Trading in game and lack of negotiating

This is just a discussion, so I assume this is the right thread. I don't intend for any trading to take place here.

I have noticed that when you quote a price to people, they take it or leave it. Likewise, people often seem firm on their prices.

I have always instinctively known this, but it was validated by a negotiations class I took in college, but in general, a seller is supposed to have an asking price, and a reserve price, expecting the buyer to try to talk them down (but never below the reserve). The Buyer does the same thing on the other end. If their reserve prices overlap (the buyer's reserve is higher than the seller's), than they can do business, otherwise negotiations end, and folks go on their way.

Basically, if the buyer just buys it, the seller is happy, but if they talk them down a bit, things are still good. Same for the buyer. IN the end, both parties should feel they have made a fair trade for what they think it is worth.

There is more to this dealing with BATNAs (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), but that only holds for items in GW that have a fixed price (Lockpicks and such).

Has anyone else noticed this? Is there anything to be done about it? I feel like I waste a lot of time on the rare occasions I spam trade dealing with people who could've talked my price down and finished the transaction, or likewise could've bargained a bit on theirs. If they are offering for 10k and I say 7k, they could always come back with another value, or I could come back with one, but either way, people seen to be sticking firm to their prices, and I think that slows the trading down a lot.

Thoughts?

I'm usually very fair with my prices. I don't even respond to people who try to lowball my already cheaper prices.

Not real world. You are dealing with 12 year olds sometimes. They do not know how to negotiate and want a simple fixed price. This game will not completely follow the real world negotiating processes. People want the price they put up. No less, but more they will take. You can't expect this to be like the real world of trading. It's a game.

some things you know you can sell at a price. Others you can bargain just to get it out of inventory. I'm to the point where i don't care if i have millions in gold anymore. Just want to play the game for fun.

Plus you know some people will low ball you just to resell it higher (power trade).

Peasants never have to negotiate price (not that they could), and in some areas of world it was that for few generations.

They don't negotiate price in hypermarket nor in corner store when buying food. From smallest 1c store item to mortage, it is all giving to them in unegotiable "take it or leave it" packages.

Negotiating price is something socially unacceptable nowadays and reserved to "big guys". Regardless of your age, if you pick box of candy and try to negotiate 10c off with clerk, result would be at best embarassing.

There is no wonder kids transate this to game and are unable to free themselves from store/customer mindset.

I hate trading. That's why I will always buy for the asking price. If someone wants my 10k worth item for 7k, and I think it's a fair price, I'll sell for 7k.

I'd rather have a fast trade so I can be on adventuring again.

Bargain sound interesting to add to Merchant (NPCs), how it works, don't ask me, but sound interesting.

Players usually have the "take it or leave" it attitude. Because the prices of items in the game are mostly "fix". For instant, ecto, it's always slightly lower then the Merchant would offer, etc. As for the extremely high price rare items, since its "rare" I assume sellers that knows to put a high price on them knows that somehow they will be able to sell it, hence, they usually don't bother bargaining.

You have to consider it a cultural thing as well. In some countries bartering and negotiating is a way of life. In others, it's a fixed price, if you see a price you assume that IS the price. Same goes for the seller. If you've noticed it as a trend though, the best thing to do would be to go with the trend. You speak of this slowing down the sell of an item but rather if you see a price and that IS the price the trading is quick and easy. Maybe user's need to make more use of the OBO (or best offer).

In my experience the problem is that if you try to raise your price so that it can be lowered down to a reasonable level through negotiation, most people don't even respond. Which goes back to your point about people in this game just not wanting to negotiate.

However, I think the problem is that everything is negotiable. There is nothing with a fixed price; you still have people who want to pay 1.1k for lockpicks, and 4.1k for ectos when the usual price is 1.25k and 4.2k respectively. There is nothing that people trade that is of a fixed value, because you're trying to sell any item at a lower price than what the merchant offers. And it gets even more hairy if you're trading minipets and weapons, something for which the market has set the price and there is absolutely no guide at all in the form of a merchant.

I think, then, that the issue becomes that people can only really negotiate when they know about the item they're trying to buy. Like Apollo said, a lot of us (myself included) like to just simply give the reasonable price right off, whether to not drive away potential buyers or something else. If someone doesn't know that that's a reasonable price and they give a low ball offer, either the seller won't respond, or the seller will come back with their original price. In the case of the latter, a lot of people will simply not respond, simply to save face or just because it's out of their budget.

So, in essence, I think the problem is that with the type of economy we have in the game, where every transaction is based on negotiation, you, as the seller and the buyer, need to know what you're buying. And most people just don't have the patience or the ability to do that kind of market research.

trading in gw fails

try and buy something then the seller is like OFFER
they know how much the item is worth but wont tell you
so you give a price and if its less than what they want to hear, end of transaction. they want you to offer them more than what they were looking

wtb auction house

Exactly! What I would have said.

I asked for a r9 spear with nice skin yesterday.

Basically, if people see an opportunity to get rid of their crap, they will barter with you...

Operative, you make a good point. That was one of the things they taught us in the class. Always do your research! Whether trading in game (or buying a car, negotiating a salary, whatever), you need to know the range of values you can work with.

I agree about the culture of sticker price to some degree, but people don't seem to realize there is often times room to negotiate. No, you can't go into 7-11 and ask for a nickel off the price of a candy bar, but if you're buying furniture, cars, suits, even phone plans (did it once myself), you can often talk them into a better deal.

Point being, I think people are not bothering to negotiate at all, and not putting "obo" or "firm" on their trade messages. Even that isn't a guarantee that negotiations are off. Perhaps it is cultural, and perhaps it is power traders, I just think it would be interesting to see some more negotiating going on. Worst case, you waste a few seconds and don't make the deal; you just try again later.

Could teach the kids a thing or two.

BTW, there is a thing called "winner's curse" (I think), where you offer, and it is accepted right away. That always leaves you thinking you could've gotten more for it/it for less. First offers in negotiations are tough. Example: if you are negotiating a salary, you ask for 40k/yr, and they give it to you without blinking, you probably got hosed.

Simple, nobody wants to waste time, money is easy to get.

People say what they mean and mean what they say and thats the way many like it. I won't ask for 50e if I only want 40e for an item. I assume others are sincere as well.

Those people are holding an ingame auction. I usually bypass those folks and do auctions on the forum. When ingame I want a quick no nonsense transaction.

I find it hard to negotiate and watch hundreds of misspelled trade messages fly up the party window at 12 slots per second.


Simple solution to everything, a trade system. ANY trade system.

Even just an upgrade to the party window that organises by item.


(Also, Americans don't commonly negotiate anything other than cars.)

I don't bother trading anymore. I take runes & inscriptions off then merch them or give them to heroes.

I agree with the OP completely.
Nothing irritates me more then somebody who asks for a price offer, you give them one, and then they say something along the lines of "screw you" or just don't reply at all.

A lot of people just don't understand the concept of negotiation, and lose out of a lot of potential sales because of it.

OK guys lets remind ourselves that this game has a lot of kids in it. They have a hard time negotiating a later bedtime, much less a digital trade.

QFT.. This is all based on items of desire. The true value is what the merchant will give you for it. The other stuff not at the merchant is wildly variable in price according to who is selling and who is buying. The price of ANY ITEM is dictated by what the buyer is prepared to pay be that a newbie who doesn't know they are getting ripped, to the informed who will pay a little less but still wants the item within reason.

As all things needed to play the game well are available for no gold everything else becomes an item of desire and some people desire these things more than others.

So I say if you're a seller and you get what you want good for you you probably could have gotten more. If your item doesn't sell then it's just not desirable enough for someone to cough up the cash or you havent found the uninformed person yet if that person has the gold anyway.

My 2c.