Ethics of undercutting

[Rilgon]

There are no ethics to it.

Then again, there are no ethics in capitalistic behavior at all.

And quotes like this:

Ethics and Money don't go along in a mmorpg.

Only rule is not to cheat (ie. buy it online). Everything beyond that is allowed.

make me sad for humanity. *sigh*

[Theene]

My toon has hardly left town to make that much, which is why she hqas not looted much gold. She did manage to get out today and level to 68 though, and she's at 71k+ now in auctions.

[ticklememo]

business is business. This isn't a dungeon and we don't sell items together, I don't see why it needs to be a group affair. Can't help if your friend sets his prices wrong

[Axisofjustice]

God forbit if people undercut others in the free market economy that is in WoW. Would you like Blizz to come in and regulate AH prices?

[Rilgon]

Would you like Blizz to come in and regulate AH prices?

Yes, please.

[Volirus]

Ethics are a load of bullcrap anyway. Although it would be very nice for humanity if we could find it, up to now there's no possible meta-fundament for ethics anyway. All normative ethics are based on assumptions, wishes or axioms. Only decent normative ethics is the Error theory by Macky, which states that there are no Ethical truths to base normative ethics on. Or u can go with the meta-ethical theory of emotivism, which claims that making a ethical statement is just stating your emotions about the subject aka Underpricing = boooo!

So basically, if you have ethics, you're just holding yourself back.

/2cents

[Nezoia]

Buisness is Buisness.

Oh, and DO use bank alts. No comment from people you know then

[Feandah]

Personally how you handle the AH is completely up to you...really dont think there is a morale issue there...it is business

Basic economics is buy low sell high...if you want to move things quick undercut...if you want to sell high buy all the lower items and control the market...there are guides out there that explain all of these strategies...

I have enflated pricing on different items that i knew i could monopolize on by doing this...i have have also undercut someone when i have made a bunch of bags and wanted to move them quick...it all depends on how much you want to watch the AH...

Really isnt much different than buying and selling commodities in real life...would recommend never becoming a stock broker...

[TWLFerel]

undercutting is part of economics 1o1.

however like some guy posted, a glyph going for 50g whilst you sell it for 20...
sure you say you sell 100 glyphs instead of 10 if you'd sell for 50g...but it's still stupid selling for 20 when you couldve gotten
the same 100 people buying it for 30...even 40. Effectively reducing your win by half...even if you earn alot.

Point is...there is a difference between undercutting smart and undercutting totally stupid.

Take this from a guy who's in the million gold division. If you believe or not is of no matter.

Telling someone that has posted proof of over 70k gold in pure AH transactions that they're ineffective and stupid, and then backing up your position by claiming that you're sitting on over a million gold is pathetic. Tacking on the "believe it or not, it doesn't matter" bit at the end doesn't make what you've said any more credible or any better reasoned. You've attempted to argue against solid proof with... nothing. It seems to me that the other guy knows exactly what he's doing, and you just look like you're trying to stroke your e-dick.

[wyrdone]

Iota, but undercutting by a large margin discourages others from in turn undercutting you that same day. socio-economics means at least a percentage of those that might undercut you go "Oh well I'll repost tomorrow after all his stuff has sold and the average price goes up."

[On]

depents how ppl undercut.

been selling 19 spellpower gems for the last 2 weeks for about 200g a gem

then some idiot took the recipe and start to sell the shit for 150g, ak undercutting it with 50g

i think its just stupid, since the next person who is putting the gems on ah is putting them for 140

2 days later the wont go for more then 100g.

its no problem if ppl under cut others when its about a single item. But if its about goods you trade on regular basis and you keep undercutting by a large ammount its just plain stupid since the only thing you do is fucking the prices up.

So one way or the other, undercutting is not a problem at all, just dont be an idiot and take a huge ammount off the price, most items sell anyway no matter what price.

[mechleader]

Unless you're purposely undercutting a friend/guildie for 1 c why does it even matter?

I don't even look at the names.

[lumnights]

depents how ppl undercut.

been selling 19 spellpower gems for the last 2 weeks for about 200g a gem

then some idiot took the recipe and start to sell the shit for 150g, ak undercutting it with 50g

i think its just stupid, since the next person who is putting the gems on ah is putting them for 140

2 days later the wont go for more then 100g.

its no problem if ppl under cut others when its about a single item. But if its about goods you trade on regular basis and you keep undercutting by a large ammount its just plain stupid since the only thing you do is fucking the prices up.

So one way or the other, undercutting is not a problem at all, just dont be an idiot and take a huge ammount off the price, most items sell anyway no matter what price.

I agree with the overall message of your post, but you have to keep in mind the actual worth of the product being sold. I've seen stacks of herbs on the AH for upwards (WAY upwards) of 100g. IMO, that is simply not worth it, and the person who then placed a stack of the same herbs for 40g... I wouldn't consider that undercutting at all. Meanwhile, over the next 2 days, I watch the higher priced auctions expire, much to my delight.

Some people choose to capitalize and rake in all this gold, and in doing so, encourage others to do the same. After a while, all prices have gone up a ton, and everything ends up costing relatively the same price (i.e. If you made twice as much on a craft, but had to spend twice as much on someone else's, you're really not doing any better than before).

Point is, some people will certainly pay an exorbitant price for relatively commons items (especially after they've been doing nothing but BC dailies for months and have a ton of gold to blow), that doesn't mean that's going to be the actual price forever, or even more than a week; One can't/shouldn't be all pissed when someone charges a reasonable amount for some item that you were trying to sell for twice as much. And folks who wanna charge the theorhetical limit for crafted blues or herbs or skins or chanting mats or whatever, can count on me to undercut the shit out of them until they stop encrouraging market instability.

[Postulio71]

I persnally feel most everyone deserves to get undercut maily because they charge too much. 10g for 20 linen, you people are crooks. I think back to when I was a lvl 25 and how much money I had and then I think about price on any item. my rule of thumb is, how much does it sell for at a vendor, then I triple the buy out and leave the vendor price as starting bid. that applies to greens, blues are double the tripled vendor price and epics are 3x tripled vendor price. If I feel the price is then too high, I lower it until it feels right. But not the rest of the AH whores, "Oh look! I picked up Blade of the Basalisk! That'll be 300g."

I'd be the guy to sell that weapon 15g. So I what of the "ethics" of overpricing. I guess financial rape is fair play so long as you make the most amount money. And people complain about gold farming

[Evilmoo]

i dont really see reason undercutting item for more then 1 copper.
;D
why would i put 150 on 200 worth item, when i can put 199,99? and still get my item sold? :