Proposal to make the MP a more affordable place.

[Eltanin Sadachbia]

So, I'm kind of tired of thinking I have enough for the next item for my dream avi, and then finding it has jumped in price to just beyond my reach... gonk ....

I think the MP is getting out of hand, and since it is us the users who control the MP, I think it is time to get it under control.

I am proposing a boycott.

If anyone else here is feeling my pain, please drop by the thread, and show your support. Spread the word, and hopefully by the end of July, we will be able to afford the things we want.  

[ancantsia]

Moved to Chatterbox

Even the smallest feline is a masterpiece

 

[Eltanin Sadachbia]

Thanks, I didn't know where exactly I should go with it.  

[Life Hath Immortality]

You won't be able to buy them if they aren't for sale. neutral  

[Daypaw]

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

The prices of items are dictated by supply vs demand. If supply is low and demand is high (take 2003 donation items or epic pets such as Kitten Star or Lucky The Cat) then the price is going to be extremely high depending on current availability and the willingness of the users who have the items to sell. As demand goes up and supply becomes less, this causes inflation and the prices rise.

Items that are plentiful and in low demand (Momo monkey) don't inflate because nobody really wants them.

The thing about historical boycotts vs digital boycotts is that, in the real world, people lose real money. Here, all they lose is time, and that's assuming you can assemble enough users to make a dent in daily sales before the launch date which tragically I don't see happening from a realistic standpoint.

Millions of transactions happen in the marketplace each and every day from thousands of different users.

In order to stop inflation, you would need to defeat the principles of supply and demand.

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

 

[JoyRose]

I'm afraid I have to agree with Daypaw on this one. It's user-driven, and I think completely obvious that users are in the majority likely to keep using the marketplace. For every buyer frustrated with rising costs, there are sellers thrilled that they can make more gold that way. Sorry, hun. I do understand you point of view. I've given up on a couple of quests for just the reason you mention. And things like Kitten Star were just never going to be something for me to consider. (I hate RIGs - lol)  

[LS95]

Daypaw

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

The prices of items are dictated by supply vs demand. If supply is low and demand is high (take 2003 donation items or epic pets such as Kitten Star or Lucky The Cat) then the price is going to be extremely high depending on current availability and the willingness of the users who have the items to sell. As demand goes up and supply becomes less, this causes inflation and the prices rise.

Items that are plentiful and in low demand (Momo monkey) don't inflate because nobody really wants them.

The thing about historical boycotts vs digital boycotts is that, in the real world, people lose real money. Here, all they lose is time, and that's assuming you can assemble enough users to make a dent in daily sales before the launch date which tragically I don't see happening from a realistic standpoint.

Millions of transactions happen in the marketplace each and every day from thousands of different users.

In order to stop inflation, you would need to defeat the principles of supply and demand.

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

wow, thanks for killing the spirit and hopes daypaw talk2hand  

[Eltanin Sadachbia]

The spirit isn't killed.

There are several people already jumping on board.

And you are right about supply and demand, the deal is, it is our attempt to eliminate as much demand as possible for 2 weeks and encourage the prices down.

Even if everyone who has a pessimistic view of what we were doing would hop on board just to see what would happen, it would significantly increase our chances.

And we are not asking anyone to stop buying altogether, we are encouraging people to use the Exchange during the boycott, and only buy when they can get a deal. We are encouraging people to stop spending just because they have the gold to spend.

If it doesn't work, no one will have lost anything. C'mon, give it a shot.

The Guild

The Thread  

[Life Hath Immortality]

If the pricesdo go down, they won't stay there long enough to buy any items you want for less than the usual price.  

[eleanne]

Life Hath Immortality

If the pricesdo go down, they won't stay there long enough to buy any items you want for less than the usual price.

This is basic economics I'm afraid. Even if I didn't buy anything that week (I probably won't anyway cuz I'm stingy LOL) prices would only lower if sellers were desperate for cash. In fact supply might even decrease- sellers might hold on to their precious RIGs and EIs until they fetch more gold. This process is what keeps inflation from going crazy- if the items are affordable for you, that means the seller isn't happy with the price and will not 'give away' their precious item. Inflation isn't crazy because of buyers only, it's also because sellers want the next thing up the ladder so they charge more. Buyers want this item now, so they fight to the death over it. If ideally everyone waited for prices to cool off (if they're buying) or heat up (if they're selling) the market would actually balance out and inflation would be less severe. Your boycott may actually raise prices for items if it gets big enough- or if it isn't very large it will decrease prices by a very small amount such as fifty or a hundred gold.  

[Art Greylace]

Daypaw

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

The prices of items are dictated by supply vs demand. If supply is low and demand is high (take 2003 donation items or epic pets such as Kitten Star or Lucky The Cat) then the price is going to be extremely high depending on current availability and the willingness of the users who have the items to sell. As demand goes up and supply becomes less, this causes inflation and the prices rise.

Items that are plentiful and in low demand (Momo monkey) don't inflate because nobody really wants them.

The thing about historical boycotts vs digital boycotts is that, in the real world, people lose real money. Here, all they lose is time, and that's assuming you can assemble enough users to make a dent in daily sales before the launch date which tragically I don't see happening from a realistic standpoint.

Millions of transactions happen in the marketplace each and every day from thousands of different users.

In order to stop inflation, you would need to defeat the principles of supply and demand.

♦ ♣ ♥ ♠

Here's the reason for Gaian inflation- Booty Grab. I can assure you that if it weren't for Booty Grab, nobody would put prices that high because no one would have the money to buy what they were selling. It wouldn't be worth it!

We need to stop Booty Grab.  

[Ebania]

Insanity Dragonfly

Here's the reason for Gaian inflation- Booty Grab. I can assure you that if it weren't for Booty Grab, nobody would put prices that high because no one would have the money to buy what they were selling. It wouldn't be worth it!

We need to stop Booty Grab.

You're right in that Booty Grab has certainly contributed to inflation on Gaia. However, I don't think that removing Booty Grab -- or refraining from playing it -- is the answer.

Why do people spend tons of money on gorgeous, high-trigger aquariums? To become millionaires. Gaia knows this. They're not going to eliminate an enormous source of revenue and quite possibly commit the greatest customer service blunder in its history.

Yes, monthly collectibles used to be 10 - 13k five years ago. Sounds great, until you realize that it took hours upon hours to make a simple 1 or 2k just by posting. Nowadays, if you have enough dedication to obtain a desired item, you can make it. A friend of mine made 1 million gold in a week and a half of playing Booty Grab; that's how long it took me to get the 10k I needed to buy a Coco Kitty back in December of 2005. With the 10k, I could barely afford that one item; with a million gold, you can buy numerous items that are cooler than Coco Kitties. Today, you get much more money for the amount of time you invest on Gaia than you would have several years ago.

I'm not of the opinion that we shouldn't regulate Booty Grab at all. But eliminating it completely would be, for lack of a better expression, a huge, huge mistake.  

[Cookiedoughsaurus]

The problem is you will loose either way. If more people buy more of a certain item, the supply will be high and the price low. People will buy them out and low prices and the supply will become low and the prices high. There is absolutely NO way around it.  

[Rockefor]

Good luck on that.I will not use the marketplace for the weeks.May the boycott work.