I've noticed people also sell items on the AH at prices so low that combined with commission/listing fees they could have gotten more by selling to a normal vendor. Go figure.
I'll happily sell stuff for lower when I'm too tired/laggy to log in and am overflowing with stuff I would probably only ever hoard or give away anyway. More for you, if you're at Cebarkul anyway, right? No complaining now :)
So, prior to the auction sniper coming out, I played around with manipulating prices higher by buying up scarce commodities, repricing upwards, and reposting those auctions. Not in a big way, just with herbs and herb seeds, since I felt like those were undervalued.
The good news is, you can force prices higher, which makes it more attractive for producers to produce, and then they undercut you, and your spendier items just sort of sit there.
So, you're out 10k or better, but at least you forced more supply temporarily.
Needless to say, there are others that are better at this than I already in the auction space -- their names are pretty easy to identify b/c they'll often post one after the other at the same price.
And there are some that are quite successful at it.
I just know I had mixed success.
The open question is what is the margin you can command for convenience?
I think it depends on the supply of the product. Short supply items like keys are always going to do pretty well.
Complex alchemical powders command decent prices, but are ultimately really costly in terms of energy for the producer to make.
Invariably, prices sink to the price ceiling/floor set by the Tool Vendor.
Because underpriced goods are snapped up by auction snipers working on margin, or by legitimate customers.
If we could NOT sell except to one another, you'd see some very dynamic pricing, I would think.
I would love to see a one-month test of that theory. Just to see what would happen.
"What is the margin you can command for convenience?" I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how hoarding virtual money in a virtual home in order to buy more virtual things makes sense at all. I'm not arguing with those who do it, I'm simply stating that I don't get it. I will auction off an item now and again if I find I have more than one or it's something I don't use, but the whole "Market Demand" concept in an online game is baffling to me. It's just not worth my (virtual) time to find the highest bidder. As often as not, I'll leave an unwanted item at a subway station or drop it into the bag of an AFK low-level player.
i need to have huge reserves of cash because it's hard to give away money you don't have.
i can't answer for why anyone else thinks they need it.
i believe it's fitting to pay a small premium for the convenience of delivered goods. i also think it's worth selling at discount to move inventory fast. i need ROOM in those bags, boyo!
and it is very hand to have reserves of goods at my disposal if i think somebody's pricing an item WAYYYY to high out of extreme greed. if i see an item on the market for usurious profit, i will flood the market with incrementally cheaper and cheaper goods.
usually the greedy seller will buy up a LOT of my inventory and relist it at the higher price before the market collapses.
+1 flask, and +1 acronymph. I do make things in quantity for auction, mainly for miners, since I was shocked at the high price for purchased items from the mining vendors, (and I LIKE to craft), but I also drop items here and there for the clever wanderer and casual walker by as well. It's only a friggin game folks. (no offense TS)