Best Posts in Thread: MeepTraders

The problem
With the planned addition of Better ChestShop, we allow a more streamlined store process for all Meepers. With the addition of MeepDelivery, we allow Meepers to be able to easily buy items, for a small fee, from anywhere in the world. With the addition of Player-owned Holograms, we allow players to be able to advertise their shops easily.

When players first join the server, they will look for a way to make money. There are currently minimal sustainable ways to make money - hardly any of them being tied in with the Towny aspect of the server. With the model we are headed towards, our goal is for players to be able to sell to other players. This is by setting up a shop, or, if you're a new player, directly selling to another persons shop.

What players will find immediately is that this is unsustainable. There is hardly demand for the items as everyone wants to sell, and nobody wants to buy. Players will find themselves easily going bankrupt by doing this, as although they will stock a large amount of items, it will be impossible or very hard for them to ever sell them again. This was the problem that we saw with VShop, and MeepShop, as the prices would continue to decline until the item was essentially worthless.

The basic solution
As long as there is a higher demand to sell than buy, the server needs to take the role of buying items from the players. This is a fact, and it is something that can not be avoided. The issue is that as soon as the server starts buying cobble - for example - the item ceases to exist in player-owned shops as it no longer has any demand (as shown by MeepShop)

My proposition - introduce, MeepTraders!
Every month, the MeepTraders will come from a land far far away! They will be in spawn, and will be accepting to buy varying items for varying prices. One month, they may want Cobble and Iron, while the next they may want Diamonds and Sand. However, if you would like to sell to the traders, you must buy an access pass, that will cost (for example) half a million.

This will serve as the backbone for the economy.

What will happen, ideally?
The MeepTraders will dramatically change the economy each month with their ever-changing pricing and items they accept. Players will be able to create shops that new players can sell for example their Diamonds to, and will be rewarded by reselling to the MeepTraders for a markup. Rich players will be able to use this system to enable money to actively flow into the economy, as well as sinking out due to the fees associated with the system. Access to the MeepTraders is an investment, and you need to have a serious amount of sales to be able to afford it and make a profit on it.

New players will be able to find player owned holograms where they can sell their goods for fair prices, as well as adding a whole new dynamic to the server to make the things more fun and interesting.

Purely an example - to explain this better
MeepTraders, for the month of December, will be buying all Diamonds for 300 meebles and Iron for 100 meebles. You will be able to buy access to the MeepTraders for 500,000 meebles.

Let's say, I buy access. I will set up a shop, and buy from other players Diamonds for 290 meebles, and Iron for 90 meebles. I will make 10 meebles for every item I buy for selling them to MeepTraders. With that said, I will need to buy 50,000 diamonds (or 50,000 iron in this example) to be able to pay for my 500,000 access fee.

FAQ
This will make rich people more rich!
That was unavoidable. Having a system where people will make money is inevitably going to allow rich players to become richer, as well as this system, which is centered on that fact. However, we should embrace that, and instead focus on allowing new players to make money. We should have rich players play their role in the server, and get rewarded for doing it. If you do the numbers in your head however, you'll know that unless they have insane quantity, they won't actually get too much money from this system.

Will players who have not bought an access ticket be able to see the prices and the items that MeepTraders is currently buying?
No. They will not be able to see it. We certainly won't ever make them unfair, and we are completely okay with players sharing the pricing with each other, but we would like it to be a complete surprise

500,000 is a lot for an access fee!
It is! This is entirely subject to change, so do not think that this is final, but the entire point of this system is so rich players who have an extremely large quantity will be able to afford it and profit off of it.

Who determines the value of items?
The MeepTraders do of course! They come from a land far far away and want some of your goods. Every month, different parts of the universe come to visit the land of MeepCraft to stock up on souvenirs. (In all seriousness however, it would be Administrators. No other staff member would be notified until it has been released to avoid abuse, and each price will be carefully picked dependent on the current market and subject to change as the month continues.)

Is it just one access pass for eternity, or do you need one each month?
An access pass is valid for the month that you have purchased it - and that's it. The idea is that a player will give an investment forth for that single month, and will have to earn back the investment by the end. The price of an access pass is ever-changing.

What is your opinion?

 

The MeepTraders come every month, how long do they stay each time? The important question here is how long time do you have to try to get your investment (entry pass) back? The whole month? How long in advanced do you get to know what items are available to be bought by MeepTraders and the prices or will it all be a surprise?

Before I would invest 500.000 for a pass valid only that month I would need to know the items and prices to decide if its worth it. Try getting money from an investor without telling him what you are going to use it for! =)

I don't want to pay 500K meebles and then realize that MeepTraders wants to buy eggs for 1 meeble each! =)

How will the actual trade work? Will I be running between spawn and my chestshop using my few inventory spaces to transfer hundreds of items or can I just use /sell like meepshop? (for example if its egg that stacks in 16 and I might make 1-2 meebles every inventory I clear.....).

 

I have 1 question.
What if the admins don't do this on time. Like a lot of things.

 

Woo because I just dropped a half-mil on something there is a complete way to make my money back!!
no.
A Month is an ok amount of time to make 500k but what if I am the unlucky guy who buys my pass on the sand and dirt Month?? Looks like I will be digging 500k worth of dirt, To just break even. Plus, I would need to be a Mega-Giant Shop already to not have to do that and just buy off of people. :/


Big Fat -1 from me