[X] My Assistant

Auction #21 will start only tomorrow. The amount of submissions was so enormous that I haven't been able to process all of them tonight.

Heya.

No auctions this week, sorry. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)
I've got way too much work to process the equipments of #22 and sort everything of #23. I can barely send the equipment tomorrow for #22, so please be patient.
In the meanwhile, I'm opening a small contest as a compensation:
Get a picture of YOUR choice to be the banner of Auction #23

Rules:
1) It has to be pretty and to look somewhat refined. Of course, we need to see the girl in decent proportions: just the head or barely any visible are no good.
2) It has to be one girl (busty if possible), maybe 2-3 at most. I'm not obligating you to chose a Touhou girl. I promise I won't be biased regarding where the girl comes from.
3) You don't need to worry about editing to add the captions (I got it all ready for that), but if you could give me what text you want to be written, it'd be nice.
4) It has to be 800x450 and a resolution decent enough in order not to look too blurry.
5) My auctions, my rules. So well I suppose you understand what it takes to win.

Rewards:
1st) His picture captioned and displayed in Auction #23 + 100.000 Credits
2nd) 50.000 Credits
3rd) One precursor artifact

I will also offer 10.000 Credits to every contestant who hasn't won (which includes 2nd and 3rd) but who submits a worthwhile picture anyway, which will be featured in next auctions.

EDIT:
Submissions go in my forum PMs BTW.

This post has been edited by decondelite: Apr 27 2018, 08:16

Ah.., sorry, i mis read the PM, because it wasn't there when i read that...

This post has been edited by igs88: Apr 24 2018, 03:56

Asking\poisting personal info on the site can result in a ban, i think real pictures of users fall under this too, better ask for confirmation before going deeper.

Asking\poisting personal info on the site can result in a ban, i think real pictures of users fall under this too, better ask for confirmation before going deeper.

Errr... (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)
What he meant about "your picture" is some kinda like [konachan.com] your picture...

So, it's not your real life picture for his auction's banner...
[Correct me if i'm wrong]

Asking\poisting personal info on the site can result in a ban, i think real pictures of users fall under this too, better ask for confirmation before going deeper.

The facepalm here is strong. I meant a picture of your choice. Editing the red title to help unsmart ones to get it the right way.
And do you seriously think I don't know the rules? If anything, I am in touch with a big share of the gallery/forum mods, so heck I probably know them way better than the average.

This post has been edited by decondelite: Apr 27 2018, 08:19

Side note: I said you were free to submit whatever you want and that I wouldn't be biased toward Touhou, so why did all your submissions except one were Touhou? sleep.gif

But you chose touhou btw... (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/duck.gif)

Thank you... (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

First, sorry if this is not the right place to ask my question. I want to know if the won items are delivered together or in batches, I ask this because I already received 2/7 items but more than 24 hrs have passed since then. Normally I would have been waiting patiently but since I had received the first two I could not get the idea out of my head that maybe there was a mistake with deliveries ... or worst, maybe I broke a rule / s or something? (since last time I checked the thread nobody put a bid higher on the items in question).

I apologize if I sound like an impatient fool. I genuinely want to know without putting pressure. If it's just due to lack of time I'll wait as much as its needed, if my bids were invalid for some reason just tell me and I won't do it again. Again, sorry for the troubles.

---EDIT---

Ok, just now I received more items. In the end I was indeed an impatient fool... Shame on me!

This post has been edited by Xythuard: May 22 2018, 22:06

I usually send everything in one go, but as it tends to take time (I don't have anything automated for now) I tend not to send things right after the end of the auctions. Most of the time I do it on Monday evening, but this time I was short on schedule.

I really, really need to continue working on my panel to automate things, but it takes a lot of time, which I don't have.

Thanks for your answer, now I get it. Next time I'll try to be more patient. >.>

I happened to notice that a certain high value item was won in a regular auction then quickly sent to your auction to resell at 2x to 3x the cost. I am not necessarily disputing your valuation of items, but you may want to reconsider if you want to allow this, especially since you ban piyin from your auction for reselling.

It's not a baton or tissues.

I happened to notice that a certain high value item was won in a regular auction then quickly sent to your auction to resell at 2x to 3x the cost. I am not necessarily disputing your valuation of items, but you may want to reconsider if you want to allow this, especially since you ban piyin from your auction for reselling.

It's not a baton or tissues.

Point that out in my forum PMs please. I will do the necessary.

I just really want to say thanks a lot to decondelite for these auctions. I've graduated from having only crappy low-level equipment to mildly less crappy magnificient equipment.

I also stockpiled shade equips by accident. Woops lol (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Hello everyone.

As you probably know (or not), this week I have closed my WTB. Long story short: I just can't fund it with my own revenue anymore, and my WTS simply won't pay back what I purchase. My WTB was mostly funded by the revenue made thanks to the auctions. Except... I barely earn anything anyore in the auctions.

Last week I netted barely more than 200kC from the auctions, the week before, around 300kC. This is simply way too little to fund my WTB activity. And it's sad to be forced to close it, especially for lower level players. But I haven't given up completely.

To help myself obtaining a bit more credits that will both allow me to cover my WTB bills and reward me for my hard work (because seriously it really doesn't pay off), I was thinking about just opening my auctions to absolutely all equipments that are decently worthy being auctioned, so up until lvl500.

Of course, I'd still keep the way how I work: everything stays until it gets sold, I set a decent start price to help you get the best out of your item, I set quick bid prices to motivate players, and so on and so forth. Due to the possible flood of items, I will add a new rule: the room for each category will be limited. Like max 30 1H, 15 2H, and so on and so forth. Possibly with a separation between equips lower than Lvl350, and equips above Lvl350.


TL;DR
I am considering to open my auctions to all equipments. It is needed to help me funding my WTB service, which I simply can't maintain anymore right now. To do so, I will keep my current rules, except that there will be a max amount of equips for each equipment category. Older ones will be kicked out to make room for newer ones.


On a more personal note, I do have noticed that many of my sellers were a bit sad to be forced to switch over to another auctioneer, and I'd really like to resume my activity with them. Thanks a lot for trusting me people, I love you. I owe you a lot, and I wouldn't be here without you.

Sorry I haven't bought anything from your auctions yet but I have been looking every week, and am considering a couple high value equipments this week. I think your solution is decent but a better one should be sought.

The problem: your low level equipments aren't paying for themselves. Would introducing high level equipments and using those to pay for the low level equipments really solve the problem? And how would your auction then be significantly distinguished from the regular auctions.

Lower the prices of your equipment faster so that they sell. The regular auctions dump all items in a week. You could put a (flexible) time frame on items then return them to the seller. High value equipment of very low level could be held longer. Those close to 350 should be returned or bargain sold in a few weeks regardless of value.

In this way you are being more restrictive in the quality of equipment you accept in a natural and fluid manner, rather than setting strict quality guidelines.

Judging from what you've written, you have absolutely no clue about why my auctions are how they are. You're basically asking me to shoot a bullet in my foot by destroying the one and only principle that made these auctions possible. So let me explain you the very basics of why my auctions are designed like this.

There aren't many low level players who browse these forums, so using "traditional" auctions like super's or kedama's for valuable equipments in their level range cannot possibly work. Everything would go for 50k if that was the case, and everyone would be mad because those equipments are actually worth (way) more than that. So I had to imagine a system that would make it possible for the sellers to get the money they deserve for their equipments, while still allowing the players to compete for them. The other major issue is that when a lower level player needs stuff, he needs it ASAP, and not weeks / months later. He levels up way faster than high level players, so it's simply impossible for him to wait every week for the Mag Power / rapier he needs. on the other hand, if he can get everything he needs all at once, then it's all good. And that's how most of the stuff goes away even today.

Now, what would happen if I do what you're suggesting? Lowering the prices faster will not make more items go away. Kicking out more stuff won't motivate the players either. BTW, if you haven't noticed, everything I kick out / add to restrictions is stuff that does not go away even at a low price. Lowering the prices even further won't have any effect: unwanted stuff is unwanted, whatever the price. In the end, I'd get way, way less margin and the one reason why I am entrusted with equipment would simply be gone. In other words, I would simply be completely done for as an auctioneer and lower level players would be able to find their equipment absolutely nowhere. Because being back to the situation I had before I start the auctions is a no-no: I don't want to pay with my pockets large amounts of money for stuff that might or might not go away in my shop. Way too risky.

So I do appreciate your will to help me find a solution, but what you're saying iwill not do, not at all. If I'm considering that option, it is because that is the only one I've been able to come up with and has a (IMHO) somehow decent chance to work. I do know what are the actual strengths of my auctions compared to the others, and I'm pretty sure that a fair enough share of players would entrust me with their equipments, for these very strengths.

If you've got ideas that can work out, considering the issues I've pointed out, I'm all eyes open. After all, even with my experience, I still might miss something quite basic.

*sigh*
My "life" as expert in low level stuff and protector of newbies utterly sucks. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cry.gif)

There aren't many low level players who browse these forums, so using "traditional" auctions like super's or kedama's for valuable equipments in their level range cannot possibly work. Everything would go for 50k if that was the case, and everyone would be mad because those equipments are actually worth (way) more than that. So I had to imagine a system that would make it possible for the sellers to get the money they deserve for their equipments, while still allowing the players to compete for them. The other major issue is that when a lower level player needs stuff, he needs it ASAP, and not weeks / months later. He levels up way faster than high level players, so it's simply impossible for him to wait every week for the Mag Power / rapier he needs. on the other hand, if he can get everything he needs all at once, then it's all good. And that's how most of the stuff goes away even today.

As a lower level player, this is 100% accurate. While hunting for that perfect combination of what I want in a legendary would be nice, I out-level my gear way too quick currently.


Anyways, I think it's a valid decision to include gear for all levels. Have you landed on any numbers for how much of each category yet? Considering that you've catered to the lower level folks for a while, it would be nice to try a maintain at least a 50/50 split of high vs. low level gear. (Mostly because we don't have a whole lot of other places to go (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif))

Hey Decondelite,

You know I love your shop and auctions. I pretty much buy all my stuff there.

Now, I actually was going to suggest this a few weeks ago - it sound superficial now since you've updated this suggestions thread thinking of doing something similar, but I digress.

I wrote in another thread that I thought there was a cliff between Level 300 and level 400 in terms of equipment. By that I mean, for level 300 and lower, there is a good amount of stuff. Definitely more than enough light armor and stuff. And once you hit 400+, you're going to the other auctions, can soulfuse everything you want, and so on.

When I was looking around for shields and other stuff, I found a LOT of stuff that was level 300-350, and 400+. Rarely was there something between 350-400. I feel like 400 and below would still be 'low' enough level.

So I was going to suggest opening it up to equipment 400 and below. It would still cater to low level players, and folks wouldn't get steamrolled by the higher level players wallets. Because someone like me willing to spend 1 - 3m on something won't be buying a mag equip a level 270 guy wants.

Of course, that also stands true if you opened it up to *all* levels. So if you want to go that way, I don't disagree. And I'm not only saying that because I want to keep buying shit in your auctions (as I will soon eclipse level 350) LOL. Personally, I'd love it if you sold more stuff level 350-400. I'd spend millions of credits updating my equipment if you had stuff like that.

You could put a flexible time frame on items then return them to the seller. High value equipment of very low level could be held longer. Those close to 350 should be returned or bargain sold in a few weeks regardless of value.

I understand that low level equipment must be held longer, that is why I originally recommended a shop format where the asking price lowers with time. Nevertheless, at this point you are at a crisis. Take your time to slowly ponder which things you should partially concede on.

Your complaint is that you don't make enough money per week, so if you sold more items per week that would fix it. You might have to sell items for less than you feel they should get, but you will make money quicker.

If low level equipment owners want to get the absolute full value of their gear, they should sell it themselves. When you fail to sell their equipment after some time, let the owners decide whether they want it returned, or bargain sold. If they choose bargain sale, you don't need to feel sorry for them, and you'll make money.

You really, really don't get it BWS.

I cannot sell more low level equipment, or call it quicker if you prefer, because the demand is too low to sell more. And I cannot afford to sacrifice the start price either, because if I do it, no one will send me their stuff to auction it. If owners sell themselves, what am I here for then, and what do I display?

In other words, I'm already getting the maximum out of what can potentially go away, and the issue is the potential in question, that is declining slowly and steadily.

@aleden:
Thank you for your feedback. Maybe raising to Lvl400, instead of straight to Lvl500, can be preferable, yes.
As for being steamrolled by high level wallets, err... I used to protect my auctions from that (bidding only allowed for Lvl350 max players), but I ultimately had to give up with that, due to it being a major reason to entrust low level equipment to other auctioneers instead of me.
One day I got a Legendary Charged on display with that limitation, and I'm sure you can imagine the pressure I had to let everyone bid on it. And of course it was also going in the seller's interest. That's when I had to abolish that limitation.

@Yashvir:
No, not yet. But at least yes I'd still do what it takes so that lower level equipment gets its own quota and doesn't get kicked out by higher level.