Wiki and inflated prices...

[Sporkotron]

Hey P99, my guild was having a discussion earlier and I was wondering what the forums take on it would be:

Do you think the overuse of the Wiki price tracker drives price inflation on P99?

Does having a price "Set in stone" on a wiki not allow for older gear to devalue naturally?

Why? Why not?

[Flunklesnarkin]

The pricing on the wiki could use work

i think a WTB or WTS section near it would help out with the crazy inflation you see...

i think they way the logs work are what people shout to sell for and not the actual sales price.

[Yanomamo]

if you /auc WTB (link of item) price it will set a price too...but this rarely happens for obvious reasons.

[phobus]

With or without the wiki, prices aren't really set in stone. If the market for an item dries up, or it gets farmed to hell and the market's flooded, the price is going to drop and you'll see that reflected (eventually) in the asking prices that get logged on the auction tracker.

If you really think the wiki is helping fix prices, note that the price of GEBs has dropped significantly over the past couple months. So have Fungi tunics. So has the Circlet of Shadow. Plenty of other examples are out there, too; these are just a few that come to mind.

The auction tracker isn't a finger on the pulse of the in-game economy, and it's not a price oracle that should be taken as gospel. It's a tool for seeing what other people have asked for items over time. It's still up to you to figure out if they are actually selling at or near the asking price, and if that's changed recently. More entries, especially recent ones, help. That's why we need people to take logs and upload them regularly. =)

Also, I'd be curious to know what items you think have inflated prices. Most gear has devalued a lot over time. Look at the majority of classic gear and mid-tier Kunark stuff.

TLDR: the wiki isn't gospel. You still have to do some work, and have patience, to get the best deal. If you don't feel like doing that, it at least helps you figure out a neighborhood so you don't screw yourself over too bad.

[quido]

Yeah, I view wiki prices as a sort of suggestion.

[Orruar]

Wiki price is not set in stone, as others have mentioned.

Even if this was a set in stone price, how does that lead to inflation? That would instead lead to stable prices.

I wonder if we even have an inflationary environment on P99 right now. I've seen most prices dropping.

[Swish]

I wonder if we even have an inflationary environment on P99 right now. I've seen most prices dropping.

Depends on the trader, some (perhaps rightly) only advertise on the upper limit of what people will pay... but I agree, some prices seem static or are dropping for common things (certain WR bags, items from Mistmoore as 2 of 100s of examples) :p

[Flunklesnarkin]

my thing is there is no real way to track the supply and demand of an item so its not possible to set appropriate prices or for people to know if / when it should be going up or down.


a way for people to say WTS or WTB would help out making smarter sales / pricing choices.


yah the forums have that.. but they don't track supply or demand in a nice chart.

[Awwalike]

if anything this price tracker sucks. some kid makes 2 false trackers selling items at half price and everyone thinks the item actually goes for that price...

[Flunklesnarkin]

if anything this price tracker sucks. some kid makes 2 false trackers selling items at half price and everyone thinks the item actually goes for that price...

thats why should do wts / wtb


if a person is selling an item you contact them.. if they lieing then you know not to talk to them again


if its just random /shout prices its wholly inaccurate.


im thinking like the wiki price tracker be like an average sales price for things up for sale.. then below that a list of people selling an item with person selling for lowest price as number one slot.

[Swish]

Isn't there something there to ignore "rogue" values? Like selling a manastone for 1pp wouldn't be taken seriously by the wiki? I'm guessing, but I think Goonquest used to have something like it?

[Orruar]

if anything this price tracker sucks. some kid makes 2 false trackers selling items at half price and everyone thinks the item actually goes for that price...

Manipulation like that won't really get you very far though. If someone, say, tries to manipulate the price upwards, that will have a few side effects.

1) People will be less likely to buy, as they'll look at other upgrades first that give them more bang for the buck.
2) People will farm the item more as it now appears to offer a better return for their time investment.
3) People who have that item in the bank or on an alt will suddenly decide it's a good time to get rid of it.

All of these side effects will push the price back down. The reverse is true as well if someone tries to manipulate the price downwards.

[Flunklesnarkin]

Manipulation like that won't really get you very far though. If someone, say, tries to manipulate the price upwards, that will have a few side effects.

1) People will be less likely to buy, as they'll look at other upgrades first that give them more bang for the buck.
2) People will farm the item more as it now appears to offer a better return for their time investment.
3) People who have that item in the bank or on an alt will suddenly decide it's a good time to get rid of it.

All of these side effects will push the price back down. The reverse is true as well if someone tries to manipulate the price downwards.


also.. manipulating prices like that can get people to farm stuff that isn't really worth farming while you farm something that is undervalued.


Ain't no SEC in mmo's

[Orruar]

also.. manipulating prices like that can get people to farm stuff that isn't really worth farming while you farm something that is undervalued.

Ain't no SEC in mmo's

So you're saying someone might try to manipulate the price higher to get others to farm that item more, leaving other camps open where that person wants to farm? I'm guessing there are easier ways to get the camp you want than by a coordinated price fixing campaign and hoping that said campaign would somehow lead to the person who was going to camp what you wanted to instead camp the price fixed item.

[Flunklesnarkin]

So you're saying someone might try to manipulate the price higher to get others to farm that item more, leaving other camps open where that person wants to farm? I'm guessing there are easier ways to get the camp you want than by a coordinated price fixing campaign and hoping that said campaign would somehow lead to the person who was going to camp what you wanted to instead camp the price fixed item.

It doesn't take that much effort to do it with the current system.

like has been mentioned before.. hardly anybody shouts sales prices.

[webrunner5]

So you're saying someone might try to manipulate the price higher to get others to farm that item more, leaving other camps open where that person wants to farm? I'm guessing there are easier ways to get the camp you want than by a coordinated price fixing campaign and hoping that said campaign would somehow lead to the person who was going to camp what you wanted to instead camp the price fixed item.

Wow, I bet you believe in UFOs.

[Splorf22]

I have noticed a general declining trend in prices (RBG was 110k in September, 80k now for example). I think mostly this is due to the plat that was duped in the summer working its way out of the economy.

[Orruar]

Wow, I bet you believe in UFOs.

You might want to take a remedial reading class. I was actually being critical of the other poster's overly complex conspiracy to get camps via price fixing.

[Flunklesnarkin]

Wow, I bet you believe in UFOs.

I bet you believe in a non-corporeal entity

science be praised

/troll off