Auctioning and posting prices

[Tallenn]

When you auction stuff to sell, do you post the prices? I've noticed that a lot of people don't.

When I am looking to buy stuff, I almost never bother with auctions where the seller doesn't post their prices up front. The reason is that I'm not one of those guys that likes to haggle. I prefer to just shop around until I find what I want at a price I feel is worth paying. Yes, it probably takes me longer to find what I want, but that's the way I shop. I almost always eventually find what I want for a price I think is fair.

I don't know why some people choose not to post a price up front. My guess is that they ARE the kind of people that likes to haggle, and feels they can probably get a better price that way. Fact is,they probably can, but I also think they are missing a significant portion of the buying market by not posting prices, because people like me usually never even look twice if there's no advertised price. Also, it could be debatable that they are getting better prices, since the majority of people that contact them about it are ALSO the type of people that like to haggle, and hence, are probably pretty good at it.

Now, on high-end and rare items that aren't sold very often, it makes a lot of sense to sell that way. For items that are sold pretty much every day though, I think you're missing out on a lot of potential buyers, who are just waiting for someone else to put the item up for sale at a fair price that's advertised up front.

Maybe it's just me, but nearly every time I've sent a tell to someone asking "how much", they either say, "make an offer" or tell me a price that's 30-50% higher than what I'd consider paying, meaning I either have to haggle or just forget about it. Eventually, you get to the point where you just don't bother with them at all.

[karsten]

well some people do like to, and some dont -- it's a style thing that is one of the more direct reflections of RL personalities manifested in mmos. I appreciate your preference for one style over the other, however, due to the large spectrum of personalities that mankind represents, I am certain that you'll also be able to understand that non-price auctioning will continue in the future. :)

[km2783]

If I don't see a price and it's an item I want, I just ask. If they say make them an offer, I consider it and then lowball :D If your first offer isn't embarassing it's not low enough! If they're into haggling, they'll counter-offer. My biggest annoyance is when they just say "no". Obviously they have SOME amount they'd like to make in mind. At that point I start to feel like they want to rip people off who don't know the value of something, and then thank them and move on. I could be wrong about the ripping off of people, maybe they don't know what it's worth, either, and are afraid of selling it for too little, but oh well. It's still time to move on :) I look at pricing like this: if I am willing to pay for something at a given price, or am willing to accept an amount both parties are happy with in a transaction, no one has been ripped off and maybe I/they got a good deal.

Worst-case, just ask for a Price Check a day or two in advance ;)

[Thrymm]

Sometimes I think when someone doesn't put a price on their auction they don't want to be ridiculed by the masses when they intend to try and overprice. But like km said, just ask if you're interested in said item.

[Tallenn]

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you're somehow wrong if you don't advertise price- just that you may be missing out on some of the market, that's all.

[Tallenn]

Ironically (or not), I run into this in my profession, which is software consultant. Often, recruiters won't put a rate range into their job reqs, and instead want you to tell them how much you will take. Just like here, I'll either just ignore them and their job (I have a position currently- it kind of sucks, but the money's enough to pay the bills, and I can play EQ during part of my shift), or I'll highball them. Never know, might get a job paying huge bucks that way!

[YendorLootmonkey]

Negotiating 101: The first person who mentions a price point puts themselves at a disadvantage.

[Arkis]

When I don't post my prices up... I just plain don't know the price of it lol...

[pickled_heretic]

frankly it doesn't matter ot me either way, i'm not going to buy junk i don't need just because a price is/is not posted. if it's something i really need i'm going to buy it at very close to the listed price or do a PC and buy it at a price very close to that.

[Tallenn]

Negotiating 201: Plenty of people don't want to negotiate at all.

Look, if you force me into making the first price, I'm going to give you what I'm looking to spend, period. If you come back with a higher amount, I'm going to say no, because I didn't want to haggle in the first place, so I didn't lowball my offer, and I'm simply not willing to go any higher. What I told you is what I'm willing to spend, not a starting off price. In other words, I'm not negotiating, I'm simply telling you what I will pay.

In the end though, I don't want to explain this to every "negotiator", so chances are, I'm not even going to ask you what you want for it- which brings us back to the beginning: plenty of people just don't want to negotiate- AT ALL.

[Istinkeraflort]

Insecurity in a video game.

/sad

It's time to grow some balls even tho i know it wasn't classic.

[mixxit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5hrcwU7Dk

YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE MR ISTINK

[Darian]

When I am looking to buy stuff, I almost never bother with auctions where the seller doesn't post their prices up front. The reason is that I'm not one of those guys that likes to haggle. I prefer to just shop around until I find what I want at a price I feel is worth paying. Yes, it probably takes me longer to find what I want, but that's the way I shop. I almost always eventually find what I want for a price I think is fair.

...

I don't know why some people choose not to post a price up front. My guess is that they ARE the kind of people that likes to haggle, and feels they can probably get a better price that way. Fact is,they probably can, but I also think they are missing a significant portion of the buying market by not posting prices, because people like me usually never even look twice if there's no advertised price.

IMO it seems like you're the one missing out on market opportunities and not the other way around. Sometimes I list prices and sometimes I don't; either way I consider myself a haggler. Besides, there's always someone who will respond to a stated price by asking if I could go Xpp lower.

I guess the question becomes this: The Bazaar had nothing but fixed prices and virtually no haggling. Do/did you prefer that to EC Tunnel?

[soup]

I can't speak for everyone, but personally when I post auctions without prices, the reasons are generally any of the following:
1. Absolutely no clue what the item is worth or should go for
2. I can make more than expected by selling to someone who doesn't care about a price difference of a couple hundred pp and just wants the item.
3. I can help out noobs who wouldn't have inquired about the item if I posted what I had hoped to get when I was willing to take less to help someone out.
4. Too damn lazy to come up with prices. Just link and if someone is interested, they'll ask.

[Omnimorph]

In my experience people are usually leaving a price off in the hope they'll get more than what a PC would return on an item.

Personally, if i'm selling a higher priced item i'll leave a price off, someone will enquire, and i'll say "around abouts 12k" or w/e. That leaves them open to negotiate.

When you're selling something and you put a price on it, you're more likely to be undercut by someone else if they're selling the same item. No price on means someone has to ask you, and you can come to an agreement from there.

In short, it really doesn't matter if i put it on or leave it off. I'll pay what i think is fair for an item, if it's a commonly sold item, i might be happier to wait to get a lower price, if it's an item i urgently need, i'll offer what it's worth, if they want more i'll consider paying it.

[Bruman]

This debate is pretty much as old as time.

Seller wants the most possible, so wants people to offer.

Buyer wants to save pp, so wants people to post prices instead of having to inquire. This also makes sellers compete more openly.

Personally, I always list prices. If you don't know what something is worth, and don't know the "market value", well guess what? Noone is going to randomly offer you 1kpp for it. It just doesn't happen. Same for those who DO know what the market value is, and just hopes they'll get a higher offer - doubt it. The people who bother to make offers are probably hoping you have no idea what it's worth.

Personally, unless it's an item I really really like (and to be honest, as a monk at least, unless it's a haste item or a WR bag, most gear isn't that important, so I can easily ignore 99%), I'm not going to make an offer on whatever you're listing. I generally have no idea of "market value", since I never just sit in EC, and don't feel like fighting with a seller to get them to tell me a damn starting price, or getting a "ya rite u idot this is wurth liek 5kpp go bak 2 wow". So to get me to buy just regular armor, you need to list a price. And you have to wait for me to run to the bank =P

I guess it's just, IMO, as a seller, the perceived gain (people making stupid high offers) on gear by not listing the price is just something that is going to happen way way less than listing a price, even if it's cheaper, and getting the item sold. At the end of the day, not listing prices may leave you more pp per item, but you'll have many many less sales, where the other way is how you actually move items, and can then spend more time not sitting in a stupid tunnel. If you're already 50, you could even use that time to farm MORE items, and sell more.

And if you don't know what's something worth, and a PC comes up empty, just fill in the blank of "I would be happy if I got _____ for this." Make sure it's more than the vendor will give. Consider who would use the item, how it compares to similar items, look up the rarity, think of how easy/difficult it was to obtain, and if you're still too worried about loosing this imaginary profit that in reality probably never had a chance of happening, then just offer it for trade instead of selling.

[astarothel]

If you set a price people will always try and make you settle for less. Either that or you list it overpriced and people in auction laugh like assclowns and go "ROFL WAY TOO MUCH" or "OMG I BOUGHT ONE THE OTHER DAY FOR HALF THAT LOL". When I list something that's the amount I want for it. I don't want to really haggle, I don't want to take trades unless I explicitly say so (ie: no I don't want your shitty easily farmed item that everyone has 6 of +50p for a dark reaver), and I just want the price listed. My price is my price, but people don't get that and will keep bugging me or tantrum when my prices are already decent. If people are undercutting me, I stop listing the item rather than cutting my margin. You can always sell stuff another time.

[Derpus]

people say "make offer" for 2 reasons;

1)they don't know what its worth and cant be troubled to find out.

2)they want to rip you off

listing prices moves item much much faster and contributes to the overall health of the market by reducing both of the points above. on high end stuff offers/auctions are understandable.

[mixxit]

So sayath the Civilisation!

There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wage possible - Henry Ford

The cost being time in this case :-)

[Branaddar]

I can't speak for everyone, but personally when I post auctions without prices, the reasons are generally any of the following:
1. Absolutely no clue what the item is worth or should go for
2. I can make more than expected by selling to someone who doesn't care about a price difference of a couple hundred pp and just wants the item.
3. I can help out noobs who wouldn't have inquired about the item if I posted what I had hoped to get when I was willing to take less to help someone out.
4. Too damn lazy to come up with prices. Just link and if someone is interested, they'll ask.

I have the exact same philosophy. It was one of my beefs with the bazaar. Sure, it's great for getting a PC on an unknown item, but it killed off the concept of selling a bit lower to someone who needs it versus someone who will just resell it at a higher price. Not to mention all the under-cutting... but I digress.

I would rather sell something to someone that needs it at a price we both consider fair than set a price in stone, or sell it to a profiteer that will rip off someone pinching their plats to afford it.

I used to have the same issues as the OP. If a price wasn't posted, I was afraid to send a tell and make myself look like an idiot. Nowadays, I just say "look, I'm not really sure what the market value is on it, but this is what it's worth to me" and gauge their reaction.

A lot of times the resellers will give a flat-out no in the hopes that you'll match their invisible price or go over it. At that point, walk away.

If you're not going to post a price, then learn to work with the buyer or at least get a dialogue going on how much you are hoping to sell it for.

I totally understand the avoidance of stupid responses to prices in /ooc or /auc. Some of the asshattery can be really annoying.

[Tallenn]

If you set a price people will always try and make you settle for less. Either that or you list it overpriced and people in auction laugh like assclowns and go "ROFL WAY TOO MUCH" or "OMG I BOUGHT ONE THE OTHER DAY FOR HALF THAT LOL". When I list something that's the amount I want for it. I don't want to really haggle, I don't want to take trades unless I explicitly say so (ie: no I don't want your shitty easily farmed item that everyone has 6 of +50p for a dark reaver), and I just want the price listed. My price is my price, but people don't get that and will keep bugging me or tantrum when my prices are already decent. If people are undercutting me, I stop listing the item rather than cutting my margin. You can always sell stuff another time.

That's just not true. I don't. Anyone else who doesn't like to haggle won't. If you offer it at a fair price, you will sell it at that price, probably quicker than if you are trying to haggle for that price. That's the way I sell, too. I put a price in my auction- the price I want to get for the item. I don't try to overcharge for it- I go by either: what it's been going for lately, or if I don't know what that is, what I believe it's worth. If it still doesn't sell after some time (depends on how much time I am spending buying and selling), I may lower the price, believing that it just won't command the old price anymore. That happens in MMOs- prices typically go down over time.

I reiterate: the people that are willing to haggle with you are usually ALSO good at haggling. Therefore, you aren't making the killing you think you are by not advertising a FAIR price up front. The "suckers" as I'm sure you like to think of them more often than not KNOW they suck at haggling, and so choose NOT TO PLAY that game.

[astarothel]

That's just not true. I don't. Anyone else who doesn't like to haggle won't. If you offer it at a fair price, you will sell it at that price, probably quicker than if you are trying to haggle for that price.

You'd think that, but it's rarely the case. Number of offers I receive on all items that would be 33% or more lower than their low end market value: many. Number of those offers I accept: zero. If people are spamming WTB something, they will have to accept the fact their ability to set the price goes way down.