problematic. The problem is that, any way you turn it, either the buyer pays before receiving the goods or the seller passes on the goods before getting paid. Let's call this problem "fraud-risk"

The method I propose attempts to minimize the fraud-risk.

Note that I don't recommend implementing this method for small services such as purchasing a run from A to B (although you can if you like) but rather, for more expensive transactions where you might be cheated out of a lot of money.

The method is as follows (assuming buyer wants to buy item/service X from seller for price Y) -

1. Open trade box between buyer and seller. Buyer offers seller the agreed upon price. Seller offers buyer collateral in the form of customized pieces of armor and/or weapons such that the market price of the un-customized versions is approximately Y (the agreed upon price).

2. Seller performs service or gives buyer the merchandise (X).

3. Open another trade box between buyer and seller. Buyer offers seller the armor and/or weapons given to him at phase 1 as collateral.

Notes -

1. What makes this method work, is the customized attribute of the items used as collateral. They are worth a lot to the seller but nearly worthless to the buyer (he can salvage the items for materials) and therefore serve as excellent collateral.

2. A possible problem with this method is that the buyer, after receiving the goods, can blackmail the seller by demanding payment for the collateral. But as the collateral is nearly worthless to the buyer, it is not as bad as having the buyer receive the goods without paying and then running off.


Disclaimer - Some transactions may be illegal (I mentioned buying GW accounts for in-game gold which I think doesn't violate the EULA but I am not certain). I take no responsibility for the legality of the transactions performed. I, of course, also don't promise that the method will eliminate fraud entirely but I do believe that it is a practical way to alleviate the problem.

Or you could just let people do what they've always been doing and not have to risk losing your customized item to someone who just feels like griefing. for someone selling a service, leechers and leavers are a risk that have to be taken. That's when runners should start remembering their scammers and leechers, and not taking them on future runs. Eventually they'll get most of the nonpayers listed and they'll have honest people remaining. That's how it should be, that's how it HAS been.

OP can i buy a undedicated miniature panda from you ?
I give my obsidian armor and 2 tormented weapons as collatteral :P

You can have mine but I want your gloves as collateral.

I remember reading a similar suggestion elsewhere already.
I think it was actually on one of the wiki pages or something.

i would say use ambraces lol.
they stack, 1 is worth 45E, so 7 stacks are worth 78750E
so i think that works better lol

some of the ops from vetari's offer escrow services if i recall, i don't know if they are still doing it though.