Market Board: 2 questions

[LuSnow]

Hello All

At the market board, there are a few things that keep me wondering and I would like to ask about 4 of them.

1. Items (version LQ) sold at higher price than cost at merchant: Why?

I can understand a higher price for the HQ version of an item (merchants sell only LQ), but why for it's LQ version? There is no interest to pay more than what we would pay at the merchant?
Typical example: The LQ ingots and LQ nuggets from Idyllshire vendors, quite expensive, sold on the market board for even higher prices than that.

2. Items sold on market board at lower price than what we get for it at a merchant: Seriously?

That one is beyond my understanding: I see items sold on market board at lower prices than what would give us a merchant for them. Why?
Typical example: Pieces (tin, bronze, ...), certain materia, ...

3. Items of low levels sold at high prices, out of reach for a player who is at that level and need the item: What's the point?

I see that a lot. Gear or weapon of level 10 up to 30, sold at prices that a new player reaching that level can in most cases certainly not afford. Why?

4. Items sold in package of 99: For storage?

Is it a way to secure additional storage? Or are there really players who will buy in quantity of 99?

[Frizze]

Opinions may vary, so i wont claim my answers are the ONLY answers. But i can take a crack at these.

1. I have described this to people as the "convenience tax". Some people dont realize that the sale price listed on the item box means that a vendor somewhere sells that item for that price. Some people havent even noticed that number on the bottom of the info box at all. But knowing that the item is SOMEWHERE doesnt automatically give you the knowledge of where that is, and some people would still be too lazy to run it down at its source. So some people will buy these items straight from said merchant and re-list them for a profit knowing that a certain portion of the playerbase would rather pay more then figure out where to go.

2. This is a few things. Sometimes people keep undercutting and undercutting without paying attention until they are literally listing at a loss. And some people might not realize that you can just vendor off the items, thinking that they need to get a player to buy. If they go low enough, buy the item and vendor them off for a profit of your own.

3. Sometimes this is people being greedy, but i think most of the time this is people targetting the alt-class market. A new player cant afford that expensive level 20 sword. But someone leveling a 2nd/3rd/etc class? They could afford it. And some of them are too lazy to seek alternatives/unable to craft their own.

4. For the right mats and for a busy enough crafter a stack of 99 might not even last for an hour. So some of these will just be people doing the volume they need. I wont say that no one is doing this for extra inventory slots, but if you do this you can only get each retainer up to 20 extra slots - and thats at the cost of not being able to sell anything with them. If someone is selling in 99s and its something you only need 10 or 20 of then you ARE free to buy their stuff, use however few you need, then relist their items in smaller stacks(at more then you paid if you want). Its a way to get some of that money back.

[LuSnow]

Thanks a lot! You brought to my attention aspects I didn't think about. I especially like the point 2. LOL! Yet it needs to take care that with the fee, it's still good enough.

[Chajii]

For point (3), up to Lv60 crafter class quests or the Grand Company daily turn-in at all levels, the items players are required to submit are normal equipments that can be worn or sold on marketboard, hence this could also be a part of the "convenience tax" for those whom prefer levelling crafters and completing the quests without actually doing the crafting.

[Mireille_Bouquet]

To add for #1, it can also be that the item(s) in question are "unlocked" via progression in the MSQ or a Side Story line, reputation levels, and/or quest/event/FATE-triggered merchants.
Meaning that while the one who listed the item(s) may have full access to obtain those items from various NPCs/merchants, another player may not have met the conditions to do the same.
This creates a supply vs demand situation, which generally drives the "price" up.

Also, for #3, it can also be the item is desirable for reasons outside of it's obvious purpose.
Such as gear that works well for Glamors and/or needed the weekly Fashion Report side "game" in The Gold Saucer.
Plus, sometimes if a player is quickly leveling up a job or alt, it can be quicker to go buy off the market board the gear needed for their low level, instead traveling around to various merchants or crafting/grinding-out the gear themselves... "Time is money".