Ok…deep breath…I have been watching the auction for furniture and decorations and think that this is being manipulated by group of players (or a player with a number of avatars).
No hard evidence…just a strong feeling based on observation of the prices and names selling stuff over the last month or so.
I am really, really irritated by this because it strikes at one of the more interesting aspects of PE – owning an apartment and building something in PE. The artificial inflation of prices means that, for example, a shelf and one light could cost as much (if not more) than the cost of the apartment - which can not be right!
Ok…so this could be paranoia! But wondered what other people thought. No flames please… this issue has been bugging me for ages and I want a ‘reality check’!
Its no paranoia P-J, the furniture auction at present is under heavy manipulation, most likely a single player with 4-8 avatars, who throws 60-70 items(2+pages) into auction within a couple of minutes of each other at hugely inflated prices. This method gives a ‘standard’ buyer a feeling that these prices are normal and goes ahead and pays way over the norm..
For me, I havn’t successfully purchased items at auction in weeks, resulting in some of my stock items running low or empty. My business buys up furniture items when there is an abundance of them at low prices, i add a mark up of between 10 an 30%. Months later, the items may not drop any more or becomes rare etc, but they should be available at my shops at very reasonable (IMO) prices.
Solution: The only way this manipulation can change is if a ton of items drop, ie lighting items. Then these guy/s are out of business, as they cant keep buying items at inflated prices to support their ridiculous prices.
So go an MA, drop a 100+ lighting fixtures in the next couple of days to close them down and make the market liquid again.
just my :twocents: but one easy way to fix this (no offense to u Da Celt..i love the idea of the shop but seeing how things r on auction..) … add a dang furniture terminal..no more over inflated prices and this way u can decorate your apartment for a bit under the apartment price… cause right now as you’ve said… you pay WAY more then the apartment price if u wanna decorate it in no luxurious ways.
Sadly I do think that this happens with more than just furniture…
I’m a middling skilled hunter who with 2 or maybe 3 of my Soc friends could hunt Hogglo… When we tried two nights back we were spoiled by someone who dragged a hogglo into us while we regrouped after a hunt just to stop us hunting there… Now when you see (as we knew before we went hunting) that Hogglo drop Shadow armour it really strikes home…
As long as it’s an Uber dropping Shadow all is happy and smiley… Now I don’t want this to sound like sour grapes… I own a Shadow Harness and will complete the set in the coming months.. but the high level players have to accept that there are other people coming up.
Just back on subject.. re-sellers, please don’t be offended if I shout correct prices when you try to buy under market price from n00bs If you really don’t like it I am a pvp addict Not very good but I try
I’d say the solution could be easier and involves literally very little interaction.
We will compose a list here with the names of them. Someone can copy the list to EF. That way there’s at least a great exposure of those names. Granted, we cannot stop everyone, but if we stop a whole lot of them, the resellers will hurt.
We’re easily talking a hundred items here. That’s 100 PED. IF we consistently do not buy, the reseller(s) will eventually run out of money. I’ll also start hunting more Snargs and aloos etc to try and drop more furniture.
I’ll hop in-game in a few and start working on the list. I’ll double-check with some who are interested before I post it (and send a copy to MA. It’s most likely 1 player with multiple avis. That violates the EULA. This particular player also greatly decreases the pleasure I draw from the game. If enough of us complain, MA will take action, hopefully). People interested in double-checking, PM me.
[QUOTE=ViagraFalls]
We will compose a list here with the names of them. Someone can copy the list to EF. That way there’s at least a great exposure of those names. Granted, we cannot stop everyone, but if we stop a whole lot of them, the resellers will hurt.
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I have begun my list since 2 weeks, i am sure about 4 names (it is too repetitive to be honest).
[QUOTE=ViagraFalls]
We’re easily talking a hundred items here. That’s 100 PED. IF we consistently do not buy, the reseller(s) will eventually run out of money. I’ll also start hunting more Snargs and aloos etc to try and drop more furniture.
[/QUOTE]
I have bought only three items (2 are the new paintings) for the last 3 weeks, like Da celt my stock is more or less empty!!! However, it is nice to know that they are losing a minimum of 100 ped each time they put items at auction.
[QUOTE=ViagraFalls]
I’ll hop in-game in a few and start working on the list. I’ll double-check with some who are interested before I post it. People interested in double-checking, PM me.
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I can host the list at my website if we re not allowed to put it in forums. I sent you my list
More generally, I agree with Beki, PE market is actually manipulated :mad:
This is my initial list of suspects that charge a min of 2 times or more standard historic price trends for items. I guess today about 70% of items in auction are in this manipulation category. Once the list is complete we post it off to MA ask for multiple account check as we suspect EULA rule breakage. But i suppose, in the long run this sort of thing will work itself out as less folks buy furniture and apartments, while these buyer(s) need to continue to buy all new items in the market to maintain there prices, well i can hope …
[QUOTE=Lady Trisha]
Just a question, do you guys think it only goes for furniture?
I think I see it in some other stuff aswell, for example ML 35 that I followed for some time.
I just cant put my finger on it…but its always a little to expensive and always only a few in auction. Same goes for the starkhovs.
Either I’m missing something or its something fishy goin on?
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Your not missing anything. There is something going on. It’s simple market fixing. Specialy for the rare powerful items.
Just yesterday I saw that someone put an outbucko for 500 PED! Not a pre gold nor was it an adjusted-plain o’l 4 PED gun. I have since htis atleast once a month.
[QUOTE=Digit]
Your not missing anything. There is something going on. It’s simple market fixing. Specialy for the rare powerful items.
Just yesterday I saw that someone put an outbucko for 500 PED! Not a pre gold nor was it an adjusted-plain o’l 4 PED gun. I have since htis atleast once a month.
[/QUOTE]
Pssssst. That’s in-game Western Union. Just money being transfered from one account to another…
Well anyway I feel its bad for the comunity, since PE already is a expensive game for most off us.
And ofc demand and sutch is ok, but buying up items and then create the prices from your own imagination is not good at all.
But true same as in RL always ppl out there trying to influence the market any way they possible can.
The only thing we can do to make it a little bit better is to NOT buy to expensive and try to wait out the better prices and not buy the ML 35 to TT+2.5 or the little chair for 49 peds when its obeveuis that theres 10 other chairs at the same price from same avatar.
Hmmmm :scratch: I know there are lots of resellers out there and that is part of PE. I know this sucks but if the price is to high don’t buy. Eventually the price will go down unless its a very sought after rare item. Even if one individual has multi avatars and is asking way to much for his goods and no one buys from them then he will be forced to lower prices or continue losing the 1 ped fee to MA. My best advice is to check the shop keepers you might stumble upon a deal now and then.
I know MA wants to make money and bring more into the game so with that frame of mind there will always be rarer expensive items. I just remember the uproar a couple VUs back when quite a few imp2870s dropped it devalued them and people were upset they paid so much to have it drop in price due to MA allowing them to drop so much. PE is dynamic just wait for the cycles to swing where the item you want is at a higher drop rate the price should then go down.
I guess just be patient the item you want will one day be put on auction at a price you want or you might find an avie selling it in Twin. Who knows? GL and remember a person who shill bids and price gouges in the end will lose out if no one buys their product.
[QUOTE=Kay]
Agreed, but those multiple avatars are ‘killing’ the furniture and decoration market actually!
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Very true Kay. I don’t have a solution for that other than MA rooting out people with multi avatars. I am not sure if they would do this or not. When I get furniture I don’t use. I usually sell it for tt+2 then a high BO just to let the auction do its job and give people a chance to bid. Unless its a rare item then I will look at the market and try to under price my competitors to get the item to sell.
I mean PE is like real llife in a sense that you will find all types of shadey people trying to profit in ways that are not so honorable. Hopefully people will read this post and not buy from market manipulators. The sellers will then see people catching on to their scheme an hopefully change their ways. If not I could not see it being profitable for them in the future. It just sucks that the market will go through some tough times until it gets taken care of.
I agree the furnature and decoration market is way too inflated..
With furnature being among the most useless items within pe, it isnt and should be worth all that much to buy.
I mean you cant kill something with it, it cant make it harder for something to kill you and it doesnt even make your avvy look good. It just sits in your apartment.
Wich is why i have set prices im willing to pay for most of it.
Most of the furnature and decorations are not worth more than 25 ped a piece
most even less.
Some types of furnature are worth a little more like a bed or a fireplace or a painting.
35-60 ped for a lamp, 100 ped for a bookcase 200 for a statue and the people who want these prices smoke too much crack.
200 ped for a nice bed i can understand.. 500 for a ME fireplace i can understand but not 60-70 for a chair..
Perhaps we might compile a list witha concensus on what is reasonable to pay for different items.. like 10 ped for cayad lamp and direct people to that list and say if they pay more they are getting ripped. that way we get more people to not pay the price gouged prices. in addition to keeping track of the people who sell in auction and thier sales..
See who wins what bids and see if they put the item back on auction soon after for an overly inflated price and to look for multiple avatars.
If you really don’t like it I am a pvp addict 
