Market Wards Suggestion

[Answa]

Hi all!

I've been noticing a trend for a long time, where people adamantly devalue their wares simply so that their retainers' names are the first that appear in the list. For example, the market was pretty stable with selling cobalt arrows at 42 per unit. I put mine up for sale at this price. Two hours later, someone flooded the wards with 10 stacks selling at 33 per unit... then some put up at 35, then 39, then 40 again. It's pretty stubbornly obnoxious.

I think a system where retainer names aren't shown unless (for whatever reason) you want to do it the old way of running in and finding a star would be highly beneficial. In FFXI one just had a list of items where you could name your price and press your luck based on sale history. I'm not necessarily proposing we port this over to here, but a consolidated list sorted by price and prioritized by time set up for sale would be much, much better (in other words, if there are 5 people selling items at 10000G, then whoever put theirs up first gets the perk of having his items sold first, for fairness' sake). Retainer names are sorted alphabetically in the current setup (I benefit from this, since my retainer names start with Answa), but this hardly makes any sense in the context of maintaining a fair market.

What are your thoughts?

[Xoo]

Sounds like the simplest solution is to drop them below cheapest asking by 1 gil just to be equally as annoying.

[Answa]

That'll just keep the cycle going.

[Jinko]

Hiding names would be a good idea but wouldn't stop undercutting.

The only way SE can really solve this issue is to have a floor and ceiling price for every item and I'm sure many people would be opposed to that.

[Kiara]

Hiding names would be a good idea but wouldn't stop undercutting.

The only way SE can really solve this issue is to have a floor and ceiling price for every item and I'm sure many people would be opposed to that.

Hi Jinko and Answa,

It's an interesting topic (and the related topic of undercutting).

My worries are about when we get the Server Merge (so we'll have TWICE the # of players / retainers), and the eventual 2.0 Launch (even more people / retainers), *and* the Unified Markets (all 3 Nations share 1 Market Ward) (even more people / retainers), how any regular player can compete with RMT / Gil Sellers or those that want to bully regular players out of the market?

If we only ever display the Top 20 Cheapest Items, even right now, on my server, for popular items you'll see:

Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Abfggd 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil
Peony 99 gil

And everyone else's retainer / items don't even show.

It's a free market, sure, but even in the U.S. there are rules and regulations to prevent Monopolies, Price Dumping, Market Manipulation, etc.

There are laws to protect Competition from those that unscrupulously try and do Price Dumping (selling at ridiculous prices to force the competition out of the market). Any RMT / Gil Selling Corporation (or those players rich enough) can dedicate 2 Retainers (= 20 Slots) and take and control the Listing for the Top 20 Slots and Price Dump, forcing regular crafters and players to try and keep up, or leave the market, and then the RMT / Dumping Player now controls it (raising prices later).

That's always been my problem with FF XI and this game, and it's only going to get worse when the Servers Merge and then to 2.0 and beyond.

I had suggested to Yoshida-san and the Dev Team that they dedicate a few people to be like the Final Fantasy XIV version of the SEC / Anti-Competition Committee, where they can track if large quantities of items are being Price Dumped and a market is being controlled by a few people, where they drive out the competition, and then raise the prices for themselves.

We'll see where this goes, but it's already looking ugly.

And as Myrhn pointed out, right now HQ Items don't show up separately (but they did say they'll work on a system to display HQ eventually), so it's very hard to shop or sell HQ items.

[Answa]

The thing is that I don't mind the undercutting per se, as long as it's because that's just a price that demand asks for. What I do mind is that the only reason it happens is for their name to appear first. The alphabetical ordering of retainers is also a detriment, because it's not a fair way of determining the list order.

[Coglin]

The thing is that I don't mind the undercutting per se, as long as it's because that's just a price that demand asks for. What I do mind is that the only reason it happens is for their name to appear first. The alphabetical ordering of retainers is also a detriment, because it's not a fair way of determining the list order.

You appear to be attempting to speak for every player that sells anything on the wards. You cannot support your claim of assuming why they are cheaper then you. If 300 players are selling something, and I put several cheaper then you at various prices, its because I want to see mine sell before yours does. Its a free market. Undercut there prices, or go to one of the other 2 cities wards so you won't have the compitetion.

[Answa]

You appear to be attempting to speak for every player that sells anything on the wards. You cannot support your claim of assuming why they are cheaper then you. If 300 players are selling something, and I put several cheaper then you at various prices, its because I want to see mine sell before yours does. Its a free market. Undercut there prices, or go to one of the other 2 cities wards so you won't have the compitetion.

I'm actually not. I don't mind the cheaper prices. What I suggest still allows that. What I want to avoid is that people like I take advantage of simple alphabetical order, while other players are unable to sell when I flood an item. And people resorting to undercutting (to their own economical detriment) just so their name is seen.

[Myrhn]

the only thing i don't like about the market is that if there is a lot of NQ items the HQ don't show

[Coglin]

I get what your saying, but I don't get how it is a problem that I sell my items cheaper then you, so your angry that my names on top. Reguardless of anything else, if I have a lower price on the same item you are selling, and its on my retainer, my retainers name should be ahead of yours. Period, hands down, no questions asked. Just because I have other items and/or other stacks of the same item, at various prices, is my business.

You are a bit off kilter to suggest they need to make a change in the game because my name is ahead of yours, when I have 1 or more of the same item, at a better price.