TCS: Pushing Prices

When I started Eve, I had no intent to get into the market. The market, as the complex economical system that it is, was not a blip on my Radar. I had the sense to go to another station if I saw a cheaper price and I learned to move items to buy orders for better prices but I was not and never though that I would be as into the market as I have become in the course of this new adventure.

I don't think that I'm a market guru. My basic situation is simple. I buy it at one location and list it higher at the next. Yet, I've gone from a simple plan of having some stuff to a market that gaining momentum as people are drawn to it. Listing items today, I noticed something that I'd started to see a few weeks ago. Now I am seeing it across a broad spectrum of the market around me. The people of high sec have started to under cut me by .01 ISK. 

I am over joyed.

I never promised that I would be the lowest price in the region. I cannot do that. Nor, do I feel that I have to do that to fight for my market share. The difference of .01 ISK might keep someone in high sec but it will not lure someone out of low sec. The residents of low sec are my priority and that is where I need to focus my time when I do have a price war with someone. What I promised was reasonable prices based off of Jita sell orders.  I feel I am delivering that.

Even if someone is .01 ISKing me or whatever handful of change they are tossing to be below my price, in the grand scheme of things, it does not matter. If they feel that they have to undercut my prices in high sec to get sales I am winning the battle.

My entry into the market in the middle of March is very obvious. Everything starts to flatten out as I forcibly push the market down by maintaining my prices. My own price fluctuation are a reflection of Jita's price fluctuation  I couldn't keep this particular module stocked more then 72 hours for the first few weeks the store was active.

Because TCS is a social project I will introduce items upon request. If the item sells I will continue to stock it. If the item does not move I will apologize but note that it is too special snowflake of a request. I have a lot of listing power but I don't have endless abilities.

However, when I do undertake these projects I often see situations like this. The Molden Heath area, in general, is devoid of rigs. I've been working them into my game plan which seems to expand every single time I turn around. That is a different topic, however. What I point out here is that this rig is not an unreasonable rig to list nor an expensive rig to list. However, the two other listings, one is in High Sec and the second belongs to the group that has recently moved into Klingt. That is what I do not want TCS to do to people. 

As I explained (probably over explained) to Naughty when she was debating selling her loot in Bosena instead of Rens, I am making my ISK by volume. For a fast, immediate ISK injection TCS is not always going to be the best place. I turn over a large amount of goods every day (around 500M-1B a day now) but I do not sell lots of one thing. If someone comes for a fit they may only need 2 Warrior II's to complete their flight. Therefore, if she is selling two flights of Warrior II's left after a fight she'd slowly get the ISK over several days. I do not think that this is a bad thing but I want her to be aware of the differences between managing TCS as a supply entity and being able to go to Rens or any active hub. It is not that it is a bad thing it is just a different method of ISK accumulation. TCS is about time and volume and the combat of over prices wares. 

I'm not going to trot down to Klingt and list a market there. If they wish to overcharge their corporation and alliance mates, that is their choice. At least they will not be the only price in the region and people, if they look at the market, will be aware that the prices available to them may be a far cry from their only option.