Player Commerce - Pricing Formulas

quasimojo1

Quite often on the zone chat and trade channels, I see people asking what a fair price would be to sell some item. Generally the markets for any particular item in CO are so thin that pricing is extremely subjective -- a fair price is just what a buyer and seller are able to agree to at that moment; it depends on the perceived rarity of the item, how much a seller needs the globals, and how badly the potential buyer(s) want the item at that point in time.

However, there are some types of items where rarity is not a factor and we can use some basic math to come up with what a fair price should be. For example, Z-store items like Become Devices, Vehicles, Keys, etc. that are sold for Globals.

One of the most important uses for Globals in the game (probably the most important, IMHO), aside from player-to-player commerce, is Retconning your characters in the PowerHouse. This has a more-or-less fixed cost in both Globals and Zen that we can compare to get a ratio between the two.

A full retcon costs approximately 550 Globals (+/-25 or so) or 1250 Zen. This gives us a ratio of 2.27:1 or 227 Globals for 100 Zen.

Of course, on an individual basis, a person's supply of Globals and/or Zen will affect how they perceive the value, but I think if you get too far away from a 2:1 ratio it would be a pricing imbalance (or a "deal" for one of the parties.)

We can also use the Questionite:Zen exchange to come up with fair pricing in Globals. I can't think of too many Questionite Store items that are sold between players for Globals (the Vigilante Secondaries maybe), but if we use our 2:1 G:Z ratio and a 200:1 Q:Z ratio (current market price rounded for easier math), then a 150K Questionite item should sell for around 1500 Globals.

Just some thoughts to help evaluate player-to-player market pricing...

agentnx5

Least valuable Zen-to-gold: Become Devices, Heroic & Triuphant Recovery Packs

Most valuable Zen-to-gold: Cosmic Key of Power (~100g to ~150g, 110g is typical currently)


I get your point with a microeconomic equilibrium between supply and demand which sets the price. But you have to realize not all things are created equal. And then you also have Questionite that can be converted into Vigilante gear to sell, Questionite that can also come from Zen that was exchanged.


I get your point, but your conclusions are way wrong not because of bad logic, but because your scope is so narrow, there's a LOT of different variables you haven't taken into account! A lot of items you haven't considered! Make sense?


So no, I don't agree with a 2:1 ratio at all, that's nuts. I also see no point in selling Become Devices for their prices, and the vehicle ones are overpriced in my opinion, but that thousands of gold/globals price is from high for the newest luxury item. It's like having a sports car. A vehicle in this game is a symbol of your wealth and power.

serendipitynow

A full retcon costs approximately 550 Globals (+/-25 or so) or 1250 Zen. This gives us a ratio of 2.27:1 or 227 Globals for 100 Zen.

You have that backwards. At 550 globals for 1250 zen, thats 44 globals per 100 zen

At moment keys (100 zen) go for the too high price of 100-150 globals.

Before keys become devices (1150 zen) use to go for 200-250 globals, or around 22 globals per 100 zen.