I'll try not to dwell or rant about any of my FFXI hates. I'm sure you have all experienced them and if they frustrated you as much as they did me you don't need me to go into detail.
i) why are the fees so high?
I find making money in FFXI these days much easier but I still don't understand why the Jeuno AH fees are so high and vary based on where you make a sale. I understand the importance of gold sinks to ensure a balanced economy but I still don't think that justifies the high fees.
You might not think much of the fees these days, but when all you had was an Onion Sword, it was pretty frustrating.
ii) why aren't all the auction houses linked?
New players, without access to Jeuno, can only make sales to other new players. Apart from materials for crafting, no-one sells anything at the city AHs.
iii) why is the sales period so short?
It's about 3 1/2 RL days. I think it corresponds almost exactly to a sensible period of Vana Time (a month) but, newsflash, I don't fucking live in Vanadiel! I'm paying a fee (see above) and want an opportunity to sell my items for that fee.
The longer the sales period the more likely I am to weather a spike in undercutting.
Why am I penalised for being a patient salesman?
iv) why are items for sale hidden?
Who finds the "mystery" of bidding on items at the AH fun? Anyone? Anyone AT ALL?
Who would rather just see exactly what the price is and buy the cheapest? Competitive economies cannot thrive if the consumer is unable to compare prices and choose a cheaper seller.
People frequently complain about under-cutting in FFXI. While it's important to realise that so called under-cutting is a function of supply and demand it's especially annoying in FFXI.
The hidden marketplace is anti-competitive in that it lends an advantage to the person that drops prices lower than everyone else but, crucially, the other sellers don't know about it until it's too late. It's impossible to compete.
v) why is it called an Auction House?
In an auction, an item goes to the person that bids the highest.
In FFXI, the item goes to the person that sells the lowest.
So, it's not an Auction at all. It's like the bastard son of Satan's idea of an auction.
Shantotto, the Love Doctor
10 years ago
I dunno, it's not all *quite* as bad as you make it out to be.
ReplyDeleteThe high fees could certainly be toned down a bit as they rarely seem to be tied to the value of the item being placed on the AH, but it's still healthy to siphon off some of the gil in circulation.
The disconnect of the regional auction houses is frustrating, but on the other hand it also allows there to be multiple markets for crafters to sell their wares in. I've heard many a tale of someone finding a niche in regional auction houses and turning profits there when the Jeuno AH had been flooded.
The short listing time can actually be a boon. Whereas you believe extending the time would make you better able to weather undercutting, I think it would just allow the undercutting to become the new stabilized price. When someone sees 70 other items listed on the AH, they tend to undercut to make a sale and the price slowly drops as everyone following them does the same. All the higher prices still stay on the AH though, making it look like there is still a need to massively undercut. Having the items time out and come off the AH keeps the market from staying flooded and bottoming out completely. As the items time out the overall stock on the AH decreases and people become more inclined to think they can get away with listing higher prices, which is good for people selling their wares.
Of course all that goes out the window if you make the prices completely transparent.
*shrug*
When I first learned of the "auction" house, I thought it was rather mysterious and puzzling. It is quite hard to use, but I do see the point of multiple AHs, both story-wise, and so that there are separate markets instead of a one global warehouse.
ReplyDeleteI also agree they they could have (perhaps even should have) have made it much more easier to use - and if it had been such from the beginning, I certainly wouldn't complain. However, now it seems like any other odd part of the game that 'has always been there', and I'd be quite upset if they changed it now.
(It's not just "I've had to make do with the mystery bidding, and so should everyone else", but I have to admit there may be a bit of that mixed in, too.)