On the price of the pre-nerf CoS:
This item was farmed for many years. Thousands of these exist on the server. The rarity of this item has not increased. The stats have not changed. The item was being sold for 10-12k for years after the nerf. This item is worth 10-12k.
On the deeper issues behind this price gouging:
Project1999 is pure nostalgia. Nostalgia attracts many types of people, including those who are unhappy with the present for one reason or another and those who are able to escape to this community and take a break from their pain. If they can find some shred of joy, some escape, and some sense of community on this server, then that is important and should be fought for and defended. Unfortunately, some people who are unhappy can only take some sense of joy by bringing unhappiness to others and hurting those around them. They are also attracted to this type of server, in smaller numbers thankfully. When one of these sick people comes along and decides that the human beings on this server are here for their entertainment and to serve as their punching bags, that someone deserves to have a spotlight shined upon them and the community should come together to reject them. These price gougers have sold out their morality to make some plat on an emulator of a 20 year old dead MMO... if that's all it takes for them to willingly hurt other human beings, can you imagine what they would do for gain in real life? They are ill. They choose to spend their days actively screwing people over in a gaming community - a place where many look to for an escape. That is a daily choice to be evil... and they know it. That's why they have new level one merchant toons all the time. The good, honest EC merchants are always selling on the same toons. The price gougers hide in anonymity... they cycle toon names and forum usernames. They know they are actively choosing to be bad people and they know that they have to constantly change their names to be able to continue selling in the tunnel.
So, what can we as a community do to fix the problem? The simplest answer is to
stop paying price gougers. I mean, honestly... ffs... stop supporting these people. Consumers determine the prices of items. When one person buys a pre-nerf CoS at 25k, every price gouger says "Hey, look! It must be worth that much!" Stop. Paying. Them. I know you want this item, but if you pay their prices, you're hurting every other player who still needs one. Don't hurt other players - that makes you no different than the price gougers.
If you are a player in possession of a pre-nerf CoS and you're looking to sell it, honestly it may just be a bad time right now. My advice is to hang onto it for now and wait for the gougers to starve out. If people stop paying their prices, they'll have no choice but to come down. If you sell it now for 10-12k, odds are you'll unintentionally sell it to a price gouger who will try to flip it for 20k+ and then you've inadvertently supported their antics.
If you are in the market to buy a pre-nerf CoS, send a tell to everyone who is auctioning one with an offer of 10-12k. Reply to every WTS forum thread with an offer of 10-12k. Spam them with 10-12k offers. Auction WTB for 10-12k in EC. Make it the norm and do not budge. Don't even pay 13k.
Anyway, protect your happiness and your mental health. It's more important than pixels. This community has so many amazing people in it. I just felt like speaking up in support of the good players and out against those who would abuse them. See you all in the tunnel - on my one and only merchant toon
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