Inflation or Greedy Merchants? - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 01:41 - 1

Is it just me or has prices gotten out of hand lately? I'm not talking about sigils or superior runes, but more of the everyday items. Yesterday I was pricing bows in Ascalon and LA and was totally shocked by what people were asking for thier bows. One guy was selling a max gold bow for 10k!!! I could maybe understand if it was awesome, but it had a zealous string with a +1 -1 stat and a decent fortitude grip. That was all!!!! Yet after I told him I had better purple bows he responded by telling me he had two buyers already because it was gold.

The next guy had a max dmg purple bow with a bonus to armor penetration. He wanted 5k!! Now I offered 1.5 for it and was turned down. As a small reward later that night I saw him drop the price to 2k so he was wising up after an hour or two.

So I was wandering if others have seen the same thing and was wandering why people pay these prices and support these people. I've purchased much better weapons at much better prices a couple of weeks ago. Is it because too much money is floating around? And will this hurt the casual player who doesn't have time to farm for money?

Virtuoso

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 01:42 - 2

Inflation.

-Virt

Zeru

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 01:45 - 3

Greedy merchants, heh.

You do realize that if someone is willing to buy at a high price, there's no reason why they shouldn't sell it at that. It's not greed, just sense

And yes inflation

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 01:50 - 4

I understand the sense of it. I you can get away with it sure why not. But why do people pay? I understand if its that once in a lifetime item, but max dmg bows with decent stats are not that impossible to find.

Dumachum

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Florida

na

R/E

06 Jun 2005 at 02:04 - 5

Greedy people. I've seen fools trying to sell complete crap for THOUSANDS of gp, and it's the same every day generic weapons I see drop 3 or 4 times each day. A max damage weapon with "perfect" innate stats 20% dmg > 50% etc.

I've even seen people trying to get thousands for weapons that werent even max damage. Sir, that purple 13-21 Vampiric 1/1 wingblade of fortitude 20hp is NOT worth 5 platinum kthxbye....

Kaylynn Of Ascalon

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

California

06 Jun 2005 at 02:10 - 6

i see plenty of gold items that aren't nearly as good as most good purple items. That kinda bugs me a bit but oh well.

I sell a lot of stuff and I would be what most would consider a dumb ass because i sell stuff that could be sold for way more but I choose to sell it cheap and fast to keep my inventory low. the only items I sell for any considerable amount of gold would be very rare items.

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 02:37 - 7

I must agree with Kaylynn, I always lower my prices so I can get back into the game. I also only buy items at fair prices, I will not award the ignorant and greedy.

Axelia

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 02:38 - 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Rumm

Is it just me or has prices gotten out of hand lately? I'm not talking about sigils or superior runes, but more of the everyday items. Yesterday I was pricing bows in Ascalon and LA and was totally shocked by what people were asking for thier bows. One guy was selling a max gold bow for 10k!!! I could maybe understand if it was awesome, but it had a zealous string with a +1 -1 stat and a decent fortitude grip. That was all!!!! Yet after I told him I had better purple bows he responded by telling me he had two buyers already because it was gold.

The next guy had a max dmg purple bow with a bonus to armor penetration. He wanted 5k!! Now I offered 1.5 for it and was turned down. As a small reward later that night I saw him drop the price to 2k so he was wising up after an hour or two.

So I was wandering if others have seen the same thing and was wandering why people pay these prices and support these people. I've purchased much better weapons at much better prices a couple of weeks ago. Is it because too much money is floating around? And will this hurt the casual player who doesn't have time to farm for money?

I don't even bother selling or buying anymore. Just tonight I sold a fire dragon sword to a merchant for 40 just to dump it. Probably make some mad I rather deal with NPC than half the players I run into.

Lews

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Seattle, Washington

R/E

06 Jun 2005 at 02:46 - 9

I sell 50% of my rares. I wish there was something where you could just right click 'sell' and then it was gone, and on guildwars.com people could see all the things people had done, and buy what they wanted.

You'd be able to say buyout, reserve, and when it ended when you clicked 'sell'

Syuveil

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Minnesota

Wrath of Nature [WoN]

R/

06 Jun 2005 at 02:47 - 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axelia

I don't even bother selling or buying anymore. Just tonight I sold a fire dragon sword to a merchant for 40 just to dump it. Probably make some mad I rather deal with NPC than half the players I run into.

um... I'll give you NPC x2 for all your items you don't want

Nim

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

USA.CT

PANiC AttAcK

E/Me

06 Jun 2005 at 02:52 - 11

Inflation??? The bottom has fallen out of the Rune market!!! They are chaeper than ever.. with the exception of Viggor and absorbtion I see majors selling for 2K and less! Minors are free from any farmer and even Superiors most are less than 10K. So much for my stash.

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 02:54 - 12

I've even tried WarTrader, a site where you can buy and sell items, but it always seems empty and i've had no luck there yet.

JoDiamonds

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2005

New England

06 Jun 2005 at 02:57 - 13

Most people don't know what an item is worth. This is hard to come by information.

I don't know what "max damage" means for most items. I don't know what the most effective stats are. I certainly don't know what the market price for anything is.

The only thing I can reasonably go by is the retail, NPC vendor price.

So how should I know (for buying or selling) what a reasonable price is? 1000? 10,000? I just don't know.

Adacia Calla

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

The Halls.

[FREE]

W/R

06 Jun 2005 at 04:14 - 14

I saw a guy selling a clean 5-26 chaos yesterday for 15K, I bitched him out for 20 minutes (which I know I shouldn't have), but it's people like him that really mess up the market, so when something *actually* good comes along, THEN we'll pay 15K for it, not a pos random drop from UW or FoW.

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 04:30 - 15

JoDiamonds you just need to watch the markets in Ascalon dis 1 and 2 and in LA dis 1 and 2, you'll get a good idea of prices after that. The lower districts in the larger cities are where the merchants hang out.

=HT=Ingram

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2005

Anchorage Alaska

Haz Team [HT]

R/W

06 Jun 2005 at 05:14 - 16

This is from the Prima Stratagy guide... I know, I know, many HATE this list, but I have found it usefull for basic stuff... Use it as a guide for fair prices... There are tools out ther for calculating the added bonus on the weapons as well. using that

Uncommon (purple)
max stats Lvl 24 longbow (15-28 dmg) runs for 280 gold

Fortatude Haft 200 gold
Zealous string 100 gold

Added extra bonuses add 50% value more to the total.

so that should cost on the base value around 870 gold...
This would be considered Base, or BARGIN rate.
1000 would still be some what a fair price range, 14% profit.
1500 would be still a 72% profit, and on the higher side of prices...
more then that is a rip off...

that 10k example would mean 1049% profit... Inflation city that is...

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 09:14 - 17

That sounds about right and even 2k for that would be the highest I would pay. Problem is many merchants are not even close. I've also been told that Inflation or just overpricing is mostly an American server issue. That in Europe everything is normaly at a much lower price. It's maybe our American greed?

Weezer_Blue

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Just a Box in a Cage

Hurry Up The Cakes [Oven]

06 Jun 2005 at 10:36 - 18

Lol... I don't know where all this money is coming from. I need to go farm some, I guess, cause all 3 of my RP characters are flat broke or boardering on it.

bloodbob

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 11:52 - 19

Using that same logic sigils should sell for 1K because thats what the merchants value them at.

=HT=Ingram

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2005

Anchorage Alaska

Haz Team [HT]

R/W

06 Jun 2005 at 12:45 - 20

I was saying BASE value ... Use that to gauge fair prices. if they are 200% of that thats too high... see what I mean? But if its within a reasonable precentage of base then its normally a fair deal... Again you have to take into account the upgrades on it too. note I did that with the sufix and prefix values as well... Most people just do not undeerstand the base value system, and just go gun ho for as much gold as they can carry. truthfully thats silly. But whatever blows your skirt up...

NotACommunist

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 15:41 - 21

While the people in Lion's Arch may be charging ridiculous prices for everything and anything, it doesn't mean they are actually *selling* anything. Most people won't pay the high prices, but we still have the impression that buying anything costs a lot. The reason for this is that for those people to sell items at ridiculous prices they have to continually spam until they find someone foolish enough to pay such a price. And so all most people see are items being sold for stupid amounts. To prove my point, that most people can't sell items for the ridiculous prices I was in Lion's Arch the other day trying to sell a Superior Rune and I was asking for 5,000 gold, and I get a whisper from someone else selling runes saying "Superiors sell for 20k+ now, newb" and so I replied "So you buy it and resell for 20k." and strangely enough he didn't reply back, because he knew prices that high are stupid.

Theus

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

W/Mo

06 Jun 2005 at 15:46 - 22

Yeah, the price's for runes is quite strange..Low prices for Minors and Majors,the incredibly high prices for superiors. Inflation is in almost every MMORPG that you play..one of the worst i've ever seen was for FFXI, the whole economy is based on inflation.

Shagsbeard

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 15:47 - 23

All the people buying and selling items are going to be gone from the game in less than 4 months. This game is not about buying and selling items. No loot is worth wasting my time looking for a seller. Nothing that can be traded to me is worth wasting my time looking for a buyer. What is driving you people to think that anything in this game is "worth" something? I've yet to see an item that I would buy or sell.

I've played many games as a merchant... this game is very ill suited for it.

Deagol

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

Denmark

06 Jun 2005 at 16:11 - 24

Superior runes of vigor and adsorbtion are worth something.

Most of the other stuff are either easy to get, ust for show, or for losers who think lack of items is the reason they suck.

Zoolooman

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Ectos And Shards

06 Jun 2005 at 16:30 - 25

Inflation isn't at work; idiocy is. ;]

While farming produces tons of gold, it also produces tons of salable commodities and weapons. I met a guy running around with ten dragon swords and five fellblades, asking for 6k and 10k each, respectively. He'd farmed them and felt his ubiquitous crap should sell for an absurd profit at the market. I snubbed him and found a reasonable player who sold me a max-damage fellblade for 2k and a max-damage dragon sword for 1.2k, and considering the ever increasing supply of both, I still probably paid too much.

I'm sorry traders, but your weapons really aren't worth anything unless they are gold, aesthetically pleasing, and basically perfect.

Great Gjl

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 16:35 - 26

Here's the answer:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=18747

Red Rumm

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 19:03 - 27

I sighned off on it. Great ideas are usually simple ones.

Xellos

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2005

No Idea

06 Jun 2005 at 19:10 - 28

Isn't the golden rule of farming gold 20k per hour? If so, why the heck would anyone need gold?

Crom the Conqueror

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

New York

Rage Three D

W/E

06 Jun 2005 at 19:14 - 29

Guild Wars economy is different from the real world, infact all mmorpg economy are strange. In real world if I buy something like a computer for example, the in the cost of the computer includes the rant of the shop, the price of materials, the price of equipment used to build the computer and maybe the price needed to pay a worker. But in mmorpg, there is not much thing as price of material. How can one decide the price of an item? We 'worked' in the game to get the item, but who is to tell the price of time?

PS. inflation is cased by greedy merchants and eager consumers, so the title 'Inflation or Greedy Merchents' is incorrect.

Xellos

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2005

No Idea

06 Jun 2005 at 19:22 - 30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crom the Conqueror

Guild Wars economy is different from the real world, infact all mmorpg economy are strange. In real world if I buy something like a computer for example, the in the cost of the computer includes the rant of the shop, the price of materials, the price of equipment used to build the computer and maybe the price needed to pay a worker. But in mmorpg, there is not much thing as price of material. How can one decide the price of an item? We 'worked' in the game to get the item, but who is to tell the price of time?

PS. inflation is cased by greedy merchants and eager consumers, so the title 'Inflation or Greedy Merchents' is incorrect.

It inflates because materials and items only go into the economy, not out. In science, energy cannot be destroyed or created, and that is how real life economy works usually. Money circulates throughout the system, no insertion, no ejection. Yet in games, there is only insertion half the time, since no one really likes sinkholes that cause a significant upkeep.

Saerden

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 19:31 - 31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xellos

Isn't the golden rule of farming gold 20k per hour? If so, why the heck would anyone need gold?

Hes the one who got it. If you make 20k per hour (lets say 10k if your slow), then you need to sell a weapon for 1k every 3 mins you spend selling it to break even. That means that if it takes you more then 6 mins to move something for less then 1k, your making a huge loss if you even bother to sell to a player. Selling something to shop + farming for 29mins >>> trying to sell item to a player for 30mins, unless you could get 5-10plat from the player (depends on farming speed).

So all those scammers who sell plain max dmg weapons for 2k are actually making a loss and doing you a favour by wasting precious time to deal with the player market so that YOU can get the weapon / stuff

Since you dont have enough space to store things you actually need, noone will bother to hoard items they dont need and sell to them on request. Since its very unlikely that you can sell something within 3mins, selling things below 5k is pointless. Actually trading for gold is pointless unless we talk about "teh phatz". (Selling a sword worth 250k to a shop may not be the way to go

)

This is only based on profit/h. If you want to barter and have fun doing that, the above does not apply to you.

Qi Ang

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 19:34 - 32

we had someone in the guild successfully sell some Godly Sword thingy for 136k...

Raiyen

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 19:36 - 33

So what would be a fair price for a sigil?

Zorlag

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 20:00 - 34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xellos

It inflates because materials and items only go into the economy, not out. In science, energy cannot be destroyed or created, and that is how real life economy works usually. Money circulates throughout the system, no insertion, no ejection. Yet in games, there is only insertion half the time, since no one really likes sinkholes that cause a significant upkeep.

Actually this is not true. In modern Keynesian economy where money is created out of thin air by issuing loans money can and will appear from nowhere and inflate. Look at current US house market bubble, that's where the action is at the moment... When it pops the fallout will be quite terrible for many people, even outside US. In effect, current inflation is hidden in rising cost of housing.

You are right about energy though, it can only be transformed in other forms and be diluted during the process (transformation to heat).

Gun Giddy

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

Springfield, MO

[HoP]- Hearlds of Pain

06 Jun 2005 at 20:39 - 35

I don't see gold as having any real value in this game, well not once you get past Lions Arch. I created a guild for my friend and I, so we could have a flashy cape to roll around in. I also farmed some gold so we could have a guild hall, just to see what that was all about. And aside from the uber armor there really isn't anything else in this game to spend all that gold you gain on. It would be nice if the merchants offered more wares. Maybe offered some upgrade components for your weapons. Heck I think they should sell unidentified armor and weapons.
Anyway to get more on the subject, I personally do not sell good weapons and runes to people. I just go into a town and state that I'm giving such and such weapon away for free. And if I have runes to give away I just find someone of that runes particular class and tell them they can have it for free. I never have any trouble getting rid of the items. And you can bet that they will be put to better use than whatever amount of gold the trader was going to give me for them.

I just thought of something else that might make gold worth something. They should allow you to bathe in all your riches when you are in town.

Zeru

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

06 Jun 2005 at 20:45 - 36

gold has real value in that you can buy un'ided armor and weapons with it :|

besides a one-time sigil purchase that's all you really need it for.

=HT=Ingram

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2005

Anchorage Alaska

Haz Team [HT]

R/W

06 Jun 2005 at 21:02 - 37

were trying too get a few new things for our guild hall in the next chapter, and that should make gold something of worth again... so you can upgrade your hall...

Requested Chapter Two Guild Upgrades.

SisterMercy

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2005

Sisters of Mercy

07 Jun 2005 at 00:39 - 38

The market is bipolar. Max damage gold items are selling for 15k+ and with non-max damage items, you get more from the outfitter than the 0 that people are willing to offer. Superior runes go upwards of 25k, and you're lucky if you can get 100g for minors (except vigor & absorption). Mesmer Major and Minor runes I can't give away (want any?).

There's a serious flaw with the GW economy. As drops continue to happen, goods of every type proliferate like stink. We're seeing it with the non-max items first: the volume of items out there, the currently disorganized state of auction-house options and the fickle nature of buyers is driving demand down the toilet. Max-damage and optimum items have been spared this somewhat by the influx of new players (as have dyes). So basically, you can spend days trying to sell your wares in the hectic megascroll of Ascalon or Lion's Arch District 1s, or hold on to the items in hopes that you'll someday get the 200g or 500g that the item should be worth, or you can sell them to the outfitter for 20g. Bodrus gets nearly all my golds and purples now, unless I have a direct use for them.

Sure, the average player knows that they can get a decent non-max item for really cheap. But they don't WANT a decent non-max item for really cheap: they want that shiny gold max item they can show and brag about. Likewise, I also personally find Superior runes problematic (the Health drop), but everyone wants to be able to brag about max attributes. It's a factor of the marketplace.

What needs to happen is that there needs to be more sinks for these items. If the merchants bought them for larger values and offered amounts for max-damage or high attribute items to make that a viable outlet for sale, the propagation of these items would drop dramatically.

BladeX3I

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2005

Searching... PM me with a good one

R/Mo

07 Jun 2005 at 01:43 - 39

I have to agree that the prices of some items are insane. I have been seeing alot of minor vigor runes going for around 11k and major vigor going for 20k or more!!! I don't get it, I got about 7 - 8 of them in one days farming. I was giving them out to my guild and friends and I still have 3 left

I do my share in hunting and all runes go for low prices.

minors - 100g
majors - 700g - 1k
superiors - 5 - 10k

I did sell a superior Air rune for 25k though. I feel that it's just going to be exploited in HoH anyway so I knew someone would pay that stupid price. Sadly enough it did only take 3 mins to sell it

Saerden

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

07 Jun 2005 at 11:34 - 40

Quote:

Originally Posted by BladeX3I

I have to agree that the prices of some items are insane. I have been seeing alot of minor vigor runes going for around 11k and major vigor going for 20k or more!!! I don't get it, I got about 7 - 8 of them in one days farming. I was giving them out to my guild and friends and I still have 3 left

I do my share in hunting and all runes go for low prices.

minors - 100g

Thats the point. either you give worthless things away for free, or you sell them for something close to the amount you could make while farming the time it takes to sell it. (1k+) Its not the item that is worth the price people ask. Its the sellers time to bother to actually NOT sell it to shop.

People think that if they sold something for 500G, which they bought for 200g, they made 300g profit. Actually, they lost ~1g, because it took them 10mins to sell it