Timing of Crown Store sales?

Daishichi · August 2016

Hi folks, the new DLC has me curious: how often do you recall sales being announced in the Crown Store? And what would you say the timing has been in relation to new DLC? I would imagine ZOS sees a big increase in player traffic when new content drops...I'm sure they capitalize on that, but maybe not by giving away discounts on day one. I'm asking mostly because I'm thinking of buying the Glass motif and don't wanna pay full price.

I'm also curious how often they offer discounted Crowns (from the Xbox store, not just individual items within the Crown Store). Some Googling indicates there was a 40% sale around the time the Thieves Guild dropped in March.

What's your experience / memory of their pattern?

Lysette · August 2016

Daishichi wrote: »

DRXHarbinger wrote: »

You just misses a crown sale dude. Was 2 weeks ago. 5500 crowns for 40% off.

Damn it! Those google results indicated that ZOS sent out emails for the March sale...is there a list I'm not on?

This was kind of a ninja crown sale this time - the update in the launcher came just shortly before the sale ended. It is a little bit weird how they do it - a sale like this is to increase the amount of crowns sold, but at the same time, they do not really promote this or just shortly before it ends - really strange.

Pandorii · August 2016

We don't typically see actual items on discount unless it's related to some kind of event. Recently (a week or so after the crown sell) we had 50 percent of bank space upgrades.

I've never seen motifs on sale.

In the 9 months I have played, I've seen the a few costumes on sale, like the wedding dress. We had a really cool freda's special back in November (maybe black friday). It had a lot of goodies for a low bundle price.

Crown sales seem to happen around the time when new DLCs come out for PC.

waterfairy · August 2016

The crown sale was part of the Bethesda sale that was posted on the Xbox dashboard.

Beardimus · August 2016

The PS4 sale a month back was a Sony thing, likewise the Xbox sale was a Games with Gold / Major Nelson sale. So it wasn't Ninja, it just wasn't a direct Bethesda sale

Nerouyn · March 2017

Daishichi wrote: »

What's your experience / memory of their pattern?

I only remember one because I happened to be playing at the time and saw the notification on the client. There have been others though.

Last year they were:

March 7-14 (pre Thieves Guild launch)

https://twitter.com/tesonline/status/707031307243687936

October 20-25

https://twitter.com/TESOnline/status/789205875260915712

November 25 - ?? (Black Friday)

https://twitter.com/TESOnline/status/802173807804948481

Daishichi wrote: »

Damn it! Those google results indicated that ZOS sent out emails for the March sale...is there a list I'm not on?

I've never received any emails about crown pack sales. I don't delete any emails and have checked.

I receive plenty of emails from ZOS though. Every time there's a new mount. Every DLC. Etc. etc. etc. Never any mention of crown pack sale and some of those emails I have were received during sales.

DRXHarbinger · August 2016

You just misses a crown sale dude. Was 2 weeks ago. 5500 crowns for 40% off.

Daishichi · August 2016

DRXHarbinger wrote: »

You just misses a crown sale dude. Was 2 weeks ago. 5500 crowns for 40% off.

Damn it! Those google results indicated that ZOS sent out emails for the March sale...is there a list I'm not on?

Daishichi · August 2016

Lysette wrote: »

This was kind of a ninja crown sale this time - the update in the launcher came just shortly before the sale ended.

Secret sales, huh? Further evidence of ZOS's keen business acumen. Thanks, though.

How about the Crown Store items, particularly the motifs? Do those 5000 Crown items ever come down in price?

And I'm still googling the history on this, but: how long did it take for Glass to be offered for Crowns? It dropped with Imperial City in Summer (June) 2015, and was offered for crowns in...September, just three months later?

This time I'm wondering if Akaviri will ever be released...looks like it first came out with Orsinium in Fall 2015, but is still 4.3 million Alliance Points (or 100 gajillion gold in Guild Stores) only. I know PVPers will be pissed, but c'mon...that style is way out of whack with all other time investments, and has been out nearly a year.

idk · August 2016

If your on PC the sale was advertised in the startup pane. The pane that orignally opens ans updates the game when needed.

Lysette · August 2016

Giles.floydub17_ESO wrote: »

If your on PC the sale was advertised in the startup pane. The pane that orignally opens ans updates the game when needed.

It was - but the sale was already on,, when it was not yet advertised - we had to find out by accident - there were a couple of threads about it and it was as well not consistent on all platforms - it was basically a mess.

idk · August 2016

Lysette wrote: »

Giles.floydub17_ESO wrote: »

If your on PC the sale was advertised in the startup pane. The pane that orignally opens ans updates the game when needed.

It was - but the sale was already on,, when it was not yet advertised - we had to find out by accident - there were a couple of threads about it and it was as well not consistent on all platforms - it was basically a mess.

If you consider it an accident to use the loading window to log in or an accident to read the info in the Windows, yes, we sound out by accident.

They don't seem to send out an advanced notice on the sales.

Lysette · August 2016

Giles.floydub17_ESO wrote: »

Lysette wrote: »

Giles.floydub17_ESO wrote: »

If your on PC the sale was advertised in the startup pane. The pane that orignally opens ans updates the game when needed.

It was - but the sale was already on,, when it was not yet advertised - we had to find out by accident - there were a couple of threads about it and it was as well not consistent on all platforms - it was basically a mess.

If you consider it an accident to use the loading window to log in or an accident to read the info in the Windows, yes, we sound out by accident.

They don't seem to send out an advanced notice on the sales.

Like I said, the sale was on for about 2 days (different on different platforms) BEFORE the launcher finally featured it - just shortly before the sale ended. When you look at those threads which came up at that time, when we discovered it, you will see that it was not consistent on all platforms and there was quite some confusion why some had it and some didn't and stuff like that.

Cryptical · August 2016

Lysette wrote: »

Daishichi wrote: »

DRXHarbinger wrote: »

You just misses a crown sale dude. Was 2 weeks ago. 5500 crowns for 40% off.

Damn it! Those google results indicated that ZOS sent out emails for the March sale...is there a list I'm not on?

This was kind of a ninja crown sale this time - the update in the launcher came just shortly before the sale ended. It is a little bit weird how they do it - a sale like this is to increase the amount of crowns sold, but at the same time, they do not really promote this or just shortly before it ends - really strange.

It's not strange at all. When a brick and mortar store has a sale sometimes they limit the number of items per customer to keep it available to all - and in some circumstances depending on the type of product they limit the supply on hand to prevent a loss of future revenue. Imagine running a sale on washing machines half price, and having half the town come in for that. You supplied half the town at a margin terribly thin, and those people won't come in over the next few years, by which time you will have gone bankrupt. If you had limited your stock, then you will be selling washing machines in 3 / 6 / 12 / 24 / 36 months at higher margins and remain solvent long term.

With virtual items, that sort of limitation needs to be applied in a different manner, such as through making the sale short, or largely unadvertised, or both of those, so that only those who act nearly immediately upon hearing about it will catch the discount.

From your viewpoint as a customer who thinks sales are good things, it seemed strange for a business to curtail the 'good thing'. From the business perspective, sales are dangerous tools that easily cause self-inflicted wounds if mishandled, almost like trying to swing a sword that has no handle.

I hope this makes sense to you now.

Daishichi · August 2016

Cryptical wrote: »

I hope this makes sense to you now.

How obnoxiously patronizing and unhelpful. Thank you for explaining the basics of commerce...in a completely inapplicable scenario.

Washing machines are physical objects, limited in quantity by manufacturing requirements, and minor factors like time and space.

If there is ever a need to limit virtual goods, it's because their producers need to be paid and the seller doesn't want to over-commit.

Crowns are imaginary. No one produces them. They can sell as many as they want, any time they want.

And when they don't advertise sales to the hundreds of thousands of customers like me, they don't get me to instead pay full price: they get me to shrug and walk away without giving them a dime. They could have had my $25 if they'd informed me, but instead I'll just keep subbing and buy my Glass motif for "free" in three months...or I'll grow tired of shrugging at such baffling idiocy, and be playing something else by then.

ZOS should hire you; you'd fit right in.

Cryptical · August 2016

Daishichi wrote: »

Cryptical wrote: »

I hope this makes sense to you now.

How obnoxiously patronizing and unhelpful. Thank you for explaining the basics of commerce...in a completely inapplicable scenario.

Washing machines are physical objects, limited in quantity by manufacturing requirements, and minor factors like time and space.

If there is ever a need to limit virtual goods, it's because their producers need to be paid and the seller doesn't want to over-commit.

Crowns are imaginary. No one produces them. They can sell as many as they want, any time they want.

And when they don't advertise sales to the hundreds of thousands of customers like me, they don't get me to instead pay full price: they get me to shrug and walk away without giving them a dime. They could have had my $25 if they'd informed me, but instead I'll just keep subbing and buy my Glass motif for "free" in three months...or I'll grow tired of shrugging at such baffling idiocy, and be playing something else by then.

ZOS should hire you; you'd fit right in.

Scenario 1, heavy advertising of the 40% off sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each during sale, none buy after it's over.
Revenue $239,940.00

Scenario 2, stealth sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each at normal price, none knew about sale.
Revenue $399,900.00

Just with 10k people the spread hits $160k. Just with 10k people that's a number of bug fixers salaries for a solid year, either hired or not hired based solely on whether they plastered news of one single crown sale all over the place or not. THAT is what I meant when I said sales can be dangerous tools for businesses that are akin to swinging a sword that has no handle - very possible to slice off your own hand.

Scenario 3 etc is some mix in between, either by how many do/do not catch the sale or whether they buy the 5500 or a lesser package.

Crowns have no expiration date, so people hoarding by spending 3k worth of money yet receiving 5.5k worth of crowns - and thus not needing to buy any for over a year - is a genuine risk with these sales.

You aren't really included in any group, because you subscribe. You aren't really in the target group. Your role isn't really considered because subscribers buy their crowns on contract and therefore wouldn't be a considerable force regarding crown sales near dlc releases. You get the dlc anyway. You should have realized long ago that subbers aren't considerable participants in the crown purchase market, because of the subscription. That's why I'm throwing salt at you - you should have realized this.

Daishichi · August 2016

I...I just...you did just say that the same number of people would buy [blank] every day as would buy during a sale? Just gotta confirm that's the foundation you're standing on.

Oh, and that people who would pay real world currency on this game (on any game) are, at the same time, wisely saving their imaginary monopoly money by avoiding frivolous purchases, like a glowy cat you can sit on for the equivalent of $35-$40 real world dollars. That people who are willing to pay $15 every month are less the target market than people who aren't. Right? Just checking.

See, I'm an adult with a job; my time is worth actual money, so I pay money to get back my time (XP Bonus, Research Bonus, Craft Bags). The mere existence of the Enlightenment system should point out that the subbers, with their disposable income and limited play time, are the market ZOS cares about caters to.

If you don't sub, it's because you have the time to spare to farm that motif, or devote hours to inventory management. Fifteen bucks would cut seriously into your ramen budget, and you need those carbs to get through those 20 hour PVP binges you do instead of attending the classes your parents pay for.

The ones who sustain this game are very much the same ones who splurge on it. The ones who can't pay $15/month sure as hell don't have forty bucks to drop on a rare motif. I kid myself that I'm being frugal not paying the full forty bucks...but I'll feel like I came out ahead if I can get it for $25, which is the psychology all sales exploit.

When you tell people about them.

DaveMoeDee · August 2016

Cryptical wrote: »

Daishichi wrote: »

Cryptical wrote: »

I hope this makes sense to you now.

How obnoxiously patronizing and unhelpful. Thank you for explaining the basics of commerce...in a completely inapplicable scenario.

Washing machines are physical objects, limited in quantity by manufacturing requirements, and minor factors like time and space.

If there is ever a need to limit virtual goods, it's because their producers need to be paid and the seller doesn't want to over-commit.

Crowns are imaginary. No one produces them. They can sell as many as they want, any time they want.

And when they don't advertise sales to the hundreds of thousands of customers like me, they don't get me to instead pay full price: they get me to shrug and walk away without giving them a dime. They could have had my $25 if they'd informed me, but instead I'll just keep subbing and buy my Glass motif for "free" in three months...or I'll grow tired of shrugging at such baffling idiocy, and be playing something else by then.

ZOS should hire you; you'd fit right in.

Scenario 1, heavy advertising of the 40% off sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each during sale, none buy after it's over.
Revenue $239,940.00

Scenario 2, stealth sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each at normal price, none knew about sale.
Revenue $399,900.00

Just with 10k people the spread hits $160k. Just with 10k people that's a number of bug fixers salaries for a solid year, either hired or not hired based solely on whether they plastered news of one single crown sale all over the place or not. THAT is what I meant when I said sales can be dangerous tools for businesses that are akin to swinging a sword that has no handle - very possible to slice off your own hand.

Scenario 3 etc is some mix in between, either by how many do/do not catch the sale or whether they buy the 5500 or a lesser package.

Crowns have no expiration date, so people hoarding by spending 3k worth of money yet receiving 5.5k worth of crowns - and thus not needing to buy any for over a year - is a genuine risk with these sales.

You aren't really included in any group, because you subscribe. You aren't really in the target group. Your role isn't really considered because subscribers buy their crowns on contract and therefore wouldn't be a considerable force regarding crown sales near dlc releases. You get the dlc anyway. You should have realized long ago that subbers aren't considerable participants in the crown purchase market, because of the subscription. That's why I'm throwing salt at you - you should have realized this.

I bought two 5500 packs last year. After buying the first 3 DLC and subbing one month for DB, I have 6k crowns sitting in my account unused and I probably won't play the game again until they drop another large DLC. It looks like the sales worked out well for ZOS.

In fact, if not for the sales, I like would have just subbed for one month post Orsinium and one month post DB, playing 2 DLC at a time, spending less than I ended up spending.

Conquistador · August 2016

Cryptical wrote: »

Daishichi wrote: »

Cryptical wrote: »

I hope this makes sense to you now.

How obnoxiously patronizing and unhelpful. Thank you for explaining the basics of commerce...in a completely inapplicable scenario.

Washing machines are physical objects, limited in quantity by manufacturing requirements, and minor factors like time and space.

If there is ever a need to limit virtual goods, it's because their producers need to be paid and the seller doesn't want to over-commit.

Crowns are imaginary. No one produces them. They can sell as many as they want, any time they want.

And when they don't advertise sales to the hundreds of thousands of customers like me, they don't get me to instead pay full price: they get me to shrug and walk away without giving them a dime. They could have had my $25 if they'd informed me, but instead I'll just keep subbing and buy my Glass motif for "free" in three months...or I'll grow tired of shrugging at such baffling idiocy, and be playing something else by then.

ZOS should hire you; you'd fit right in.

Scenario 1, heavy advertising of the 40% off sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each during sale, none buy after it's over.
Revenue $239,940.00

Scenario 2, stealth sale.
10k people buy 5500 crowns each at normal price, none knew about sale.
Revenue $399,900.00

Just with 10k people the spread hits $160k. Just with 10k people that's a number of bug fixers salaries for a solid year, either hired or not hired based solely on whether they plastered news of one single crown sale all over the place or not. THAT is what I meant when I said sales can be dangerous tools for businesses that are akin to swinging a sword that has no handle - very possible to slice off your own hand.

Scenario 3 etc is some mix in between, either by how many do/do not catch the sale or whether they buy the 5500 or a lesser package.

Crowns have no expiration date, so people hoarding by spending 3k worth of money yet receiving 5.5k worth of crowns - and thus not needing to buy any for over a year - is a genuine risk with these sales.

You aren't really included in any group, because you subscribe. You aren't really in the target group. Your role isn't really considered because subscribers buy their crowns on contract and therefore wouldn't be a considerable force regarding crown sales near dlc releases. You get the dlc anyway. You should have realized long ago that subbers aren't considerable participants in the crown purchase market, because of the subscription. That's why I'm throwing salt at you - you should have realized this.

Tl; DR

fallentemplar · March 2017

No thieves guild crown sale other dlcs got one for being one year old

no crowns for me

Artemiisia · March 2017

since I came back in November, there haven't been any crown sales in this timeline

The Elder Scrolls Online

Timing of Crown Store sales?

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