The price manipulating has already occurred. That's why everyone prices their stuff based on the major city guild trader prices. Thank you MM and TTC.
I have seen players cornering the market (or trying to) on certain items in the past by buying up any quantity they could get in zone chat. Regards your scenario, I think you underestimate how hard the 8% gold loss hits players trying to do that. Even if guilds were involved, they only get 3.5% in dues for a sale, which leaves 4.5% vanishing into the ether.I am not accusing anyone of this practice, nor do I suggest anyone try it, as it might be frowned upon by many trade guilds, and could result in disciplinary action. Still, one easy way to manipulate prices? Have two accounts. Account "A" lists the item, and sends account "B" gold. Account "B" buys the item and mails it back to account "A." Granted, this costs gold in fees on both ends to accomplish, but if account "A" has a lot of items (and plenty of gold to spare) and wants to drive the price up, what's to stop them from doing so? Now imagine a group of players getting together and doing the same thing, only on a much larger scale. Voila. Cornflower now costs 1000 gold per item, and players are strangling each other to try to get it.
Darkenarlol wrote: »i've just remembered a poor guy who tried to monopolize
a specific item trading (trinimac motif chests) a few years ago
he bought everything from all kiosks with average price 20-40k
and set his brand-new 100 k reseller prices in his guilds kiosks...
i've sold 6 or 7 chest motifs to that poor wannabe capitalist for 89k
in 2 days ( again, server's average was ~30+ for that item)
of course market manipulation is a thing but it requires a huge
investment of time and money
it is much easier in games with global ah and addons that allow
you to scan all deals in real time, i know it because i did it myself
with success (i've monopolized whole specific market resource
segment of whole server for about a year in other game)
The price manipulating has already occurred. That's why everyone prices their stuff based on the major city guild trader prices. Thank you MM and TTC.
You don't think major cities are the aim for most traders because of the flow of people there?
The only reason to ever go into a trading guild in a major city is to manipulate prices?
And in the end, the price is only as high as someone is willing to pay for that specific item. Can't just put out a arbitrary number and say. "Yo, now you buy this at 20k a piece"
redlink1979 wrote: »@beadabow Ever thought that can be gold laundering? Already been spotted more than once.
@VaranisArano Agree, markets will naturally correct over time, and efforts to artificially raise, lower prices are probably herculean and not worth the return-on-the-investment (in time and game gold) for would be price manipulators. The only way such an endeavor would be worthwhile is if an actual organization were making real world money through the selling of items in-game to other players. Then, you might see a large group of people investing time and game gold into increasing demand for certain items, then offering them up for sale on the internet or something. Totally against ESO's TOS though, and they also run the risk of getting perma-banned for engaging in these practices. That would cut into their profit margins considerably, since they would have to keep buying new copies of the game to continue their operation. But there are a lot of bots running around, so (places tinfoil hat over head) you be the judge. LOL!
If I were a member of one of these clandestine organizations, I would certainly want to see posts like these get debunked.