Spiral Knights - Auction House Improvement

Auction House Improvement

6 replies [Last post]

Mon, 09/19/2011 - 14:00

bananafish28

Legacy Username

I propose that the AH changes a little bit about the auctioning process; a little closer to how real life auction houses work.

The seller of an item has the option to place a minimum sell price only known to the AH. This secret floor price is the basis for the listing fee; similar to how current listing fee is based off of the starting bid price.

The seller is able to list a separate starting bid price. If at 'end time' the bid price does not exceed the floor price the item is automatically pulled from the market and not sold; seller loses listing fee.

This way a seller can lowball a bid price to try and induce 'action'; and hopefully sell the item successfully in the end. But if he doesn't get the offer he would like, he keeps the item to resell or whatever he wishes to do with it.

Mon, 09/19/2011 - 14:04

Orangeo

No secret sell price dangit.

No secret sell price dangit. If you arent willing to give the iem away for one crown, then why did you put the bid price as one crown you silly sellers. I make allot of money taking advantage of mineral sales, purely becuase I don't put stupid prices up.

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 00:33

bananafish28

Legacy Username

Real Life Auctions

In real life auctions, the seller are able to retract the item from sale if it does not fetch a set price desired by the seller. It's either allowing a seller to withdraw the item from sale at any point until the 'buy now' price is reached or having a price only known to the auctioneer to retract the item from sale if the desired sale price is not reached.

This is how the REAL world works. It's to help induce initial bids and possible bidders willing to outbid one another.

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 01:40

Antistone

Legacy Username

And reserve prices are dumb

And reserve prices are dumb in real-life auctions, too, but they'd be even worse in the current Spiral Knights system because counter-bidding is so difficult.

The auction house does not need built-in psychological warfare designed to help sellers at the expense of buyers. Don't lie to the bidders. If you're not willing to sell it for less than X, set X as the minimum bid.

If you REALLY desperately want to simulate a reserve price, you can just use a free account to bid on your own item when it gets close to the deadline. You'll pay 10% of the sell price, but you're suggesting people should pay 10% of the reserve price anyway, so if anything that's less expensive. And you know exactly when the auction will end, so it shouldn't be hard.

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 17:29

bananafish28

Legacy Username

so u want to scam sellers?

having reserve prices isn't taking advantage of buyers; it is fetching the best possible price that is within market value.

i've taken advantage of SELLERS under the current system; i see an item near expiration that is about 1/2 to 2/3 of going market value and i wait and try to put in a last minute bid to steal it from the current bidder and then immediately put it back on the block for a profit after i win the auction.

And i know you guys have done it too; that's why you're objecting.

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 17:40

Antistone

Legacy Username

If people behave rationally,

If people behave rationally, a reserve price either has no effect whatseover or it prevents the item from being sold at all; under no circumstances does it affect the price in any way.

Even if people don't behave rationally, reserve prices still do absolutely nothing to help with the particular issue you're complaining about that setting an honest minimum bid doesn't already do. You don't have any actual argument in favor of your suggestion so you're substituting an ad hominem attack instead (which happens to be incorrect, but would be invalid and uncivil even if true). So kindly buzz off until you have something worth posting.

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 17:53

NicoyaKitty

Legacy Username

I think I'd rather see mats

I think I'd rather see mats and recipes move to a market system like we have for CE already. There's really no difference between any given scrap metal or ecto drop, so messing around with a full auction to buy or sell stacks of it it seems a waste.

Setting reserve prices is just an annoying psychological trick to try to goad more people into fighting over a unique item, and really isn't applicable to 99% of the gear and mats sold in the AH. If you're really worried about buying or selling, advertise it on the forums instead of posting it in the AH.

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Auction House Improvement