Do you inflate prices for fellow crafters?

[tocsin]

Okay, I'm looking for opinions here, and I have a story behind this.

So, I was helping out a fresh 50 FC member get some starting gear, to help him with getting into the endgame. Now, I'm a 3 star omnicrafter, with 4 stars spattered here and there, as most of us are. However, I really didnt want to go through the time of crafting it, as it was late for me, and I had to get to bed. So, I contacted my local crafting linkshell, looking for a 3 star goldsmith. I got one, and asked for a 5 piece set of BLM i90 accessories (the Diamond set). Now, I looked up the material cost of these items, and the base cost to produce the items would have been around 600k total, and the market board cost of the items was 300k apiece. I originally offered a mil for them, but we haggled, and I agreed on the price, being 1.3 mil.
Now, I wake up, and find that what was delivered was 3 HQ items, and 1 NQ ring, and the price asked for was now 1.6 mil. Needless to say, I did not even pay close to that price.
now, and TL;DR: if another crafter is outsourcing a crafting job to you, do you over inflate the prices for them? or do you give yourself a small margin, and hope that it drives more business in the long run?

[StouterTaru]

I don't do the outsourcing, I don't trust other people to craft stuff. If it's for a friend/FC member, they can wait a day if I don't have the time or they can buy it off the MB for much more than I would charge.

[dspguy]

The fact that he delivered an NQ ring is just bad practice on his end or bad negotiation on yours. Anytime I'm asked directly to craft something, I price based on whether they are going to take whatever the craft comes out as or whether they want a 100% HQ guarantee. As much as we all say we HQ everything, we all know that isn't really true. There is no true 100% HQ rotation for 4-star. We can mitigate that the best we can with Reclaim but sometimes a 92% HQ chance becomes an NQ. It happens. And if we are to absorb that loss, the cost of the item goes up.

If you outsource, aside from negotiating the price based on HQ-only, the person you are reselling to will likely see you didn't make it. When they come to this realization, they'll put one and one together. That you outsourced, you overcharged them, and they can get a better deal from another crafter.

[Magistrella]

So, what you are saying:

You were lazy that day and the person that should recieve those items could not wait one more day until he/she got them. So instead of saying "ill make them next day" you asked someone else to do so and were willing to pay a ridiculous price for it - the only costly thing for those items are the demi Ix5 and IIx2. So for 5 items a total of 10xII and 25xI, which is at a price of 20k per II and 3k per I (my server prices) a total of 275k + cluster/worthless i90 items that are 100-1000g on the MB - Items cost 275-300k here as well so i doubt there is much of a difference.

And you offered to pay 1.3 MILLION for 5 3-star crafts? 4.333 times what it would've cost you if you made it yourself just a day later and now you are asking if it is ok that someone rips you off for your laziness?

Just out of the *facepalm* moment i had when i read your post i'd say yes with one point that will always be a nogo: that NQ ring + 300k more then what you'd aggree on.

/facepalm moment over - To answer your question: If someone is outsourcing to me ill fee them like anyone else, 3star/4star 50k/100k for HQ with HQmats+clusters provided NQ craft for glamour 25k/50k - and if you dont provide mats and make me run around ill be sure to make good coin out of you, it's my time you're wasting and making me craft materials

Next time, just make it yourself - will save you money and nerves, and people wont die if they get stuff a day later

[scarebearz]

I buy in all the premade 3 star and under mats (i.e. wolfram ingot, twinthreads etc) and only craft the 4* mats/actual items myself, customers/friends either pay the cost of these mats (I get a friend to make them and pay him fairly), or I don't do it xD

As I simply don't have the time to make everything from scratch.

So far I've done this for a lot of friends/randoms and have only had 1 person complain, but I think that person wanted me to make everything with my own mats and give them to him free... xD

[ZephyrZ]

You gave work to an unreliable crafter, agreed on attempts per synth and not for HQ result. I'm not sure what you mean by inflate the price, his initial price was too high or that he went from 1.3 to 1.6. In either case; 1.3 was too much without HQ being guaranteed regardless of NQ or HQ mats. If he raised price on you after, you always have the right to refuse the items and refuse to pay.

Max 15k for BCII's, Max 35k for BCI's, Max 3k for clusters, Max 5k for HQ diamond, Max 30k 2x Gold Ingot HQ, so 88k per synth roughly, maybe depending on market price 100k. That's 500k for 5 items. 750k, max 1 mil if you're feeling generous and that is total to offer them for HQ guaranteed.

Yet you agreed to 1.3 which is 160% profit for them. This isn't to be rude but your negotiation skills require work because looking at several servers, all of that sells for 150k, barely any profit in listing on the mb.

Even if all the mats were bought off of the mb, you overpaid for the service you were being provided. My business is my name, my reputation as a reliable crafter. Never outsource, never pass it off, they mess up. It reflects badly on you. If someone can't wait for you to craft something, then that's on them. I craft on my own time and when i am available.

[tocsin]

I should probably clarify the situation.

1. I may have the stats for 4 stars, but I never craft above 2 star. I dont even have hasty touch cross classed, because I cant stand using it. I am willing to pay for others to take risks, and I ask for an HQ guarantee each time.
2. 1.3 mil "was and still is" an acceptable price. Its a discount from the marketboard, but still enough of an inflation to make it worth it to the crafter needing to spend 30-45 mins of his time. I can make around 750k to a mil in 45 mins, desynthing shoes, I'm willing to pay for others to take risks.
3. When I outsource, its generally not to resell. at least, not directly. I may, for example, outsource someone to make me stacks of HQ horn glue, so that I can cut it from my time needed for synthing mastercraft demi's, however if I am going to be outsourcing gear, its a charity job. Otherwise, thats just bad business.

I think that I have my answer, though. I found a couple of crafters that will sell on a lower margin, and I just ask them more often.

[Magistrella]

Wait, you got lucis tools/artisan offhands on classes and don't even craft 3 or 4 star?

You know that there are reliable rotations for 3 star out there, right? >.>;

Just saying - but sometimes i really wonder *shrugs*

[Squand]

It depends on the relationship. I have set prices for nobodies, friends, FC members. I outsource more than I am asked to do it.

[morerancor]

I think I'd charge a crafter that was just lazy, more then someone who trying to catch up.