Topic

Stop depressing the market.

I've been selling SDBs for 2151 currants.  I feel like that's a reasonable fair price and if I price them very much higher they don't sell very well.   

Eggman informed me that someone left me a message while I was out.   The message was asking me not to depress the market, ok?    

What do I do now? 

Posted 6 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • To me, selling an item is not a generous act - gifting an item is. I can understand wanting to make some Currants as a way to repay oneself for the effort put into making it (especially if one is making items simply for the pleasure/reward/etc of making it in the first place) but that's still capitalistic not altruistic. Why not make a forum post about your project and take the best minimum offer instead of using the auction house to "generously" send those items out into the world?

    For me, if my main concern when listing an item was that it go to a "good home" I wouldn't use the auction house - I'd either give it away or give it to a group that gives items away (like Glitchens Giving Back). If someone actually wants to be generous, again, why are they listing the item for sale in the auction house? Why not make a market forum post about it and then "weed out" anyone wanting too much of an item (just one example of a tactic a speculator might use) or make a concerted effort to NOT sell to anyone with that same type of item (or MANY random items) currently for sale in the auction house?

    It may be obvious that I do not use the auction house for generosity's sake. Perhaps I am being naive to think that it is not very common for folks to do so?

    Now, getting back to the point I had made earlier, if one wants their item to only be purchased by those that see it as a generous/altruistic act how do snipers not fit this mold? They are generously given a good deal and are able to make Currants because of that generosity (if they resell at a higher price). I still don't get how that is not win-win, despite it not being the "best" situation under which generosity can occur (as far as the original seller may be concerned).
    Posted 6 months ago by foolbunny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I mainly sell musicblocks, so I have no problem with selling something for about 10c less. I don't sell mich much, but enough to get by. Count Battra has probably been the reason I have money. :D
    Posted 6 months ago by Maxy Cat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • No price fixing. Always price to sell.
    Posted 6 months ago by MeherMan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • WalruZ, if the auction house was the only place we could sell goods in Glitch I would worry a bit about the issue of pricing someone else out, but since there exist a few different avenues to sell goods I don't think you should worry about what role you play in the auction pricing.  
    Posted 6 months ago by Sloppy Ketchup Subscriber! | Permalink
  • With reference to pricing strategy (and in the spirit of explaining one's rationale) I undercut to get a definite / quick sale. For me it's pointless to undercut by a single current in order to get to the top of the list as it's virtually no loss for the next several sellers to do the same so my item is not likely to be at the top for long. Also (and I know this will not resonate with some people) I feel if I'm putting myself to the top of the list I should be giving somewhat of a discount from the next lowest price.
    Posted 6 months ago by geekybird Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My Dad once said, things are worth only as much as people are willing to pay for it.

    So, if you find a price which people accept, and they buy from you, then I say you've got yourself a deal, and carry on!

    I would like to bet, the person who told you to 'not depress the auction', will not refrain from buying your cheaper wares in favor of more expensive ones!
    Posted 6 months ago by ~Scilly~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • geekybird when I'm buying, I never buy anything that is priced less than 5c below the next highest price. I agree it's pointless to pice that way.
    Posted 6 months ago by MeherMan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sometimes, in order to affect the economy, I make cryptic pronouncements about interest rates while my banking friends commingle consumer deposits with the portion of their corpus that is dedicated to speculative trades.

    Then, when trades go south, sometimes the regulators call me in to swoon over my magnificent appearance, and ask whether I have any advice for them about how to improve regulations that govern my industry.

    Be thankful the worst I can do to the auction house is to price competitively.  </tongueincheek>
    Posted 6 months ago by CrashTestPilot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Remember when teal-white keys went for 1800c each because of a tacit agreement among all sellers to maximize the price?  That market collapsed and nobody lost their shirts over it.  You're selling at a fine profit compared to the named "value" of the item and as I recall the materials to make it.   (And I support that.  You're willing to feed the sloths and run the wood machine, other people aren't, it works out well for everybody.)  Just because other sellers like to sell even higher, that's no reason to go along with it.   If they want to buy out your inventory and relist at their own price to control the market rates, they are free to do that, but you can sell at any price you care to.
    Posted 6 months ago by oscarette Subscriber! | Permalink
  • *prices everything 6c below*
    Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • everything i have is 99,999 currants.

    onion? 99,999 currants

    rook booger? 99,999 currants

    bacon underwear, slightly worn?  99,999 currants

    exploding cubimal? 99,999 currants

    and I get the sale, every time.....because of my integrity
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There are currently 12 different players selling SDBs.  You alone cannot possibly "depress the market" if those 11 other players are not in a conspiracy to set a particular price floor.  

    I'd quit worrying about it.  Some wannabee "winner" is trying to manipulate you into feeling uncomfortable, and uncertain and change your game behavior to profit them, and them alone.  

    If you think the price you're setting is fair, and if people are confirming that as a fair price by buying from you, then you're not depressing the market.   Your pricing does not mean that you are wrong.  It means you have thoughtfully priced your stuff and have paid attention to the markets so that you're confident that your pricing process is a pretty good match to what people think the item is worth.  

    People who have a different pricing scheme may leave you nasty notes, call you clueless, unable to do math, mean or say you are having a tantrum, That indicates their playing style, not yours.  
    Posted 6 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • **ck the market. I just put 10 SDBs out at 1c.

    This is A GAME, remember? No real money, no real stuff (and even then, consumerism would be debatable), no real gain from making everybody miserable. What do you people have in your profit-conditioned mind, not to notice that?
    Posted 6 months ago by Ayzad Subscriber! | Permalink
  • putting them too low triggers sniper bots, and is silly to do

    if someone complains 'you are depressing the market' they must sincerely suck at making money in this game, and last I looked - money is not really all that useful here anyway.

    someone is self-centered and greedy, all rolled into one.  and then coated in butter, chopped pistachio nuts, cinnamon, and then popped into a ready piping hot oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and melty on the inside, which is how I like my greedy rolls.

    and served with ice cold chocolate milk.  and nappykins.
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes, my crystal ball is also giving me full information about the motivation and game play style of the person who left the OP that heartbreakingly cruel message.

    Only my crystal ball is telling me that person is relatively inexperienced and naive rather than stupid, manipulative, or evil.
    Posted 6 months ago by Vocable Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When I auction things, I usually sell under what the going rate is, because I"m trying to get rid of stuff. Nothing I make actually costs me money, so anything I get for it it ok with me. Sorry that messes with your game.
    Posted 6 months ago by glassy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A month or so ago I was "chastised" by a player (in a very sarcastic and biting manner) for the way I priced my goods.  Normally I would just ignore it, but It came at a time when a family member was seriously ill and Glitch was my go-to game to lighten my spirits at the end of a rough day. 

    I stopped playing for a couple of weeks.  I have no interest in being ordered about by another player saying that I "must" do this or that, and I don't want to be around people who make me feel bad about how I play.  (As long as I am within the TS guidelines, of course).

    Eventually I came back (a big shout out to KitchWitch for the good words that brought me back), and I am having fun again.

    @ Walruz, glassy, and others: price any way *you* want, play the game the way *you* want, and have fun.  Don't let the mean words of a few spoil your enjoyment of this otherwise great community and great game :)
    Posted 6 months ago by Rowan Croft Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When I auction anything, it's usually because I really need to make a quick trip to the toy vendor. So my buyers enjoy the addiction discount. Sometimes I'm just boggled at the other prices and sell way low in comparison, but I try to just do that with one auction lot at a time so somebody snipes or whatever - lucky them, I get fast munnies, and the market survives. Still no Scion of Purple though  ;_;
    Posted 6 months ago by Aleph Zero Subscriber! | Permalink
  • LOL 'Nappykins'
    Posted 6 months ago by N2ZOrtolanaBlue Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As long as you're selling above "book value", good for you! That happens to be a measly 500 currants for a plain SDB.

    Like Aleph Zero, I usually try to match or underprice goods, as I'm selling to keep hoarding to a minimum.
    Posted 6 months ago by bumblepuppy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • its a game - do what you like and if people dont like it then tough.   Harsh but ultimate truth.
    Posted 6 months ago by Loupin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Auction prices are what they are. They start high for new items and drop to some quiescent value for a time, until the skills required for all players to make them become a standard, and the prices fall again to convenience levels.

    Price as you will, and tell the person who played market street commissar to stick it where the sun don't shine. When I do, I place items on auction to sell them, not to follow the setpoint of some leach class who believes in dictating price structures to suit their own hegemonic market dreams.

    If you want to know why the world economy (real) has gone to the crapper for all but a few, and why the class system has re-emerged in full force after it's long (~60 year) suppression in the western world, look no further than folks like that and their mentors. Rockerfeller is roundly despised among certain groups, but the fact is, he provided EVERYONE with fuel prices 1/3 that of the boutique market that they hoped to maintain and sponge off indefinitely. Same goes for Ford. Same goes for certain technology companies and paradigms. One seeks to provide for all, the other for an elite.
    Posted 6 months ago by Woochi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Big words hurt my pea brain.

    The stupidest thing Ive seen in the auctions is the person who (for some unfathomable reason) likes to list things at 15x their price from the vendor.

    A light bulb?  1000 currants.

    Construction tool? 2000 currants.

    So, I just go to cebarkul, get 50 of an item, and list a bunch of them for a little bit above what they cost from a vendor.  

    The guy makes me money every time he lists his over-inflated auctions.  I just hope everyone wises up to his (shitty self absorbed) business practices and learns to hit up the tool vendors themselves.

    If you want to make money, thats fine. But there is a limit to that, and after that you are just gouging folks for no discernible reason.

    Ultimately money serves little purpose in the game, we dont even have to buy houses anymore.  Remember when you had to scrimp and save to get a house?  You dont have to do that at all, ever again. 
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Death to price fixers!
    Posted 6 months ago by E D D I E Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Do as you wish and don't let the note spoil your fun.
    Posted 6 months ago by Osprey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Selling stuff very cheap as a public service tends not to work, because another player can just buy the stuff up and resell it at a higher price.  We saw that all the time in Faunasphere.
    Posted 6 months ago by Tiresias Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @WalruZ, I strongly encourage you to block this person, and feel absolutely no remorse from that action--especially if this is your first contact with this player.  Sure, they have a right to their own opinion... but that was rude.  You have a right to play here without being called out like that, or to allow access to someone who may be just as rude tomorrow, or the next day.

    Your auction prices are your own business, plain and simple.
    Posted 6 months ago by ~Alice~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If the market is depressed, it clearly needs counseling. Medication is also an option.
    Posted 6 months ago by MoM4.6 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • www.glitchremote.com/#Aucti...
    SDB price history and price distribution
    Posted 6 months ago by UXRoot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for all the feedback from everyone.   In particular, Miss Bobbit (who is a friend) raised some questions that I haven't answered.  

    I have settled on 2151 because the higher I price, the more likely I am to get items back.  2250 isn't bad, but I do sometimes see items expire.  2500 often results in no sale.  Other sellers come in from nowhere and price anywhere from 2000 to 2100 and in quantity too.  Thankfully the 3-day window now means that I can sit and wait for demand to catch up to my chosen price point over 3-days, which it usually does.    I specifically like 2151 because out of that, 151 is the amount that the auction house takes, leaving me an even 2000 currants. 

    There are times when demand strips out all the auctions between 2000 and 2500.  The next most common price point is 2700-2900 with a few higher than that.  (this excludes upgraded pieces.)   When there is a lack of lower priced items some of those higher items probably sell, but when I see that happening what I perceive is demand that means that items listed at my usual price point will sell well, so I move to meet that demand.  

    Thus, the contention that I'm listing at 75% of the market only represents a single unrepresentative snapshot of the market.  My examination of the market shows that more often I am sitting right in the middle of a price range that I believe sells well.  

    I do list a lot at a time.  I have limited opportunities to be in-game, what with a full time job and 2 kids and a wife and, you know, stuff.   I don't usually dribble out auctions, but the point about listing so many is well taken, as there have been times when I have listed as many as 40 at once.  Still, I don't think there is any real effective difference between listing 40 at once and listing 5 at a time.   Thoughts?

    To sum, I'll probably go on as usual, although I may dial back the quantities I list from time to time. 
    Posted 6 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Is there cake or not?  Im hungry now.
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have pie.

    hth
    Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • leaking product out slowly is a good strategy in general.   If someone else dumps a bunch of goods at a lower price shortly after you put yours up, and the market keeps falling so that yours time out without selling, you will lose the auction fee for each one -- better to only lose one or two auction fees than ten or twenty.  

    But I think the real solution here is to get the market on Zoloft.   Steady out those moods.  
    Posted 6 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I just double checked and apparently its still a game - do what you like.
    Posted 6 months ago by Loupin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just saw after posting you actually asked for thoughts about whether to dump or to leak (as I like to call the two methods).  Leaking allows you to under-price anyone that under-prices you.  Dumping leaves you stuck on a set price for 72 hours no matter what happens to the market.  It does allow for putting a lot of product up in a limited period of time.  

    But when I'm playing the auctions, I like dumpers.  I know they won't be under-pricing me again, because they've emptied the storehouse.  So I wait until they are done putting everything up, and then I list one at a lower price.  When that one sells, I put one up at a lower price again.  If more than one listing under-prices my one item, I under-price again.  I might not even be playing while I do this, I might even be working on something, but I will end up dominating that product for hours on end.  

    There are time advantages to dumping, but to make more sales and lose less in fees, it's leaking all the way.  
    Posted 6 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm seriously considering starting a group "Put the Market on Zoloft"
    Posted 6 months ago by MoM4.6 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, oh!  Story time: when I played Eve, we had a guy in our corporation who was working on a graduate degree in Economics and using the Eve economy as the subject of his dissertation, as a simplified model of real world economics.   Calling him an economic expert would be rather accurate.    

    His play style:  He logged in to constantly monitor his sell orders and make sure they were always 1 cr under the competition (I don't recall there being listing fees, and it was not difficult to cancel and relist at a lower price).  He did the same with his buy orders, making sure they were 1 cr over the competition while still leaving enough room for the product to be resold, at 1 cr under everyone else, for a profit.  And he quickly became the richest person in our corporation while rarely undocking from station.  And then he became richer than our corporation.  

    I mostly mention him for some perspective on the note-leaver (though not to justify the note or to say you need to listen to the note leaver).  This corp-mate of mind would tear his hair out and rant on Vent for a few solid minutes whenever someone under-priced one of his sell orders by more than 1cr.  It wasn't the under-pricing that bothered him, it was that the unnecessary increase in the downward trend was, to him, calculated as an immediate loss to himself AND the person competing with him.  It made him feel like the proverbially sighted in the land of the blind.  I remember many times pointing out that the person was probably just jumping to a nice round number and not worried about the loss, but as involved in business and economics as he was, that just seemed to annoy him more.  
    Posted 6 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yeah, I can understand that.  Like I said, I just don't have time to follow the market, (only the forums) so dumping at a price that I know will sell over time is what's working for me.  I'm not really upset with the message leaver.  I just wanted to get some perspectives, and this has been helpful.  
    Posted 6 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I had sammich, now its nap time.
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • {puts on extra thick gloves and sleeves to tuck in elf}  (those burps take off hair AND skin)
    Posted 6 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In the real world, competition between vendors is rarely based on price alone.  Even in online venues such as eBay and Amazon, buyers may base their choice of vendor not only on price, but also on factors such as seller reputation, geographical location, and customized descriptions or presentations. To me, the Glitch AH is more like a commodities exchange than a marketplace where vendors come to sell their wares.
    Posted 6 months ago by Splendora Subscriber! | Permalink
  • BUROOPPP....*woosh!*
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, this is such a great thread! I learned more about auctions here in the last 24 hours than I had in months of playing.

    There are so many factors I had never considered, like using the actions as a form of charity, the round-number aspect to pricing, dumping vs leaking and studying the auctions as a micro-economy. It is also interesting to see that many people view the Glitch auctions as a way to express their feeling about real-world economic issues.

    Thank you so much WalruZ for explaining your method. Now I see that 2151 is an excellent price point and I learned so much from your explanation of how you arrived at it. I am so glad you started this thread and gave us an opportunity to discuss how we handle our auctions.
    Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • *measures out a significant amount of cod liver oil* Tummy troubles Elfward? *elf opens his mount to say something sarcastic and MoM4.5 pours it down his throat*
    Posted 6 months ago by MoM4.6 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As long as you sell them at a higher price than a NPC in game, You are doing fine. If someone thinks your price is to low. Tell them to talk to the dev's and have them raise the price NPC's pay.
    Posted 6 months ago by WhereIsTheCandy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You don't have to sell them at a higher price than the vendors.  You'll still be doing fine.  
    Posted 6 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Dammit!  All these people are undercutting me!
    Posted 6 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • see, there are a lot of game to play in glitch.

    some people play the "i have an sdb full of everything" game. some people play the "i have the most stuff/acheivements/currants/img" game.

    i like to play the "let's see what happens when we play with the markets" game. and the "let's see how agricultural practice in ur responds to market pressure" game.

    if you send me a note telling me how to price my goods while i am either inflating or crashing a market what you hear next will be the sound of that market crashing pretty hard and not recovering for a while.

    bad news for investors; good news for users of whatever commodity is suddenly selling cheaply.

    it's a wash.
    Posted 6 months ago by flask Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I hear ham is on sale
    Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have been following this thread with a lot of interest. My favorite parts of this game, aside from social aspects which have decreased since home streets, is playing the market and trying to collect the cubimals without buying any. Ok, OCD. Whatever. This market has gone wack since the new version. First, there aren't any lower level Glitchen who actually need anything much. Second, the froggy delay seems to have had an impact as well, and last, that flat 7% vigorish makes it crucial that high currant auctions sell. I have an addiction to feed, ok?

    The good part is the 3 day period for auctions to run, but it still scary easy to get frozen out and have to eat the vig. It's gotten so bad that some stuff is selling at below tool vendor sell price. Or maybe that's good. Depends on your POV I guess. But since it costs me zero energy to go to Cerbarkul and back home, what do I care.

    So is this a free market? Nope. It has price supports. The way the auction tool is constructed, however, does encourage downward trends in prices. So when I place something on the auction at a reasonable price, I hope it sells, but if it doesn't, oh well, and I'm left holding the bag. So my problem is, how low can I expect the market to drop, and how much volume will it have over the next three days? If SDBs are selling at 2800, and I offer a few at 2600 I'm pretty safe. The history of SDBs says that they will come down a little, but I should be okay unless someone dumps 30 of them on the market for 500 less. Then I'm prolly screwed, because the market doesn't have enough time to absorb those and let the price rise again before someone starts dumping at 2100, or 1900, or whatever.

    You pays your dime and you takes your chance. Anyway, long story a bit longer, what is the minimum price for SDBs, because 500 is a joke, at least at this point. If board, rods and snails were selling at the support price (tool vendor sell) then cost of material would be 306c. but though boards and rods are nearing TVS, snails never will because they are a pain to 'make.' At current market prices, buying everything, including energy costs, the materials for an SDB cost between 1175 and 1200 (1178 in my test). Let's say 1200. With vig, the minimum at which you could sell an SDB and break even is 1300. Of course if someone wants to make rods, snails and boards the price would drop. So now we have a price point.

    What is a fair profit? That doesn't matter. As long as I don't go below 1300, who cares. I could totally automate this so that I always have the lowest price unless it drops below my price point, and if someone beats me there, so be it. The only real bottleneck here is snails. And if I buy up all of those, prices rise, I reset my price point and move on. This is how it happens IRL. Should I do this? It's all within the rules of the game, and I think it would be kind of fun. Which IS what it's all about, right? And if I can clear say 550c per SDB then 10 equals one cubimal box. and it takes about ten minutes, froggy wait time included, to make ten (or 20) SDBs Right now, no problem getting that 550. My first batch of ten, at 1850, went in ten minutes. WooHoo! Toy store here I come...
    Posted 6 months ago by Pancito Subscriber! | Permalink