what do u charge for tradeskilling?

[Harkone]

Doc,

I'm relatively new to tradeskilling and all I really do is Implants with my NT. Given that, I usually advertise that I'm putting them together. I used to advertise that I'd take tips, but like you said, that just felt greedy.

If someone offers to tip on the other hand... I'll accept . And to be honest, I've yet to have someone run off with out handing me something.

Still, your point about pricing in advance is a good one. But it sort of takes the fun out of doing a good deed and just helping someone out.

[Docmax]

the real issue this thread brings up for me is this:

you get people that think your greedy for saying "just tip me what you think is good"

and you get people that think you are greedy for charging a pre-set price instead of just trying to "help out another player"

and if you don't mention price at all, you get people that don't pay you anything (even after putting out the extra effort)

so the question is, how do you ballance these types of clients?

[Harkone]

Originally posted by Beaker
so the question is, how do you ballance these types of clients?

I think there's another question too, and that's:

How do you balance it for the different traderskillers?

My general take on the tradeskilling economy in MMORPGs is this:

As a consumer, I'm almost always going to go to someone that I either know or has set prices AND is well known. The last thing I want is for some piece of gear (ie GA) that I've shelled out some obscene amount of cash for, or spent hours farming to be ninja'd away.

As a provider (which is really the point here), I don't play MMORPGs to tradeskill so it's not the primary point for me in any game--for some folks, it may be very different. It's a decent means to raise _some_ cash, but you can definately do better blitzing missions or farming for some piece of gear. So to me, I provide services because I can. Tipping is something that is wholly optional, entirely appreciated, and will never be advertised for (from here on out). Mind you, I only tradeskill Implants as an NT, so it's very different for me.

For traders/Engi's and the MP's who are spec'd to tradeskill, I think pricelists are probably a very good idea. You've got a wider range of services to provide and some of them are (pardon me) a complete pain in the... you know what. You've spent IP and time and effort to learn the recipe's and that has value. In a free market economy, you're entitled to a price list of some sort. Setting some sort of standard is probably a good idea, but that's going to be driven by market conditions anyways.

I wouldn't view that as greed, just common sense.

[_____________Hodelay]

My suggestion is to be honest with your customers. If you say “Accepting Tips” then accept whatever they give you if anything at all. Don’t tell them you are accepting tips then give them a snide remark if you don’t think they gave you enough. “Suggested Tips” is complete BS. The word for that is Payment so just tell your customers the amount you want for your services. If they think it’s fair they will request your services if not then they will look for the service elsewhere. No misunderstanding either way. If you BS your customers don’t be shocked if they call you a greedy a-hole etc.

Just be honest with how much you think your time is worth. There are some items (VT Egg, Nanos, Mausser) that require multiple skills with make in which case I will charge more for. Don’t sweat it if someone says you’re charging too much and JoeTradeskill doesn’t charge at all. No problem, just politely tell them you won’t be able to do business with them at this time. Bottom line is you don’t get upset because you wasted your time with doing a service you feel under paid for. My pricing generally reflects whether or not I need an implant swap to make. You can check out my pricing under my signature.

Of course the flipside of this is if you are a customer DON’T BE STINGY!! If you are a high level character or have high level characters and you run around not tipping or tipping 50k don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response the next time you need a service.

[Elbo]

Originally posted by Beaker
the real issue this thread brings up for me is this:

you get people that think your greedy for saying "just tip me what you think is good"

and you get people that think you are greedy for charging a pre-set price instead of just trying to "help out another player"

and if you don't mention price at all, you get people that don't pay you anything (even after putting out the extra effort)

so the question is, how do you ballance these types of clients?

Just make a macro saying:

/macro#1 You will tip me well for anything that requires ALOT of skill (700 and above). If you don't tip me well you will find yourself on my ignore list.

/macro#2 Below 700 in skills requirements you can tip me something over 100K but below 10M for my time since I can probably make more looting a body in a mission than standing here debating pricing.

BTW: Had a lvl 150ish soldier tip me 50K for making a QL200 weapon yesterday... PATHETIC. I told him so in no uncertain terms.

[Elbo]

Originally posted by Hodelay

Of course the flipside of this is if you are a customer DON’T BE STINGY!! If you are a high level character or have high level characters and you run around not tipping or tipping 50k don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response the next time you need a service.

^^ That would be the ignore key... I use it for people who say thanks after I implant swapped or wasted my time getting maestroes and implant swapping and then making a QL212 nano (LW or Kels Plaything) and the guy saying.. well so and so does it for free. (Had that from a NT gave him my ignore key)

[Docmax]

since it only takes a L 150+ soldier 4 minutes to go blitz a QL 200+ mission and make 500K selling the reward item to the machine

and since it can take over 4 minutes to make some items

maybe you need a script that says

/macro#3 while I'm making this part for you, go blitz a mission and tip me the 500K you earn from the 4 minute blitzing

hehe

[Voyager]

Among other characters, I run a midlevel trader, who just so happens to be mainly oriented towards the construction of tradeskill items. She does a great deal of work for members of her clan and assorted passers-by and she does it at whatever tips the customer can comfortably afford. She only requires that her customers bring their own material components, as she is not fool enough to spend money to finish a project that she is not going to be using.

NO, she is not wealthy. But she is provided for by her clan and her customers, which is quite enough. You people with your outrageous fees and your indignation at the size of donations and payments are the reason that PPPEs cost the ridiculous amounts that they go for. You create your own inflation on these tradeskills tools that are not machine-buyable and you inflate the already bloated and skewed RubiKan economy by being so mercenary.

It is unreasonable to ask a large sum of money from people who have already depleted their funds by buying the needed parts to bring to you for construction. Do not cry foul on those who ply their trades to the common masses for fun rather than profit because they undercut your inflation. If you want that much cash, make friends with good blitzers who have money they don't mind buring on you as patrons instead. Or just make an agent or fixer and get your own credits the honest way and PRAY that you run into an honest tradeskill practitioner when YOU need grid armor or a nano made up for you.

Those who are honest and not greedy tend to find themselves the recipients of many useful gifts from repeat customers, as people tend to remember those who are always open and generous with their skills and kindly rememberance can and often does take a material form. Those who are mercenary, surly and grasping can only realy depend on their customers becoming the same towards them. And you never know when the next out-of luck fixer that darkens your doorstep looking to have his grid armor constructed for him at a pittance might just run across a PPPE or MMR and think about you. Personally, I'd rather have said fixer thinking very happy thoughts about me and what I could do for him with that marvellous little toy he just found rather than thinking about the killing he'd make off of selling said toy to the highest bidder. And yes, it's happened. It's worth more than all the credits I COULD have been gouging from people along the way.

Just something you might want to think about.