I really don't want to moan about undercutting but....

[ZephyrAM]

It may have been said, but... as far as value of crafted items goes, it doesn't matter how much the individual materials cost if you don't spend gil on them. Gather the materials or purchase them with other forms of currency (tomes, GC currency, etc) and whatever you sell the end crafted product for is nothing but pure profit.

[Ramath]

...And people who sell for cheap to piss others off are just enabling market traders to make even more money. Buying low and selling high is the most profitable activity in almost any game with a functioning economy. So thanks for that

No, it really doesn't... In theory, your idea might sound good, but we're not dealing strictly in theory here. Buying up everyone's grossly-undercut items only encourages them to sell even more at that low price. Now, you have 39458743295483275 items that you can't move because some retarded jerk-off thinks selling at <50% is a good idea.

[Kakure]

No, it really doesn't... In theory, your idea might sound good, but we're not dealing strictly in theory here. Buying up everyone's grossly-undercut items only encourages them to sell even more at that low price. Now, you have 39458743295483275 items that you can't move because some retarded jerk-off thinks selling at <50% is a good idea.

I am astonished this thread is still around.

Anyway, markets solve drastic undercutting because drastic price cuts lead to drastic increases in demand (just look at Black Friday sales). What markets don't solve is collusion, where we all tacitly agree to sell our stuff for the exact same price and then jostle each other for position in line by increments of one gil. In fact, real world predatory pricing laws only exist out of concern over monopolization, which is to say that the former kind of behavior is only ever economically problematic insofar as it has the potential to devolve into the latter, which is destructive and utterly unjustifiable.

When you buy up stuff to resell, you are increasing market liquidity. You're basically a pawnbroker. Or the internet. I have an easier time converting my goods into gil, and you get to make a profit by reselling my stuff at higher prices. You think I'm an idiot for selling things at less than a premium price, and I think you're an idiot for wasting your recreational time standing at the summoning bell. Everyone wins.

If you get stuck with a bunch of items you can't sell for the price you want, that doesn't mean the system is broken. It means you're doing it wrong. If your goal isn't just to buy up something that is fortuitously underpriced but to control the market and ensure that no one sells Titan weapons for less than what you want the price to be, you're basically trying to shoot the moon; you're undertaking a risky gambit that requires you to outmaneuver everyone else in the game and if you aren't good enough to pull it off you don't have anyone to blame but your own misjudgment.

[Spartan117]

I am astonished this thread is still around.

Anyway, markets solve drastic undercutting because drastic price cuts lead to drastic increases in demand (just look at Black Friday sales). What markets don't solve is collusion, where we all tacitly agree to sell our stuff for the exact same price and then jostle each other for position in line by increments of one gil. In fact, real world predatory pricing laws only exist out of concern over monopolization, which is to say that the former kind of behavior is only ever economically problematic insofar as it has the potential to devolve into the latter, which is destructive and utterly unjustifiable.

When you buy up stuff to resell, you are increasing market liquidity. You're basically a pawnbroker. Or the internet. I have an easier time converting my goods into gil, and you get to make a profit by reselling my stuff at higher prices. You think I'm an idiot for selling things at less than a premium price, and I think you're an idiot for wasting your recreational time standing at the summoning bell. Everyone wins.

If you get stuck with a bunch of items you can't sell for the price you want, that doesn't mean the system is broken. It means you're doing it wrong. If your goal isn't just to buy up something that is fortuitously underpriced but to control the market and ensure that no one sells Titan weapons for less than what you want the price to be, you're basically trying to shoot the moon; you're undertaking a risky gambit that requires you to outmaneuver everyone else in the game and if you aren't good enough to pull it off you don't have anyone to blame but your own misjudgment.

In short, if you misjudge the true value people are willing to pay for that item, and you buyout others who in your perception undercuts your price when in true fact it's the real market equilibrium price, you fail to shoot the moon and suffer the losses.

If you're not good a percepting what's the current market value of items, which involves a lot of homework and daily camping and remembering price fluctuations of items over extended periods of time, say weeks, i say farm your own materials and craft to sell, or even better just don't craft and sell the raw materials at premium. You'll be surprised that on certain days of the week the prices can go up so all you need is patience and someone will buy out your premium price in due time (provided of course being reasonably priced premium, not like 10 times higher than what the market is selling them at now)