VWN UC pet prices will now be regulated

[Drizzy]

This debate has been raging for a few months now and it spiked in the last month or so
Unfortunately, it's now come to this
Yet another area of the market the mod's have to monitor and regulate because sellers just can't seem stop trying to undersell and devaluing the price of every UC possible.
Changes have been made, top sellers and mods were consulted and the new price list for VWN UCs has been set.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

It has also been moved to the trading section and stickied for everyones convenience.
Anybody now selling a VWN UC pet MUST adhere to the set prices for the respective UC.
This will not be a popular decision, but we were left no choice - the constant undercutting is damaging the market and literally every second thread advertising UCs is for a quicksale. Sometimes these 'quicksales' last for months on end because there is a very obvious shortage of buyers.

TL;DR
All VWN UCs MUST be advertised at full guide price.
If you are caught breaking these rules, you will be infracted, could have your account temporarily banned or in an extreme situation, a permanent trade ban will issued.

[Clair]

Drizzy
I really have to disagree, even at lowered prices UCs are hard to sell these days. The market is very slow.
I would rather lower prices but actually be able to move product.
I also think some of your prices are very off. For example: UC faerie grarrls trade in the same tier as UC dari krawks, but on your guide they are $100 less. This lets people abuse inaccuracies in the guide to buy a high tiered pet for cheap and then just trade. I can say I have witnessed this happening first hand bc the PC has been flooded with grarrls bc of people doing just that. Additionally, you have dari wockies at $25 less than the dari krawks even though they trade a tier above. UC lupes trade better than the Royal girl aishas yet they are $50 less? Some of these prices make no sense in the context of the neopets UC market and I believe people will try and take advantage of the guide. Like I could easily trade a UC RG lupe for a UC RG aisha and then just jack up the price $50. Someone tried to rip me off with a trade between two UCs by citing your guide. When I offered to downtrade to match the guides prices they rejected, because they KNEW it was a big underoffer despite what the guide said.

I will alter the prices of my UCs accordingly but I think it is unfair to force us to conform to a guide that in my eyes is wildly inaccurate. I know you'll probably be mad that I am willing to say that out loud, and this is not personal at all Ry, but I really hope you change the guide to better fit the neopets market. I didn't mind that you had your guide, I disagreed with it so I just didn't follow it. But now that you are forcing us to follow it, I have a problem. I would be happy to give you my input on where it could be improved and help make a better guide for this community.

[Savant]

It is for VWN UC pets only. As far as I am reading this.

[Bettser]

Yea it's only for vwn pets lol. And forums don't work the same as on neopets, just saying. Also it's just for advertisement AB price. Like its up to you what you want to take as an offer. But people selling 175$ guide pets vwn for 100$ off is not okay lol. So making ABs that conform to vwn pets should not be a big deal.

[I_royalty_I]

@Drizzy ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
I really have to disagree, even at lowered prices UCs are hard to sell these days. The market is very slow.
I would rather lower prices but actually be able to move product.
I also think some of your prices are very off. For example: UC faerie grarrls trade in the same tier as UC dari krawks, but on your guide they are $100 less. This lets people abuse inaccuracies in the guide to buy a high tiered pet for cheap and then just trade. I can say I have witnessed this happening first hand bc the PC has been flooded with grarrls bc of people doing just that. Additionally, you have dari wockies at $25 less than the dari krawks even though they trade a tier above. UC lupes trade better than the Royal girl aishas yet they are $50 less? Some of these prices make no sense in the context of the neopets UC market and I believe people will try and take advantage of the guide. Like I could easily trade a UC RG lupe for a UC RG aisha and then just jack up the price $50. Someone tried to rip me off with a trade between two UCs by citing your guide. When I offered to downtrade to match the guides prices they rejected, because they KNEW it was a big underoffer despite what the guide said.

I will alter the prices of my UCs accordingly but I think it is unfair to force us to conform to a guide that in my eyes is wildly inaccurate. I know you'll probably be mad that I am willing to say that out loud, and this is not personal at all Ry, but I really hope you change the guide to better fit the neopets market. I didn't mind that you had your guide, I disagreed with it so I just didn't follow it. But now that you are forcing us to follow it, I have a problem. I would be happy to give you my input on where it could be improved and help make a better guide for this community.

That was one of my concerns as well. I can't claim to be an expert and know the values of every UC and how it trades onsite, so it's tough.
We tried to do out best to get things as accurate as possible. Perhaps we should have a thread in neochat or something where people can voice their opinions on inaccuracies in the guide. That way everyone will get a say, and people who are more active in the trading scene will be able to shed some light on the discrepancies.

I agree with you that some people see the prices on the guide, know those pets trade higher onsite, and buy them just to trade. I have a feeling that is why some pets seem more popular here on ck than they actually are onsite. A prime example of this is UC Faerie Pteris - Or was - we changed the price of them.

We did expect some push back with this new change, but we wanted to give it a try as it is sort of a last resort.

[Cub]

changed mind.

[Vindictive]

Took a look at the guide and must say not a bad idea at all.

[Forever]

I think this was a fabulous idea. Kudos to staff! :)

[Cath]

I'm happy with the updated prices even if a few should be switched or changed a little. Good work guys! Most likely the best option there was. :)

[Bettser]

Cath Dramatical Vindictive

Thanks, this was a last resort to try and keep the UC market alive. We are fully open to any suggestions on price changes also from any member. Just give one of the staff a mail and we'll bring it to the table for discussion.

So that means Clair Cub , if you guys have concerns, please mail one of us. We will definitely take what you have to say into consideration.

[j03]

Pets are boring and lame. Botting is where it's at.

[Jeongyeon]

This might have killed the market for VWN high level ucs lol

Would people really pay 200 bucks for those pets? even if they are vwn? Theres a reason people are selling them 50-100 bucks cheaper lol

[Clair]

Bettser PMed you my edits.

[Vindictive]

Pets are boring and lame. Botting is where it's at.

I totally agree -kisses infamous kad feeder tab- :D

[Drizzy]

Clair baby prices were in fact lowered across the board
That was one of the main complaints people had that pricing was too high so product moved slow
Take another look at the guide, we have lowered the price of most UCs
But you're right, it's because the market is slow/overflowing with stock that we need to follow some rules for the sake of the market.
For years now UC sales and prices were not fixed for reasons you haven't mentioned but literally no two pets are the same - valuing them, then, is a much harder task hence the guide was jus there to help direct buyers/sellers and give them a ball park figure for what they should aim for
Unfortunately people abuse the leniency in place
VWN Draiks/Krawks up for quick sales has become the norm, not because people don't value them but because they think its of high value so they can make a board vying for a quick sale but end up bumping for months before they even get a mailer. This systematically lowers the price of that UC and every other UC.
If you really want to make a comparison, buyers often say they aren't happy about the $2/mill rule either, but it's there for a good reason just like the prices for UCs are also there with good reason.
We are in fact SAVING the UC market from dying, not the other way around

As for onsite trading, it's been discussed before that supply and demand for UCs offsite is vastly different to trading patterns onsite. I don't want to say something inaccurate here but just know that what sells and what trades isn't always the same thing but shoot me what you feel needs to be corrected and we'll talk it over.

[Clair]

Drizzy PMed you Ry.

[Bettser]

This might have killed the market for VWN high level ucs lol

Would people really pay 200 bucks for those pets? even if they are vwn? Theres a reason people are selling them 50-100 bucks cheaper lol

People do.

Also, these are regulated as ABs.

[Vindictive]

I wish i could get away with owning a UC plushie draik, only reason i never saved up for one :P

[dizzydev]

I can't say I agree with this...
The reason so many quicksales last for weeks is because, let's face it, the community of Neopets is shrinking, and the site seems to be slooowly dying. It may even not be around for more than a few more years, so much of it is outdated. Of course, there are still tons of loyal users, but there are fewer people joining that site every day, and there are still people leaving every day. The insane lag problems and glitches haven't helped. The PC used to move at the speed of lighting, and while it's still probably the fastest forum, it's nothing like it was 2 years ago. UC trading has slowed down a lot as well, mainly due to tier guides and the insane fear of illegit pets. I used to receive a dozen offers when I made WN UC UFT boards, now I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 offers, for the same type of pet.

Who wants to pay several hundred dollars for a single virtual pet on a slowly dying site? (Especially since it's already risky dealing with illegit high end UCs) I'm sure there are people out there who are willing to pay that. But on the other hand, there's also a lot of people that DON'T have that kind of money. Since the majority of people fall into the latter, people sell for less because they can actually get some money without having to advertise for a year or longer.
The market is also very slow right now, in selling AND trading, and it only seems to be getting slower. I don't believe it's from the quick sale boards at all, I believe it's because of everything I mentioned in the first part of my post. Pretty much the only UC sales that even seem to be happening come from these "quicksale" boards. It sucks that the market is slowing down like it is, yes. But I don't think making high set prices will help it. I think that will just slow the market down even more.
Maybe if the prices in the guide were cut down? (By a good bit more than you already have)

Maybe people will agree, maybe people will disagree, who knows, I just thought I'd share my opinion on the matter. o: I've only been lurking (and buying some) here a few months lately, I used to lurk a while back as well, but when I took a 2 yr hiatus from neo, I also forgot my old clraik info. But remembering how things were 2 years ago and then seeing how they are now, it's pretty easy to see differences since I never saw things slowly evolve to the way they are now.

I hope my post isn't offensive to anyone, the idea is a good one, I just would rethink it or change parts of it since I don't think it's for the right reason. o: That's about the end of what I had to say. Have a good day, everyone c:

[Bettser]

I can't say I agree with this...
The reason so many quicksales last for weeks is because, let's face it, the community of Neopets is shrinking, and the site seems to be slooowly dying. It may even not be around for more than a few more years, so much of it is outdated. Of course, there are still tons of loyal users, but there are fewer people joining that site every day, and there are still people leaving every day. The insane lag problems and glitches haven't helped. The PC used to move at the speed of lighting, and while it's still probably the fastest forum, it's nothing like it was 2 years ago. UC trading has slowed down a lot as well, mainly due to tier guides and the insane fear of illegit pets. I used to receive a dozen offers when I made WN UC UFT boards, now I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 offers, for the same type of pet.

Who wants to pay several hundred dollars for a single virtual pet on a slowly dying site? (Especially since it's already risky dealing with illegit high end UCs) I'm sure there are people out there who are willing to pay that. But on the other hand, there's also a lot of people that DON'T have that kind of money. Since the majority of people fall into the latter, people sell for less because they can actually get some money without having to advertise for a year or longer.
The market is also very slow right now, in selling AND trading, and it only seems to be getting slower. I don't believe it's from the quick sale boards at all, I believe it's because of everything I mentioned in the first part of my post. Pretty much the only UC sales that even seem to be happening come from these "quicksale" boards. It sucks that the market is slowing down like it is, yes. But I don't think making high set prices will help it. I think that will just slow the market down even more.
Maybe if the prices in the guide were cut down? (By a good bit more than you already have)

Maybe people will agree, maybe people will disagree, who knows, I just thought I'd share my opinion on the matter. o: I've only been lurking (and buying some) here a few months lately, I used to lurk a while back as well, but when I took a 2 yr hiatus from neo, I also forgot my old clraik info. But remembering how things were 2 years ago and then seeing how they are now, it's pretty easy to see differences since I never saw things slowly evolve to the way they are now.

I hope my post isn't offensive to anyone, the idea is a good one, I just would rethink it or change parts of it since I don't think it's for the right reason. o: That's about the end of what I had to say. Have a good day, everyone c:

Again, its AB advertising price. Its just what it has to be advertised at, you are welcome to accept a fair lower offer.

And this is an attempt to stop the UC Market from fully dying. We have had that 2$/m rule for years and look...we are the most successful Neopets market forum on the internet. This needs to happen to keep the "slowly dying market" from dying. TBH, I disagree with you that it is dying. In last few months its been busier then has been for the majority of the last year.

[dizzydev]

Ah, I see. I must have missed that it was AB ^^
Well it is certainly good that lower offers can be accepted.
Also that is a good point.
Also though I might add that the reason it's been busier in the last few months is likely because allll the college kids were out for Christmas break. (I know I spent about 50% more time on Neo just for that reason, haha)

[Doll]

I have nothing to particularly add to this conversation, just wanted to give a mod shoutout to y'all for looking out for the scene and "underground" economy as a whole even if people bitch and moan about it. Hopefully in a few months this will be regarded as just as necessary as the rules on NC and NP. Another reason ck is the best site around :)

[Charlie]

I agree with many regarding the fact that the price of an UC on clraik does not match the trading worth, and some people "take advantage" by purchasing a lower costing UC, trade it on-site, and then resell it on clraik. However, remember that's a part of life: Trying to always get ahead & get more. We do that by using bots such as AB's to gain rare items from shops in order to sell for a high profit, which will essentially give us NP wealth, which we can sell for USD. Some people may buy UC's to trade-up to sell for USD.

As much as I don't like strict guides, I do believe that the guide will be beneficial for clraik because like the $2/mill NP and $1/cap NC rules, they'll give UC's a starting price. Maybe the prices are high, but they're much lower than other buying sites out there, and you don't HAVE to sell/buy for that exact amount. But you do need to start there. Guides are meant to help, not hinder, and that's exactly what this one does.

Of course, I must mention that I do believe the UC market is crashing anyway. Not because of clraik, but the UC market on neopets has been on a downward spiral for the past few years. Trading is slow & going down because many UC's has found permanent homes, many UC's are on frozen accounts, some users are quitting (and they're accounts won't be deemed 'inactive and safe' for quite a while), and the PC police continues to stir up trouble and accuse nearly every UC that shows up on the PC. Now, even UC's that have been deemed 'safe' because they've been actively traded for 6 months to a year are being frozen & returned to their original accounts. What's sad to me is that as a person who bought/sold UC since the conversion, I can list OVER 150 UC's that people say are "safe" as previously purchased pets because they've been around so long. It's amusing to me now actually because back in the day, you could post the pet's name that you were buying/selling, and people didn't care. I still have access to an old neopet forum, where many posts have the pets' names and people offering $$ on them. It's hilarious because many "safe" PC pets, even ones in permanent homes, are on posted on there.

My point is that the UC market is crashing, and honestly, the only way I see it getting saved isn't by changing this guide. It's really going to have to be TNT taking action. Either, stop listening to the PC police & investigating pets, allow users to create UC's, or just auto-convert every pet. Eventually, the UC market may nearly cease to exist.

[Tablo]

Oops :rolleyes: my bad

[anabell008]

Ilike how u guys have this idea of having prices..... Makes eveyrhting fair... Unlike neo lol