IMPORTANT MARKETS!! GMs

[Cattibrie]

There is an easy way to fix the market board problem of undercutting. Convert the market board so that sale prices are not seen by the purchaser. Instead the purchaser puts a max purchase price on a item needed. If there is an item within the price range, it is bought. If there are several items in the price range than the item on the market the longest or cheapest is bought first.

Seller can only see the sale history to base the posting price for items. The seller cant see what a competitor is currently selling the same item for. There for is unable to know if they undercut or priced higher for the item. This is basically setup like how the old FFXI auction boards are setup.

By keeping item listed prices hidden and only allowing sellers and buyer to see sale histories it should minimize undercutting. Sellers can place items for sale based on trend or place it whatever price.

There will always be someone that is in a hurry or just doesn't care about the market economy. This even happened in FFXI with the infamous 1 Gil auctions.

The Market Boards can still show everything they do now, just the prices will be hidden until an item is bought and the information is placed in the sales history. Now the sales history would need to be extended past the current limited history but not by much.

What do people think about this? Likes, Dislikes?

[ChameleonMS]

snip... What do people think about this? Likes, Dislikes?

I dislike that because it just add an unnecessary research step when a seller goes to list something on the board.
Before the sellers lists the item, s/he would just goes to the board, puts a very large number in, to guarantee multiple results (unless by chance there is only one on the board) to see what price the competition is using. Then exists the board, puts the item up for sale at the very same undercutting rate s/he would have done so anyways under the current system.

[Cattibrie]

I dislike that because it just add an unnecessary research step when a seller goes to list something on the board.
Before the sellers lists the item, s/he would just goes to the board, puts a very large number in, to guarantee multiple results (unless by chance there is only one on the board) to see what price the competition is using. Then exists the board, puts the item up for sale at the very same undercutting rate s/he would have done so anyways under the current system.

I think you are misunderstanding. You put in a bid and there is an item in that price range, you just bought it.

There is no price fishing, you can bid 1 Gil for a Stack of 10 HQ High Steel Ingots. If the market has that item for that price, you just bought it. If not than you get a message of some sort stating none available at requested price range. If you make a bid for 150,000 Gil for a stack of 10 HQ High Steel Ingots and there is a stack in that price range, you just bought it, even if the seller only listed that stack of 10 ingots for 110,000 Gil.

[ChameleonMS]

I buyer still needs to have discretion in the purchase. You cannot do auto-purchase, it is unfair to the buyer and does not suite the buyers needs.

e.g. 4 listing of an item are on sale on the board.
Prices are 1000 (Uldah), 1005 (Gridania), 1020 (Limsa), 1025 (Ishgard).
I the buyer am currently in Ishgard. Which item should I purchase?
The smart buyer will purchase the item listed in Ishgard, your system will purchase the one from Uldah, and cost me the buyer additional Gil do to sales tax.

e.g. 4 listing of an item are on sale on the board.
Same prices as before, then consider stack sizes. The Uldah stack is 90, Gridania is 30, Limsa is 99, Ishgard is 6. I the buyer needs 10, I would be purchasing the Gridania stack but your system would once again cost me extra Gil by buying wrong stack size.

Also, the system removes the buyers ability to say to him/herself, "I do not want to pay 20k per item, I'll go farm it myself."

It also makes purchasing a hassle and guess work for the buyers. I put in a value equal to the sales history and nothing is listed below that number. I get told nothing is available at that price. Why is not explained, as you have stated the prices are hidden. Is the board sold out? Has price risen? I just do not know.

[Cattibrie]

Again, I think you are misunderstanding.

I buyer still needs to have discretion in the purchase. You cannot do auto-purchase, it is unfair to the buyer and does not suite the buyers needs.

You instruct the market board to look for a certain item, max stack size and the max purchase price. An item meets your set criteria, a notice for the purchase pops up to confirm with your set criteria. You confirm the purchase and the item is bought at your specified criteria.

e.g. 4 listing of an item are on sale on the board.
Prices are 1000 (Uldah), 1005 (Gridania), 1020 (Limsa), 1025 (Ishgard).
I the buyer am currently in Ishgard. Which item should I purchase?
The smart buyer will purchase the item listed in Ishgard, your system will purchase the one from Uldah, and cost me the buyer additional Gil do to sales tax.

The purchase is based on your search criteria of the market board, which would include item wanted, max quantity wanted and max total price willing to pay for the item wanted.

e.g. 4 listing of an item are on sale on the board.
Same prices as before, then consider stack sizes. The Uldah stack is 90, Gridania is 30, Limsa is 99, Ishgard is 6. I the buyer needs 10, I would be purchasing the Gridania stack but your system would once again cost me extra Gil by buying wrong stack size.

Same situation as stated above.

Also, the system removes the buyers ability to say to him/herself, "I do not want to pay 20k per item, I'll go farm it myself."

There would be a confirmation with your market board search criteria, no actual purchase information except for the criteria you set. Item wanted, max quantity wanted and max purchase price. With this method, it would hopefully reduce or even prevent price fishing.

It also makes purchasing a hassle and guess work for the buyers.

How does it make purchasing a hassle. You set an item wanted, how many of the item and the max total price willing to spend and finds it for you and confirms purchase if found.

I put in a value equal to the sales history and nothing is listed below that number. I get told nothing is available at that price. Why is not explained, as you have stated the prices are hidden. Is the board sold out? Has price risen? I just do not know.

You can still see the items on the market board, just the item prices would be hidden. If no items meets your search criteria, that would mean the price is higher than you wanted to pay.

I wont deny that this would add steps to both the seller and buyer potentially, depending on how this was setup. The only people that would be truly inconvenienced would be those that try to undercut and destroy the markets stability by unnecessarily lowering item prices. With any market, prices will increase or decrease with supply and demand. But should not be sabotaged by people in a hurry or doesn't care about the stability of the market.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass

[Solarra]

Hidden prices? Seriously? You want to turn the MB into some sort of ghastly mini-game where potential sellers have to guess how much their goods are worth and potential buyers throw random amounts of gil at the MB until they get lucky?
Sorry, but that sounds horrific.

this would add steps to both the seller and buyer potentially

Added inconvenience I could really do without.

The markets are not stable; prices naturally rise and fall according to demand.
People undercut for many reasons. If you are trying to sell in a market that takes a sudden dive due to aggressive undercutting you have three choices, buy out and relist at what you feel is a more realistic price, compete by undercutting yourself or move into something more lucrative. Making the right choice is all part of the fun.

[Cattibrie]

So your ok with markets crashing or someone over saturating the market with product and undercutting to an extreme? I honestly don't care to be undercut by one Gil or even five Gil. That is a part of the business and competitiveness of the market. But what I don't like is when someone appears to be trying to destroy a healthy market on purpose. There is no reason to throw an item up for sale for a considerable price drop.

Ex: An item that has been selling decently and often with a price range of 1000-1500 Gil for NQ and 5000-10,000 Gil for HQ. Then someone lists NQ or HQ for just above NPC price. That is just stupid and blatantly trying to destroy that current market.

I don't care if someone lists twenty stacks within the current price range but to do this at NPC prices or just above is uncalled for. Markets are never stable but they are healthy until this happens, which if it continues will make it so that people slow down on listing items or stop all together due to low or no profitability.

[ChameleonMS]

Ex: An item that has been selling decently and often with a price range of 1000-1500 Gil for NQ and 5000-10,000 Gil for HQ. Then someone lists NQ or HQ for just above NPC price. That is just stupid and blatantly trying to destroy that current market.

When this happens, unless the supply volumes are ridiculously high, I would buy out that under cutter myself and re-list at my desired price.
The undercutter is happy with the quick sale, and I am still happy to sell to the masses at my price. I do not make as much on the re-sales but the profit is still really good most of the time, and I barely had to work it.

[Abelfei]

With how bad undercutting is on Midgardsormr, I say go for it. Its impossible to sell anything without having a dozen people go under you.

That isn't special to your server. That's every server.