We used to have this cute saying in sales "a little bit of something is better than a whole lotta nothing".

It would appear to me that ZOS believes they will make more money by selling a few through crown gems, than a direct crown purchase. I would argue that selling through crowns will yield a greater chance for a sale, and through that, generate more actual sales. OF course I could be completely wrong because their spread sheet prediction indicates they will make more money through crown crate purchases that get turned into gems (because folks who horded gems will not actually make ZOS money, that money was already made, only new sales makes them money) but if this is the case its because there is a limited exposure to folks purchasing this item (a lower player count/not healthy player numbers).

Regardless, the one thing that is provable and evident is that by NOT allowing all crown store items to be sold with direct crown purchases, ZOS is not catering to a large chunk of their player base. I applaud efforts by countries who are against gamble crates, but its sad that some businesses are sticking to their guns and not only hurting themselves, but disrespecting their customers who would gladly pay up front for these items. This type of action hurts both parties, this is not good business.

Another cute saying we had in sales. "A good deal is when its good for you, and me."

Cundu_Ertur wrote: »

I may be mistaken, but aren't the monthly logon loyalty bribes gem-able?

The items we get from the free crates can be exchanged for gems. Pretty much many in-game events, launches of major updates, and major Zos announcements about the game tend to come with streamers having drops enabled. That is good for about two of those free crates.