Topic

Furniture Trade Etiquette

This is a question about buying and selling, but I'm not actually trying to buy or sell anything with this post, so I think it belongs here rather than the Marketplace forum.

I've seen a few people advertising upgraded furniture for 1k per credit recently, which seems like a very reasonable price to me. People sometimes sell upgraded items in their towers for great prices too.

My question is, is it generally considered terrible etiquette to buy something at one price and then have on sale in my tower at a higher price?

I'm not looking to be a bulk furniture reseller or make a bunch of profit off somebody else's work or anything. I mostly just want to buy stuff because I want to decorate a room and make it look nice, not to use my tower as a furniture showroom.

BUT, if somebody comes to my tower and thinks to themselves, "Holy cow, I love the way that lamp looks there and I really really really wanna do that in my tower too! And I don't care if I can buy it cheaper at auction and I don't wanna go to the trouble of checking the Marketplace forums. I just friggin' wanna click on it and buy it RIGHT NOW!" then I want them to be able to do that, but at a price that's high enough that I won't mind having to replace my lovely item, and high enough to ensure that my lovely items won't actually sell too often, since I mostly just want to keep them around.

So what do you think? I bought furniture from someone's tower before and then ended up listing it in my tower for a higher price because I didn't want it to sell right away. But the person I bought it from saw that and got mad. So I'm curious about other people's thoughts on the subject.

Part of me feels like it should just be a matter of "I bought it, so it's mine, so I can do what I want with it." But I realize that people also like to give good deals as a way of helping other players, and I don't want to make those people feel like I'm unfairly and jerkishly profiting from their thoughtful generosity.

I'd love to hear some other opinions about this. Do you ever put stuff in your tower for more than it's actually worth just because you don't really want to sell it, but it'd be worth it to you if someone actually decided to buy it for that price?

Posted 91 days ago by Jibbify Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I try to respect people's requests through gnomes/notes, including on this subject.

    Otherwise I feel free to do regular market things with any item of mine that I want. 

    When I want to be generous, I like to do it in a way that is going to be clear to the other person that it's specifically being generous, and not just a failure of mine to price my items at a standard market price.

    As to the separate issue of overpricing items you don't specifically want to sell but would be willing to part with - I think that sounds reasonable. I've done this myself once or twice with rare items.  As to the issue of overpricing furniture items you've bought from others, I'm can see where it would make people potentially more irritated then when you're reselling at a "fair" price but I don't think it's wrong to do or anything.

    (edit: Of course, that's just towers - M<3tra's comment below is a very good point!)
    Posted 91 days ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If you buy something in someone's tower with no interaction from the tower owner...just here is this item...I say charge whatever you feel like.

    IF someone goes out of their way to give you a good deal b/c they're feeling generous b/c you scratch your butt in that oh so special way that they like...then treat it like a gift and don't chuck it out at the next yard sale.
    Posted 91 days ago by M<3tra, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yeah, what  M<3tra said.
    Posted 91 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have had many furniture resellers buy from me. I have no problem with it at all.
    I have also onsold items I have got at good prices for a profit.
    I've also had items on sale that were then suddenly rares (no longer available to create in game) and they've sold at incredibly low prices because I wasn't online to adjust for the new rare status (or what I would have preferred to do and keep it to add to my collection).

    If it's in my tower and you buy it, you own it and can do with it as you please imo :)
    If I sell things to you directly, made to order, at an argreed price, again, you own it so you can do as you like :)

    If you lie to me to get a cheap price on something in order to scam me, regardless of if you onsell or not, I will not deal with you again.  You got your great deal. Hope it's great enough to last you ;P

    That's my opinion. YMMV :)
    Posted 91 days ago by xombiekitty Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What pisses me off is the people who sell furniture items with free upgrades for ridiculous prices*...  Lamps for 30,000, desks for 70,000... would be nice if things were more transparent when you buy them

    * mainly talking about the Auction House here, but that's probably cos I buy a fair amount of furniture from there when I can't get into the game and don't go looking for towers with furniture 
    Posted 91 days ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Towers seem to be a law unto themselves when it comes to selling. On the whole, items are sold cheaper than Auction House and there's an interesting price levelling amongst folks via Glitch Remote. I find it much more fun than selling via Auction House, don't ask me why! Maybe we do really get more of a market atmosphere. 

    At first I used to get annoyed when folks would buy items at what I thought was a fair or even bargain price and then I saw them being sold on Auction House for much more. But then I thought life is too short, I play the game how I wish to, let them do the same.

    xombiekitty has it right about scamming! That's one thing I don't tolerate.
    Posted 91 days ago by Moz Art Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There are different motivations for selling and buying. And, especially in towers, one generally can't know what those motivations are unless there are note poles with notes. If it is a real concearn for you, then buy, sell and learn. Otherwise.....don't worry about it.
    Posted 90 days ago by bayBi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If I decide to sell my piece of furniture for 1c and you buy it , then I am happy I made that 1c. If I had wanted more I would have set the price higher. If you turn around and sell that same piece of furniture (or anything), for a higher price why on earth should I care? It's yours to do with as you please. If I wanted more for same said item I should have asked more. 'Nuff said!
    Posted 90 days ago by Zev Bellringer Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't sell furniture in my tower, but I do this with food ingredients.

    I have a small vending area, and I specialize in pumpkins.  I also sell pies and ale, as well as the ingredients used to make pies and ale.  I discovered it's hard to keep milk/flour/allspice in stock if I price it too low.  (e.g. 10K of spice would disappear overnight!)  So I price it higher than normal, so it won't sell too fast.

    This is my justification: I'm not a bulk seller, I'm a convenience store.  I'm not trying to move huge quantities of stock, I'm catering to people who just need a few things, and want the convenience of having them all in the same place.  If I find good deals on allspice I will buy them and add them to my convenience-store-stock, and the profit I make represents the work I did hunting for the bargains and hauling the stuff around with me from tower to tower.

    IMHO, selling and gifting should be no-strings-attached, UNLESS both parties agreed to the strings beforehand.  E.g.: say you asked me for a donation of a piece of furniture for the Rook Shrine in your tower, and I gave it to you for 1c with the stipulation that it will only be used for that purpose, and if the Shine was ever de-consecrated I would get the furniture back.  Then I would be pissed if you tried to sell it, because you would be breaking our agreement :)
    Posted 90 days ago by Miss Portinari Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't think you did anything wrong.
    Posted 90 days ago by Josiah Thimblerig Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What Zev said. If someone wanted 1c for a piece of furniture (or any other item), and they get it, that should make them happy. If they wanted 1000c, and got that, it should make them just as happy. If the buyer then feels selling the same item on at a higher price would make them happy, it only serves to increase the net amount of happiness in the world. And it's only fair, because asking a higher price for the same item means more risk of not selling it, and selling fewer of a certain unit, just like in the real world.

    The once exception should probably apply to gifts. Selling a gift (given free or sold at an insanely low price) would be considered an insult by most people, just like in the real world.
    Posted 90 days ago by Fritzl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't think you did anything wrong, either.  

    Furniture prices are wildly varied right now.  There is not usually enough of any one item in the AH to really tell what a fair price is, and the API doesn't show prices for furniture in towers, so there's no transparency there, either.  I hear a lot of people say 1000c per credit upgrade, but I also think that's a pretty arbitrary number and it'll probably change when it's easier to see what furniture is really worth, from a buyer's standpoint.

    So, saying that, I don't see why you shouldn't buy things that look like a good deal to you, and sell them on for what you think is a good price.  Actually, I don't even care if you sell them on for an outrageous price!  That's how a free market works!
    Posted 90 days ago by Wintera Woodswitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is nothing wrong with buying low and selling high. While I usually abide by the written notes on glitches towers, there is NOTHING say you can not buy something and resell it. If there were, there would be tools in game for SDB's to prevent that. For someone to get mad about that, its just ridiculous. I've been banned before from towers for buying up food that was cheaper than vendor, just to stock up on them. I guess when they see someone buy it all, they automatically assume its vendored. People for some reason have a weird attachment to their virtual items that are going to be sold anyway. Who cares if the person who bought it uses it or sells it?
    Posted 90 days ago by Ramus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If you bought it, it's yours to do with what you will.
    Posted 90 days ago by Mollie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I frequently sell herbs, furniture and resources below market price and several players have been critical of me for doing so! If I sell it to you or give it to you, it is yours to do with as you wish.
    Posted 90 days ago by Mostly Mellow Subscriber! | Permalink