Nice job, Raining Ecto! Glad to see so many of our former swords in such a good home. I'm an especially big fan of the brute sword. It's really tough to beat a req 7 brute sword for old school awesomeness 
Here are some req 7 swords that you guys left behind when Kabong and I had our big sell-off a few years back
Now the real stuff is coming out 
I remember the day that Q13 Stance Magmas dropped out of a chest for me. I fell out of my chair, looked at it again, fell out of my chair again. Nice to see it preserved!
I can't imagine having something like that drop. That shield was always on my list of dream items. I know I didn't get the shield directly from you, but thank you for sending it on its way to me
Look, I can't argue with a perfect magmas that weighs so much. They are my not-so-guilty pleasure.
Emma, those are beautiful shields. I also especially like the fire, death, and (of course) strength shields from your larger collection. Really gorgeous.
Coffee...man, I tried to sell you that fleshy back in the day when I sold you those other req 8 +5e bows...and the dead bows...and the rest of my bows (iirc, Kiki got a good number of them, too). The fleshy was my baby then (which is why it was so tough for me to sell) and it's my baby now. I think it might be the sweetest bow in the game, all things considered (yup, it's my baby). Feel free to stop by the guild hall whenever you'd like to visit us
So many beautiful items.
Inspired by Kabong's posting of 20 highlights from his vault (and badgered by Kabong himself), here are some highlights from mine. Enjoy!
Kromp is Kromp
KROMP IS KROMP
I like the...well, you know which one I like. Its fraternal twin (mods on the opposite order) says hi. Beautiful set of things, Tyrant!
Ornate Shield Req 13 Str 30/-5 -- 30e (if I don't already have one...will need to check)
EDIT: Wait, did you just take that ornate shield down after I bid on it (and without marking that it was no longer for sale)? Wut?
No way you merch that jade wand. That thing is a piece of art 
s/b on one of your forkers (27/28)
I say keep it simple (maybe price intervals without the high/medium/low-end categories works more easily) or, even better (and as others have suggested), do nothing.
In either case, I do think that saying "merch" in a pc is very confusing to others. Specifically, it can mean two very different things:
1) It can mean "This item is worth somewhere between 0-1k."
2) It can mean that the item isn't worth the time and effort to sell on the open market *to the person providing the PC*. When a person says "merch" in this sense, they're not talking about the value of the item. They're talking about the value of the value of the item to them. If an item is worth 10k but 10k isn't worth anything to a player, they'll suggest merching a 10k item -- often without acknowledging the fact that the item itself might be worth 10k. I think Burnsy has made this point already. In that sense, "merch" is an irresponsible and egocentric price check. It's not a statement about the value of the item...it's a statement about the value of the value of the item to a specific player. That is irresponsible, egocentric, and not helpful.
So, I think it would be a good idea if people stopped saying "merch" in their responses to PC threads...but legislating it away or re-vamping how PC threads work (instead, for example, just asking what someone means when they say "merch") seems kind of heavy-handed and unnecessary. Let's be big boys and girls.
I don't agree with the idea of voting for price intervals. That doesn't work if the owner hasn't been playing guild wars for 6 years. The hyperinflation we have seen destroys all sense of rationality in prices and an owner from 6 years ago who had an item worth 100e then would have no idea that the same item is probably worth 100a+ today without being told in a price check thread.
Yeah, maybe I wasn't clear about the idea that the price intervals would be supplied by the site, not tbe PCer. So if I was coming back to GW after a long hiatus and wanted a PC on an item that I thought was mid-range, I could post the item and check the "mid-range" button. This would automatically generate a set of price intervals that correspond to market prices of mid-range items in today's terms, even if those terms are astronomical compared to the last time I played.
In addition, the categories "move to.high end" and "move to low end" could be options to accommodate for bigger shifts in the market.
I just wanted to clarify the idea. I'm not srguing or even suggesting that such contortions are necessary. PC threads are just PC threads. They've been full of shit since Day 1. Buyer beware (and seller, too!).
I'll start off by saying that I haven't read this whole thread. I started but had to stop pretty quickly.
As far as "non-numerical" price checks go, I'm a pretty firm believer in the idea that -- at least sometimes -- "merch" and "priceless" are the most accurate PCs.
If you really want to tie people's hands, why not have every PC thread be a poll? People could vote for certain price intervals (e.g., 0-1k (aka merch), 2k-10k, 10-25k, 25-100k, and so on). You could set it up so that the price intervals are adjusted according to whether the person requesting the PC indicates that the item is high-end, mid-range, or common. A tiered system would provide better "resolution" on the PCs (e.g., no need for low intervals on a high-end item, more choices ranging into thousands of armbraces...and vice versa for common items). The results could be shown graphically as a distribution at the top of the thread.
You could also make it so that the results won't appear until a certain number of responses (like, uh, 5, for example) from unique users are collected. That would lessen the impact of the first PC, which always seems to carry undue weight.
I just think people have to get over it. PC threads have always been a mixed bag at best. If you ask people for opinions, that's what you're gonna get.
EDIT: I just skimmed back through the thread and noticed that OS T proposed an idea that's similar to this one in some ways. Seems like a reasonable way to go if the goal is to strip people of the ability to use their words.
Nice shield. Good, solid shield. Not for monks.
Had to log in just to register my appreciation for your gear, Starfox. These are truly relics of an ancient world. There's no reason to sell, especially for something like armbraces, which are constantly depreciating....unless you plan on immediately exchanging the assembled for something you value more. Within the guild wars universe, though, there's nothing more valuable than items like these, especially when they are yours and you still feel nostalgia for the game.
If you do decide to sell for some reason, I agree with Pleikki. Your short sword is a reason for a top-notch collector to empty their account for top dollar and hand you a mint. That sword is on the short list of finest items in existence at this moment.
People are taking screenshots and bookmarking this thread. They are digging through the Guru archive looking for your ign. You have been added to friends lists of people who will jump straight up your butt the next time you login. That is for a reason....and that reason (the incredible rarity and value of your sword) is only a small part of the reason why your gear should stay with you forever.
Hey Yuko
Of course, I agree with your point about demand. If there's no market for an item, there will be no perception of rarity, regardless of objective rarity. Markets always move based on perception...and people's interests have a lot to do with what they bother perceiving.
I also agree with zxc. Customization has done more than anything to produce artificial scarcity. The problem seems to have gotten so extreme that, as Pleikki notes, it's actually created a market for customized items. That didn't really used to be a thing.
You can customize all the mini-pets you want. I think it should be illegal to customize museum-quality items. You shouldn't be able to scrawl your character's name across a piece of art.
You should know better, you soulless, self-centered fucks.
Sorry, I don't have anything to say about the Max vs. Pleikki spat. Honestly, I didn't bother reading. Not interested in learning about current events. I'm here to argue in strictly abstract terms about things I used to know about! Let's do it!
I don't agree that it's impossible to manipulate markets via PC. We saw that a *lot* on Guru. When the general public thought Guru was the place to go with their high-end items and certain talking heads (who I won't name) dominated that site, market manipulation happened All. The. Time. I can't say whether it's been happening here because, frankly, I don't pay attention anymore. The level of disagreement that's happening is actually a good sign that the fix isn't in around here. A lack of disagreement is the danger sign. As long as Max and Pleikki are conspicuously disagreeing with each other over PCs, I have a hard time believing that either one is successfully manipulating the market. Their disagreements spread information into the Guild Wars universe, like the collision of those two neutron stars I just read about. Checks and balances. Light and dark. Yin and Yang. Balance. Keep up the good work, boys!
I guess I have doubts about this idea of individual collectors being able to hoard to the point of creating rarity where there really is none. It seems to me like if that's possible, then the item is pretty effing rare to begin with. For example, I don't know how many people out there have a req 8 15^50 clouded maul, but I know Kabong has more than one. Not many more than one, but definitely more than one. He loved that skin so he grabbed them when he saw them (or I grabbed them for him). In the end, though, I don't think he has more than a handful (3? 4? Maybe 5?). That's not artificial rarity created by hoarding. That's a dedicated collector who loved a rare item (and his brother) who worked hard enough to buy nice clouded mauls when they appeared. Even if Kabong didn't own any of those hammers, they'd still be pretty effing rare.
No doubt there's such a thing as hoarding (collectors are especially prone to that disease), but does somebody really own so many req 8 +5e oni blades (or whatever) to create a market shortage beyond the actual rarity of the item? Again, I'm out of the game these days so this is an honest question, not a rhetorical one. Maybe you know of someone sitting on mule account full of those things. I dunno. You tell me.
[snip]Also i remember all the times (everytime) youve posted someting for sale. youve NEVER sold items for bids received, allways QQ:d about ppl lowballing you and getting serious with the bids.. What puts you above all the rules you tell to other ppl? When will you sell ur items for fair prices..
Do first, say after, dont be hypocrite and do exact opposite you say.
As long as there have been sites like Guru and Wartower, there have been bidders trying to get something for nothing. A seller who:
1) has a price in mind
2) makes that price clear to the public, and
3) sells when an item reaches the stated price
...is a dream come true. If that person expresses frustration at people continuing to try to get something for nothing despite the seller's top-notch knowledge of his wares, that's natural. It's annoying to have your intelligence insulted by greedy bidders.
The fact that bids are low doesn't mean that low prices are fair. I hate to be blunt about it, but that's just a dumb idea.
Great post, Yuko. I actually enjoyed reading that.
Dorfaxe + Magshield
s/b on grim cesta
s/b on heavy embossed
15e on heavy magmas
pm with prices if/when you have them...I'm ignorant these days, will trust you to be reasonable.
Just logging in to agree with Max. This is obviously junk.
It's really a perfect example of an item that's best sold to someone with more money than experience, knowledge, or wisdom. That in itself can be fun, just for the sport of it, but success is inevitable. The ecto you get for this isn't an indication of the item's value...just the buyer's stupidity.
I logged on today and found that the Captain had turned 12 years old. I know that some have played for longer and that many of you have stayed involved in the game much more intensely than I have over recent years...but that didn't stop the nostalgia train! I took the Captain for a stroll through some old stomping grounds, listened to the music, and revisited some familiar views. Mostly, I remembered the friends, enemies, and community that made Guild Wars so great for so long.
I knew I wanted to post something to mark the occasion, but I didn't know what or in which forum. I looked through old screenshots -- mostly of the Captain with guildies from [PhD] and/or items arranged in semi-geometrical patterns -- but then I saw one that stood out. That's when I knew what I would post: My most precious item, the helm of a fallen friend.
Stza was a friend to many of us and one of my first (and finest) officers. More importantly, he was a son, a brother, a student, and a brilliant young man. Almost 9 years gone. RIP Stza.
One of the great collections of all time!
When I saw Burnsy putting his brute sword up for sale, I hoped that you would give it a home with its brothers and sisters. Incredible job, Handler.
I bought it and tried hard to like it. I wanted to be convinced by guildies and friends who had found something exciting in the new game. Every once in a while, I'd even get a nostalgic thrill from stumbling across a location from my Guild Wars childhood.
But, in the end, the truth was unavoidable: Guild Wars 2 had the name of a game I wanted to play but that was about it. Nothing in GW2 felt special. It was all too homogenized and public. In GW, everything -- the items, the story/accomplishments, the builds -- felt special. Some of those things really were were special. There were rare items and imaginative builds, both of which could be passed in hushed tones among trusted friends. Some of those things weren't special at all. Was I the first to be sent to the Shiverpeaks or to face the trials of ascension in the Crystal Desert?? Nope. But GW somehow made it all feel special. What a beautiful game :heart:
Some spectacular crude shields here...and, even though almost anyone can lift it, your strength bladed makes me unexpectedly firm.
Nice job, Emma!
