Ethics and Trading - Your opinion wanted. - Guild Wars Forums

TheRaven · Dec 06, 2007, 04:26 PM // 16:26

Not sure if this belongs here or Riverside. Mods feel free to move it.

I found myself in the following situation this week. I'm curious. What would be the right/moral thing to do and also what would you have done?

I lucked out and a nice bow dropped for me the other day. I'm not much of a trader so I really don't know what stuff is worth. I knew enough to know that this bow was worth something so I zipped on over here to the price check forum and asked the experts.

I received 2 replies to my PC request. The first said 80-90k. The 2nd said that was too high and more likely 60-80k.

Next I listed the bow for sale in the high end forum. Starting bid at 60k, Buyout 100k. I immediately (less than a minute) received a buyout bid so I pm'd the buyer and gave him my contact info and when I'd be available ingame.

Thru out the day, I continued to receive private PMs offering me 100k + various amounts of ectos for the bow, however I'd already agreed to sell for the buyout price of 100k so I turned down all the additional offers.

In the end, my original bidder backed out of the deal and I sold the bow to the first person that PM'd me for 100k even. I figure that since I listed 100k as buyout it would be wrong to sell for more. It was my fault for putting up a buyout price that was way too low. (Note to self: all future sell posts will have a b/o of 1 million plat

)

So, what's considered good trading etiquette? Did I do the right thing or just scam myself outta a few ectos?

I know that if I walked into a store and picked up an item with a $5 price tag and the store owner said "I think I could sell that for $7 at the expo next week, I'll hang onto it", I'd be very very upset and probably never go back to the store again.

Bottom line: I can't complain. I'm 100k richer than I was last week and to me that's a lot of money. I can afford those chaos gloves now once I convert the cash into ectos.

Shadow Spirit · Dec 06, 2007, 04:39 PM // 16:39

IMO you did the right thing in sticking with the guy that won the auction. But once he backed out, the auction was void and you could have sold it for whatever you wanted to.

Glad to see that some people at least consider these kinds of things when trading.

Squishy ftw · Dec 06, 2007, 04:42 PM // 16:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow Spirit

IMO you did the right thing in sticking with the guy that won the auction. But once he backed out, the auction was void and you could have sold it for whatever you wanted to.

Glad to see that some people at least consider these kinds of things when trading.

QFT.

I couldn't agree more really.

Glad to see that there still are some nice persons around

Coridan · Dec 06, 2007, 04:51 PM // 16:51

what bow was it btw? Also i agree after the "winner" backed out you could have had a new sale. Or alot of times in High End sales if you don't know the worth just put a Starting bid...and post a Buyout after finding out what type of attention the item is getting.

Johnny Madhouse · Dec 06, 2007, 04:51 PM // 16:51

Congratulations on being a good person. I saw a guy not too long ago selling Adamantine shields with -5(20%) and +30 mods for 5k. That wouldn't be so bad, if he weren't selling collector items. I pmed the guy about it and he told me there wsa plenty of poor people looking for a good shield.

...

That's why I don't like the open market. I have a guy I sell all my stuff to for 1/3 guru listings, so I sell quick and he gets more merchandise. We're both happy that way!

Quaker · Dec 06, 2007, 04:52 PM // 16:52

I agree with Shadow Spirit that once the original guy backed out, you were free to sell it to someone else. I also think that selling it to the next guy who PM'd you offering 100k was the right thing to do. It also would have been alright to sell it for more, if someone had PM'd you offering more, however, I don't think it would have been right to refuse to sell it for 100k since that was the buy-out you had put in the forums.

Valeria · Dec 06, 2007, 05:03 PM // 17:03

what kind of bow was that?

If you were offered something like 100k +5e i would have stayed with the original buyer but if there were offers like 100k + 50e i would have whispered the buyer to tell him he needs to pay what the bow is worth if he really wants it.

TheRaven · Dec 06, 2007, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Well the bow was a Silverwing. I know they are worth a lot of money, but mine was Req 13 which sorta put a dampener on the dollar signs in my eyes.

LOL, Valeria. I wish the offers were that good.

quickmonty · Dec 06, 2007, 05:18 PM // 17:18

I think I would have done the same, with one addition: I would be sure to give negative feedback to the person that originally bid. When someone backs out of an auction deal all should know about it.

Crom The Pale · Dec 06, 2007, 05:39 PM // 17:39

You did the right thing, the pricing of items is always subjective.

There will always be people that think an item is overpriced no matter what you list it at and others that really want it badly and will pay over the normal value of that item just to get it.

Fried Tech · Dec 06, 2007, 08:52 PM // 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow Spirit

IMO you did the right thing in sticking with the guy that won the auction. But once he backed out, the auction was void and you could have sold it for whatever you wanted to.

Glad to see that some people at least consider these kinds of things when trading.

/agreecompletely

Smile Like Umean It · Dec 06, 2007, 10:08 PM // 22:08

Once the buyer backed out of the auction all your obligations were gone.
You had full rights to do whatever you like with the item with no consequence.

Divinity Sword · Dec 06, 2007, 10:23 PM // 22:23

It's kind of weird someone would buy a req13 silverwing bow for 100k even thought the heirophants bow is also 100k but it's a perfect req9 green. They are the same skin except I think the heirophants bow is dyed black, which is fine by me.

Julia-Louis Dreyfus · Dec 06, 2007, 10:25 PM // 22:25

its because the green version has some worthless mods

杀TanK杀 · Dec 06, 2007, 11:31 PM // 23:31

Never post a buyout straight away.. See what people are willing to pay.
Wait till people either ask for it or offer a buyout...

hurric · Dec 06, 2007, 11:52 PM // 23:52

you did right thing but it wouldn't have mattered if you sold it to highest bidder. Just look at all "powertraders". What do you think they do?

Kha · Dec 07, 2007, 02:13 AM // 02:13

A few extra ectos are merely just pixels, but your dignity is something you live with. Even if it is online, we're all still human and deserve respect and honesty. I think you did the right thing.

Dante the Warlord · Dec 07, 2007, 02:21 AM // 02:21

heh well im sry but if im ever sellin in game, im not the very nicest, i look for what fetches me the highest price. I do this only because sometimes i don't know the pricing... Heres one example:

I was selling a memory wrapping to a guy asking for it agreed on 5k, then boom a message goes on board buying for 8k so i immediately tell this guy nvm higher offer. so the original buyer, then one who agreed on 5k, offers 9k... of course I accept and i make 9k...4k higher then the decided price... I think i might have been a little lower, but I feel that 1k difference is all the difference to me.

True i feel bad about it now, but its not like we will ever see each other again, more or less remember... I just know i don't wanna get ripped off.. i still have my dignity and besides...its just a game

Mac Sidewinder · Dec 07, 2007, 04:17 AM // 04:17

I had the exact opposite thing happen to me. I was on the auction and offered the buyout price on a sword. After the auction ended the seller sold the sword on the open market and when I asked about it he stated that he got more money for it than I had offered. He didn't even try to contact me at all, simply decided he could get more and sold it.

So yeah, I think you did the right thing.

Dante - I have had the same thing happen to me, agree on a price with someone then have someone else offer more before I made the trade with the original person. In those cases I ALWAYS go with the first person that I make a deal with. To me its a question of honor - just like a handshake is. Guess thats just me though.

Gambit Shinobi · Dec 07, 2007, 04:25 AM // 04:25

The old saying goes...

"Buyer beware." Same thing can be said for: "Seller beware."

It's just something you learn as you use this forum to sell stuff... don't ever put a B/O on an item unless you know for sure you would sell it at that price. And if you're not sure about selling the item and might have seller's remorse, simply put this comment at the end of your auction: "I reserve the right to not sell this item."

Of course, nobody's going to slap a lawsuit on you if you don't sell it for the B/O price, but ya, it's ethically not right to back out on the price you set yourself. Then again, buyers are usually worse at retracting their bids and/or backing out of their agreements.

Dec 06, 2007, 04:26 PM // 16:26	#1
TheRaven Desert Nomad Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Guild: Spirit of Elisha Profession: W/	Ethics and Trading - Your opinion wanted. Not sure if this belongs here or Riverside. Mods feel free to move it. I found myself in the following situation this week. I'm curious. What would be the right/moral thing to do and also what would you have done? I lucked out and a nice bow dropped for me the other day. I'm not much of a trader so I really don't know what stuff is worth. I knew enough to know that this bow was worth something so I zipped on over here to the price check forum and asked the experts. I received 2 replies to my PC request. The first said 80-90k. The 2nd said that was too high and more likely 60-80k. Next I listed the bow for sale in the high end forum. Starting bid at 60k, Buyout 100k. I immediately (less than a minute) received a buyout bid so I pm'd the buyer and gave him my contact info and when I'd be available ingame. Thru out the day, I continued to receive private PMs offering me 100k + various amounts of ectos for the bow, however I'd already agreed to sell for the buyout price of 100k so I turned down all the additional offers. In the end, my original bidder backed out of the deal and I sold the bow to the first person that PM'd me for 100k even. I figure that since I listed 100k as buyout it would be wrong to sell for more. It was my fault for putting up a buyout price that was way too low. (Note to self: all future sell posts will have a b/o of 1 million plat ) So, what's considered good trading etiquette? Did I do the right thing or just scam myself outta a few ectos? I know that if I walked into a store and picked up an item with a $5 price tag and the store owner said "I think I could sell that for $7 at the expo next week, I'll hang onto it", I'd be very very upset and probably never go back to the store again. Bottom line: I can't complain. I'm 100k richer than I was last week and to me that's a lot of money. I can afford those chaos gloves now once I convert the cash into ectos.

Dec 07, 2007, 02:13 AM // 02:13	#17
Kha Sins FTW! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Guild: Angel Sharks [AS]	A few extra ectos are merely just pixels, but your dignity is something you live with. Even if it is online, we're all still human and deserve respect and honesty. I think you did the right thing. __________________

Dec 07, 2007, 02:21 AM // 02:21	#18
Dante the Warlord Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2006 Profession: W/R	heh well im sry but if im ever sellin in game, im not the very nicest, i look for what fetches me the highest price. I do this only because sometimes i don't know the pricing... Heres one example: I was selling a memory wrapping to a guy asking for it agreed on 5k, then boom a message goes on board buying for 8k so i immediately tell this guy nvm higher offer. so the original buyer, then one who agreed on 5k, offers 9k... of course I accept and i make 9k...4k higher then the decided price... I think i might have been a little lower, but I feel that 1k difference is all the difference to me. True i feel bad about it now, but its not like we will ever see each other again, more or less remember... I just know i don't wanna get ripped off.. i still have my dignity and besides...its just a game Last edited by Dante the Warlord; Dec 07, 2007 at 02:24 AM // 02:24..

Dec 07, 2007, 04:25 AM // 04:25	#20
Gambit Shinobi Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Nov 2007 Guild: Heroes Alliance Profession: A/D	The old saying goes... "Buyer beware." Same thing can be said for: "Seller beware." It's just something you learn as you use this forum to sell stuff... don't ever put a B/O on an item unless you know for sure you would sell it at that price. And if you're not sure about selling the item and might have seller's remorse, simply put this comment at the end of your auction: "I reserve the right to not sell this item." Of course, nobody's going to slap a lawsuit on you if you don't sell it for the B/O price, but ya, it's ethically not right to back out on the price you set yourself. Then again, buyers are usually worse at retracting their bids and/or backing out of their agreements. Last edited by Gambit Shinobi; Dec 07, 2007 at 04:28 AM // 04:28..

Dec 06, 2007, 04:39 PM // 16:39	#2
Shadow Spirit Krytan Explorer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Guild: your cat eats dog food [pup] Profession: N/E	IMO you did the right thing in sticking with the guy that won the auction. But once he backed out, the auction was void and you could have sold it for whatever you wanted to. Glad to see that some people at least consider these kinds of things when trading.

Dec 06, 2007, 04:51 PM // 16:51	#4
Coridan Forge Runner Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: US Guild: Old Married Gamers {OMG} Profession: W/	what bow was it btw? Also i agree after the "winner" backed out you could have had a new sale. Or alot of times in High End sales if you don't know the worth just put a Starting bid...and post a Buyout after finding out what type of attention the item is getting.

Dec 06, 2007, 04:51 PM // 16:51	#5
Johnny Madhouse Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Aug 2007 Guild: SKOB Profession: P/	Congratulations on being a good person. I saw a guy not too long ago selling Adamantine shields with -5(20%) and +30 mods for 5k. That wouldn't be so bad, if he weren't selling collector items. I pmed the guy about it and he told me there wsa plenty of poor people looking for a good shield. ... That's why I don't like the open market. I have a guy I sell all my stuff to for 1/3 guru listings, so I sell quick and he gets more merchandise. We're both happy that way!

Dec 06, 2007, 04:52 PM // 16:52	#6
Quaker Hell's Protector Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Guild: Brothers Disgruntled	I agree with Shadow Spirit that once the original guy backed out, you were free to sell it to someone else. I also think that selling it to the next guy who PM'd you offering 100k was the right thing to do. It also would have been alright to sell it for more, if someone had PM'd you offering more, however, I don't think it would have been right to refuse to sell it for 100k since that was the buy-out you had put in the forums.

Dec 06, 2007, 05:03 PM // 17:03	#7
Valeria Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Germany Guild: PaRe Profession: W/	what kind of bow was that? If you were offered something like 100k +5e i would have stayed with the original buyer but if there were offers like 100k + 50e i would have whispered the buyer to tell him he needs to pay what the bow is worth if he really wants it.

Dec 06, 2007, 05:09 PM // 17:09	#8
TheRaven Desert Nomad Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Guild: Spirit of Elisha Profession: W/	Well the bow was a Silverwing. I know they are worth a lot of money, but mine was Req 13 which sorta put a dampener on the dollar signs in my eyes. LOL, Valeria. I wish the offers were that good.

Dec 06, 2007, 05:18 PM // 17:18	#9
quickmonty Ancient Windbreaker Join Date: May 2005	I think I would have done the same, with one addition: I would be sure to give negative feedback to the person that originally bid. When someone backs out of an auction deal all should know about it.

Dec 06, 2007, 05:39 PM // 17:39	#10
Crom The Pale Furnace Stoker Join Date: Nov 2006 Guild: Ageis Ascending Profession: W/	You did the right thing, the pricing of items is always subjective. There will always be people that think an item is overpriced no matter what you list it at and others that really want it badly and will pay over the normal value of that item just to get it.

Dec 06, 2007, 10:08 PM // 22:08	#12
Smile Like Umean It Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2006 Profession: E/Rt	Once the buyer backed out of the auction all your obligations were gone. You had full rights to do whatever you like with the item with no consequence.

Dec 06, 2007, 10:23 PM // 22:23	#13
Divinity Sword Academy Page Join Date: May 2007 Location: Washington Guild: Dragons of the Rose Profession: R/	It's kind of weird someone would buy a req13 silverwing bow for 100k even thought the heirophants bow is also 100k but it's a perfect req9 green. They are the same skin except I think the heirophants bow is dyed black, which is fine by me.

Dec 06, 2007, 10:25 PM // 22:25	#14
Julia-Louis Dreyfus Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: May 2007	its because the green version has some worthless mods

Dec 06, 2007, 11:31 PM // 23:31	#15
杀TanK杀 Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Oct 2007 Profession: W/	Never post a buyout straight away.. See what people are willing to pay. Wait till people either ask for it or offer a buyout...

Dec 06, 2007, 11:52 PM // 23:52	#16
hurric Krytan Explorer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: BC	you did right thing but it wouldn't have mattered if you sold it to highest bidder. Just look at all "powertraders". What do you think they do?

Dec 07, 2007, 04:17 AM // 04:17	#19
Mac Sidewinder Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Jun 2007	I had the exact opposite thing happen to me. I was on the auction and offered the buyout price on a sword. After the auction ended the seller sold the sword on the open market and when I asked about it he stated that he got more money for it than I had offered. He didn't even try to contact me at all, simply decided he could get more and sold it. So yeah, I think you did the right thing. Dante - I have had the same thing happen to me, agree on a price with someone then have someone else offer more before I made the trade with the original person. In those cases I ALWAYS go with the first person that I make a deal with. To me its a question of honor - just like a handshake is. Guess thats just me though.