Marketboard Treatment

[MikotoV]

Hello everyone,

I am writing this post because I wanted to share my experience while currently trying to make gil on the market board and hopefully get some advice for how to deal with a bullying situation. To protect myself from further harassment I am posting on an alternate account I made. I am not even sure how to word this and I've been afraid to post my story but with friends encouragement I decided to do so. I first want to say that I have been playing FFXIV since ARR and I am not new to the marketboard or being an omnicrafter and trying to sell things. However, recently I have been going through an ordeal with a player and their large FC(s). I say FC(s) because it turns out this free company has a multiple and sister FCs throughout Primal. This player for some reason doesn't want anyone to sell anything in the market. Materia, Leathers, Cloths/Velvets, Ingots, glamours etc, the list can go on. I put small quantities up and large quantities up to differentiate but each time I put something up its like they memorized my retainers name and instantly undercut me. And to be honest I don't mind the undercuts, but purposely targeting me is a whole other issue.

They have gone as far as using members within their FC(s) to put several stocks up so that anyone thats interested in the materials will only go after theirs. And it's gotten so toxic because of retainer signatures that they have made versions of my name or used rude names each time I put something up or bought my things to relist and harass me with it. I've reported the player to GMs and they said they were investigating. I've changed my retainer names and I've had friends try and help me sell and they do the same thing to them. They have sent people to stand near me at market boards and even next to our FC home to watch me. I've even asked someone in their sister FC at the time kindly why were they doing this because I dont know them and if they would stop harassing me and they just laughed at me. This should not be considered normal behavior even if you are trying to make gil and I wanted to speak out and hopefully if anyone else has gone through this can share their experience. Honestly, the whole thing has made me start to want to stop in general and take a break from the game. So I am asking for genuine help and advice on what to do. Thanks for listening.

[ameliaw]

This sounds odd, but unless you get an ingame confession you'd hardly get any GM action against them. I think the best you can do is change your retainers's name often. Its pretty cheap.

[KageTokage]

If they're being that aggressive about the undercutting I'm inclined to think they probably have botting scripts set up to do it, which by extension likely means they're also using bots to gather/craft the stuff they're using to run their monopoly in the first place.

Granted, such things are almost never acted on, but it's still potentially more reason to get action taken if you can get others to notice/report their behavior.

[Kes13a]

sounds like a bot ring personally.

never seen that kind of behaviour though, and I used to market fairly aggressively. not much you can do aside from report if they are harassing you with retainer names and the like. seems like a bit more than normal market rivalry though

[MikotoV]

Thanks for replying everyone, I know it is weird behavior but I have not EVER experienced this type of toxic behavior before in my entire time online. Monopolizing and bullying people out of the market is just not okay. I will continue to adjust my retainers and possibly name change if need be. Thanks for listening everyone. I appreciate your words.

[Larirawiel]

Change the names of your retailers often. And it also sounds to me, that they are using bots. Maybe the GMs will discover something.


Cheers

[MikotoV]

Well yeah and everytime they bought Gaja Leather from me they used weird fc's and slogans that said stuff like this. In my mind like I dont hate you....I DONT EVEN KNOW YOU, I dont want to be like you, certainly if your bullying people. I am just trying to sell my items on the market like any NORMAL person. It has been a great stress, but I am going to do my best to ignore it. Thank you.

https://imgur.com/qCiNkGA
https://imgur.com/ggkU92e

[dspguy]

One half of this is easily explainable; the undercutting. Everyone is being undercut, nearly instantaneously. It isn't just you. It's me. It's that guy, that girl, this crafter, that gatherer, etc etc etc. Everyone.

Like the OP, I've been selling on the MB and dealing with the undercutting bots since Stormblood. I'm sure people in that FC have either bought from me or undercut me. I've not witnesses harassment like you mentioned. So, maybe you are targeted for some other reason. Do you have a negative history with anyone in this game? Maybe someone that switched to that FC and has been spreading rumors about you?

[MikotoV]

I am an omnicrafter, I put things up like everyone else does, I dont try to hardcore sell or monopolize the market and I've only encountered issues with people in that FC and its sister FCs when trying to sell. I dont have any friends or association with anyone in that FC. Like I said I dont mind being undercut, but to target me is a different story. My HQ Gaja leather was bought recently by someone in that fc. All I am asking is that the harassment stops.

[Dohmi-Zeiva]

This sounds crazy. If they are really harassing you. I hope SE actually deals with it, rather than burying their heads in the sand like they so often do. I absolutely wouldn't put it past some people to go this balls to the wall in their aim of making your game time difficult. People are weird.