Hrm...

I think I'll post a little more on auctions...

And another stalker story...

Stalker number 5...

So at the store, we had the season of the spoonman. Why was he called the spoonman? Cuz he'd walk up and down the street all day, tapping his shoulder with this metal soup spoon...

I asked him why, once. And only once. He tried to explain how his shoulders were out of balance, and he needed the spoon to keep them level...

So anyway... one day he came in while we were putting up groceries... I was stocking cigarettes into the display, so my back was to the store... I was told that his expression while looking at my back side was rather.. disturbing... now at this point, he hadn't been around long, and didn't know the store staff well... and please god let that be the reason...

Of course, he tried to start a conversation...

"You're mighty tall for a lady!"

Our relationship after this was rather strained... to say the least...

And I took insane amounts of grief from my coworkers for months afterwards...

So Maj was trying to down grom yesterday... I got into a group with a 66 pally tank, a 70 priest, and two 66 rogues. Kinda light for grom, eh? Well... the pally tank was wielding a 2h level 55 spear with some kinda fire damage proc. And the pally and priest were both the same player on two computers. Did I mention that player was a damn fool? Oh yeah... and what do you have to do everytime you decide to try an outdoor boss on a pvp server? That's right, gank every ally you come across while waiting for the fight to start...

/sigh

On auctions.... there's actually a mathmatical model that predicts the price you will receive in an auction... for the most part... it's gonna be the second highest valuation in the crowd, assuming common knowledge, open bidding and rational players.

What does that mean? Well... if we both want that staff of jordon, and you won't pay more than 300, while I'll pay up to 500... I'll get it for 300 and a copper. However, people ain't rational. You get caught up in a bid frenzy, and your emotional investment in the purchase goes up... as well, if your surrounded by people bidding on an item, their interest will tend to increase the value you place on the item.. after all, if they want it so bad, it has to be more valuable than you thought, right?

Now, the auction house is a great thing. It keeps commodities flowing for teh hungry and industrious wow craftsman. It all keeps us equiped in the latest l33t gear till we hit the level cap and have to start earning our way...

But like all markets, it is subject to asshattery. People can buy out all the *whatever* and put it back at a nasty markup, making up in a few sales the cost of the endevour. Buying an item that is priced too low, and then selling it for the going price is one thing. Trying to corner the market is simply anti-social...

It is at times like this that general trade becomes useful. If all those primal fires are listed at 30bo... just ask around the trade channel... or

Here are the rules for general trade...

Name a damn price. It simply isn't worth a 10 min haggling session to sell you an item for less money than I could get on the AH. Think about it. If someone has primal fires for 30g on the AH... i could put mine up for 28 and prob sell em. Why on earth would I sell them to *you* for less, and have to spend precious time making the sale? If you simply say, WTB primal fire, 25g, need 4... you'll get your responses, and people prob won't even check the AH first. If your spamming trade for an item, without setting a price, I, and every other reasonable person, will check the AH first to see how the market is. Again, it helps to know the market. Primal fires usually sell for 20g on my server. If you spam trade looking for them at that price... well, if I had one that I was willing to sell for 20g, and I knew I could get that at anytime at the AH... I would have already sold it...

Be generous. General trade is a public channel. WoW is a community. Doan screw people over, or low ball. Save that crap for the anonymity of a bank alt.

It's ok to be innocent. It isn't ok to be stupid. if you don't know a portal requires a 20s mat, you really have no business asking for one. If you don't know what is required for a service or item... ask. Be polite. People (like me) will accept gratitute in lieu of gold quite often. The chance that doing someone a favor will seriously affect my bank account is remote. But being treated like a goddamn water/portal vending machine will set me off! A kind or grateful word will get you a lot farther than you think.

Now... on general trade auctions...

I hate them. The guy usually wastes everyone's time, then just puts it up on the AH for an insane bo anyway. Still, I've bought some nice crap that way. Sometimes people get desperate, and tired of the AH deposit fees. Got my bringer of death for 75g :) and my crystal forged axe for 40.

So... if ya really wanna sell an item in general chat...

"Want to sell x for y or best decent offer..."

This is a modification of a dutch auction. In a regular auction, you keep raising the price till only one bidder is left. In a dutch auction, you keep lowering the price until you get a buyer. There are advantages and disadvantages to the dutch auction... in theory, both methods should have the same result... but they don't...

I prefer dutch auctions, because they take less time, and if you aren't insane about the price you set, you'll get good responses. Remember... setting a price too high will not only discourage lower bids, it will convince people that you aren't worth talking to at all.

Anyway, Maj made 69, and I'm gonna try to push to 70 today. My house guest has been quiet... (aside from a really bad patch last night when he started attacking my furniture... and his drinking a gallon of orange juice and almost that much grape juice...)