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#### 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 | Permalink

### Replies

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- Sell them even cheaper to spite them.
  Posted 6 months ago by Condar | Permalink
- Charge whatever you want. You personally cannot make enough to meet all demand, so YOU cannot control the market. If someone thinks yours are priced too low - they should buy all of yours and resell them at a higher price.
  Posted 6 months ago by Kookaburra | Permalink
- If you believe 2,151c is a fair price and people buy from you at that price then continue selling. You obviously please some people by selling at that price, but you cannot please everyone so don't worry about your detractors.
  Posted 6 months ago by Mal'akh | Permalink
- I just bought one for 2151 but to be honest I would have been perfectly happy to have paid 2161. Or 2141.
  Posted 6 months ago by The Cat Face | Permalink
- Egg his house.
  Posted 6 months ago by OMG BACON!! | Permalink
- Hide bacon in his house... Let OMG BACON do all the dirty work.
  Posted 6 months ago by Mal'akh | Permalink
- Personally, I don't think SDBs are worth more than 1000c each, but I know nobody is going to sell them for that (on my other account, that glitch has the skills to make SDBs - they are not the most complicated or resource intensive furniture by a long shot.)
  When I'm on this account, I won't buy them for more 2000c each. That's just me.
  Those people who think you're selling wrong are only looking out for their own profits, not for your sensibilities. If you think SDBs are worth 2151c, sell them for that. I think they're worth less and only buy at a lower price. Neither of us is wrong. Play the game your way and you'll be fine. :)
  Posted 6 months ago by Raw Toast | Permalink
- What everyone here said
  Posted 6 months ago by La Mariposa | Permalink
- Ditto!
  Posted 6 months ago by jazzcrash | Permalink
- Economics 101: The price of a good is determined by it's demand and supply. If the other player is unwilling or unable to supply the good at a price that other players are able to, then obviously he should go do something else which he believes is more profitable.
  This of course assumes a competitive market. The (hypothetical) Collective Suppler of Storage Display Boxes Union (TM) may band together to form a monopoly and drive prices up, but the cost of entry is low. Anybody with the skill and the materials can construct and sell these boxes and undercut the monopoly, reaping profits and restoring competitiveness to the market.
  Posted 6 months ago by Boom and Bust | Permalink
- Don't let anyone tell you what's price on anything for auction house.
  Posted 6 months ago by Milolin | Permalink
- And you'll get more currants out of me with something I can't get by myself...
  Just bought a customized-for-credits SDB for 20,000c. *hangs head*
  Posted 6 months ago by Raw Toast | Permalink
- Even this massively bleeding-heart softie humanist type says for pity's sake, nobody's going hungry and no children are going unshod because you're selling cheap SDBs.
  Posted 6 months ago by Georgia | Permalink
- Block them. Continue on. No one can tell you how to play so long as you're following the rules.
  Posted 6 months ago by Eye Wonder | Permalink
- I'm only depressed because I can't get the damn things to line up straight on my walls.
  Posted 6 months ago by derek smalls | Permalink
- Different people have different approaches to the auctions. Don't let anyone tell you that you are doing it wrong because you are not doing it their way. If 2151 makes you happy then you should probably stick with it.
  That being said, I believe your question deserves more than a "whatever" kind of response so I would like to explain how I do my auctions and why I think your auctions may have upset some people.
  I usually post only 2 or 3 of an item at a time and I price them 1 currant below the lowest posted selling price. The reason I price 1 currant lower is that it gives my auction the best price without disturbing the auctions of others. I see that many people use a similar pricing strategy, pricing just below the lowest price. That is why I only post 2 or 3 at a time, because if others come after me and price lower and I have a dozen items posted they may not sell and I would be stuck paying the listing fees.
  When you say that your SDBs don't sell if you price them higher, I think this may be because you list so many at once. I suggest that you not list so many at one time, that way you won't be stuck if someone prices lower than you.
  I see that you are currently selling 18 SDBs at 75% of the lowest previous price.
  I will be honest with you: When I see someone posting auctions at 75% of the price of the lowest sellers I am tempted to think that the ultra-low seller is either 1) completely clueless and unable to do simple math or, 2) deliberately trying to screw up the auction out of either pure meanness or some kind of anti-capitalist tantrum.
  I have read many of your posts here and I know you are not in any way clueless or mean but I cannot figure out why you are using 2151 as your magic number.
  How did you come up with 2151 as a "reasonable fair price"? It seems to me that a reasonable fair price is whatever a buyer and seller agree upon, not an arbitrary number. Isn't that why we have auctions, so that the market can set the price? After all, we are not selling cancer drugs here so it is not a morality issue. Also, if you go on global and ask for something, you can usually find someone to give it to you completely free!
  I think people might be resentful of your pricing strategy because it distorts the market. Many people rely on the auctions as their source of currants and an unstable market is more difficult to make a profit in.
  But the primary reason is that it winds up costing them a lot of money, especially if they bought (rather than harvested) their raw materials. If it was free to post an auction it wouldn't matter. But it is not free, and even with 3 day auctions, those people failing to sell SDBs at 2800 are thinking they are going to lose 196 currants on each of their listings. I cannot blame them for feeling somewhat peeved.
  But as I said before, everyone does it a little differently. I think it is interesting to learn how other people handle their auctions and I hope that other sellers describe their approaches. I hope that my explanation of how I do it and my guess about why your auctions may have upset some people is helpful to you.
  Also, I should mention that there is some software to automate listing items on Glitch auctions. I don't know anything about any of them but I am sure that others could help you with that subject.
  Good luck with your auctions!
  Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit | Permalink
- We obviously just found the person responsible for the note. ^
  Posted 6 months ago by Condar | Permalink
- The market is all effed up, has been for a gooood while. I mentioned that in another thread but haven't got around to seeing if anyone made seething comments about it. :P
  Posted 6 months ago by Serra | Permalink
- Condar, it really seemed to me Miss Bobbit was genuinely trying to answer a question and I saw nothing in her post to show that she was upset at the OP or left the note.
  Posted 6 months ago by diaveborn ♥ | Permalink
- @Condar What is your problem? I tried to give the OP a detailed answer to his question. Most of the other answers were not detailed or informative. When I ask a question I appreciate it if people take the time to explain their answer to me.
  You think that "block them" or "egg their house" are acceptable responses but mine was a problem?
  I don't know if I have ever competed with the OP in any auction. I don't auction that much but I do think it is interesting and I was hoping that if I gave a detailed answer that other people would discuss their methods.
  If the OP wants to know who left him a note he can check his butler to see who visited him.
  Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit | Permalink
- I take 2 things into account before I post an auction, and neither one of 'em is other sellers. 1) What the price at the tool vendor is. If I can get a couple hundred over that price, it's worth auctioning. 2) Buyers. I'd rather be fair to buyers than other sellers; offering an item well below other sellers gives buyers the opportunity to not be fleeced, and gives me the opportunity to always sell my items. I haven't had a return auction in months, and I prefer it that way.
  Sorry, but other sellers' feelings really never even enter my realm of consideration. And it's not because I'm clueless or devoid of math skills.
  Posted 6 months ago by N2ZOrtolanaBlue | Permalink
- I always sell things 50 or 100 (sometimes more) currants below the auction price because I want to sell it. I'm not really out to make a profit, just to put currants in my pocket so I can pay my tithes and whatnot.
  Other than that, everyone else has already touched on the main points. Sell how you want to sell. I'm sure you're making some other glitch happy with your low priced items.
  Posted 6 months ago by a lifted pixel | Permalink
- pish posh! sell at whatever price you like and ignore the meanies!
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- "I will be honest with you: When I see someone posting auctions at 75% of the price of the lowest sellers I am tempted to think that the ultra-low seller is either 1) completely clueless and unable to do simple math or, 2) deliberately trying to screw up the auction out of either pure meanness or some kind of anti-capitalist tantrum."
  What a negativeway to look at it.
  If I see someone doing that, I think that the low-seller is taking the same approach as I used to do when auctioning stuff: I had fun making something (and got the IMG from it), could do with a little money for tithes but happy to sell cheaper to make somebody smile. So no, neither clueless or mean or anti-capitalist. However, I do realise some people are always prepared to think others are being mean or trying to rip them off for *gasp* a few currants.
  Again, what a very negative view of things.
  Posted 6 months ago by AriadneK | Permalink
- It's a free market, some people charge more, some less, charge what you want. I get underbid all the time. If someone has an issue with the price of their golden goose dropping, and being outbid, they could outbid you, or find something else to sell. I've played 4 different games with an Auction House system. It's all just supply and demand. People generally don't post way down to screw the market, just to make their stuff sell...ASAP
  Posted 6 months ago by Mr. iOuS kEiPhErs | Permalink
- What Kookaburra said. Word.
  Posted 6 months ago by Branfowl | Permalink
- If I think the market prices are too low, I usually just wait for supply to decrease and prices to go up again before I sell.
  When housing reset, people were selling snails for 200c/snail but I went in and though admittedly its still a bit high, I sold mine for 50 per snail, and I got messages thanking me for the relative low cost.
  To keep it short and sweet, do what you want with your own auction prices.
  Cheers!!
  Posted 6 months ago by Popcorn☺ | Permalink
- @AriadneK I'm sorry that sounded negative. I didn't mean it that way. I was trying to explain why someone might have left that note for the OP. I am often puzzled by other people's auction strategies and I was hoping to learn more about them.
  The point is that the OP did not know why he got that note or what he could do about it. I am pretty sure that the person who left it for him is someone who takes their auctions very VERY seriously. I don't feel that way about my auctions and I can see that you don't either, but I don't think it is a good idea to judge how other people play. The differing approaches make the auctions more interesting.
  I realize that different people express generosity in different ways and that some people might do it by listing extremely low priced auctions. I prefer to just give things away.
  I suspect that extremely low priced auctions tend to primarily benefit people who use auction sniping software. I know that some people who do this turn around and resell their bargains at higher prices. But I suppose the people that I give stuff to could do that too!
  I am glad that you and the others have explained the reasons for listing super low-priced auctions. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain your approach. Thank you.
  Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit | Permalink
- @derek smalls- Omfg, I'm obsessive about that too!
  Posted 6 months ago by Serra | Permalink
- so, price has two qualities: what you ask, and what others are willing to pay.
  if you are moving stock at your price, you have the opportunity to escalate, until stock ceases moving.
  everything else is dumb.
  because markets are about buyers and sellers.
  Posted 6 months ago by CrashTestPilot | Permalink
- Toga party.
  Then drive a giant cake through his parade. That'll show 'em.
  Bonus: many explosions.
  Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ | Permalink
- If that's a price the market will bear then it's more than a fair price. This is a game, and the object is to play for fun.
  Posted 6 months ago by Violet Faulds | Permalink
- " If that's a price the market will bear then it's more than a fair price. This is a game, and the object is to play for fun. "
  Please explain. Do you mean it is more than fair as in super-fair? Or more (higher) than what a fair price would be?
  If it is the second meaning, could you explain why that would be and how to determine a fair price? Thanks!
  Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit | Permalink
- I sell a lot of stuff at auction... when I am pricing I take into consideration the lowest price only... I also only list 3-4 at a time wait a while and see what happens... .usually if I get undercut I'll wait a little while for more people to get on and to not start a pricewar... then undercut them again and continue on... I've had things sell in anywhere from minutes to hours....
  Posted 6 months ago by dr kelly | Permalink
- One complication is the "cost of goods". People are playing the game because it's fun, not because it's their job, so work products don't feel like they have the same cost associated.
  For example, someone who goes out exploring and collects a stack of some resource along the way might feel like the resource was free. A different player who spent their time specifically collecting that same resource feels like it was hard-earned. Their approach to selling is likely to be different.
  Someone who ascribes the actions of players they don't know to malice is projecting.
  Posted 6 months ago by Janitch | Permalink
- If the person who sent the mail is that serious about "the market" they should set a sniper to buy up anything they see as too cheap
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- @Miss Bobbit, "more than fair" is just a saying. Unless I'm mistaken, Violet Faulds is just stating that if the items are selling at that price, then it's a fair price. By your two descriptive options it would be considered super-fair.
  @WalruZ, is Eggman your butler?
  If so messages left with butlers inform the home street owner who left them, just like Frog Deliveries with messages. Regardless how the message was left, the person doing it is a passive-aggressive tool. I'm not sure on your preferred method of dealing with idiots is, but you're basically left with ignore, report, confront, retaliate, and block as your options from here.
  Ignore - they probably don't have enough in them to leave another passive-aggressive note so move on and forget about them. Play the game how you choose.
  Report - it is incredibly creepy to return to your home and find passive-aggressive notes left for you (I've had a player do this to me). Report the player for harassment if they've made you uncomfortable about being in-game.
  Confront - ask the person in IM why they left you the note. Get immediate responses to your answers and it should either help smooth things over, once everyone's said their piece, or make it easy to pick which of the other options to choose.
  Retaliate - make a lot of SDBs and post them even cheaper than you do now. If you're worried about snipers taking advantage of that, post in the Marketplace forum, or in a Marketplace chat in-game. Advertise heavily that you are at least X-amount of currants cheaper than the next person sellin SDBs.
  Block - will stop the person being able to visit your street and leave any more nasty surprises. You can continue to play Glitch without being harassed. Block is only as permanent as you wish it to be, either staying in place forever, or allowing you to remove this block down the track if you feel like giving the person another chance.
  WalruZ, I hope the person leaves you alone. Please play the game however you choose. If you're not breaking TS rules then other players can just deal with your play-style :)
  Posted 6 months ago by xombiekitty | Permalink
- What will be most interesting to see, Re: B&B's comment regarding barriers to entry, is when the game opens to new players again. The use of a Construction Tool is about as high a barrier to entry as one gets, especially when combined with the skills required to make all the ingredients for Constructed goods.
  That said, if someone thinks you're undercutting them on SDBs, there are plenty of Substitute uses for the raw ingredients (like snails! crazy high price!), and perhaps they should compete in those markets. Giants know, the energy cost of making anything with a CT is crazy high.
  Posted 6 months ago by Stuv | Permalink
- What I find interesting is the idea that one might not want snipers to purchase their goods. What do I care if someone's sniper buys my goods at a price I have set them to? I would only think, "HOORAY My goods sold!"
  In my experience, if a player is worried that someone else is taking unfair advantage by either
  a) selling at too low a price or
  b) buying at too low a price
  then that same player is more likely concerned that they didn't have the same opportunity to do so and/or their greed is showing.
  Posted 6 months ago by foolbunny | Permalink
- Maybe the market needs cheering up?
  Send flowers, balloons or maybe a clown? Clowns always cheer me up.
  Posted 6 months ago by ☣ elf ☣ | Permalink
- I am The Markets and I'm sick of people telling me how I feel
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- @Raw toast - I sell them (when I can be bothered to gather the resources to make them...) for 2k - I hate collecting snails from sloths..it's long, boring and tedious, then the mining of course to grind the rock to make the metal rods to feed the sloths. If you're starting from scratch and gathering your own resources then I don't think 1k is sufficient for 'auction' selling purposes. If you can't make them, I don't have a problem making them for you (for free) as long as you put in some of the work and go out there and gather some of the resources needed.
  Posted 6 months ago by ~Arabesque~ | Permalink
- @Derek Smalls - I bought a wallpaper..it's a grid of orange/yellow/white squares which I use to line up the sdbs then change the swatch after! : )
  Posted 6 months ago by ~Arabesque~ | Permalink
- Apparently you don't even need to buy the wallpaper
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- @shhexy really? That's awesome!! I bought it because it was the paper I used in the test house in the living room (70's chick) :D
  Posted 6 months ago by ~Arabesque~ | Permalink
- @foolbunny " What do I care if someone's sniper buys my goods at a price I have set them to? "
  You would care if your purpose in listing them at a super-low price was to be charitable.
  Several of the posters in this thread have explained that they list items in the auctions at a very low price as a way of being generous or assisting buyers when the market had driven prices way up. If someone was trying to perform a generous act by setting a super-low price I think it would be understandable for them to be frustrated if they discovered they had been selling to speculators who resold at higher prices. It is the same with people who give away things to beggars on global only to find the recipient listing the items on auction.
  I never thought of the auctions as anything other than a marketplace but reading the comments here has shown me that there are other ways to view it. Knowing this makes it easier for me to understand a lot of auction behavior that was baffling to me before. This discussion has given me a very different perspective than the discussions I had read on global.
  Posted 6 months ago by Miss Bobbit | Permalink
- Arabesque - I think so - I tried it out for a bit, you just test the swatch and then start moving things about. I couldn't be bothered to do it properly though cos I'm not bothered enough
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- Different people play this game by different imaginary rules. Some people try to get others to go along with their imaginary rules.
  There is even an imaginary rule against trying to get other people to play the way that you want. But I don't think we are such tender flowers that we should make an imaginary rule against informing another player, once, that you wish that player would act in a different way.
  Posted 6 months ago by Vocable | Permalink
- Vocable: Sorry, but you've broken my imaginary rule about not talking about the [redacted]
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink
- Please desist
  Posted 6 months ago by shhexy corin | Permalink

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