MP order off - pricing policies in the future?

[old.Fangrim]

Well... My AF 102 Leather MP set is off - I spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to hit the MP (had 63 retries on a pair of sleeves - it's just not worth it for me to try (not until I have more money to spend at least...)

So I'm not taking orders for MPs anymore. Instead I'll collect the MP parts and then put them up for sale either as whole sets or individual pieces.

The 99% sets will so far be priced on a pay-per-try basis until I have found the right price. I've been looking at different boards, and it will probably be around 3 x material cost for a 99% set, and 15 x cost for a MP set.

The worst problem with all this crafting pricing is that you can get lucky and get 2 MPs in 10 tries, or unlucky and try 100+ times.

So far, I have been thinking about the following pricing systems:

1: The pay-per-retry system: The customer will make an order and pay for the actual amount of tries made to get the desired quality.

Advantage: Crafter will not lose cash.
Disadvantage: Customer will not know beforehand how much the item will cost.

2: The fixed-price system: The customer will make an order and pay a fixed price. The crafter will then keep trying until the desired item/set is made.

Advantage: Customer will know beforehand what the price will be.
Disadvantage: Crafter is at a risk here - he can end up spending several plats and hours on trying go get the masterpiece.

The way I see it, I will NOT work for free, or work to lose money. I know it might sound rude, but setting a fixed price on an item is just too risky for me. Not only do I not know if I will earn money on it, but I can easily end up sitting for hours IRL trying to get that MP set - my time is simply too valuable for that. Why should I sit for 4-5 hours, crafting an MP armor, ending up losing money on it?

So for me it's pay-per-try until I figure out something better. I can give people a rough estimate on the price, they might get lucky and get it for cheaper, or the other way around. I know that people will have to trust me when I give them the final price, but if someone wants to, I will gladly show them each individual piece as I craft it.

So far I am operating with the following guidelines:

99% for 3 x material cost. MPs for 15 x material cost.

What do you people think? Any other pricing ideas? Comments?

Oh - Give crafters their own forum

 

[old.Odysseus]

I have been selling using the fixed-price system for months now.

Combined with an alt that works as my stockpile logged at a vault has made me able to deliver fast, reliable service for my customers.

Only once have I actually lost money on an item, but that ofc depends on the markup associated with your items.

 

[old.Fangrim]

Well, with your markup, no wonder you've never lost money... (No offence btw - just an observation)

 

[Apathy]

OMG! You over-charging wh0rz0r! All crafters despise you Ody because you totally overcharge and people just PAY it! Aieeeeeeeeeee.

Now that AF is fixed, I am coming to harrass your ass in Emain. Come, Psyche and Quiblet...come!

Um...EB plz.

a.
*

 

[Flimgoblin]

99% isn't too unfeasible to offer fixed price on.... but I think even odysseus does 100% on auction (easier when tis single items but hey)

Getting a 100% bow is a 1/50 chance

getting a 100% full suit of armour is 6 1/50 chances, or 1/50^6

not very easy

Go with fixed price 99% (with a good enough markup to cover the random ness) but offer 'per-retry' if your customers want to.
Auction 100%s best way (or sell them as upgrades to good customers later for a reasonable price )

 

[Draylor]

The only practical way that you can handle MP orders is if you have a market to sell 10+ sets of 99% parts that your likely to create on the way.

Otherwise the costs (and time) are totally unrealistic.

Maybe your MP customer would be happy to 'donate' some gold to you now in return for the right to buy any MPs you create in the future at an agreed price? Thats one option that might work for both of you - but theres a little trust involved in working that way.

 

[josh_dk]

I must say I am bit reliefed at this Fangrim.

I was looking at your offer of a full 100% AF 102 Leather for 5.5 P

And since I make the average cost for making 1 out to be 6.2 P, I was thinking your funding must be rather good.

I know u can make money an the 99% spinoff sets, but u have to find buyers for them too.

At the moment I keep running out of cash in the middle of making orders (Full 99% sets) :-(

I think the idea of 99% sets at Cost*3 is a good one, much lower than that and u have bad odds for coming out ahead in the end.

But I don't think I would accept orders for 100% sets at Cost*15
Thats just too close to the actual cost. IMO Cost*18 is a better number, but then again that's a lot of money for somebody to find.

And even then I would risk running out of money before completing the set.
I am assuming the money is paid upfront here, otherwise I would never have the money for completing the order.

I think the best approach is fixed prices on 99% sets and auctions on 100% sets (or even individual parts)
(Like you said yourself)

 

[old.Fangrim]

Sorry to ody

As I edited my post, JUST after you replied Ody - I didn't mean to offend you - I was just making an observation. So sorry if I offended you.

You have had your markup up higher than most, and as you write yourself, that's made you not lose any money. I prefer to cut my own prices closer, so I'm in a riskier position.

 

[old.Odysseus]

Deleted post.