WraithCaller88 wrote: »

I'm CONVINCED that ZOS doesn't actually want players spending their money, since I've been howling about Tel Galen & New Moon Crates for literal months.

It's artificial scarcity. It's a belief that by making something unavailable, or making a limited availability of an item, it becomes more desirable. It's a normal marketing tactic, but in the case of a digital good where the things can't be bought and then resold, it benefits no one and just cuts into ZoS' bottom line since the stuff people want isn't available. The argument for artificial scarcity is that if the thing is always available to purchase, some people will think "Oh! I want that, but it'll be there next month so I'll buy it then" then said person does not buy the item because they've thought about the purchase, and decided against it in a good number of cases. This is true in some aspects, but I firmly believe it's more harmful to profits in most cases than it is helpful. Gotta remember, there's also the argument of people seeing an item, thinking about buying it, then not doing so because the item went away before they made up their mind and then the thought "It's for the best, I didn't need it anyway" comes in, which would also dissuade a future purchase of the item. Impulse buys happen more often if it's available whenever. I've missed items I've wanted many times because they were only available when I didn't have disposable income, or what feels worse, when I'm on a hiatus from the game. I've also decided against items I'll never buy because they left the crown store before I made up my mind, so it made up my mind for me. And I'm certain both are common.