Not being able to buy single items from a stack on the marketward.

[Wulfies]

What you need is an option to specify QTY breaks.

List up as many or as little as you want.

Set price break for item..
QTY: 1 = $49g
QTY: 10+ = $45g
QTY: 99+ = $41g

When said purchaser comes along they can enter how many they are looking to buy and be offered the amount in separate lists.

This way if the supplier lists a minimum break of 99+ it means that it can only be purchased in stacks, however they could list the whole stack with a QTY break of 1 which would allow people to shave off the top. If a few people shave they could still get some savings buy buying 10+ or 20+ whatever you set it to.

Hi, This is what the OP is asking for correct? Not to use up all your retainer space on one item cause you need to sell them as small stacks?

You are also hitting at a "Buy-Order" side AH. (Some selfish promotion here) We have a thread to ask for its implementation here:

Buy-Side Mechanics topic

[Wazabi]

What you need is an option to specify QTY breaks.

List up as many or as little as you want.

Set price break for item..
QTY: 1 = $49g
QTY: 10+ = $45g
QTY: 99+ = $41g

How will the market board display the information for the following two sellers?
Seller A:
QTY: 1 = $49g
QTY: 10+ = $45g
QTY: 99+ = $41g

Seller B
QTY: 1 = $50g
QTY: 10+ = $40g
QTY: 99+ = $38g

[Haru]

How will the market board display the information for the following two sellers?
Seller A:
QTY: 1 = $49g
QTY: 10+ = $45g
QTY: 99+ = $41g

Seller B
QTY: 1 = $50g
QTY: 10+ = $40g
QTY: 99+ = $38g

There is already a decent search function, you could perhaps have an option to input your desired QTY.
I think in this manner you could generate a 'quote'.

For this example lets include Seller C who is selling only singles for $47g

I would like "Grade 3 Carbonized Matter".
I would like 30 QTY

Player B> 30x $40g ($1200 + $60TAX)
Player A> 30x $45g ($1350 + $67TAX)
Placer C> 30x $47g ($1410 + $70TAX)
Player D> Ignored as insufficient QTY (unable to retrieve price as he is selling only stacks of 99+)

If you wanted to check out stack prices you could adjust the QTY on your quote.

[Wazabi]

that way I would only be able to see for qty=30, and would have to run another search for other qty...maybe someone is selling qty29 at price=35g?

I think what you propose solves 1 problem and raise a couple of others, and would make the interface harder to navigate for information.

The reason people wants to sell at smaller size is for the premium that they can charge...so the way I see it, that's the price you have to pay for selling small qty as opposed to bulk qty. It gives us the option of selling both bulk and loose qty without complicating matters. We'll just have to learn how to sell smarter.

Those who consistently sell at small qty for high price will eventually find their revenue rate to be too slow. One of my friend who recently started managed to make his first 100k in 1 day selling the right thing at the right time. It's not easy, but then it wasn't suppose to be easy making money/gils.

[ShinkuTachi]

Yeah sure. I can go gather and craft every myself. 1 craft...ok...2 crafts...ok...
When you have all classes/jobs at 50 and people make you buy stacks of stuff that will rot in your inventory, then it matters a lot more.
-> Being able to buy parts of a stack means you never have to store the extra.

There is some random item you need; however, it's almost never in stock. You only need three of the item because you want to make something or whatever. The problem is, the item rarely shows up and only sells about once a week, sometimes it takes two to three weeks. It's so rarely obtained because people hardly ever use it. You really don't want to put in the work to farm it or get it yourself, because you think the act of farming and getting stuff yourself sucks. You would rather be killing things, doing endgame, etc etc etc.

Then there is this other person, let's call him Farmer John, he has been out leveling a gathering classes. His inventory happens to be a cornucopia of various crafting mats, and everything must go! Thankfully, Farmer John happens to have the particular item you are looking for. However, he notices that it's something that almost never sells, and he has a stack of 99. He generally breaks up his quantities; but this time, Farmer John doesn't do that. He needs to clear inventory space, and he needs to clear it now. He doesn't want items camping out in one of his retainers 20 sell slots. So, he chooses to undercut the general market value to get rid of this item. He hopes someone is around that needs one of these so much, that they will be willing to buy the stack of 99 for it. He would rather not be selling it to a NPC for 2gil a piece.

So the question gets down to whose desire is more important? Is your desire to get only three of this item the most important desire, and screw what Farmer John wants; or does Farmer John's desire circumvent yours?

Personally, I post things up at the quantity I wish to sell them; sometime as singles, 5's, 10's, 33's, and even 99's. If people don't want to buy my quantity, there are others willing to sell it greater or lesser quantities most of the time. If I wanted to sell item as a single, I would post it as such. It is the consumers choice to buy my product as I post it, or go and farm it themselves. I don't think the consumer should be getting extra market board rights, because they think they are too good to farm something themselves.

In case you're one of those 'realism' junkies, lets think about it this way. How many times have you gone to a store and opened a 4-pack or 12-pack of toilet paper on the shelf, because you only need one? You see a bulk 10-pack of paper towels on the shelf, you open it and take three. You see a 12-pack of cola, you open it and take 2 cans. You see a carton of a dozen eggs, you open it and take 7. You see a pack of bacon, you open it and take 3 strips. You see a loaf of bread, you open it and take 4 slices. You see a pack of cheese, you open it and take 2 slices. Do you go shopping this way?

[Wazabi]

People will only break bulk when there's sufficient demand for it to be worth their trouble. When there's insufficient demand, and I'm overloaded with it, then to hell with your desire. When the demand for singles are sufficiently high that pushes the price up, then I'll sell it to you. For something that sells for 2g a piece for 99, how much are you willing to pay for 3 piece?

Allowing people to buy singles From stack removes an important market dynamic. As it is now, it allows seller to compete and sell at multiple price level.

[ShinkuTachi]

People will only break bulk when there's sufficient demand for it to be worth their trouble. When there's insufficient demand, and I'm overloaded with it, then to hell with your desire. When the demand for singles are sufficiently high that pushes the price up, then I'll sell it to you. For something that sells for 2g a piece for 99, how much are you willing to pay for 3 piece?

Allowing people to buy singles From stack removes an important market dynamic. As it is now, it allows seller to compete and sell at multiple price level.

That was exactly my point, and you're right.
If I want to sell my items as singles, or stacks of 5's, 10's, 33's, and even 99's; that is my decision. The buyer does not and should not have a say in how I sell my stuff. If they only want singles but the only thing being sold are my stacks of 99, they can either buy my stack of 99 or go farm a single. The only say the buyer has the right to, is what they say with their wallets.

Another thing people don't consider, is that the inability to buy singles out of a stack is not harming the economy. Even though there are a few people here that will b**ch and moan about not being able to buy singles, most people don't care and will buy what they need to suit their needs. Not to mention, there are always those people who are too lazy to farm an item they desperately need; they will always pay for a stack regardless of its size.

[IndigoHawk]

People are so passionate about preserving a market that doesn't allow sellers to sell in the quantities they want or buyers to buy what they want. Most markets facilitate trade, while this market delights in making it difficult for buyers. People even tell each other to farm their own goods, as though the ideal market is one that drives people out of it.

Some sellers want a small market where they can protect small profits by micromanaging small stacks of goods. Instead of grasping for every penny, it's better to make a market that people want to use, and make more money from the increased volume and goodwill.

Let sellers sell how they want. I would put up stacks of 99 items and let people buy however many they want. Then the sellers who want price protection and the ability to gouge customers for small quantities of items would have to compete.

[Haru]

Or could Simply give people the option to chose if they want their stack to be able to purchase entirely (bundle) or single items sale

[ShinkuTachi]

Or could Simply give people the option to chose if they want their stack to be able to purchase entirely (bundle) or single items sale

Riding the fence and just tossing options in all willy-nilly in order to appease both sides is almost always not the right thing to do. There is always a side to be chosen, and something always needs to be attached to the middle-ground BS in order to make it workable. When that something is attached; while everyone is still getting what they want in so many ways, one side is still coming out of top over the other.

An example of something attached to this idea would be a pseudo wall of separation, a singles category and a stacks category. What we don't need is a bunch of people in the same category posting stacks with the option for the buyer to purchase singles out of the stacks; combined with people only wanting to sell various sized stacks, and/or singles individually. Throwing this in on top of what we have at the moment will only make things a cluster ****. I would argue that a wall of separation, categories, is necessary for that.