Auctioning and posting prices

[Istinkeraflort]

Insecurity in a video game.

/sad

It's time to grow some balls even tho i know it wasn't classic.

[mixxit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5hrcwU7Dk

YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE MR ISTINK

[Darian]

Originally Posted by Tallenn [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

When I am looking to buy stuff, I almost never bother with auctions where the seller doesn't post their prices up front. The reason is that I'm not one of those guys that likes to haggle. I prefer to just shop around until I find what I want at a price I feel is worth paying. Yes, it probably takes me longer to find what I want, but that's the way I shop. I almost always eventually find what I want for a price I think is fair.

...

I don't know why some people choose not to post a price up front. My guess is that they ARE the kind of people that likes to haggle, and feels they can probably get a better price that way. Fact is,they probably can, but I also think they are missing a significant portion of the buying market by not posting prices, because people like me usually never even look twice if there's no advertised price.

IMO it seems like you're the one missing out on market opportunities and not the other way around. Sometimes I list prices and sometimes I don't; either way I consider myself a haggler. Besides, there's always someone who will respond to a stated price by asking if I could go Xpp lower.

I guess the question becomes this: The Bazaar had nothing but fixed prices and virtually no haggling. Do/did you prefer that to EC Tunnel?

[soup]

I can't speak for everyone, but personally when I post auctions without prices, the reasons are generally any of the following:
1. Absolutely no clue what the item is worth or should go for
2. I can make more than expected by selling to someone who doesn't care about a price difference of a couple hundred pp and just wants the item.
3. I can help out noobs who wouldn't have inquired about the item if I posted what I had hoped to get when I was willing to take less to help someone out.
4. Too damn lazy to come up with prices. Just link and if someone is interested, they'll ask.

[Omnimorph]

In my experience people are usually leaving a price off in the hope they'll get more than what a PC would return on an item.

Personally, if i'm selling a higher priced item i'll leave a price off, someone will enquire, and i'll say "around abouts 12k" or w/e. That leaves them open to negotiate.

When you're selling something and you put a price on it, you're more likely to be undercut by someone else if they're selling the same item. No price on means someone has to ask you, and you can come to an agreement from there.

In short, it really doesn't matter if i put it on or leave it off. I'll pay what i think is fair for an item, if it's a commonly sold item, i might be happier to wait to get a lower price, if it's an item i urgently need, i'll offer what it's worth, if they want more i'll consider paying it.

[Bruman]

This debate is pretty much as old as time.

Seller wants the most possible, so wants people to offer.

Buyer wants to save pp, so wants people to post prices instead of having to inquire. This also makes sellers compete more openly.

Personally, I always list prices. If you don't know what something is worth, and don't know the "market value", well guess what? Noone is going to randomly offer you 1kpp for it. It just doesn't happen. Same for those who DO know what the market value is, and just hopes they'll get a higher offer - doubt it. The people who bother to make offers are probably hoping you have no idea what it's worth.

Personally, unless it's an item I really really like (and to be honest, as a monk at least, unless it's a haste item or a WR bag, most gear isn't that important, so I can easily ignore 99%), I'm not going to make an offer on whatever you're listing. I generally have no idea of "market value", since I never just sit in EC, and don't feel like fighting with a seller to get them to tell me a damn starting price, or getting a "ya rite u idot this is wurth liek 5kpp go bak 2 wow". So to get me to buy just regular armor, you need to list a price. And you have to wait for me to run to the bank =P

I guess it's just, IMO, as a seller, the perceived gain (people making stupid high offers) on gear by not listing the price is just something that is going to happen way way less than listing a price, even if it's cheaper, and getting the item sold. At the end of the day, not listing prices may leave you more pp per item, but you'll have many many less sales, where the other way is how you actually move items, and can then spend more time not sitting in a stupid tunnel. If you're already 50, you could even use that time to farm MORE items, and sell more.

And if you don't know what's something worth, and a PC comes up empty, just fill in the blank of "I would be happy if I got _____ for this." Make sure it's more than the vendor will give. Consider who would use the item, how it compares to similar items, look up the rarity, think of how easy/difficult it was to obtain, and if you're still too worried about loosing this imaginary profit that in reality probably never had a chance of happening, then just offer it for trade instead of selling.

[astarothel]

If you set a price people will always try and make you settle for less. Either that or you list it overpriced and people in auction laugh like assclowns and go "ROFL WAY TOO MUCH" or "OMG I BOUGHT ONE THE OTHER DAY FOR HALF THAT LOL". When I list something that's the amount I want for it. I don't want to really haggle, I don't want to take trades unless I explicitly say so (ie: no I don't want your shitty easily farmed item that everyone has 6 of +50p for a dark reaver), and I just want the price listed. My price is my price, but people don't get that and will keep bugging me or tantrum when my prices are already decent. If people are undercutting me, I stop listing the item rather than cutting my margin. You can always sell stuff another time.

[Derpus]

people say "make offer" for 2 reasons;

1)they don't know what its worth and cant be troubled to find out.

2)they want to rip you off

listing prices moves item much much faster and contributes to the overall health of the market by reducing both of the points above. on high end stuff offers/auctions are understandable.

[mixxit]

So sayath the Civilisation!

There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wage possible - Henry Ford

The cost being time in this case :-)

[Branaddar]

Originally Posted by soup [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I can't speak for everyone, but personally when I post auctions without prices, the reasons are generally any of the following:
1. Absolutely no clue what the item is worth or should go for
2. I can make more than expected by selling to someone who doesn't care about a price difference of a couple hundred pp and just wants the item.
3. I can help out noobs who wouldn't have inquired about the item if I posted what I had hoped to get when I was willing to take less to help someone out.
4. Too damn lazy to come up with prices. Just link and if someone is interested, they'll ask.

I have the exact same philosophy. It was one of my beefs with the bazaar. Sure, it's great for getting a PC on an unknown item, but it killed off the concept of selling a bit lower to someone who needs it versus someone who will just resell it at a higher price. Not to mention all the under-cutting... but I digress.

I would rather sell something to someone that needs it at a price we both consider fair than set a price in stone, or sell it to a profiteer that will rip off someone pinching their plats to afford it.

I used to have the same issues as the OP. If a price wasn't posted, I was afraid to send a tell and make myself look like an idiot. Nowadays, I just say "look, I'm not really sure what the market value is on it, but this is what it's worth to me" and gauge their reaction.

A lot of times the resellers will give a flat-out no in the hopes that you'll match their invisible price or go over it. At that point, walk away.

If you're not going to post a price, then learn to work with the buyer or at least get a dialogue going on how much you are hoping to sell it for.

I totally understand the avoidance of stupid responses to prices in /ooc or /auc. Some of the asshattery can be really annoying.