Constructive Market Ward solution...

[normalforce]

Here is an idea for the Market Wards that I feel is a good compromise for a lot of people...
Sure, some will hate it....
C'est la vie!!!!

ok... You do your item search for "Item X"
It is available...

You can purchase it directly from the counter and it goes into your retainers inventory

or

You can purchase it the old way by going to the correct retainer and getting it yourself
In which case it goes into your inventory, like normal

That way, if you are buying multiple items, you can do it all from the counter and then just retrieve it from your retainer
Think of it like sending your retainer to go pick up your supplies... makes sense within the context of what a retainer is. Less running for players but keeps the hands on approach of having actual retainers selling stuff

If you like to go physically browse retainers, then by all means you most certainly can

Definitely some good ideas.

What I would like to see:

• Implement the buy it now feature from the item search counter. If you buy it from here, you pay a flat tax on the item. One of your retainers appears, says something based on his/her personality type, hands you your purchase and heads back to their business.

• Create a dynamic, alive market wards, where retainers are organized behind stalls, moving around looking for deals (presumably looking for items for their players), or engaging another retainer in idle conversation, which you see. ("Have you seen a good deal on brass daggers? Master Demetra has been looking for one." Based on real time item searches.)
  
  On every corner stand little puppets which you can interact with that brings up the item search counter, where you can mark the retainer you want to buy from. A blinking yellow arrow on the mini-map points you in the direction of the retainer -- remember the wards will be significantly bigger -- and when you get close enough, the star appears over their head.
  
  Buying an item directly from a retainer's bazaar incurs either no tax or a lesser tax than buying it from the item search counter. Consider it a small reward for using the wards.

[Reinheart]

The other thread on this issue kind of getting weird... so posting my idea I posted there here... similar to the OP's post.

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I like the concept of retainers selling your stuff to give the feel like it's market... but honestly the 'current' MW is total bull s*** Even with the search function you still have to run up to the char selling the item and buy it then search for next stuff then go to that area then run and buy again. Sure it's possible to do it this way and it does work... BUT... Like everything else... they are doing it wrong! I'm not saying get rid of the idea, probably can work off of it to make better, but for god sakes listen to the players... most hate the MW... retainers fine, bazaar fine. Running areas that's exact same, looking at mannequins (retainers) is stupid.

In real world market I would think of system more like one NPC (couple to control crowd) who is the main contact guy for example only weapons (category) -

I work for import/export company so here's the idea from that.
Manufacturer (players) wants to sell goods > Distribution Company sells for them with marked up price (Representative NPC) > Once item sold Manufacturer gets the money.
If you go into import/export part of real world say you want to sell in other countries (cities), then there are few extra steps, companies involved.... so don't want to go that far LOL


You talk to the NPC he gives you list of items being sold within that category sold by other retainers. He's like the representative. Something like that for each category and just make 1 market area with these NPC Reps for each category, that way it looks like actual market selling different stuff in one strip of area. Add ghost NPC, Retainers in the back waiving, using arm motions to make look like "Hey come here and buy my stuff"

Controls all the retainer data with few NPC reps, don't have to run to every damn MW to look for each category... it's like AH without the Auction system but divided into categories through different NPC...

But all in all.. why the hell is devs working on this right now, should be concentrating on more important issues first...

[Judge_Xero]

Using Mason's Ward as an example

Market ward style, but get rid of Retainers. Just have it so you can put stuff into storage from a Bank NPC. From there you can put it up for sale by selecting it's area (Mason's Ward for Ore) When someone ports to a certain market area, there is a single NPC you talk to (Mason Ward Officer) who shows you what is for sale. There should be different menu's to divide up the options, ore, gems, stone, so you can find exactly what you are looking for.

I really like both of my retainers, but sometimes I just feel like they aren't pulling their weight. So if they were replaced by a Bank Officer to look after my goods, I guess I'd be ok with that.

I can't wait to see what the Dev's do come up with though. It's just hard to imagine a Market with 20,000 NPC's all crammmed in one ward. Doesn't seem very fair to the Retainers. Like Sardines in a can

[normalforce]

I can't wait to see what the Dev's do come up with though. It's just hard to imagine a Market with 20,000 NPC's all crammmed in one ward. Doesn't seem very fair to the Retainers. Like Sardines in a can

The way the wards are set up now, I definitely get that can of sardines feel. I'd rather see a wide, circular thoroughfare -- like in Ul'dah -- with stalls setup on either side, where only a few hundred retainers can be seen at any given time. Even assuming thousands of active retainers in the game with Ul'dah having a higher portion of them, you don't need that big of a zone.

[trinta]

I don't understand what your suggestion would accomplish.

Why can it not go directly into my inventory from the counter? What is the value to the game of not allowing that?