Spiral Knights - [INFO] Bazaar Etiquette (READ BEFORE POSTING)

[INFO] Bazaar Etiquette (READ BEFORE POSTING)

38 replies [Last post]

Sat, 04/23/2011 - 20:35

Toshiaki

The Bazaar nowadays has been used incorrectly recently.
So I am making a small guide so people can know how to use the Bazaar Forum correctly . . .

[Basics]

Buying
Selling
Trading
Price Checking
Auctioning

Each word should be self explanatory

[Buying / Selling]
When you are buying or selling, you should post the

Name of Item(s) being Bought / Sold:
UV: (If any)
Price:
Amount:
In Game Name (IGN):

If you are unsure of price, be sure to "Ask for an Offer"
NOTE: When selling, expect offers to be lower than what you would like, the opposite goes for Buying

[Store]
A Store is basically another Selling Topic where a user can sell multiple items
at the same time. They are generally updated often.
Follows same format as "Selling" from above, but with a list.

[Trading]
When Trading, you should post the

Name of Item(s) being Traded:
Name of Item(s) Wanted:
In Game Name (IGN):

[Price Checking]
Price checking is usually asking for the price of an Item
before Buying/Selling. This lets you know the current state of the Spiral Knights economy.

[Auctioning]
This part is probably one of the most important parts of this guide . . .
Mainly because it is the most screwed up ones . . .

When Auctioning, you should post the

Name of Item(s) being Auctioned:
UV: (If any)
In Game Name (IGN):
Minimum Increment: (Optional . . .)
End Time:

NOTE: The end time SHOULD NOT be extended. This is very rude
to your customers because they actually have to "fight" over your item. Extending the End Time
will cause the bidders to retract their bids (Thanks to zerofriction for info)

Starting Price:

NOTE: When making a Starting Price, you SHOULD NOT start at the
original value of the Item. Yes, we know you want a profit but, the point of the auction is
allow all users a chance to buy the item. You should also know that, lower starting prices
generally allow more competition and popularity for the item up for Auction.

Buyout Price: (Optional . . .)

NOTE: When making a Buyout Price, you CAN NOT
change the price midway through the Auction.
NOTE: When a Buyout has been made, the Auction will end prematurely

[Standing Out]
Many of you have noticed that you might have to constantly "bump" the post.
There could be many reasons:

Price too Expensive for Buyers
Price too Low for Sellers
Item is too Common

Remember that patience is the key here . . .

There are a few ways to make your post more noticeable.

Interesting Title:: Show the most interesting item that you are selling / buying.
Organized Title:: Put symbols for Buying or Selling etc at the beginning of your title. Make it look nice, for instance, you could put [Buying]Item as Title
HTML Your Post:: If you are selling, you can post a Screenshot of what you are selling for proof, or post a link from the Wiki. This let's people
know that you really know what you are doing. For example, if you are selling an Avenger, you can put
<a href="http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Avenger">Avenger</a> This allows a link to be made to the Wiki

[Closing a Thread]
You might see some Topics with [CLOSED] or [SOLD]
However, entering the Topic generally shows a blank post.
When Closing a Thread, you should:

Change Title Category to [Closed] or [Sold]
Do nothing else, deleting whatever was inside the post makes it difficult for others
to know what the current Prices are (Thanks to Lerysh for info)

When making a title, you should post whether you are Buying / Selling / Price Checking / Auctioning
Here are some common shortened phrases used:

Buying

B>
WTB
[Buying]

Selling

S>
WTS
[Selling]

Trading

T>
WTT
[Trading]

Price Checking

PC>
[Price Check]

Auctioning

[Auction]

Lately, other types of Topics are being created,

Stores / Sales List

[Store]

[Other Advice]

When checking a link, be sure to check the target location (Where the URL goes to) before clicking it (Thanks to Iceni for info)
Before posting, remember to use the "Preview" button. This allows you to check over your post for typos and mistakes (Thanks to Vlad for info)
Refusing to sell an item that has been Auctioned is unacceptable. A deal is automatically agreed upon once the Auction ends. Doing so
will lower your chances of selling due to Trust Issues

[Misc Info]

Editing your latest post "bumps" your topic back to front page. (Thanks to kakelgis for info)
Remember that anyone can post whatever price they like, posting against a ridiculous price or bargain may make YOUR
reputation lower. Sometimes it is best to hesitate to post. (Thanks to Zerrif for info)
However, if you still would like to correct the Topic Creator, please do so politely (Thanks to pauling for info)
Equipment with No UV does not auction well
Similarily, equips with contradicting UVs do not sell / auction well. This includes
equips that go against Resistance of an enemy (Ex. Avenger has Elemental Attack. Increased Damage to Gremlins,
who resist Elemental Attack, has little to no effect on bonus.
Therefore, the Avenger UV would NOT sell well)
Equips with high supply appears to not sell well. With a high supply, a Buyer has more
options on prices, which creates the illusion that no one wants to buy what you are selling.
Clicking "More information about formatting options" underneath your post editor
lets you see how HTML can be used on the forums

Hopefully people read this . . .
Anyway, that is what you should do when you are posting in the Bazaar

Sat, 04/23/2011 - 21:05

Magnus

Legacy Username

I love you.

Sat, 04/23/2011 - 21:12

kakelgis

Legacy Username

It's pretty obvious this

It's pretty obvious this should be stickied, since some people don't even know about those basic rules!

Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this.

And an additional note about bumping: When you want to bump your thread, don't just double, triple, quadruple etc post; Editing your latest post in the thread will bump it, (As long as it's the latest post in that thread) without the need to fill it up with more additional posts.

Sat, 04/23/2011 - 21:19

Zerrif

Legacy Username

Vote to be stickied. Also

Vote to be stickied.

Also another little "rule" of etiquette, instead of bashing someone's attempt at business on the forum, maybe you should hesitate on posting. No matter how high they decide to price something, even if it's something stupid like 10kCE for a UV less Divine Avenger, that's their choice. They have every right to post what they want for whatever price they so choose, that's the point of them selling it, not you. If you don't want to buy it, then you should just not say anything at all.

(While you can defend that you have every right to call out that person for stupidity / overpricing, there are ways to do so in an intelligent, and not demeaning manner.)

Also kakel: Did not know that. :o Neat. Thanks, I can start uncluttering my thread with random bump posts.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 05:37

Toshiaki

@kakelgis I didn't know that

@kakelgis
I didn't know that either. Thanks. Added your info to Guide

@Zerrif
"Posting in a person's thread that looks dumb, can make YOU look dumb" is what
you're saying correct? I added that into Guide

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 06:18

Green-Lantern

So img src works?

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 06:37

Toshiaki

@DeckardCain Sadly, no, this

@DeckardCain
Sadly, no, this forum doesn't seem to be able to use
img src

Hence, why noone has pictures on posts

When wanting to post a picture, you should
link to the website of the picture instead.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 08:06

sasano19

Legacy Username

While I dont agree with one

While I dont agree with one or 2 things Its overall just nitpicking on my part, GREAT post even though it kills a little bit of my soul when I think to myself things like :

NOTE: When selling, expect offers to be lower than what you would like, the opposite goes for Buying

Need to be put up on a sticky for the general populace, anyways good job bumping this for you hope it gets stickied or at least an Admin could just copy paste it and make the thread himself.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 09:24

Pauling

On bumping, and respect for your customers

Overall this has some good advice, but I'd discourage constant bumping of posts- it's incredibly annoying, and leads to worthwhile threads being buried very fast (the current lifetime of front-page posts is ~2 hrs).

Edits or bumps should not be performed just for the sake of getting attention. If you want your post to hit the front page, add new and valuable information- or add something that makes it compelling to reply. (for example, instead of hard and fast prices, say "prices negotiable; inquire within") Above all, customers are there to be interacted with- not herded like cattle.

EDIT: I just noticed Zerrif's comment. It seems to be directed at me, based on his recent attempt to auction a pre-made item for up to twice the total cost of all recipes, materials, and crafting costs. I tender the following reply:

Price your items reasonably. Players look out for each other, and if you are offering an exceptionally bad deal, don't be surprised if someone steps in to warn new players about their mistake. The bazaar is a public forum: behave like people are watching, because they are. If you are courteous, open to suggestions, and timely, then you will develop a reputation as someone to buy from in the future.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 11:55

Sick

Legacy Username

Bump

Thanks for this. Please stick

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 14:32

#10

Toshiaki

@pauling I usually just

@pauling
I usually just ignore the bumping and live on with my life.
But yes, the bumping is annoying when you are looking at a post to see
10 posts by the exact same person . . .

@sasano19
I put the Note there because people can not always expect that they will get what they want.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 17:48

#11

Raspberry

Nice Information

Thank you for taking the time to formalize Bazaar Etiquette.

I started out with just individual items per a thread post then changed to Store Front format awhile back. Crafter guilds and those doing commissions and producing premade stock should consider a Store Front format as this lessens the need for everyone else to bump spam their thread. If they have several items to sell or commission, please consider a store front. If they have something new or interesting in stock, include that in the edited title.

If the store has a special item that is auction worthy, make a separate auction thread so it can be managed auction style without getting cluttered in store orders and stock availability.

About HTML. The forum format is designed to make html links clickable. While you can HTML using "a href", I have opted not to. I want to emphasize that the information is directly linked to SK WIKI to give WIKI more exposure in addition to having new players learn how to research before making purchasing decisions. In the future, I may incorporate HTML "a href" because it simply looks more professional.

Earlier in the weekend, the General and Bazaar sections had a minor spam attack with potentially dangerous links. While most of us are savvy enough NOT to click on questionable links, some people may not be as experienced. Thankfully, the GM on staff was able to nuke the contaminated spam. While people might see the WIKI links in my store front, PLEASE do not just blindly click on ANY posted links in the forum. Make sure the links go to reputable sites.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 18:49

#12

Pandarsenic

Legacy Username

+1 to this thread being

+1 to this thread being stickied; it's exactly what I would have liked to see at the top of the thread list when I first came to the Bazaar.

Sun, 04/24/2011 - 21:18

#13

Syor

Legacy Username

Sticky this and

random Boost for this thread

Mon, 04/25/2011 - 06:52

#14

Dilmun

Legacy Username

Bumping this.

Mon, 04/25/2011 - 07:04

#15

sasano19

Legacy Username

You might want to send a

You might want to send a costumer support ticket with a request or something of the like I doubt the GMs read the Bazaar to much.

Mon, 04/25/2011 - 16:45

#16

Toshiaki

I'll think about it :P I

I'll think about it :P
I don't think the GMs read the Bazaar much either . . .

Mon, 04/25/2011 - 17:34

#17

Vlad

Bump :D

Also know to "Preview" your post so you don't have any major typos so your customers understand what you're buying/selling/trading/etc.

Tue, 04/26/2011 - 04:33

#18

Syor

Legacy Username

Bump!

Really need to be stickied!

Tue, 04/26/2011 - 18:35

#19

Toshiaki

I updated the post a bit

I updated the post a bit more. Thanks for the continued support of this post everyone!

Wed, 04/27/2011 - 10:45

#20

zerofriction

Legacy Username

Is there any etiquette

Is there any etiquette against changing auction end time after someone has placed a bid? There are few auctions I noticed where the sellers just changed the time midway through the auction and threw some people off.

And also is there etiquette against sellers ending an auction prematurely or refuse to sell the item after auction ended?

I think auction section of the guide needs to be expanded upon.

Thanks for the great guide btw.

Wed, 04/27/2011 - 13:07

#21

Toshiaki

Ah great point, The Auction

Ah great point,
The Auction time limit should not be extended.

However, if someone buys the item via Buyout price, the Auction CAN be
ended immediately . . .

Refusing to sell the item after Auction has Ended is entirely
on the poster's viewpoint, however, it is somewhat rude.

Wed, 04/27/2011 - 13:29

#22

Lerysh

Legacy Username

Can we add to this list a

Can we add to this list a section on how to close a thread? I don't mind [CLOSED] or [SOLD] tags but when you edit your post like your item was never even here it makes it harder to get a sense of what things are worth for new players. Seeing what an item has sold for can only help the market.

Wed, 04/27/2011 - 14:49

#23

Toshiaki

@Lerysh I added the section,

@Lerysh

I added the section, however, it is a little vague atm.
But, I understand what your standpoint is.

Thu, 04/28/2011 - 14:38

#24

Syor

Legacy Username

Bump

Sat, 04/30/2011 - 19:07

#25

Toshiaki

Geez, it is ridiculous how

Geez, it is ridiculous how quickly people make topics in Bazaar forum . . .

Sat, 04/30/2011 - 20:15

#26

Wallach

Legacy Username

Yeah. I wish they would

Yeah. I wish they would sticky this already.

Sat, 04/30/2011 - 21:13

#27

RapBreon

Legacy Username

I love the post, well

I love the post, well structured and informative. Learnt a few things as well. Sticky would be great!

I do however have a complaint about the information provide by Zerrif towards the end; that being it is completely opinionated, this is a post detailing 'proper etiquette' not a personal views or pet-peeves of an individual person. People constructively commenting on the over or underpricing of other item in their thread is completely justified, not only to warn potential buyers, but to allow the community to establish a reliable and consistent base-line with items.

Wed, 05/11/2011 - 19:57

#28

Toshiaki

@RapBreon Yes, I understand

@RapBreon
Yes, I understand that. A lot of etiquette in general would be based on opinion.
After Zeriff's comment, I added pauling's comment due to opinion based observations.

A user can choose to post, or not to post, is basically what I am saying.

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:53

#29

Syor

Legacy Username

Bump

Apparently some new posts are not that easy to understand

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:30

#30

Bismark

Legacy Username

two questions: what should

two questions:

what should an auctioneer do if someone via in game message requests to have their bid undisclosed on the forums / in game, but bids on the forums are significantly under that undisclosed highest bid?

what should an auctioneer do if someone offers to buy out their auction with a reasonable price but the auctioneer failed to set a buyout at the beginning of the auction?

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:52

#31

Tsuyoi

Legacy Username

@Bismark

@ Bismark

There's no real set rules obviously governing how auctions should be run. However, do realize that the number of bids you receive will depend on your reputation with buyers. As such, it is always a good idea to keep the general bidding public happy.

For the first part, even if they don't want their name disclosed, you still have to disclose their bid. The only reason they don't want their bid amount disclosed is so they can steal the item without the chance of anyone outbidding them. This only helps them, not you, so no point for you to agree to this. If they're serious about buying the item they'll agree to disclose amount if you force the issue with them.

If you never set a buyout price or end date at the beginning of the auction and someone offers to buy it out from you, then that's at your own discretion. All bidders know that there is a chance of them not winning the auction. Typically it's good etiquette to either set an end date or a buyout price if not both, n to follow that.

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 13:54

#32

SirNiko

Legacy Username

In auctions, you might also

In auctions, you might also comment on automatic auction extensions. It's pretty normal to state the end of the auction is either 20:00 forum time OR 5 minutes after last valid bid, whichever is later. This prevents bid sniping at the last second by giving all players 5 minutes to react to any last-second bids. Not including a bid-snipe clause is also perfectly acceptable. This is different from arbitrarily changing your end time, as all players are aware of the rule prior to bidding.

Fri, 05/20/2011 - 04:35

#33

Syor

Legacy Username

Bump

Bump, this still needs a boost despite lesser people using bazaar/

Fri, 05/20/2011 - 20:08

#34

Diggidy

Legacy Username

On the subject of bumping

I generally think it's okay to bump short auctions (1 or 2 days) to keep them on the front page for most of the auction's duration. What bothers me is when people post WTB threads for incredibly rare items (UV ctr high+ caliburs often), and continually bump those to the front page. I think in those cases the poster must hope a seller will use the search function, since it's a bit disrepectful to other posters to keep a request like that on the front page.

Sun, 05/22/2011 - 04:42

#35

viper901

Legacy Username

Bump for sticky. Might want

Bump for sticky. Might want to clarify bargaining as well, some ding-bat yesterday was explaining how the seller is supposed to be lowballing and the buyer should be offering over. He quoted this thread for defense when I tried to explain basic common sense to him. Maybe you could expand the small section on bartering to describe it in unambiguous terms? Otherwise thanks for writing this for the community.

Mon, 08/22/2011 - 11:33

#36

Lepreal

bump to top. seriously,

bump to top. seriously, equinox, sticky this :)

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 08:26

#37

Xairathan

Partial Necro

I know this is a necro. I also think that others need to read this, due to the influx of new players and the fact that we haven't had this on the top for about, half a year. So please pardon this necro, and read on.

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 12:55

#38

Phenolic

Necro Justified.

As someone who started playing well after this post was written, I fully agree with you, Xairathan.
Also, thanks again to AzNxMist and all who helped establish such clear definitions of conduct!!

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[INFO] Bazaar Etiquette (READ BEFORE POSTING)