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Guide for Beginning Traders
-- Sanna You've heard the stories of the Bakers who make a thousand plat a day on Halas 10 and MTPs, or the Smiths who sell suits of Cultural at 2k-5k a piece, and you want in on some of that. Phat lewtz, l33t plat. Turn around now and leave this site. Do not start a tradeskill because you want lots of money. That Smith who sells BPs for 10k has already dropped 200k or more getting his 250th point. Tradeskills take time, money, dedication, and patience, and generally in that order, too. It is not for the weak of heart, mind, wrist, and fingers, and also generally in that order as well. ... ... Still here? Good. You are made of stronger stuff then, and suitable to be a tradeskiller. This guide is not how to get whatever Skill to whatever Level to make whatever Item. It is not a pricing guide for selling whatever Item at whatever "Fair Price". This is a guide on how to survive in the Norrathian Economy, where your fellow player has just as much of a chance of scowling at you, ready to attack, as they do of regarding you as an ally.
First, realize that it is too easy to get an EQ account. Second, realize that not everyone who has an EQ account is going to be as mentally mature as you consider yourself. Age does not matter; while it is uncommon, it is certainly possible for a 16 year old to be as mentally mature or moreso as a 24 year old, when playing a game built on masks and alternate identities. So you've chosen your Craft, spent some plat, gotten some serious skill in a field. Where do you go from here?
A. Make Your Presence Known. Be patient here. It takes a while to build a customer base.
B. Endear Yourself.
C. Recommend Yourself. A. Know The Market At All Times
B. Know Your Competition At All Times This leads into... C. Do Not Engage In Price Wars Let me tell you a story about two people, we will refer to them with 'A' and 'T'. 'T' is a rather nice character to talk to, she has gotten her skill to an appreciable level, and is reaping the benefits that come at the end of her journey. The character 'A', on the other hand, is merely a bazaar mule, a mask for someone who wants skill AND profit, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the skill, make the product, and MOVE the product. And he prices everything he sells at 5 gold less than the cheapest other person selling. 'T', however, considers herself market-savvy, and since 'A' generally has multiples of 20 of what he sells, she perceives that she needs to 'keep up, or down, with the Joneses'. She matches his price, or beats him by another 5g. He drops a plat. She drops again. And a product that was once selling for 15p suddenly goes for 8... 6... 4.5p. Cost, or barely above. The customers love it, but both 'A' and 'T' get frustrated at each other, because they are both cutting the legs out from each other. This is Price Warring. It is exceedingly destructive to all who engage in it, but also destructive to those who do not. (Their product is then more expensive and does not really move.) The opposite action, however, cannot be done at any cost, either: Price Fixing. Very few people would agree that Price Fixing is a viable alternative; the idea behind the Bazaar is a Free Market Economy, 'price it how you like'. The only thing to be done when a Price War starts is RIDE IT OUT. Do NOT engage the opponent(s) under any circumstances. I'm not saying 'don't ever move your price', but keep in mind that there are scores of people like 'A' who want the skill, and just want to move their product, no matter the cost except that they break even. (There will even be people who just want to move the product even if they DON'T break even!) In some fields, Price Wars will simply be inevitable. Get a feel for the market (this may take a couple of weeks), and ride out the storms, without contributing to them. Period, end of sentence. As your reputation grows as a Crafter and a provider of your skill or product, people will occasionally contact you for a custom order. A few guidelines here. A. Delineate ALL Conditions Beforehand: Price, Risk, Reward. It is not considered rude to clearly state a price for a given item, especially if that item has not yet been made. If a Smith receives an order for a full suit of armor, with no components provided, that Smith is perfectly allowed, and indeed has an obligation, to state an EXACT PRICE. Be it a lump sum for all the pieces of armor requested, or individual prices for individual pieces, state everything, come to an agreement, and WRITE IT DOWN. Unless and even if you have a perfect memory, just get a piece of parchment and a quill and jot a quick note. If a Smith is approached by someone who knows what they are talking about, and has prepared subcombines or simply gathered materials and wants combines done, it is again the responsibility of the Crafter to state the requested price. It is also the duty of the Crafter to state that all risk is being taken by the customer, not the Crafter. You are merely providing them with the service of your skill. If you have risk of failure, state BEFOREHAND if you require payment per combine, or payment per successful combine. Some Crafters even have a small Payment Per Combine, with a second fee payable upon success. Some people would not accept plat for a failed combine. B. Combining The Ingredients Group with the customer if the customer wishes; offering to do so is a sign of courtesy on most servers, and generally expected on many. This is done as all groupmates in the same zone can see the success or failure of a tradeskill combine performed by a member of the group, and is a form of insurance for the customer. You have nothing to hide if you are not performing a scam. (And if you are scamming, I am very ashamed of you, and you should stop for that very reason. ^_^) C. That Trade Button It seems like such an obvious thing to say, but some people might get overeager. When you are trading your crafted items for the plat, do pay attention and wait until they have put up the requested and agreed upon amount of plat in the box before you hit 'trade'. With a few simple guidelines in mind, just keep doing what you enjoy in tradeskills, and things will work out. It's not insta-plat-flow, but it's not supposed to be. It's like a job. Work at it, and eventually you will get paid. ^_^. Ok, it's sort of like a job, I suppose. Have fun, and never get to where you can't smile.
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