I'm interested in seeing anyone's data (summarized of course) comparing sales between members of the trade guild itself and outside sales. I'm interested in knowing at least the % of sales made to non-members. The reason for this is that a guild trader is totally unnecessary to sell to members, only non-members. In my experience, majority of sales are done between members, meaning that a considerable portion of the money we drop on traders is wasted. However, my experiences are surely different from other guilds. So what do you guys think?

Autolycus wrote: »

I'm interested in seeing anyone's data (summarized of course) comparing sales between members of the trade guild itself and outside sales. I'm interested in knowing at least the % of sales made to non-members. The reason for this is that a guild trader is totally unnecessary to sell to members, only non-members. In my experience, majority of sales are done between members, meaning that a considerable portion of the money we drop on traders is wasted. However, my experiences are surely different from other guilds. So what do you guys think?

I'm in a guild stationed in RK (PC NA). I do 200k weekly in sales fairly regularly and 80% of my sales over the last 100 days have come from the guild trader.

I suspect, that percent goes down the further one is removed from the popular spots.

Erraln wrote: »

The revenue from sales alone doesn't suffice.

It never does...

My word of advice to GMs putting in their own gold to bid:

Don't do this.

I was part of one guild at one point and the GM pushed for a Belkarth stall, as a better stall had been desired for some time. She was very up front about, hey, this is how much gold we need to keep this stall. Contribute or we won't have it, because sales tax doesn't cover the bid.

Essentially, put the responsibility on the members for the stall and not yourself. You shouldn't be your guild's sugar daddy.

Once I saw a note in guild trader tab, telling that my guild won a trader for only ~65k, and it wasn't somewhere in the wilds but in one of the average trading hubs (5+traders).

When I see that someone claims he was bidding for over 2 milions, even 4 mil, I think that could probably be to restrain others from bidding for those traders. Once you know others bid for 2-4 mil, you won't even try yourself will lesser sum .

Indeed, like someone already mentioned, it's hard to believe in given prices, but then my info above (about 65k) can also be questionable .

The pricing that people do for traders is ridiculous, even for those traders that no one even knows is there cost more than 300k. I like the idea, but there is so much corruption between them that hinders in game economy.

One guild I'm in never has money issues, gets a second tier location with good sales on a regular basis, moves plenty of merchandise for me. Prices are moderate. I like the little inspirational messages we get from our cheerful GM in our weekly updates.

Another guild is a top-tier, full service guild (web site with resources, TS server, L2P lessons, raids, arena, end-game activities, emperor push, etc.). They run a lotto and an auction. They usually get a top tier trader. The biggest advantage I have selling through them is the ability to move a lot of stock, including little stuff that is almost junk. If I wanted to take the time to sell off all the pots I collect (my characters only use my own crafted pots) I can do it here and make a lot more than selling as junk to a merchant. But it's still small potatoes. And prices are always low. But I also get an acceptable return on my crafted armor/weapons, pots, and provisions. This is where I go if I want to move lots of stock at a low margin or buy stuff on the cheap.

A third guild tries for a top tier spot but sometimes fails. Money is always a problem. They run a lotto, a second lotto, and other fund raising activities. We often get mail about how we need to buy more lotto tickets or make donations. Sales are good most of the time (when they get a trader) and I can sell just about anything I care to list for the right price. Prices are moderate to low.

I have no idea what the difference is in how #2 and #3 are run but it shows in the results. And it's absolutely not about location; some weeks they have different traders in the same city.

A forth guild has a lotto but seldom talks about money. Which trader they get is kinda random. Sales are slower than the other guilds, but prices are high. If I want to maximize my profit on an expensive item this is where I try to sell it. But plenty of my stock just expires and then I sell it at a discount at one of the other guild stores.

SirAndy wrote: »

TARAFRAKA wrote: »

thezeroroomub17_ESO wrote: »

What is the point in having a trader if you have to spend all your profits, and often more, to keep it every week?

You are correct and I agree whole heartedly. NO guild makes back their bid amount in guild taxes, that's a joke.

I can't speak for the large trading guilds but for my main guild, the store is NOT a place for the guild to make money.
It's a place for my fellow guild members to make money!

My guild has quite a few active sellers and combined we all make a lot more money selling each week than we spent on hiring a trader. Again, we don't do this so the guild bank gets rich, we do this so each individual member has a place to sell their goods. It's a guild service.

We've never had any trouble getting enough gold to bid on a trader. In fact, the guild bank has quite a hefty sum at its disposal just from member donations. At our current trader bidding rate, we could easily hire a trader for the next 30 weeks without any incoming donations.

My first guild seems to make all they need. Of course they don't try for top tier traders but for second tier traders the return on investment seems to be a lot better. I do toss 1000g in the bank every week but they never asked me to do this, I just consider it dues. If I stopped they would not kick me out or anything.

My other 3 guilds all run lottos and other fund raisers because top tier traders are wildly expensive so no, you will never get enough back on the guild cut to make that a closed loop.

On ps4 I have seen them go for 7+ mil

It's so hard or so overpriced to get the prime spot yet no one wants a global auction house to be done with this stress.

People are self destructive.

Zorrashi wrote: »

Most either believe that most kiosks outside of prime locations simply never have quality goods, or that it isn't worth their time to even attempt going to the more out-of-the-way locations to even try to look at a new kiosk (even if its in the outlaw's refuge....less than 10 steps away).

- Unfortunately, it happens to be true that traders in remote locations don't have much to sell. Not sure why, but that's how it is.
- The traders in outlaws' refuges are not 10 steps away... they're one loading screen away (that's HUGE, unfortunately, still at the moment... )