Are people actually buying well geared characters on trade?

The reason I ask is the whole deal with Warmane dictating the minimum cost. I am not hear to slam that decision. I understand their reasoning and I see the potential issues if they were to remove that minimum price.

The reason I ask is that I have 4 BiS or almost Bis toons on the trade system. I have had them up for sale since pretty much the beginning of the system being available. 3 of the toons are probably not selling because they don't offer much other than the gear. While their price is close to what it would cost to instant 80 and buy gear from the coin shop, they don't have fancy titles and lots of play time/chieves.

Now I do have one that is cultivated an it's also not selling. For the 1st month, I was listing it with inventory included and it was really pricy. It's a druid with multiple item sets for different specs in the bags, including a full wrathful PVP set, so I understand why it had to be so expensive. Since then I have been listing it without inventory and got the price down to 402 coins.

Here is a break down of what it would cost to create my druid the paying way, which was the way I created it. :) Of course back when it was created, the instant 80 and max JC was free because of the Moltdown.

Instant 80 = 20 coins
Max JC w/ all recipes = 30 coins
14 BiS items = 322 coins
Val'Anyr = 120 coins
Invinsible = 38 coins
X-51 = 14 coins
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544 coins with all the amenities, but 452 coins for just equipment. The system lets me put it up for 402 coins minimum. So a potential buyer only saves 50 coins by purchasing this exsisting toon rather than building their own.

Now with an exsisting toon you get their cheives etc too as well as with my particular toon, max main professions and secondary and 3k+ cheives.

http://armory.warmane.com/character/...ecrown/summary

Do you think it's worth it to buy a toon or create your own?

For me, I think it is. When I started here a couple of years ago, I spent $300-400 in the 1st couple months creating the original version of this druid w/o Val'anyr though. Real life gold is easy. I would much rather spend the money buying a toon that I know I will own (since it goes into my account) rather than enter the shady alternatives.

Foror's Crate of Endless Resist Gear Storage?? I guess these aren't for sale any more for coins?

Definitely worth it for me at least .

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Originally Posted by Gwola

Definitely worth it for me at least .

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Meaning that, if you were in the market for a new toon, you would pay the coins to buy something like mine rather than build one from the coin shop?

I personally spent 180 coins on an 80 on Lordearon recently that only had 1 piece of gear, but 2k+ cheives and the professions I wanted as well as some good mounts. Well worth it to me. I could have had a similarly geared toon with 3k cheives and 4.4k gear score for 1/2 that cost but not the "right way" if you know what I mean. I would prefer spending the coins to be legit and have the toon on MY ACCOUNT rather than have the chance of the account getting recalled.

The problem is, few people are willing to shell out $400 in one go. They`d rather spend $30 on an item now and another $30 in two week`s time.
Buying an entire toon does not offer you that

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Originally Posted by Selaya

The problem is, few people are willing to shell out $400 in one go. They`d rather spend $30 on an item now and another $30 in two week`s time.
Buying an entire toon does not offer you that

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This is true. I see how that cost all at once could be prohibiting for some people.

Well, I heard about an exploit today... to be able to sell characters for 30 coins, with full BiS gear.
So yeah, they are bought, but in a shady way.

For any staff member reading this, please contact me or tell me who to contact for this. Remember, this is all hearsay and could be a form of misleading to buy aswell.

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Originally Posted by Martijnhaah

Well, I heard about an exploit today... to be able to sell characters for 30 coins, with full BiS gear.
So yeah, they are bought, but in a shady way.

For any staff member reading this, please contact me or tell me who to contact for this. Remember, this is all hearsay and could be a form of misleading to buy aswell.

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The shady way I am referring to doesn't have anything to do with the trade system, but ya.

The costs are just too high. There are hardly ppl out there that are willing to buy a BiS geared character for the crazy amount of 400-500 euro.
I mean, who the hell spends 400-500 euro for a character on a private server? For that money u can buy a Iphone or even a cheap computer.

People do spend that amount issue is why would they buy your toon when they can build there own.

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Originally Posted by Martijnhaah

Well, I heard about an exploit today... to be able to sell characters for 30 coins, with full BiS gear.
So yeah, they are bought, but in a shady way.

For any staff member reading this, please contact me or tell me who to contact for this. Remember, this is all hearsay and could be a form of misleading to buy aswell.

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There was a bug in the code at one point that allowed you to post without the minimal coin cost being calculated, i know a couple of people that sold off bis toons for 150 coins a piece in the space of an hour.

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Originally Posted by Thydus

People do spend that amount issue is why would they buy your toon when they can build there own.

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I highly doubt that many ppl out there are willing to spend 400-500 euro for a single donation.
Ppl who spend such a high amount of money for Warmane usually do that with plenty of small transaction spread over several months or years.

This may be off-topic, but why would someone buy a toon anyway?.

For me at least the fun is to build a character entirely on my own. Since the building of that character look, until the first time I see it on screen, the first levels, the first shoulder pads, the first heroics, the first raids, the memories I have building that char... I think that's the 1 point that makes RPGs diferent from other games, you get build a relationship with the character you play, it becomes a evocation in a fantasy world of a part of you personality, you see your effort be reawarded, both in the levels and gear you get and the friends you get online with that char, also the know-how you develop in that class/ playstyle.

I think buying a char just takes all the fun away. It's like watching the series-finale without watching any other episode.

Anyway this isn't critiquing those who buy toons, I'm just intrigued.

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Originally Posted by JoMiranda

This may be off-topic, but why would someone buy a toon anyway?.

For me at least the fun is to build a character entirely on my own. Since the building of that character look, until the first time I see it on screen, the first levels, the first shoulder pads, the first heroics, the first raids, the memories I have building that char... I think that's the 1 point that makes RPGs diferent from other games, you get build a relationship with the character you play, it becomes a evocation in a fantasy world of a part of you personality, you see your effort be reawarded, both in the levels and gear you get and the friends you get online with that char, also the know-how you develop in that class/ playstyle.

I think buying a char just takes all the fun away. It's like watching the series-finale without watching any other episode.

Anyway this isn't critiquing those who buy toons, I'm just intrigued.

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I can answer that as someone that has bought players or donated for full bis and instant 80 with 1 word.

Time.

When you want to raid with friends and you don't want to wait a month to raid with them, you buy. I say a month as an example of how long it might take someone to level 1 to 80 with only a couple hours to play a day.

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Originally Posted by Torlaan

I can answer that as someone that has bought players or donated for full bis and instant 80 with 1 word.

Time.

When you want to raid with friends and you don't want to wait a month to raid with them, you buy. I say a month as an example of how long it might take someone to level 1 to 80 with only a couple hours to play a day.

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I guess I can understand that to some level but I can't imagine myself feelling the same way. =p

I've had 3 BiS characters on the Trade system for a month, no luck whatsoever.

People aren't using it because the minimum prices are too high.

Warmane doesn't want to lower the minimum prices, because they think people will stop donating for individual pieces of gear.

It's a Catch 22 that makes the entire system garbage.