On Jewelry, and Market Dynamics

[keoni]

I’m posting this in a separate thread from the similar one here, so as not to hijack. These are my views on the market and jewelry, and mine alone. I am expressing them only to share my perspective, not in an attempt to persuade others to my view.

• As I have stated before, I have no problems whatsoever with homins buying what I craft, and reselling them. I recognize that Atys is, like it or hate it, a homin-driven free-market economy. That issue isn’t up to you or I to decide, it is already defined by how the market mechanics are set up - no taxes, no overhead, no fees, no restrictions. That’s a completely free market.
• Although I can and do make q250 jewelry sets, it takes me several times the effort in time and materials to do so, as compared to Haddo. (/target Haddo /bow) At the time he retired his jewelling mallet, his success percentage for all patterns would have been, I believe, 80% or so. All of my patterns but one are at 5% success, and will not rise above that for quite some time. Therefore, even if I were able to jewel craft all day without going (further) insane, I could not supply the demand in the market to the extent Haddo did.
• You don’t need q250 jewelry to grind levels in. You can get along just fine with q200 or below jewels, which are readily available at an affordable price. Stat bonuses are not even intended to be jewelry’s primary purpose--that being, to increase your resistances. The one area where you can greatly benefit from a q250 set is for extra focus, if you’re a high level harvester - but presumably all the high harvesters snatched those up when they were available for cheap.
• In my view, jewelry is akin to a legalized but highly addictive substance. Everyone wants it, everyone can use it, and up until recently it was pretty easily affordable, so most everyone had it. Now, given the market dynamics of supply and demand, the best jewelry is once again a luxury item. This is understandably upsetting to those who now need to settle for a less potent fix. The difference between loved and hated pushers is the price of their crack.
• Due to my low success %, when I craft I get jewels in a range from q100 to q250. Those below q150, I generally just sell to NPC. The ones from 150 to 205 or so, I price to be competitive with what other crafters are making, in order that they sell at a good pace and free up my 128-item shelf space. Above that level though, I am pricing far higher than what you’re used to paying, which is my own way of coping with the reselling issue. The speculators are welcome to buy & resell what I make, but I intend to price my crafts in such a way that they are fairly closely balanced with what the market will bear - thus making it difficult for those who resell to make a windfall profit on my efforts. This sliding-scale pricing also has the side benefit of preserving a place in the market for those jewelers who are working their way up.
• Lastly, I do believe that dappers have value, and I craft jewelry in part with the intention of amassing wealth - for my personal use, but mostly to further the cause of my guild mates. However, I am happy that this also helps the community to some extent by making available an item that might otherwise be difficult to obtain. But understand that just because I *can* do this, does not *obligate* me to do so… nor to do so at a price that you consider “fair”… If you think I’m charging too much for a given item, then by all means support the efforts of a more affordable crafter.

I’m unlikely to expound too much more on these subjects, because I have ample experience with the high emotions this kicks up. I’ll briefly respond to reasoned arguments and thoughtful questions, but the inevitable flames will be cheerfully ignored. But, hey - the next time someone on the forums compares me to a historical genocidal dictator, or something like that, maybe someone in the community can take issue with that kind of hateful hyperbole instead of cheering them on? Just a thought.

Be well & bright blessings.

[altomesa]

Being a crafter of fine armors my only response is.....accuratly and well stated Keoni.

[vutescu]

LOL, Keoni. You are [...]

***Edited by Administration: Use of foul language & insulting other users is not permitted on these message boards. Please rephrase your posting to comply with the forum rules & netiquette.***

[totnkopf]

But, hey - the next time someone on the forums compares me to a historical genocidal dictator, or something like...[/color]

Doubt that'll happen. People seem to save that label for me.

[larwood]

Keoni,

I think you are handling the jewelry situation very well. In my opinion Q250 jewels are a Luxury, and we've been very spoiled by Haddo (it was great !!). Everyone is used to having the best jewels available, and now that they are harder to get, they are [/b]much more valuable[/b], as they should be. And all the people that used Haddos jewels, and were spoiled (like me), can just deal with buying jewels that are appropriate for their skill levels. This will encourage and promote the up and coming jewels, rather than make them feel worthless and un-enthused in regards to jewel crafting.

For those that are at or around LVL 250... most of them should be very able to afford your jewels, and it shouldt be a problem. So, to sum it all up I think youve got a great head on your shoulders, and are helping the ryzom economy very much.

/target Keoni
/bow

Thom

[caitiff]

That's not 5% you ***Edited by Administration: Use of foul language & insulting other users is not permitted on these message boards. Please rephrase your posting to comply with the forum rules & netiquette.*** . 5% is the minimum value that is showed on your screen. But assuming your other jewels ar at ~q100, i think that 5% is in fact about 5*2/150. That's 0.06%.

That is not true. 5% is the lowest it can go, not just the lowest it shows. I do a LOT of crafting and digging, actually that is all that I have been doing for quite some time.



As for the higher priced jewelry that is how it should always have been but we had someone that was VERY kind to price everything so low. Top quality stuff should be priced a little higher than normal. Nothing wrong w/ what you are doing, and just ignore vutescu as i'm sure you will ;P

[varelse]

Anyone who needs jewelry has several options open to them:

1) Get your guild together and level up your own guild supplier (this is what my guild is doing)
2) Work up a trade agreement with a guild that has a guild jewel crafter
3) Level up your own jewel craft and supply yourself (I'll also be doing this, after I help our guild crafter up)
4) Buy jewelry at whatever price you can find it
5) Trade other valued high level crafted items for it (ex if you craft high level HA trade it for full sets of high level jewelry)
6) Use your people skills to persuade high level crafters to sell to you individually, or provide for free, the jewelry you want (yes, there really are some people who are just that good)

The community as whole has strongly rebuked opportunistic and greedy resellers. Most people I've talked with in game seem to view this practice as less than honorable. Anyone has the right to express their opinion of this or any other behaviour... but, it's NOT going to fill any needs for crafted items. It's NOT a solution to the perceived problem and never will be.

I think it's pretty clear what will happen now with the npc merchant system... the prices on the npc vendors will be forced up to 'whatever the market will bear' by resellers and eventually by tradeskillers themselves. Lower prices will need to be negotiated directly and enforced by private trade agreements. I can see more and more of this happening over time as people continue to put together alliances and build on in game relationships.

Also, in a few more months, we're likely to have a lot more high level crafters. It's been so much easier to quickly level up melee, harvesting and magic than to level crafting that high level crafters are still relatively rare. The economy is slowly beginning to balance itself out, and Haddo's retirement will actually help speed this process up.

[larwood]

The ecomony is slowly beginning to balance itself out, and Haddo's retirement will actually help speed this process up.

Well said.

[nonde]

My personal view is that charging 300k+ for a L241 diadem is opportunistic profiteering in a climate of the community's misfortune at losing Haddo, and that all who pursue dappers ahead of increasing the fun and decreasing the burdensome aspects of the game for their fellow homins have lost the plot of the purpose of games.

Zysha

[micrix]

Players should try to buy what they need. I can hunt with q180, but i *need* at least q220 to dig. So no need for q250. But when there are only q250 on the market, then i buy them. Except if it is reseller ware. If there would be a market for q120 up to q250 and players would buy the Q they need i guess the market would become better and lower crafters would feel better.

BTW: Could you jewelers hold an convention and make a common decission about colors of jewels ? Zorai or Fyros for HP ? I would say Fyros, but can live with every definition as long as crafters stick to it.