Ethics And The FFXI Economy

Yesterday, via yells in the major cities, I was targeted as some sort of pariah for shouting to buy currency. I was offering to pay 5.7k per coin, which for me was business as usual. I consistently am able to buy coins in large quantity at this price. The reason I came under fire, is that I turn around and resell these coins, after converting them to 100-pieces for 600k. I was called out for this "behavior", and told that I was acting unethically. Additionally, I was told that I was artificially controlling the market price of currency.

I would like to hear other opinions on the subject. Below I will outline my defense.

* I offer a quick-reliable gil source for those seeking to offload their currency. I am in no way forcing anyone to sell me their currency, but offer a competitive price at which they will sell.
* I offer a large volume currency source for those seeking to obtain large amounts of currency to obtain relic weapons. These coins are typically converted into 100 pieces which spares them the trip and inventory space.
* I neither crash nor raise any market price, as my prices have been static for weeks.
* With the seemingly limitless amount of dynamis currency in the market, it is entirely unforeseeable, that I, nor any individual could control the market on this commodity.
* I am not overcamping or causing a means for which obtaining these items is distressing to individuals, as everyone is free to spend two hours of their day in dynamis.
* Am I not Robin Hood? Selling higher to the rich, and giving gil to the poor?

Please try to limit the amount of real-life socioeconomic political garbage in your responses. I, nor most people I speak with, do not care about either your liberal or conservative biases.

The only people who need to defend themselves here are the people attacking you for doing nothing wrong.

lol I see some people shouting to buy Umb marrows in bulk, then selling them for profit as well.

Do what you do and *** everyone else really.

Robin Hood didn't do it for a cut, but I'm sure that was tongue-in-cheek.

Nothing wrong with it.

30k profit per 100 piece, if you used that profit to buy singles @5.7k you'd make 5 singles per 100 piece, which means in twenty 100 piece conversions you net a single free 100 piece!
Yeah, and people *** about this?

edit: even simpler, 30,000 profit per conversion x 20 conversions = 600k

You're doing the hard work of finding cheaper coins and making them into 100's what is wrong with that?

It's just butthurt people that are mad you're making a profit off their profit and that they didn't think of it first.

30,000 profit per conversion x 19 conversions = 570k That is how I roll.

People have been demanding handouts since abyssea came out, just keep doing whatever you want and ignore the kids.

I would say 1 thing, in your defence- You're way over thinking things. Its just a game :) long as your not stealing and cheating its all good.

Easier way to farm/make gil. A person farming Dark Clusters in sky makes faster gil and just as little work involved. Personally do as you wish with your $12.99. I see you shout all day/night, not worth the whole 30k profit/100 in my opinion for the time invested, but to each is own. Good luck with your business since you don't have Spaa's coat tails to ride on anymore.

I just check the guildwork feature for alexandriate. I buy anything under 10k and put it on my mule for 10k. Sells over night

There should be a premium on singles because you can convert them to 100s, but not backwards. But this is ffxi.

From what you have said, what you are doing is fine (it would be price fixing if you were botting them out of bazaars very quickly in all major zones, but shouting hardly counts). This made me laugh though:
If you're trying to make profit, that's fine, but call it what it is. What you are doing is in no way similar to the story of robin hood (unless they made a new capitalist version of the story).

worst person in the world

Buying low and selling high is the very basics of good business sense.

Come to Biz! I will sell you my singles. Pain in the *** to off losd at times. Do what you do bro. Haters going to hate.

what buying low and selling high. that like... SOOOO not ok in a capitalistic free democratic world.

I'll play the devil's advocate here. (Note that I neither farm dyna to sell currency nor buy currency to build relics so this is not coming from someone butt hurt over the market, really I don't do anything to make gil, I just play with what I have).

If you want a real world socioeconomic view on it, what you're doing is backwards. When you buy something in bulk (I.E. 100s) the price is reduced not inflated. You don't walk into a store and see 2 rolls of paper towel for $4, but if you buy this 6 pack instead it will be $15. No, it's more like this 6 pack for $10-11 (a reduction over buying 3 2-packs)

Yes, the stock market (and even store supply chains) function on buy low sell high, but the stock market is far from how the real everyday economy functions and isn't a valid representation of what you're doing.

You aren't "offering people a deal" here, you're acting like a store supply chain middleman and inflating the price to profit.


Again, not saying "your an *** taking advantage of people", but you are misrepresenting your claims of what you're doing. If anything I'd say the worst part of what you do is the (apparent) constant shouting in cities, that gets annoying very fast and if I were no your server I'd probably have to blist you for it.

He is providing a service by doing what he's doing. He's using his time to profit on that 5%. People are paying a 5% premium to not run to beadeaux or spend the time buying up singles. There is value added.

you are like a middle man, buying from the people who cannot be arsed to sell themselves or do not want to leave their machines overnight bazaaring their currency, you also have to make a trip to exchange the currency which takes time out of your routine.

Your cut of the transactions is 5% which seems allright as a broker fee, which is less than what the AH would charge

Honestly he's just really charging to run to the goblins and swap out the currency, saving people the trip.

Nothing wrong there.

You arnt doing anything unethical. Im not sure your making money efficiently, but if it works great. I do the same thing sometimes without the shouting. Just check bazzars for people undercutting then resell at current rates.

What you are doing may indeed be affecting the market though. Your shouting is advertising and though you might not be buying many singles at this price the advertising may be giving nervous sellers a target to try to undercut or give other sellers a target price even though it may not be the current going price. If you arnt searching ffxiah you wouldnt know what to sell for, so your advertising may be setting the standard price little by little.

Personally I dont care either way. I also wouldnt let ppl bother me. I think in the time it takes you to shout, buy and convert a hundred piece you could have easily farmed more than 6 currancy and increased your gil/hr ratio. You would have to make ~33 hundred pieces every 2 hours including trade time to break even from just farming yourself. (Assuming 200 singles per run) Oh you also would have had to tie up ~20m of your own gil and risk profit margin, because if yours didnt sell at 600k you could lose out.

Next time someone gives you ***for doing this, provide them a link to the following video.

Or another perspective...

He is buying the 'raw materials' - in this case 100 x Single currencies, and using these to 'make' and end product 1 x 100 Currency. I mean, these are different products, and it is not always true that "buying in bulk = cheaper". In this case, he is charging people for the effort put into 'creating' a different product.

It's a bit of a douche move, but I see nothing wrong with it over all.

The people complaining are communist. Nuff said.

welllllllllllllllllllllllll letsee her broder.idk if y;all calls it "inethicale"or wutevers buts i seees notin wrung with earn'n a lil gillies *winkity wink* nowwww hows i done servive this her game all des dang ole good ole yrs bes by donamations by mah broders! i gets 5k, 50k heck i dang ole gotes a 250k from mah broder dang ole slonkey.... bles his dang ol good ole hert!!!

anywholeways wut was i sayin?O_____________O yah nutin wrun wuth wut y'all doin. BTW (by deh way) u owe derfthegalka 500k for dat lil ole piece of addvisars y'all i tell ya wut YO


cenrly sighed wut luv , suports and huggs

DERFTHEGALKA, AKA, DERFYCLAUSE.

you go to a store and buy a lettuce for dollar or so.
you go to a restaurant and buy a lettuce salad for $6.

OP doing nothing wrong.