Assorted tips to barter like a sir and other concerns about trading etiquette

dude: WTS
dude 2: how much
dude: offer?
dude 2: rofl u offer i wait lol
dude 2: k fk it cya

This kind of exchange with other players triggered me to write up some suggestions to perhaps help trim the douchedick populace one day. Bartering can be awesome but it can also be a huge waste of time with some of these colorful characters around.

This isn't about buyer vs. seller. This isn't about in-game economy or finances. This is about manners and making trading a bit more comfortable for everyone. It's about economy of words and time.


A. Don't be a dick
You will gain nothing by replying "ROFL GG BAk 2 d3 nub" to an offer you perceive as poor. In fact, some people, like me, will ignore you permanently if you're being a cock for no reason, hurting future trading opportunities for yourself in the process. It doesn't make you look like a badass, it doesn't hurt people's feelings and we're both going to die one day, regardless.

B. Values are relative
A barter economy means, among other things, that items are worth what people want to pay for them. There are a few exceptions set by vendor recipes, but, for most currencies and certainly gear, it can be up in the air. Saying "lol not worth that much cy@ nublet" won't change that or make the seller suddenly realize that you're a guru of trades and should give you his stuff for whatever Your Luminosity deems appropriate (also, see A).

C. Mind the ad
"PM offers", most of the time, means 'be so kind as to come up with an approximate offer for my goods so we can negotiate from there'. It hardly ever means 'spam me asking me how much what I'm offering is worth so I can, at a more personal level, yet again inquire you as to what your offer is' (see B). Likewise, "will trade only for chaos" seldom translates as "just offer me whatever".

D. Know what you want
"ISO good witch gear" is ambiguous and inevitably results in a waste of time for both parties. I don't know what stats you're after or how they weigh for you. I don't know your build and I don't care, either. "ISO ammy ele dmg+resists+mana regen" is a much better alternative, improves the chance to find what you want and only takes a few more seconds of your time to type. For currencies, "WTS alchs!" automatically lets you feel the time wasting in your veins (see E).

E. Don't be lazy
I don't wanna weight your gear for you. "looking for an upgrade to my Sword of Fantasy +15! [links gear]" is fairly common to see. I have enough problems working out the stats on my own character to do yours on top of that. This might work on trade forum where people have more time to browse and peruse, but on my game-time, I wanna kill monsters, not click on your links for your benefit. If you want to break down or upgrade currency, specify what orbs you want.

F. Be coherent
If you say you're paying very well, pay very well. If you advertise rates for exchange, stick to them. Think before you run an ad and don't back out of deals you're broadcasting, wasting people's (and your) time in the process. There's a strategic component to doing this, may be argued, but does the marginal gain of scamming an alt or two compensate for all the extra dialogue? Being a cagey, sneaky merchant has nothing to do with not making any sense in hopes of grasping an extra buck.

G. Simplify
If you have an idea of what you're willing to pay for an item, just offer somewhere in that vicinity. There's no point in replying an ad with "how much" just so the other person can go "offer" and you actually offer what you always knew beforehand. It's a waste of time for you and the other person. Simultaneously, if you're the seller and absolutely won't go below certain value, just name your price when asked. Chances are you're going to get a lowball if you ask for an offer anyway.

H. Respect other bidders
Asking what the c/o is is poor form. Buyers shouldn't have access to that information if the seller is not doing a public bid through $trade. It's not your choice, it's theirs. Also, when outbidding the current offer, don't go for the typical dick move of c/o + a chrome. It makes it really hard to not click that ignore button.

I. Respect $trade
Your gameplay questions go in #global, not $trade. In $trade, surprisingly enough, we trade. We don't discuss builds. We don't discuss someone else's appraisal of a given item. Also, try to keep the spam and wall-o'-texting to a minimum. You won't get richer if you link your entire stash every 15 seconds, particularly if they're all sub-level-10 quest rewards.

J. Trial and Error
There's no way to get good at bartering unless you do it. We all got ripped off at some point and we learned from it. When trading with someone, keep in mind that an extreme lowball might just be a new player learning the ropes. In that position, you don't have to help them, but they usually thank you for it and might even offer you more valuable goods in exchange in the process. At the very least, if you're positive they just don't know what's valuable and what's not (see B) don't be gratuitously harsh in your responses (see A already!), say thanks and walk away.

K. Economy of time
"wtb gcps" usually doesn't mean "wtb gcps but I'm busy right now so I won't reply". Time perception and its value is relative, sure. But if you make an ad expressing your desire to buy or sell something, other people will interpret that as a cue to dedicate the next few seconds to fulfilling it. Please, do so. If you can't due to unforeseen circumstances, let the other person know. If you can't do that either, 'sorry, phone rang" will buff everyone around you with +10 to Understanding.

L. Accept defeat
Nobody likes a sore loser. If you couldn't get what you wanted at the price you wanted, insulting (A, anyone?) or complaining in $trade about your woes (see I) won't change that. You don't have the Sword of Fantasy +12. Too bad. Maybe next time you can approach with a better offer. Say 'thank you' like your mommy surely taught you and move on to greener pastures.

M. Don't be a dick
Please.

As a final note, I'd like to point out that the above is not meant to try and force a standardized approach to trading in PoE or slap on the wrists of people that don't trade in X or Y way. Sometimes you'll lack information to offer, won't know how much you want to sell for or are presented with some other obstacle in a bartering situation. That's fine.

The bottom line is that common sense plus politeness equals better deals for yourself.

TL;DR: http://youtu.be/u6rXKemNzwo by fellow exile jezdamayel

Everything should boil down to a GCP (gem cutters prism?) eventually and be relative to that. Some other orbs are counted as popular currency, i think the rare rolling things like chaos/achemy or large amounts of jewelers/fusings.

Thanks for the reply.

The purpose of this thread is more geared towards the social aspect of bartering and not the economic one.

And this post is actually a shameless bump.

For a good cause, bros.

I don't know if you can hear this where you are, but I am giving you a standing ovation.
Great post, sir.

People coming from other games are probably going to have a hard time adapting to a non-gold system, and with that comes social interactions. Some are going to be more prepared than others with their manners, but they'll learn over time this community isn't going to tolerate nonsense.

That said- this should be required reading before entering the trade channel.

I vote for a sticky.

"

Jim_Fear wrote:

That said- this should be required reading before entering the trade channel.

I vote for a sticky.

Seconded.

Agree 100% Perhaps you could add a comprehensive list of what mats are worth at the vendors as a baseline. I think that would add value to this post and perhaps help it get stickied.

"

innervation wrote:

Agree 100% Perhaps you could add a comprehensive list of what mats are worth at the vendors as a baseline. I think that would add value to this post and perhaps help it get stickied.

I would but I won't for a couple of reasons.

I think it's better to keep this purely about etiquette so maybe people, particularly new players, can actually get something from this on how to sell and buy stuff in a bit more fluent manner. Economic debate is inevitably going to end up in people saying this and that about alchs:chaos ratios and might detract from that.

As for the recipes for vendors and other such game mechanics, there's plenty of resources that already list those so it only takes a Google search (doeet!). As for what goods they carry, just play the game and eventually you'll find out, so what would be the point?

Thanks for the support.

Bump for sticky. Well worth the read.

I can in fact confirm you almost always get low balled if you tell someone to make an offer.

dndallasta for mod!

Requested thread sticky.

If only there were more folks out there with your common sense and barter system etiquette...boy, it gives me chills!

"

viscousfallout wrote:

dndallasta for mod!

Requested thread sticky.

If only there were more folks out there with your common sense and barter system etiquette...boy, it gives me chills!

I would shoot both of my pinky toes off if I had half the workload Charan has.

This is a hidden bump as well, but don't tell anyone.