The Price of Materials

ThePonzzz · January 2015

Over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed the price of certain materials skyrocket, while the price of the finished product remain the same, or even lower in some instances. Bugloss and columbine are two of the prime culprits, their price has jumped from 120g each to about 200g each. Tripots, however, don't sell much higher than 10,000g a stack.

Kuta is another one, selling for about 5,000g each, but finished glyphs are only selling for about 4,000g each. Rekuta has the same proportion of net loss.

I can understand if you're making things for yourself or for friends, and being willing to pay the price of materials, but buyers of finished products (potions, glyphs) aren't really willing to understand that the crafter shouldn't be taking a loss to help you.

Farming runes and specific herbs is a time-consuming effort, and not very reliable.

Just some venting here, not a whole lot we can do. I tend to spend an hour of my time in game hitting most guild stores to find deals, and buying anything I can. It's shocking to see how many guilds buy a kiosk and have literally nothing for sale though. I truly wish I could determine where certain guilds were before waiting through load times, as some guilds just tend to never have stuff for sale.

Awesome Guild Store is a boon for checking prices quickly, but the problem still exists outside just time management.

Natjur · January 2015

The money has always been in the gathering of raw materials, never in selling the final products and almost everyone has a toon or five that can make the stuff. The gathering is the annoying part.

In the past, only those in the trading guild could buy the materials off the market so the price was low, but with the stores, anyone can buy if they go to the right spot, all the cheap stuff are gone from the market, and you only see the over price stuff which does not sell.

Kuta are listed on the market for 5k cause all the 'good priced ones (3k or under) have been sold already. Stuff that is priced 'right' moves fast. There are tons of people checking the markets all the time and buying up fast when the materials are at the 'right' price and you just seeing the crap left over (which does move, but slowly as there is tons of gold on the market)

There are websites which list the 50 big trade guilds and which market spots they own, so you can find the 'full' markets. But as so many now use that site, all the bargains move fast. It takes the random small guilds now to find the underpriced stuff.

Tarukmockto · January 2015

It's all about Supply and Demand.

Nestor · January 2015

I actually found a Kuta in a Node this weekend, surprised the heck out of me. I find Rekutas with some regularity.

However for Enchanting, Alchemy and Provisioning, I can't see me ever buying any ingredients for those Crafts, I use all Farmed stuff. I did buy some Alchemy mats for grinding it up on a character, but I could buy the cheap stuff that no one wants to make potions with as I was just making them to gain levels.

I will buy mats for armor or weapon crafting if I don't have the stack already (which I almost always do). But, then I won't spend more than 400 to 600 for low end, 600 to 800 for high end per stack.

UrQuan · January 2015

Nestor wrote: »

I actually found a Kuta in a Node this weekend, surprised the heck out of me.

Hey, me too! I looted one from a node on Saturday! *virtual high-five*

ThePonzzz · January 2015

I completely understand what you're saying, @Natjur, but my issue isn't buying the herbs or runes. My issue is with people hiring alchemists or enchanters to make them something, they themselves can't do, and expect complete strangers take a net loss with helping them.

I was asked recently if I could supply 10 to 15 stacks of VR5 tripots at 10k/stack. To do that, I can't farm it. I barely find 10 bugloss in an hour, let alone 100 of each needed just to make 4 stacks.

I did check the site out, but I found the stores moved too much each week. Maybe it's better now, and I can check again.

Natjur · January 2015

I make Tripots and glyph for people all the time, but they HAVE to supply the materials. Making a stack of tripots for 10k is not doable anymore if your buying the materials off the market cause the cheap materials are gone fast.

I have few guild mates who spend most of their time 'farming' the auction houses for cheap materials and have made insane gold buying cheap and selling high. I have no chance finding cheap materials when there are hundreds 'working' the market, so I just don't try. Gone are the days you can buy stacks of bugloss etc for 8k a stack and just combine the stacks and resell tripots for 10k and make a profit.

You used to be able to buy stacks of raw materials and just refine then for a profit or buy cheap Kune runes and sell glyphs, or buy alchemy parts and make tripots for a profit. But almost everyone knows those trick and the market now reflects this.

When I get tells from people asking me to make them things (like stacks of tripots) and they except me to get all the materials, I laugh and tell them to try someone else. 9k a stack is not worth the time anymore. 1hr in vet DSA and selling drops from there is a much better use of time.

Antiquity · January 2015

Hi there! I sell my tripot mats at 200g per Bugloss/Columbine and 150 per Mountain Flower.

I could be making the tripots myself and selling them as well. But I opt to sell the mats I farm and turn a bigger profit. Why not just do that yourself? You could spend the time you use checking guild stores to farm.

Either that or charge more. Eventually the people buying the end product will have to pay more if they want their tripots, if prices stay how they are now.

If there's something I'm just not understanding here, (and I admit there may be) let me know.

ThePonzzz · January 2015

Yes, @Natjur, you explained my concerns very point on. It's not that I can't make more gold else where, or know how to, it's that people expect the 10k/stack price point. Or finished glyph price less than the material cost. This isn't about friends asking. This are complete strangers randomly asking. But there ARE people selling for cheaper, they'll find someone eventually.

The other day, someone on the guild chat said, "Anyone selling any tripots." I responded that I do have some for 12k/stack. I got the response that they'd not pay over 10k/stack, and the whole chat got into how 10k is the STANDARD price. It was in the summer, but it most certainly isn't anymore.

But you can't explain that to anyone. If a friend wants it, or someone needs help with something, yeah I'll make some for them. But I get whispers all the time asking if I have any for sale, but I can't farm the numbers they want, and I can't buy the materials for it to be profitable. That's all I am saying here.

I can turn around and sell columbine and bugloss for 150g each, mountain flower for 100g each, and Lady's Smock for 175g each if I wanted to sell fast on anything I farmed. But that's NOT why I'm bring it up. I'm bringing up to sort of show PvP'ers (those make up about 99% of all people asking me for tripots) that the price can't be 10k/stack if you're soliciting the help!

DeLindsay · January 2015

ThePonzzz wrote: »

Over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed the price of certain materials skyrocket, while the price of the finished product remain the same, or even lower in some instances. Bugloss and columbine are two of the prime culprits, their price has jumped from 120g each to about 200g each.

Kuta is another one, selling for about 5,000g each, but finished glyphs are only selling for about 4,000g each.

You must be talking solely about Guild Store pricing because zone chat does NOT sell those items listed for that high. The absolute highest I've seen Bugloss/Columbine listed for sale in Zone is 130g, that was yesterday in Rawl'Kha. That's only 10g more than the going average since the price settled on 120g like 6 months ago. Kuta is the exact same way. In Zone chat you see players selling them for 3K all day long. Hell I bought 3 Kuta a few days ago for 3K each then flipped them (yes, on a Guild Store) for 4.5K each. Kuta has averaged 3K since nearly launch, when it was 2.5-2.7K for maybe the first month.

H3ll if anything prices are going DOWN overall. VR14 Footman and Healer Jewelry have dropped in price recently by thousands of gold. Epic Motifs like Daedric/AE have dropped by almost half of what they sold for even 1 month ago. It's almost impossible to sell a stack of Grand Soul Gems anymore as the price gets lower and lower it's no longer worth putting on Oblivion set and farming the stacks. The only thing I've seen go up dramatically is Potent Nirncrux as it seems like the drop rate got ninja nerfed. And ofc everyone is well aware of the Warlock Rings (VR12) debacle from ZoS, those are 600K+ if you can even find them for sale.

Everyone needs to understand that the Guild Store takes a huge amount of your sale price away with both the listing fee and house cut so almost everything is overpriced to make up the difference of what you would get selling it in Zone.

ThePonzzz · January 2015

You're seeing people selling at 130g each? I see people buying at that price. Guess it might also be which alliance you're in. I've not seen that in a long time.

The amount that the guild takes it about 7%, 5% for the house cut and 2% as a fee upfront. If people are trying to make up the difference, bugloss would not be 210g each on average. It would be 129g.

DeLindsay · January 2015

NA is the server I play on, Faction makes no difference in price, I see the things I listed in Zone for the same on all 3 Factions.

Artemiisia · January 2015

maybe some of the reason for higher prices right now, is people is trying to get ready for what the upcoming update changes will do to new gear.

many might start to make a new set of gear for themselves, and people that have the mats for it, start selling them when the demand is there instead of selling them right when they have it.

this is just pure speculation

Amdirial · January 2015

The problem is people want to see they have gold in the mailbox, they don't stop to think wait it cost me 98g (estimate) to make 1 pot. I'm selling for 100g. Makes zero sense but because there is no universal AH in ESO i don't know if it will change.

Flaminir · January 2015

I'm on EU server & I think some of the potion prices mentioned here have been changing quite a bit recently...

I haven't seen stacks of tri-pots being sold in either guild stores or zone chat for as low as 9-10k in quite a while..... current price is between 12-15k, and the demand seems to be out-stripping supply.

You can EASILY sell both tri-pots & the spell power equivalent at these prices.... which is a good thing... as everybody here seems to agree, the old 9-10k price was crazy given the cost/time involved in getting the mats.

ThePonzzz · January 2015

Yeah, this is on the NA server. And 12k to 15k would still not grant much profit, but would definitely be better than the current state of things.

cazlonb16_ESO · January 2015

davedwildebeast wrote: »

I'm on EU server & I think some of the potion prices mentioned here have been changing quite a bit recently...

I haven't seen stacks of tri-pots being sold in either guild stores or zone chat for as low as 9-10k in quite a while..... current price is between 12-15k, and the demand seems to be out-stripping supply.

You can EASILY sell both tri-pots & the spell power equivalent at these prices.... which is a good thing... as everybody here seems to agree, the old 9-10k price was crazy given the cost/time involved in getting the mats.

You can sell the mats for a stack of tripots for close to 20k just as easily though. ( No price for spell crit, as Namira's Rot isn't in the market in any appreciable quanteties ). So unless the prices for potions go up at least another 5k while those for herbs stay level, it's still not worth making them.

purple-magicb16_ESO · January 2015

Tarukmockto wrote: »

It's all about Supply and Demand.

Agree. I have been away from eso for about 1 1/2 weeks (hard drive crash) and on returning noticed a significant nerf on dwemer scrap. Hard to find dwemer scrap in guild stores but you can find the odd dwemer frame, which totally goes against the grain with the way everything else sells. Anyway, get ready for a price jump on dwemer frame, if that's what you craft in.