Market Forum Suggestion

[~Mace~]

I've recently been perusing through the market threads, and frankly I find them quite inefficient and overall repetitive. What makes a post more of a "Shop" thread post as opposed to Buy or Sell, and furthermore, what differentiates a Buy/Sell to an Auction? Seems that almost all Selling posts are actually Auctions nowadays.

Because of this and the general ineffectiveness of being able to buy or sell anything on forums I suggest a few of the following:

1. Require pricing on Buying/Selling posts. If you want to sell or buy an item you should have an idea of the range you are willing to buy/sell, and if you want to see if you can get more than you were expecting... then make it an Auction. Isn't that why the Auctions have its own section?

2. Replace the Shop section with a Price Check section. I do realize that price checks evolve with the community and the market... But I think this would be a useful tool to give people an idea of an items worth, and frankly, topics can be revived for outdated information. Additionally, this might save players (myself included) from being ignored for PCs on main and having to rePC on 15minute intervals until I get an answer 2 weeks later. In regards to the removing the Shop section. On the 3+yrs I've been on server, I personally hardly check this section, and I find that its function is easily covered by the Buy/Sell sections.

3. Require that auctions have more finite parameters. I've seen auctions go on for months and end in no actual sale. I understand people are testing waters to see if they would like to keep items, but requiring at least a defined end date to decide would make everyone's life a little easier. I mean, I'm sure there have been instances where someone will find your thread a year later and you still have the sellable item, but realistically, I doubt that you will get much better offers 6 months after you havn't sold an item on the Auction thread. Ideally (though unrealistically) I'd say require that auction threads be real with actual intent to sell the item as opposed to probing for a PC (which my previous PC section would cover). ALSO The idea of a starting bid is that its the MINIMUM amount you would be WILLING to accept for an item. What is the point in posting an auction with a minimum WAY under what you are willing to purchase for? If you won't sell your Crooked Hat for 1m, don't make SB 1m.

ANYWAYS that was a bit longer than I wanted it to be, but I think it covers more or less the ideas that I think might make the market section of forums more functional. This may require a bit more patrolling on the forums, but with as many people willing to add their 2cents in anyways here on heRO, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult.