Maintenance for the week of March 25:
• [COMPLETE] ESO Store and Account System for maintenance – March 28, 9:00AM EDT (13:00 UTC) - 12:00PM EDT (16:00 UTC)

Breaking the Sellers Cartel price wall

goatlyonesub17_ESO
goatlyonesub17_ESO
✭✭✭✭
Now that I've bought Longfin Pasty with Melon Sauce from a seller who finally posted a recipe for a reasonably cheap price, I've gone into business making this food and underselling everybody else's price on stacks of 100. When they reduce their prices to match mine, my prices will be reduced even further. I won't conform to any cartel rules about what this food should cost. People will buy from me because I'm the least expensive, unless the cartel buys from me first, thinking to jack up the price and resell, and, either way, I'll just make more. (I think Jay Leno said something like that about potato chips.)

And I'm going to do the same thing with sanded nightwood. You sellers who have been holding writ crafters over a barrel with your 10k or 12k prices for 200 pieces, your day is done. I'll undersell you until neither you nor I are able to take more than a small profit from it. Ha ha ha ha ha!
"Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
"Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
"I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
"A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
"Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
"Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • Nestor
    Nestor
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't understand why Nightwood sells for so much. It is one of the easiest woods to farm, being in at least 3 zones and two of those are barely farmed. I have gone from 200 to 800 pieces in the past week without even trying to.
    Enjoy the game, life is what you really want to be worried about.

    PakKat "Everything was going well, until I died"
    Gary Gravestink "I am glad you died, I needed the help"

  • mamericus
    mamericus
    ✭✭✭
    As far as nightwood goes, it is probably not that it's hard to farm per se, because as you've pointed out it is pretty abundant. The fact that it is the top tier mat for woodworking writs however, means that most players doing those writs are in their veteran levels and have far better things to do than spending their days farming for it. While it's not rare by any means, it is less common than voidstone and far less common than voidcloth and shadowhide, which everyone seems to have a surplus of. That said, I agree the current market prices are ridiculous, but people will always want to make a killing when they can, and since not many people decide to go the way of the OP, they can.

    Kudos to the OP for taking on the establishment.
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    There are trails through wooded (or semi-wooded) areas along which nightwood nodes are strung at much smaller than average distances. You have to learn these routes, the dangers that surround them, use a means of rapid travel, and outsmart all your rival harvesters. If the field has been fallow for a while, then all the nodes are popped up, and you'll want to be the first out and fastest around. But if the field has been continuously worked, you'll want to observe where the competitors are and stay ahead of the bulk of them. If there's a high density part of the route, you might want to skip ahead or take a short cut and let the competing harvesters use their time working on the lower density parts.

    There's an ebb and flow, both in where the harvesters are and in where the wood will pop. Ideally, you'll want the wood to appear in front of you just as you are approaching the node. That pretty much guarantees that you'll be the one to get the wood, and Runs-In-Circles over there will be left with nothing.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • Flaminir
    Flaminir
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    I admire your stance.....

    But the likelihood of you 'breaking' the status quo is almost nil.

    One player is unlikely to alter the price of a reasonably fast moving item like food.

    If you slightly undercut others then whats the point?

    If you sell it for silly low money then a good proportion of it will be snapped up by others to flip it for more money, and the remainder will just be gone from the store SO quick that the majority will just continue to buy at the standard MM price.

    You cannot hope to impact an entire megaservers prices.... you only have 5 guild slots... unless you intend to try and spam chat across all trading hub zones 24/7. The entire trading system in this game is designed around preventing one or a few people crashing the market by having a fragmented guild trader system.

    By all means... sell stuff at crazy low prices... I'm sure that a small handful of genuine consumers will be happy they got a bargain... and the traders will be happy they made gold off you.... but you aren't going to breaking any kind of cartel pricing structure (Not that one exists... as I said, the design minimizes the chance for that).

    Seems like a wasted effort tbh..... why not just play the game?

    P.S. the price of purple food is naturally coming down at quite a rate anyway as more and more people get the recipe... so why bother trying to reduce the price when its happening anyway?
    Edited by Flaminir on October 28, 2015 7:32PM
    GM of the Unholy Legacy
    EU/EP
    Sorcerer Flaminir (Magicka) / Staminir (Stamina)
    Templar Elixiia (Magicka/Healer) / Lotti Velooni (Magicka)
    DragonKnight Xalora Flaminar (Tank) / Unholy-Dragon-Toad (Tank)
    Nightblade Aimee Owlious (Magicka) / Myttens (Stamina)
    Warden: Frosti-Tute (Magicka/Healer) Boops-Many-Snoots (Stamina/Tank)
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    Oh I don't sell for "crazy low prices." I sell for a lower price than any other seller at any other guild store. My VR16 character travels around and sees what the prices are: highest price, lowest price, typical price. She then undersells the lowest of the regular sellers by, oh, 10% or so. The other sellers can buy me out, sure. But more of my stuff will then hit the market, and there will just never be an end to it. Those other sellers can sit on piles and piles of wood that they aren't going to turn into money anytime soon (if I can help it).
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • Flaminir
    Flaminir
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    Oh I don't sell for "crazy low prices." I sell for a lower price than any other seller at any other guild store. My VR16 character travels around and sees what the prices are: highest price, lowest price, typical price. She then undersells the lowest of the regular sellers by, oh, 10% or so. The other sellers can buy me out, sure. But more of my stuff will then hit the market, and there will just never be an end to it. Those other sellers can sit on piles and piles of wood that they aren't going to turn into money anytime soon (if I can help it).

    Ok.... errrrmmm... that's basically totally common selling practice and not anything new or 'cartel breaking'

    Huge numbers of power sellers do exactly the same..... it means their stuff sells v quick, and then most people buy slightly higher when the slightly cheaper stuff is gone.

    Nothing new here....



    Good tactic btw though... .good luck & I hope you get rich :)
    Edited by Flaminir on October 28, 2015 7:41PM
    GM of the Unholy Legacy
    EU/EP
    Sorcerer Flaminir (Magicka) / Staminir (Stamina)
    Templar Elixiia (Magicka/Healer) / Lotti Velooni (Magicka)
    DragonKnight Xalora Flaminar (Tank) / Unholy-Dragon-Toad (Tank)
    Nightblade Aimee Owlious (Magicka) / Myttens (Stamina)
    Warden: Frosti-Tute (Magicka/Healer) Boops-Many-Snoots (Stamina/Tank)
  • Slurg
    Slurg
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    There's an organized purple food cartel muscling hundreds of trade guilds on an entire server around now?!? I guess I missed out!
    Happy All the Holidays To You and Yours!
    Remembering better days of less RNG in all the things.
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    My stuff is never gone. I've been low on stock a few times, due to sales, but never out since I began. And if I can be reliable enough, I'm hoping that I can force price reductions on the other sellers, who otherwise won't sell much nightwood.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    I only sell one purple food. Longfin Pasty with Melon Sauce. I've been selling it for 5k per stack of 100 because I haven't seen anybody with a lower price yet. When I do, I'll (1) know my strategy is working and (2) lower my price further.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • Scyantific
    Scyantific
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Just sounds like a petty attempt to get back at someone for cashing in on something you couldn't.

    Also the nightwood thing is an issue of convenience over effort. Sure, people can spend an hour or two farming an entire stack of the stuff. Then again that time could be spent doing something fun, especially if it's comparing to just farming. You can't blame the people who seize the opportunity that presents itself due to people's laziness.
  • Valen_Byte
    Valen_Byte
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    It wont work though. You dont produce enough nightwood by yourself to change the market. The sheere volume of nightwood that gets used everyday is staggering. My wife for example, has like 6 crafters that all do writs everyday. Now, she could buy your one or two stacks cheaply, but then she will still have to farm or purchase 2 more stacks.

    You alone can not change the market. You would have to farm thousands of mats a day to have any effect on guild prices.
    ***Dixon Kay MagDK FORMER EMPEROR***Deca Dix MagDK FORMER EMPORER***Valonious MagPlar FORMER EMPEROR***
    GM of BYTE
    MAY YOUR DEATHS BE SWIFT, AND YOUR LOAD SCREENS LONG.
    And alien tears will fill for him, Pity’s long-broken urn, For his mourners will be outcast men, And outcasts always mourn
  • Scyantific
    Scyantific
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Valen_Byte wrote: »
    It wont work though. You dont produce enough nightwood by yourself to change the market. The sheere volume of nightwood that gets used everyday is staggering. My wife for example, has like 6 crafters that all do writs everyday. Now, she could buy your one or two stacks cheaply, but then she will still have to farm or purchase 2 more stacks.

    You alone can not change the market. You would have to farm thousands of mats a day to have any effect on guild prices.

    Good luck trying to convince the OP though. They're pretty much delusional about "BREAKING THAT CARTEL'S WALL" even though:

    1) There is no organized movement to inflate prices
    2) Literally no one gives a sh**

    It's basically a result of demand exceeding supply. Here's a spoiler: Literally the same thing is going to happen with Ruby Ash the moment Orsinium hits the live servers. The price on that is going to skyrocket once the new writs kick in. And what is the OP going to do then? Nothing, that's what.
    Edited by Scyantific on October 28, 2015 7:57PM
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    I usually harvest about 600-800 pieces of raw nightwood every time I go out to get it. I've been doing this twice during each 24-hours of game up-time. I can do more of it than I presently do. My main character is a level 16 sorc and no good for PvP. Since all of the questing worth doing is done, all of the skyshards found, all of the delves done, etc., she spends her time looking for fun things to do. One of them is trying to confound greedy merchants. Another is looking for ways to get to places that are hard to get to (as the leader of the Belkarth Acrobats).
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    Farming is fun. In a way. You have competitors out there trying to get the wood before you do, and you have to be faster and more aware of when the nodes will respawn. Ah the thrill of victory when the race is a close one, and I walk away leaving the other player fuming at the outcome. Of course, there's also the agony of defeat when he beats me to it.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • eliisra
    eliisra
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nestor wrote: »
    I don't understand why Nightwood sells for so much. It is one of the easiest woods to farm, being in at least 3 zones and two of those are barely farmed. I have gone from 200 to 800 pieces in the past week without even trying to.

    Because you can steal enough jerkins, jackets, helms and greatswords in Belkarth to complete both the Blacksmith&Clothing writ. Only takes a few minutes to grab everything and deconstruct for hundreds or mats.

    But not so many shields and bows in the area. Meaning lazy people need to relogg and steal again, go steal shields somewhere else or do it the old fashion way, dig up wood. Loads of guys will just buy a stack.

    OP: You clearly dont get how much money no-life merchants have. I can easily buy all your stacks of nightwood and Longfin Pasty blah, than resell it and make a nice profit. If you put in more, I buy that to and I'm far from being the richest *** Belkarth.

    The trick is dropping prices slowly, just enough so that resell hunters wont make profit putting it back in a guild store, like 10-15% below current going prices. That annoys them way more than you giving them cheap nightwood.
  • lolo_01b16_ESO
    lolo_01b16_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    Have fun with your experiment. But I doubt it will change anything.

    Every player has his personal maximum price for nightwood. If it's higher, he will farm it on his own, if it's lower he will buy it. When the average price drops, less people will farm for it and more people will buy it instead. If you want to stop the price from going up to the old value right away, you need to sell (and farm) more.
    You might be able to push the prices down for some time, but when you stop selling nightwood at some point the price will be go up again to its old value.
  • Scyantific
    Scyantific
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nightwood is going to drop like a stone anyway come Monday, so too little, too late.
    Edited by Scyantific on October 28, 2015 8:05PM
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    Hey, it's NOT A PROBLEM if rich players buy my wood and food for resale. Let them keep on doing it. The fact is, though, that the dynamic equilibrium usually leaves my store with four or five offerings of 200 stacks of sanded nightwood.

    Undoubtedly, some of the buyers are other merchants who intend to mark up what they bought and resell it.

    But also undoubtedly, some of the buyers are end-users, i.e., decent folks, who appreciate my efforts to bring them wood for a lower price than the skinflint merchants want to charge.

    Possibly at some point my harvesting and vending efforts will be overwhelmed. But that point has not yet arrived.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    My prices are about 5% to 10% lower than the next lowest price for the same quantity of the same item.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • NBrookus
    NBrookus
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭
    I don't know about console, but if anyone is paying 10-12k for stacks of nightwood on PC, they are just foolish or so flush with gold they don't care. I see a lot of high prices in guild stores and a flood of inventory, but it actually sells for about 5-6k.

    There's no "cartel," no secret pricing meetings, no supply manipulations. There's just the free market and player supply and demand. People are willing to pay 5k for a stack of nightwood versus picking it up themselves; heaven knows it's all over the place and there's no supply constraint.

    Just like people are willing to pay for the latest purple V15 food instead of leveling provisioning, buying Imperial City and grinding until they get the recipe. No worries, the price will plummet next week on Longfin Pasty.

    But the price of the new hotness will be crazy expensive. Say hello to Smoked Bear Haunch.

    If you are planning to "break the cartel" next week over Columbine or Perfect Roe when they skyrocket in price, let me know which store you are going to be selling in. :wink:
  • goatlyonesub17_ESO
    goatlyonesub17_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭
    I didn't think there were meetings. I was thinking there were guidelines. A list of "suggested" prices for stacks of different goods posted online somewhere.
    "Argonians have fat, scaly tails." —Rissa Manyclaws.
    "Once upon a time there were three sisters: Delicious, Delightful, and Disgusting. Now, Delicious and Delightful were both very pretty girls..." —Brendalyn Jurarde.
    "I smell to the nobility." —Indrasa Avani.
    "A bargain with an animal is not a contract made." —Haderus Atrimus.
    "Redguard makeup for sale. Free samples. Secret ingredients. Unique application method. Lots of satisfied customers." —The Mudball Goblin (aka, Cognac Vinecroft)
    "Your armor looks like underwear." —Shuns-the-Knife.
  • Nestor
    Nestor
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    eliisra wrote: »
    Because you can steal enough jerkins, jackets, helms and greatswords in Belkarth to complete both the Blacksmith&Clothing writ. Only takes a few minutes to grab everything and deconstruct for hundreds or mats.

    I know they nerfed into the ground the Insp you get from deconning stolen items, but have they done this with the mats too? I was not paying that much attention that last time I deconn'd some stolen stuff but it seemed I got less mats back. Maybe I will steal some stuff and see.

    But, what I don't understand is a few weeks ago, I could buy all the Nightwood I wanted at 10 gold each, now they sell for a 100 gold each in stacks. Is it because of the Nirn drops in Surveys?

    Edited by Nestor on October 28, 2015 10:07PM
    Enjoy the game, life is what you really want to be worried about.

    PakKat "Everything was going well, until I died"
    Gary Gravestink "I am glad you died, I needed the help"

  • Scyantific
    Scyantific
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    I didn't think there were meetings. I was thinking there were guidelines. A list of "suggested" prices for stacks of different goods posted online somewhere.

    Oh, hello Zero Mystic. Is this your way of saying, "Please ban Master Merchant from ESO," now that you've been banned from the game for harassment?
  • code65536
    code65536
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nestor wrote: »
    eliisra wrote: »
    Because you can steal enough jerkins, jackets, helms and greatswords in Belkarth to complete both the Blacksmith&Clothing writ. Only takes a few minutes to grab everything and deconstruct for hundreds or mats.

    I know they nerfed into the ground the Insp you get from deconning stolen items, but have they done this with the mats too? I was not paying that much attention that last time I deconn'd some stolen stuff but it seemed I got less mats back. Maybe I will steal some stuff and see.

    But, what I don't understand is a few weeks ago, I could buy all the Nightwood I wanted at 10 gold each, now they sell for a 100 gold each in stacks. Is it because of the Nirn drops in Surveys?

    Glass fragments. Nightwood has always been expensive, but it skyrocketed in price when people started to hunt for those glass fragments.

    As for high prices, it's a simple matter of supply and demand. Sure, you can price it lower than the prevailing price, but that just means a few lucky buyers will get your wood, and once you sell out (which you will, if you price it low enough), then all those higher-priced items will go right back to selling. There is no cartel. The prices on nightwood have shot up, gone down, gone up, and is currently going down once again.
    Nightfighters ― PC/NA and PC/EU

    Dungeons and Trials:
    Personal best scores:
    Dungeon trifectas:
    Media: YouTubeTwitch
  • Ender1310
    Ender1310
    ✭✭✭✭
    It's because how actual supply and demand is supposed to work it is natural. Now we have master merchant that responds to knee jerk price raises or someone doing what the op wants to do but in the opposite direction plus gold buying which further enables this behavior creating an environment unfavorable for the average player. Down with master merchant and you will see prices start to normalize as sellers are forced to actually think about how much these goods are worth. Thanks op for trying but the damage has been done through apps I'm afraid
  • Drax76
    Drax76
    ✭✭✭
    Unfortunately, us console players don't have a Master Merchant add-on.
    PS4 - NA - AD
    v16 Khajiit NB Tank
    40 Breton Templar Healer/Tank
  • poodlemasterb16_ESO
    poodlemasterb16_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    A small point but most serious players are using blue food. I can make any damn thing and my fighters all run on blue.

    Has the Perfect Roe rate been upped or is my lead just really lucky? Getting about one in 4 holes these days.
    Edited by poodlemasterb16_ESO on November 2, 2015 8:06AM
  • Number_51
    Number_51
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Has the Perfect Roe rate been upped or is my lead just really lucky? Getting about one in 4 holes these days.

    Just RNG. Last week I was getting about 1 per 80 fish, this week it's been more like 1 per 150.

  • poodlemasterb16_ESO
    poodlemasterb16_ESO
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yup RNgeezuz is pretty fickle. I'm going by holes as it's 15 fish or so, I have been lucky.
Sign In or Register to comment.