the exchange should be left alone.. I am one of those who hate the way way inflated prices of everything.. and lately, everything has been driving up. (I believe because of the decreasing player base, but that is another topic all together).
letting cryptic put their hands in the exchange cookie jar will only end badly.. the exchange is a free trade system. if you wish to purchase a key or a ship at a super inflated cost, you are more than welcome to. if you wish to post an item for half the cost of others, you are also free to. what others do is not of concern to you or anyone else.
I generally choose to stay away from the exchange because it is usually frustrating and a bit too rich for my casual playing blood.. lol...
What you fail to realise is that things on the exchange cost what they do due to demand. If your items have dropped in value, that's because people don't want them anymore. If ships went up, well, people must want them more than they did before.
The more restrictions you place on the exchange the more valuable items will be traded without the exchange. As an example, try buying a JHAS or Bulwark via the exchange. You can't? That's because the EC limit restriction on the exchange forces people to do direct trades.
Less restrictions on the exchange will produce the fairest system for everyone.
As for your situation of not having the resources to get what you want, you can do what my parents told me to do when I was a child; save up for it.
What you fail to realise is that things on the exchange cost what they do due to demand. If your items have dropped in value, that's because people don't want them anymore. If ships went up, well, people must want them more than they did before.
The more restrictions you place on the exchange the more valuable items will be traded without the exchange. As an example, try buying a JHAS or Bulwark via the exchange. You can't? That's because the EC limit restriction on the exchange forces people to do direct trades.
Less restrictions on the exchange will produce the fairest system for everyone.
As for your situation of not having the resources to get what you want, you can do what my parents told me to do when I was a child; save up for it.
All I can say to this, is either they come down on price, or enjoy private selling.
The exchange as is does not need to change, just to cater to the select few wanting billions of EC's, for so few items.
The prices on the exchange have really gotten unreal lately, I recently started work on a new
character and went to the exchange for some consoles. When you have a T2 console that is
being priced between 500,000 - 1 Mil. EC that just shows how out of control the exchange has
become. Some of those guy's out there need a brain check.
I don't want Cryptic touching the exchange. Interference with the player economy will only ever end badly.
I whole heartily agree!!! Working the exchange is how I was able to afford my D'kora class and the matching shuttle. If anyone is price gouging, it's the ship sellers!!!
I like things how they are, it gives players like me a chance to earn goodies too, before I turn grey.
New Lunar Republic
"Where monsters rampage, I'm there to take them down! Where treasure glitters, I'm there to claim it! Where an enemy rises to face me, victory will be mine!" -Lina Inverse
For better or worse the Exchange is being slightly manipulated by the EC billionaires like myself - these people are bored with the game and so play the Exchange game. Apparently they are achieving in fiction what they cannot achieve in reality.
It is extremely difficult to bring the Exchange prices down on wanted items. If you post something for 3 million where the going rate is 10 million the billionaires will simply purchase yours for 3 million and then re-list them for 10 million. There is so much ECs in the system now that they can afford to have a billion diversified into the Exchange and not even miss it. I personally have 1.7 billion EC. I could easily put 1 billion into the Exchange and still have over 700 million for myself.
Right now Fleet and Lockbox-associated items are the only EC sink in the game. There is nothing else to spend EC on. You spend it in the Exchange or it simply accumulates - as Dilithium is Cryptic's gaming currency. Without major sinks, or a major reduction in drops, every single day people just add billions more ECs to the game economy. Inflation is going to be a never-ending problem in the game - with newer players falling farther and farther behind with each passing day.
The game needs EC sinks, and it needs them now. And as much as I hate to say it one of those sinks is probably needs to be an Exchange fee for listing items.
The prices on the exchange have really gotten unreal lately, I recently started work on a new
character and went to the exchange for some consoles. When you have a T2 console that is
being priced between 500,000 - 1 Mil. EC that just shows how out of control the exchange has
become. Some of those guy's out there need a brain check.
You can simply choose not to buy those consoles.
I have been leveling up an new KDF engineering toon and I generally did not bother buying anything from the exchange until I got my T3 ship. Even then I do not bother spending much money. I have generally limited myself to buying consoles costing at most 50k EC for T3 and T4 gear; most times less than half that amount.
Leveling up is so fast in this game that spending a lot of money on "low level" gear is not really worth. I currently have my T5 ship (Level 42) so I do not plan on buying anything from the Exchange until I can use Mk XI gear. I think I have spent around 400k at most on equipment from the Exchange since I got my T3 ship.
The Exchange is part of the game that is essential to a healthy F2P environment and in-game economy. However, rapid inflation and rapid deflation of item values is really hurting the exchange. (Making it harder to find some items at fair prices AND devaluing other items.)
There are two things at work here:
1) Prices of goods are rapidly changing because either player demand for the good or player supply of the good is rapidly changing. This is just the economy at work. Data Samples have seen in some cases 5 fold increases in cost due to anticipation of demand in the new crafting system.
Interference here is a mistake.
2) The supply of the unit of exchange on The Exchange (Energy Credits) is increasing, leading to nominal inflation. EC are created when we sell to vendors or earn from missions, and they're destroyed when we purchase from vendors or use in assignments. Simply put, we sell to vendors more than we buy from vendors. This means that every day the real value of an energy credit among players decreases, and so prices rise.
Interference here is welcome. If we had a scaling system that took EC out of the game - e.g. a purchase or sales tax on Exchange transactions - we'd see the value of EC steady out over time.
One quick note regarding the ec billionaires. If you think they get a billion ec by doing foundry grinds, you're delusional. Example, you do a foundry farm mission on a toon, you'll end up with 600k-1M ec in vendor trash and the few drops you can sell on the exchange. Let's round up and call it 1M. You would have to do that 1000 times to get a billion ec. Due to foundry drop limits, for one toon, that's 1000 days. Even running 10 toons, it's 100 days. Say 15 minutes per foundry run, that's 2.5 hours just spamming space bar for loot, not counting dumping it at the vendor. All for 1bil, much less multiples.
If you're talking bots auto grinding, fine. Do what it takes to make them stop. But the foundry isn't the culprit. Ec billionaires amass their fortune by making smart moves on the exchange, buying low and selling high, or just through a huge quantity of transactions. Some are also dabbling in lock boxes, maybe even financing that activity with rw cash. Many do all of these. In that way, anyone can do it, if they're smart and persistent enough.
One quick note regarding the ec billionaires. If you think they get a billion ec by doing foundry grinds, you're delusional. Example, you do a foundry farm mission on a toon, you'll end up with 600k-1M ec in vendor trash and the few drops you can sell on the exchange. Let's round up and call it 1M. You would have to do that 1000 times to get a billion ec. Due to foundry drop limits, for one toon, that's 1000 days. Even running 10 toons, it's 100 days. Say 15 minutes per foundry run, that's 2.5 hours just spamming space bar for loot, not counting dumping it at the vendor. All for 1bil, much less multiples.
If you're talking bots auto grinding, fine. Do what it takes to make them stop. But the foundry isn't the culprit. Ec billionaires amass their fortune by making smart moves on the exchange, buying low and selling high, or just through a huge quantity of transactions. Some are also dabbling in lock boxes, maybe even financing that activity with rw cash. Many do all of these. In that way, anyone can do it, if they're smart and persistent enough.
Bad idea to inerfere directly with the exchange, that never ends well.
One incident came into my mind ... when the Yellowstone came out it was bugged, the Tetryon-Plasma Engine was unbound and quickly found its way into the exchange (for absurd prices, but i bet there are still some klingons with that engine).
Crpytics problem solving approach was: buy them out, all of them i wonder how many hundreds of million if not several billion were created out of nowhere that night
Beta, LTA, CE, Multiple preorder Versions, all Addon Packs except AoY, nearly all KDF/Rom and ~50% of all Fedships, over 25 LockboxShips, Endurer of Atari's "Year of Hell", but...
The Exchange is part of the game that is essential to a healthy F2P environment and in-game economy. However, rapid inflation and rapid deflation of item values is really hurting the exchange. (Making it harder to find some items at fair prices AND devaluing other items.)
Specifically, when one player floods the Exchange with a massive number of a single item priced way above or way below the current market value, all those items at a new price tier usually move others to price those items at a similar inflated or deflated price as well.
Posting a few of the same items at a much higher or lower price doesn't have a big impact, but posting 20 of the same items that dramatically swing the price does.
Would it be a good idea for the devs to add a stricter limit to the number of items you can list within the same category?
For example, you can only put up to three ships for sale on the exchange at any given time or only three keys for sale at any given time?
I know some people who are active on the exchange would HATE this idea, but I'm curious if the benefits outweigh the negatives ... or if there is some terrible consequence that I'm not considering.
Exchange prices are a conundrum.
As a result of fleet holdings requiring a high level of resources, fleet owners and members are raising the prices on the exchange. On another side of the argument, some players are using the exchange as a stock market. Once one seller posts an item for a decent price, another player will buy and re-post it for a higher price.
Have you noticed that many common, rare, and very rare items are disappearing? Some players have figured out a way to make quick energy credits. If an item is sold below fifty percent of its marked value, players will buy it off the exchange, head over to a vender, and then turn it in for a slight profit. Example: Exchange item is posted for 10,000 ec, but it carries a cost of 50,000 ec. Once someone buys it off the exchange for 10,000ec, the player can sell it to a vender for 25,000 ec. Net gain of 15,000 ec. In order to accumulate a mess of ec, players will fill up their inventory with several undervalued items. ...and, then they will sell them to a vender.
Yes! We obviously need tarriffs, and taxes. Don't you all care about the poor? Where's your compassion????
Sarcasm aside, while I don't think this is a good idea, I'd rather Cryptic mess with the Exchange than the real-world government mess with the economy...I mean, the main reason for free markets in real life is to generate profitable trade for the nation, which doesn't really apply to STO. No GDP, and all that.
You all realize that its completely possible to have an enjoyable sto experience with minimal ec spent, right?
EC essentially is only used for lockbox goods, doffs (optional), boffs (optional), and specific modifiers on weapons.
The fleet and reputation gear is simply superior to what you can find on the exchange, some restrictions may apply, and even if it isn't "better" it will still work for every piece of content in this game.
If you all really want more EC, just wait for the players who have stated they are going to quit when season 9.5 hits, and when ARC is required, the free EC and items will be flowing like crazy when those days hit.
This guy understands it clearly and completely. People who dont already realize what he posted is true should study his post carefully and learn the facts about how the economy works and why it does what it does.
He is not saying anything many others have not also said in the thread: More sinks; including a Tax on Exchange transactions to help keep costs down.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
Comments
That is because more, and more player's take the advise of the wealthier player's, and do not bother with lockboxes.
This makes the item harder to obtain, and when someone does get one to sell, again they go with the flow of pricing it at an enormous value.
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
letting cryptic put their hands in the exchange cookie jar will only end badly.. the exchange is a free trade system. if you wish to purchase a key or a ship at a super inflated cost, you are more than welcome to. if you wish to post an item for half the cost of others, you are also free to. what others do is not of concern to you or anyone else.
I generally choose to stay away from the exchange because it is usually frustrating and a bit too rich for my casual playing blood.. lol...
The more restrictions you place on the exchange the more valuable items will be traded without the exchange. As an example, try buying a JHAS or Bulwark via the exchange. You can't? That's because the EC limit restriction on the exchange forces people to do direct trades.
Less restrictions on the exchange will produce the fairest system for everyone.
As for your situation of not having the resources to get what you want, you can do what my parents told me to do when I was a child; save up for it.
there could be/should be search filters for Boffs and Doff, for example a filter I want Torpedo cooldown reduction, or RSP III or Female science
or for god's sake just make the USABLE BY ME button work
We don't need regulation hitting the Exchange.
To quote annemarie30 (among superb comments by others):
'Nuff said.
The exchange will continue to inflate so long as there are exploiters with billions of EC and assets done through various things like the foundry.
They can manipulate the market as they please.
All I can say to this, is either they come down on price, or enjoy private selling.
The exchange as is does not need to change, just to cater to the select few wanting billions of EC's, for so few items.
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
why? It makes it so people can't just buy something then relist it for a few thousand more since the listing fee will soak up the potential profit.
My character Tsin'xing
My character Tsin'xing
character and went to the exchange for some consoles. When you have a T2 console that is
being priced between 500,000 - 1 Mil. EC that just shows how out of control the exchange has
become. Some of those guy's out there need a brain check.
I whole heartily agree!!! Working the exchange is how I was able to afford my D'kora class and the matching shuttle. If anyone is price gouging, it's the ship sellers!!!
I like things how they are, it gives players like me a chance to earn goodies too, before I turn grey.
"Where monsters rampage, I'm there to take them down! Where treasure glitters, I'm there to claim it! Where an enemy rises to face me, victory will be mine!" -Lina Inverse
What next, a carbon tax?
You start giving them ideas, and they might thow in a luxury tax. :rolleyes::P
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
You can simply choose not to buy those consoles.
I have been leveling up an new KDF engineering toon and I generally did not bother buying anything from the exchange until I got my T3 ship. Even then I do not bother spending much money. I have generally limited myself to buying consoles costing at most 50k EC for T3 and T4 gear; most times less than half that amount.
Leveling up is so fast in this game that spending a lot of money on "low level" gear is not really worth. I currently have my T5 ship (Level 42) so I do not plan on buying anything from the Exchange until I can use Mk XI gear. I think I have spent around 400k at most on equipment from the Exchange since I got my T3 ship.
But.... why buy one of those when you can get out a MU ship?
Again... what sort of ship would players be willing to spend it on?
My character Tsin'xing
There are two things at work here:
1) Prices of goods are rapidly changing because either player demand for the good or player supply of the good is rapidly changing. This is just the economy at work. Data Samples have seen in some cases 5 fold increases in cost due to anticipation of demand in the new crafting system.
Interference here is a mistake.
2) The supply of the unit of exchange on The Exchange (Energy Credits) is increasing, leading to nominal inflation. EC are created when we sell to vendors or earn from missions, and they're destroyed when we purchase from vendors or use in assignments. Simply put, we sell to vendors more than we buy from vendors. This means that every day the real value of an energy credit among players decreases, and so prices rise.
Interference here is welcome. If we had a scaling system that took EC out of the game - e.g. a purchase or sales tax on Exchange transactions - we'd see the value of EC steady out over time.
If you're talking bots auto grinding, fine. Do what it takes to make them stop. But the foundry isn't the culprit. Ec billionaires amass their fortune by making smart moves on the exchange, buying low and selling high, or just through a huge quantity of transactions. Some are also dabbling in lock boxes, maybe even financing that activity with rw cash. Many do all of these. In that way, anyone can do it, if they're smart and persistent enough.
It's all 'bout the keys babbay'
:P:P:P:P
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
One incident came into my mind ... when the Yellowstone came out it was bugged, the Tetryon-Plasma Engine was unbound and quickly found its way into the exchange (for absurd prices, but i bet there are still some klingons with that engine).
Crpytics problem solving approach was: buy them out, all of them i wonder how many hundreds of million if not several billion were created out of nowhere that night
As a result of fleet holdings requiring a high level of resources, fleet owners and members are raising the prices on the exchange. On another side of the argument, some players are using the exchange as a stock market. Once one seller posts an item for a decent price, another player will buy and re-post it for a higher price.
Have you noticed that many common, rare, and very rare items are disappearing? Some players have figured out a way to make quick energy credits. If an item is sold below fifty percent of its marked value, players will buy it off the exchange, head over to a vender, and then turn it in for a slight profit. Example: Exchange item is posted for 10,000 ec, but it carries a cost of 50,000 ec. Once someone buys it off the exchange for 10,000ec, the player can sell it to a vender for 25,000 ec. Net gain of 15,000 ec. In order to accumulate a mess of ec, players will fill up their inventory with several undervalued items. ...and, then they will sell them to a vender.
Sarcasm aside, while I don't think this is a good idea, I'd rather Cryptic mess with the Exchange than the real-world government mess with the economy...I mean, the main reason for free markets in real life is to generate profitable trade for the nation, which doesn't really apply to STO. No GDP, and all that.
EC essentially is only used for lockbox goods, doffs (optional), boffs (optional), and specific modifiers on weapons.
The fleet and reputation gear is simply superior to what you can find on the exchange, some restrictions may apply, and even if it isn't "better" it will still work for every piece of content in this game.
If you buy something off of the exchange you can't relist it for 1 week. Yeah, you may still make a profit, but you may not.
Any other way you attempt to extract that money will just TRIBBLE over the non-market players.
Like the idea of selling a super expensive ship...that just rewards the market players and screws other people who can't afford that ship...ever.