ESOs Public Trading System

IAMJ0N35Y

ESOs guild trading system can be very annoying for some players (like me). I have been holding onto around about 30 hollowjack motifs since witches festival 2016 and haven't had much luck with selling them to other players. I also haven't been able to find a trading guild who has a guild merchant. Personally, I prefer if ZOS were able to create an auction house system like SWtOR or WoW.

Here is a simple idea I have:
Create a new area in Reaper's March where there is a giant trading market run by khajiit. This market could have the basic vendors (i.e blacksmith, mystic), the crafting writ boards, and a bunch of khajiit traders that are linked to one big store that any player can sell their items in and other players can purchase these items.

(Feel free to adjust my idea)

Edit: I found an addon that is basically a server-wide auction house. It is called Nirn Auction House and here is a link to it http://www.esoui.com/downloads/info1768-NirnAuctionHouse.html#info

VaranisArano

I have to assume you aren't on NA PC, where if you can't find a trading guild with a trader you simply aren't paying attention to zone chat.

Which platform do you play on? I have a feeling that platform makes a big difference here.

IAMJ0N35Y

VaranisArano wrote: »

I have to assume you aren't on NA PC, where if you can't find a trading guild with a trader you simply aren't paying attention to zone chat.

Which platform do you play on? I have a feeling that platform makes a big difference here.

I am on NA PC and I do know what /zone chat is. Another thing to note is that I am an Oceania player so most players are not online when I am.

kip_silverwolf

IAMJ0N35Y wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

I have to assume you aren't on NA PC, where if you can't find a trading guild with a trader you simply aren't paying attention to zone chat.

Which platform do you play on? I have a feeling that platform makes a big difference here.

I am on NA PC and I do know what /zone chat is. Another thing to note is that I am an Oceania player so most players are not online when I am.

I'm also an Oceanic player on NA PC. I see constant trade guild adverts in chat, asking for new members, in nearly every zone I'm in, no matter the time of day (or night) I'm on.
Even if you're not seeing them, all you have to do is put 'LF trade guild' in chat.

oh, and as this seems to be the weekly 'Auction House' thread thinly disguised, I'll add that I much prefer the guild trader system over an Auction House.

VaranisArano

As a player on PC NA who also pays attention to zone chat, I do see guild adverts at anytime of day or night that I'm on. Or as kip_silverwolf suggests, try typing something like "LF trading guild" and see what people suggest. You can even be specific and say "LF trading guild in Rawlkha" or one of the capital cities if you need a big guild.

If your problem is that you can't sell items in zone chat, are you pricing them according to the market? Since you are on PC, I'm sure you've heard of the two major add-ons for market pricing: Master Merchant (of little utility to you since you don't have a trading guild) and Tamriel Trade Center (a game-wide listings price database). Both will allow you to price your items properly, and Tamriel Trade Center is probably the closest thing we have to a global database for items for sale. Do note that with the festival coming up, the Hollowjack motif is probably going to be cheap if it makes a return, and it never really gained too much value over a year.

Now to examine the idea of the auction house. There's already a ton of threads on this detailing pros and cons so i'm only going to talk about my opinion on it. First, it would require a text search function for obvious reasons. ZOS apparently has no interest in this even though everyone agrees it would make the current system easier. Second, I really question how ZOS would deal with botters and other forms of price manipulation. At least in the current system, they are sort of limited in how much of the market they can manipulate.

Third, the guild stores create a certain scarity where you have to balance your time spent shopping with possible getting a better price by going elsewhere (possibly alleviated by TTC). This helps items retain some of their value by allowing people to sell items at the price people want to buy it from their guild store, as opposed to competing directly and obviously with every other seller in the game. For example, if I sell a stack of raw ancestor silk, I'm competing with everyone in the game selling that item, technically. But practically, I only have to have a better or at least decent price compared to A. everyone selling that in my guild, and B. everyone selling that item in Belkarth or Craglorn zone chat. It limits the competition for the seller to a reasonable level while still keeping a high enough level of competition that the buyer has plenty of choice on most items.

Finally, I can understand that ESO's guild trader system would be frustrating to someone who isn't in a guild trader. My suggestion is that you join a trade guild and give the system a chance. Try it out and see if actually working within the system helps to address some of your frustrations.

Jeremy

IAMJ0N35Y wrote: »

ESOs guild trading system can be very annoying for some players (like me). I have been holding onto around about 30 hollowjack motifs since witches festival 2016 and haven't had much luck with selling them to other players. I also haven't been able to find a trading guild who has a guild merchant. Personally, I prefer if ZOS were able to create an auction house system like SWtOR or WoW.

Here is a simple idea I have:
Create a new area in Reaper's March where there is a giant trading market run by khajiit. This market could have the basic vendors (i.e blacksmith, mystic), the crafting writ boards, and a bunch of khajiit traders that are linked to one big store that any player can sell their items in and other players can purchase these items.

(Feel free to adjust my idea)

It would be nice if there was an open market somewhere all players had access to where they could sell their items to other players. So I like the idea.

Unfortunately I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for it to happen. The developers are quite stubborn in this regard and seem determined to make effective selling a trade guild only perk.

Runefang

Trading guilds are very very easy to find.

generalmyrick

IAMJ0N35Y wrote: »

ESOs guild trading system can be very annoying for some players (like me). I have been holding onto around about 30 hollowjack motifs since witches festival 2016 and haven't had much luck with selling them to other players. I also haven't been able to find a trading guild who has a guild merchant. Personally, I prefer if ZOS were able to create an auction house system like SWtOR or WoW.

Here is a simple idea I have:
Create a new area in Reaper's March where there is a giant trading market run by khajiit. This market could have the basic vendors (i.e blacksmith, mystic), the crafting writ boards, and a bunch of khajiit traders that are linked to one big store that any player can sell their items in and other players can purchase these items.

(Feel free to adjust my idea)

ZOS makes a deal with ebay and BOOM we have a great system! *DILLY DILLY*

Elsonso

In other news, the Hollowjack motif chapters are selling for about 1000-2000 gold, most of then 1000-1500 gold, each on PC/NA.

There are guilds that advertise here on the forum that have traders and room for new people. Check out the PC Mac NA Guild forum.

AzraelKrieg

Another auction house thread? GET THE HORSE! WE'RE NOT DONE YET LADS!

Betsararie

Put in the minimal amount of work to join a trading guild. It's really your only option if you want to make gold in this game

MudcrabSammich

I'm in 3 trading guilds. Two of the 3 had been doing okay and one of the 2 did exceptionally well this past week, having landed a bid in a very popular zone. Last night, we lost our bid apparently, and have NO trading spot this week. So, the I now belong to only 1 guild that has a trading spot and its not in a very well traveled area, so i'm thinking it will be a bad week for selling. And this after everybody in the guild was asked to go above and beyond with our donations in order to hold onto our spot(s). I don't think the current system is fair to people who are just trying to make a little extra money so we can buy better gear or materials to improve our existing gear. I know I went above and beyond with my donations because I really wanted our guild to secure that good spot,but despite our generosity, it just didn't happen. I feel bad for our guild manager - can't imagine the stress.
I just have a few hours a night to play because I work long hours, so no, I don't have time to stand around in zone trying to hock my wares. I really wish there was another way. I'm thinking of dumping one of the guilds I'm in, pending an invite from one of the (hopefully) more successful guilds.

jkemmery

My issue with trading guilds is that they have, probably in order to stay competitive, gotten extremely picky about sales, donations and time away from the game. I've lost my spot in 3 trading guilds lately because I either didn't sell enough, or didn't log in for 7 days. It used to be less competitive. I think ZOS needs to take a look at game economics and make some changes OR implement something like OP's idea. I like the idea of a universal trading site where someone doesn't have to be a member of a guild just to sell stuff. I too have several Hollowjack motifs to unload.

Taleof2Cities

jkemmery wrote: »

My issue with trading guilds is that they have, probably in order to stay competitive, gotten extremely picky about sales, donations and time away from the game. I've lost my spot in 3 trading guilds lately because I either didn't sell enough, or didn't log in for 7 days. It used to be less competitive. I think ZOS needs to take a look at game economics and make some changes OR implement something like OP's idea. I like the idea of a universal trading site where someone doesn't have to be a member of a guild just to sell stuff. I too have several Hollowjack motifs to unload.

Did you lose your spot because the guild got more competitive?

Or, did you lose your spot because you have less to offer the guild in either sales, guild support, or even logging in for the week??

The game economics are pretty clear in this case ...

Taleof2Cities

MudcrabSammich wrote: »

I just have a few hours a night to play because I work long hours, so no, I don't have time to stand around in zone trying to hock my wares. I really wish there was another way. I'm thinking of dumping one of the guilds I'm in, pending an invite from one of the (hopefully) more successful guilds.

Are players that can only log in for 2-3 hours per night a good match for a successful trading guild? Or, are those players a good match for a casual trading guild?

In addition, in those 2-3 hours per night, how much stuff do you actually have to sell?

disintegr8

jkemmery wrote: »

My issue with trading guilds is that they have, probably in order to stay competitive, gotten extremely picky about sales, donations and time away from the game. I've lost my spot in 3 trading guilds lately because I either didn't sell enough, or didn't log in for 7 days. It used to be less competitive. I think ZOS needs to take a look at game economics and make some changes OR implement something like OP's idea. I like the idea of a universal trading site where someone doesn't have to be a member of a guild just to sell stuff. I too have several Hollowjack motifs to unload.

I am in one guild that is very firm on kicking inactive players but you can get round it by donating - the more you donate, the longer you can be inactive for without being kicked. As the guild does not charge trading fees but still manages to get a trader most weeks, I think that is very reasonable - put in or get out.

I am noticing a change in the trading guilds on PS4 NA - more and more are charging 10k a week for trader access but even they are still not guaranteed a trader every week. Smaller, out of the way traders are still being hired by smaller guilds but often have very little stock.

There will come a time when ZOS will have to look at the guild trading system and either 're-model' it or watch it die, but I don't know when that will be or what they will do.

MLGProPlayer

IAMJ0N35Y wrote: »

I also haven't been able to find a trading guild who has a guild merchant.

Then you didn't try hard enough.

Type "LF trade guild" into zone chat.

You're welcome.

MLGProPlayer

jkemmery wrote: »

My issue with trading guilds is that they have, probably in order to stay competitive, gotten extremely picky about sales, donations and time away from the game. I've lost my spot in 3 trading guilds lately because I either didn't sell enough, or didn't log in for 7 days. It used to be less competitive. I think ZOS needs to take a look at game economics and make some changes OR implement something like OP's idea. I like the idea of a universal trading site where someone doesn't have to be a member of a guild just to sell stuff. I too have several Hollowjack motifs to unload.

I agree. But you can get around that by prepaying your dues and just letting the officers know your situation.

Chronicburn

We need an auction house.

MudcrabSammich

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

MudcrabSammich wrote: »

I just have a few hours a night to play because I work long hours, so no, I don't have time to stand around in zone trying to hock my wares. I really wish there was another way. I'm thinking of dumping one of the guilds I'm in, pending an invite from one of the (hopefully) more successful guilds.

Are players that can only log in for 2-3 hours per night a good match for a successful trading guild? Or, are those players a good match for a casual trading guild?

In addition, in those 2-3 hours per night, how much stuff do you actually have to sell?

i play a lot on weekends. I have no problem finding things to sell.

Motherball

In my opinion, the developers need to throw the little guy a bone here. If no full fledged Auction Hall or Bazaar is in the works, please update the UI with a proper search function and a way for players to sell without having to guild-hop or pay homage.

I like what the whole guild trader system is trying to do. What I dont appreciate is needing 5 trading guilds in case a few of them dont win bids for trader stalls. I’m not giving some guild 25% of my profit just to trade, or having to buy a bunch of expensive materials just to resell them in the big guild to meet a sales quota. Players shouldnt have to jump through so many hoops to trade. It sucks all the fun out of it.

Axoinus

IAMJ0N35Y wrote: »

ESOs guild trading system can be very annoying for some players (like me). I have been holding onto around about 30 hollowjack motifs since witches festival 2016 and haven't had much luck with selling them to other players. I also haven't been able to find a trading guild who has a guild merchant. Personally, I prefer if ZOS were able to create an auction house system like SWtOR or WoW.

Here is a simple idea I have:
Create a new area in Reaper's March where there is a giant trading market run by khajiit. This market could have the basic vendors (i.e blacksmith, mystic), the crafting writ boards, and a bunch of khajiit traders that are linked to one big store that any player can sell their items in and other players can purchase these items.

(Feel free to adjust my idea)

Rule of thumb. If you have 20 of something, it`s probably not worth very much.

RaddlemanNumber7

I would like to be able to sell my surplus to other players without the hassle of joining a guild or the risk of face-to-face trading.

In other MMO's I have played there has been a simple listing function. Post the stuff you want to sell and set a price for it. Other players are free to pay the price you ask or not to buy. Free to use. Free to take stuff off the list if it isn't selling. A system like that in ESO would suit me best.

VaranisArano

There are plenty of trade guilds with a huge variety of requirements and guild activities.. I'm in three on PC NA.

One guild, Rusty Old Dragons, is a friendly, PVE and PVP guild that has a great auction, a solid PVP team, overland events, and free crafting up to CP 140 if you put in a request on the guild website. There are no sales requirements, and activity requirements vary from 7-14 days depending on rank. I make solid but not amazing sales here since we are in Eastmarch. If you need a starting trade guild and PVP with EP, you might try joining Rusty Old Dragons.

I'm also in Akaviri Exchange, located in Belkarth, Craglorn. Activity/sales requirement is 1000g a week. Great sales, very low pressure.

Finally, I'm in a guild who tries to consistently have a guild trader in one capital city or another. Trader bids get higher when you aim for better trader spots, so we ask for a 10k sales requirement (which is low for a capital city trader) or raffle ticket purchases. We've got an auction and two good raffles.

That's three out of many, many, trade guilds in the game. Whatever level of acitivity, sales requirements, or participation required fits the way you want to play, you can find a guild for you.



There are some things I see coming up in discussion. I'm not interested in arguing whether or not an Auction House would do these better than guilds. Instead, I want to address how these actually work currently in game under the guild trader system since I'm seeing some misconceptions.

1. Jumping through hoops to trade: With a consistent guild trader, you can list and forget items as long as you are close to market price on items. If you don't like a guild's requirements, leave and find another because there are lots of trading guilds. You can find a guild or guilds that suits you. Yes, it takes some effort to find that guild that fits your playstyle, but once you do its easy to stay with the guild because it fits your playstyle. For a little bit of time upfront to find my 3 trading guilds, I've been selling, chatting, and playing with all three guilds for over a year and am still happy with all three.

2. If the guild system does not work for you for whatever reason, you are not locked out of the trade system entirely. Yes, you do have to spend the time and effort to sell through zone chat. If you don't want to sell in zone chat, then find a guild that fits your playstyle and give it a try. The ability to list and forget items is one of the conveniences of having a guild trader. If you do sell in zone chat, make sure your prices are close to market price and you might try hot-keying whatever message you want to be your sale message so you don't have to retype it all the time. Capital city zones tend to have lots of people buying and selling, though I'm sure that depends on time zone. Again, please make sure your prices are close to market price. If they aren't and especially if they are overpriced, zone chat is more than happy to inform you of your error because with add-ons like Master Merchant and Tamriel Trade Center, they can price check you and figure that you should know the value of what you are selling.

3. The guilds are taking my hard-earned profit! No, actually most guilds set their sales/donation/raffle requirements based on their trader bid which they probably won't tell you because that's how another guild beats your bid. Good trader locations are more expensive to retain but also generate better sales for members because of traffic.

But that's what the guild tax is for! No. Please keep in mind that guilds only get 3.5% of your sales as guild tax, equal to the 3.5% that ZOS takes out to avoid inflation. You would have to sell around 300K a week in order to make 10k gold for your guild. So whenever you see a guild requiring 10k donations, ask yourself whether you would rather donate 10k or have to sell 300k worth of goods. If 10k a week seems like highway robbery, that's a really good sign that you aren't selling enough for that guild to be a good fit for you. You should look for a guild with a lower sales requirement.


Finally, I really do understand the frustration of players who haven't found a guild that fits their playstyle with feeling locked out of the guild trader system. However, in my experience it is very easy to get involved with a trading guild and also very easy to guild-hop until you find a guild that fits your playstyle and the sort of items you want to sell. With that being said, I really don't understand the logic of people who are not a part of the guild trader system saying that the guild trader system doesn't work for them. Of course it doesn't! You aren't in a trading guild. Join a trading guild that works for your playstyle and what you have to sell and give the guild trader system a shot. The system isn't perfect, but it works a lot better for people who are in a trading guild than it might seem if you aren't in a trading guild.

Inarre

Step 1- Type "/z"
Step 2- Hit space
Step 3- Type "Looking for trading guild with trader", enter
Step 4 - Accept invite
Step 5- Profit

Motherball

VaranisArano wrote: »

... in my experience it is very easy to get involved with a trading guild and also very easy to guild-hop until you find a guild that fits your playstyle and the sort of items you want to sell. With that being said, I really don't understand the logic of people who are not a part of the guild trader system saying that the guild trader system doesn't work for them. Of course it doesn't! You aren't in a trading guild. Join a trading guild that works for your playstyle and what you have to sell and give the guild trader system a shot. The system isn't perfect, but it works a lot better for people who are in a trading guild than it might seem if you aren't in a trading guild.

The problem is, I already found a couple trading guilds that I like. I’ve gotten to know some of them and we get together in game sometimes. But they dont always win bids for trade spots. Why should I have to leave a guild I like, to join another guild that will probably not have a guild trader next week just so I can sell stuff w/o resorting to zone spam?

You’re right, I dont have the time or capability to earn/sell enough to stay in the big guilds that have good spots consistently. Does that mean I’m not supposed to be able to enjoy trading in this game? There really should be a way for small timers to sell their crap without having to leave otherwise very good guilds. I like trading but it would be nice to be able to devote some of that guild space to guilds that do things besides trading.

As it is, I feel like I need to be in 4 trading guilds in case two of them get outbid. Im a loyal person. Its not easy for me to be ok with just switching guilds every week. I feel a compromise could be in order.

FoolishHuman

Motherball wrote: »

Does that mean I’m not supposed to be able to enjoy trading in this game? There really should be a way for small timers to sell their crap without having to leave otherwise very good guilds.

You can sell to NPCs any time you know. If you can't afford a big trading guild you probably don't need much gold anyway. My guild with merchant in rawl'kha takes 2k in dues every week, if you don't make that through questing then you really don't need to sell stuff.

Chronicburn

We need an auction house.

vamp_emily

@IAMJ0N35Y you can also check out the guild recruiting page on this forum.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/categories/en-pc-mac-na

I know you want some kind of auction house but you will really need a few guilds to push your items for now. I sometimes play on the EU server, and i came to the forums and posted "LF a trading guild" and found the perfect trading guild ( Divine Deals ). Their only requirement is to make 5k worth of sells each week and I make that just by selling level 1 crafted gear for players looking for traits to research.

I'm sure you can find a similar one on NA server.

Beardimus

We don't need an auction house.

You aren't in any trading guilds and complain about selling, honestly fella get in 2/3 and its a game changer. You can access via any bank, couldn't be simpler to buy or sell

Chronicburn

Definitely need an auction house, that's how you know how much to pay for an item, how much to list an item at, and it makes finding things you need 1000000X easier than the current system. It's a total non brainer. The only reason to keep the current system is to allow people with convienient trader locations to gouge people on prices