Guild questions

DigiAngel

On the heals of my previous thread, now I have this question: What's the difference of top-tier and non top-tier for trading? Is it just where your guild trader location is? Why would that matter if you can buy/sell at every bank?

GreenHere

Location, location, location!

Where your guild's trader is matters, as if there's more foot traffic then there's just more chances for sales (and quicker sales). Out-of-the-way traders can have the same exact items for sale, at an even lower price, and still take longer to move your items just because players simply don't see it unless they go to TTC. High-volume traders don't want their stuff to take forever to move, as that slows down your sales volume (you only get 30 sales slots, so you're throttled by how soon your stuff sells).

Also, you can only buy things from YOUR guilds at the bank. Other players not in your guild have to go to the trader location.


Also also, you meant *heels. ;p

DigiAngel

Ah...that answers my other question...thank you!

DragonRacer

Just like in real estate: location, location, location.

The only guild stores you can access from a bank are the guilds you are in. For guilds that have won a guild trader, that store is open to every single player in the game who visits that trader as a potential buying customer (but they cannot sell in that trader, unless they are a member of the guild who has that trader).

Top-tier trading guilds are considered to be those in the original three capitals, some chapter capitals, and some old end-game zones. The reason for this is because of higher player foot traffic in these cities (particularly cities that have a convenient/fast daily crafting writ route, which makes open-air Vivec much more convenient than 1,000-load-screen Solitude). You will sell many more goods if your trader is in Mournhold, Elden Root, Wayrest, Vivec City, Alinor, Rimmen, Craglorn, and Rawl'kha type of locations versus less-traveled cities like Bandaari Trading Post or Shornhelm and even far less than far-flung traders such as most Outlaw Refuges and the little solo traders by a wayshrine in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

Danikat

The majority of people in trading guilds are there to sell. They might also buy things they can re-sell for profit, or occasionally things they can use, but the majority of your sales will go to people outside the guild, and they have to buy through the trader.

On PC a lot of people use Tamriel Trade Centre to avoid the hassle of searching every guild trader hoping to randomly stumble on the thing they need, but on consoles and for people who don't use it a trader in a city is more likely to be checked than one in a remote location, so it can lead to higher sales on popular items.

phileunderx2

On pc location isn't as important as it is on console because of ttc. On console you will want to be in a guild in a capital city or major hub.

Wandering_Immigrant

Others have explained the tiers and why they exist pretty well. I just want to point out that you shouldn't feel like you need to be in a top trader. They're not for everyone and in some cases you can meet your personal needs just as well in a lower tier location, and be happier for it by not feeling the pressures of meeting sales quotas or paying higher dues or competing with high volume sellers.

I consider trading to be major part of my game in MMOs. In fact the last MMO I played it was my primary focus, I would do dungeons and progress the story solely for the purpose of unlocking new areas to farm in. I've carried a similar mindset over to ESO and yet I choose to not be in a top trading guild. I'm in two trading guilds, both top out in Craglorn, neither is there every week, though most weeks one is. When they're not in Craglorn they're typically somewhere along the lines of Skyreach, Daggerfall, Marcarth, Rimmen, Baandarri Trading Post. Some weeks neither gets thier Craglorn trader and both are in these mid to low-mid type locations.

Why would I opt for these types of guilds when trading is clearly important to me? Well it comes down to potential volume vs available playtime. I only really get to play on the weekends and while I'm drinking my coffee before work during the week. I've learned over the years that the most important rule of trading is to always keep your slots full, an empty slot is money lost. I could move to a capitol city if I wanted, but due to how fast things sell there 90% of my playtime would be spent keeping my trade slots full. Instead my current trader situation allows my to sell at a pace that divides my time in a way that's more enjoyable to me, and by choosing what I sell wisely I'm still able to get top dollar for most of it. So for me, even though I could potentially make more gold at a top tier trader, my current trading efficiency rating actually tops out in the more mid tier range.

That's just some food for thought while debating your options. It's important to understand where you stand as a trader and find a guild that fits those needs, trying to sell either above or below your station will most likely leave a bad taste in your mouth. If you do a lot of farming and want to push a lot of product and push it fast to make room for more product you'll be frustrated by the slower pacing of a lower tiered trader. On the other hand if you're more casual and just want to be able sell off the excess items you end up with at a reasonable rate, you might find some of the practices and tactics at top tier traders to be shady or even toxic, they're not they're just competitive and that's not for everyone.

Anyway good luck, and have fun. MMO economies can be really quite fascinating when you allow yourself to immerse into them.

GreenHere

Wandering_Immigrant wrote: »

Others have explained the tiers and why they exist pretty well. I just want to point out that you shouldn't feel like you need to be in a top trader. They're not for everyone and in some cases you can meet your personal needs just as well in a lower tier location, and be happier for it by not feeling the pressures of meeting sales quotas or paying higher dues or competing with high volume sellers.

I consider trading to be major part of my game in MMOs. In fact the last MMO I played it was my primary focus, I would do dungeons and progress the story solely for the purpose of unlocking new areas to farm in. I've carried a similar mindset over to ESO and yet I choose to not be in a top trading guild. I'm in two trading guilds, both top out in Craglorn, neither is there every week, though most weeks one is. When they're not in Craglorn they're typically somewhere along the lines of Skyreach, Daggerfall, Marcarth, Rimmen, Baandarri Trading Post. Some weeks neither gets thier Craglorn trader and both are in these mid to low-mid type locations.

Why would I opt for these types of guilds when trading is clearly important to me? Well it comes down to potential volume vs available playtime. I only really get to play on the weekends and while I'm drinking my coffee before work during the week. I've learned over the years that the most important rule of trading is to always keep your slots full, an empty slot is money lost. I could move to a capitol city if I wanted, but due to how fast things sell there 90% of my playtime would be spent keeping my trade slots full. Instead my current trader situation allows my to sell at a pace that divides my time in a way that's more enjoyable to me, and by choosing what I sell wisely I'm still able to get top dollar for most of it. So for me, even though I could potentially make more gold at a top tier trader, my current trading efficiency rating actually tops out in the more mid tier range.

That's just some food for thought while debating your options. It's important to understand where you stand as a trader and find a guild that fits those needs, trying to sell either above or below your station will most likely leave a bad taste in your mouth. If you do a lot of farming and want to push a lot of product and push it fast to make room for more product you'll be frustrated by the slower pacing of a lower tiered trader. On the other hand if you're more casual and just want to be able sell off the excess items you end up with at a reasonable rate, you might find some of the practices and tactics at top tier traders to be shady or even toxic, they're not they're just competitive and that's not for everyone.

Anyway good luck, and have fun. MMO economies can be really quite fascinating when you allow yourself to immerse into them.

Take an Insightful, friend! That's some super-good advice!


The only time the ~20K weekly fees (or ~300K sales reqs., IIRC) made sense for me was when I was so focused on trading that those numbers really didn't seem like a big ask, as I was doing it anyway. It was well worth it, at the time. But I found that that pace just was too much for my interests in the game & my available time, and I'm MUCH happier now in a 0 requirement guild with a consistently decent-enough trader. Finding the right fit for you is probably the best advice anyone can give on trading guilds.