Punitive_D

You appear not to understand the perceived problem -- merchers don't bring new money into the game. Edit: I should have read all posts first -- the post right above mine already made this point.

Here's what does make it fair: The ability to get whips is supposed to be a reward for getting 85 slayer, not for pking. Same goes for barrows, etc. The ideal pking reward is what we had in the old days -- you get the victim's stuff. That doesn't work anymore because of RWT. So the new system should mimic the old as nearly as practicable. As I understand it, that's what Jagex now is trying to do. Nobody PK's in dfh, so they should not be a pk drop. Personally, I think that the value of a pk drop should be capped at what the other guy loses. IOW, the system designed to prevent RWT should serve only to reduce drops, not enhance them. That would prevent a lot of the pk farming (26k trick) that's going on. If pk drops worked that way, we wouldn't have to worry about too much cash coming into the economy. Why should killing other players actually generate resources? That's like staking in the duel arena and everybody winning. Where's the risk in that? If there were no net gain to pk, then the good pkers would win and the bad pkers would lose. Seems to me that's the way it should be. Pk needs to be nerfed a bit.

Perhaps EP% should be pegged to xp earned while at risk?

I have zero sympathy for someone who complains that they can't buy at med. The problem isn't merchers -- the problem is you're a cheapskate. Sorry that I don't want to pay 600k extra, I just don't like to waste it like that. I rest my case.

There's a reason that hellhounds reside on many permanently blocked tasks lists. Interesting move by jagex to take a very unpopular p2p creature and give it to f2p.

Hardest: MEP2 Next-hardest: Summer's End

Since there has been no sudden change in the supply of half wines, a sudden change in market value must be due to a sudden increase in demand. For some reason, people suddenly wants these more than they used to? You couldn't prove it by me -- I'm only interested in wieldable rares.

Yeah, I've missed this thread! Seems to me third age still is crashing, spirit shields still are crashing, and all rares are on a gradual rise.

They suck. LOL!

What do you all think of level 120s with 75 farming? Discuss!

I have zero sympathy for someone who complains that they can't buy at med. The problem isn't merchers -- the problem is you're a cheapskate.

First, I don't think that godswords or claws have been price manipulated, not recently anyway. Under the best of circumstances, prices will go up and down. And because the number of things like godswords and claws are constantly increasing, the price always is going to trend down in the long run, so if you're buying and selling them randomly, you will always tend to lose money. Guess what? The same thing will happen to you IRL -- wait until you buy a car. Second, if you're only going to hold for a couple of days, why would you buy in the first place? This is what borrowing is for. Third, I bought an sgs and claws a very long time ago. I'm quite sure that the price has dropped since, but I haven't lost a single coin, and do you want to know why? I've never sold. Same goes for Bandos. Same goes for Armadyl. Same goes for most expensive items that I bought. (I did sell and lose money on the saradomin sword, but I didn't care because I didn't sell until I could afford to upgrade.) If you follow this simple rule, you won't be disappointed by ordinary price fluctuations: if you can't afford for the price of an item to drop, then you can't afford the item. If you insist on buying something that you cannot really afford and then selling it after a couple days when the price has dipped, consider that a reasonable rental value that you paid for the use of the item.

For whatever reason, the seeds must be easier to get than the herbs. I've had little trouble buying the seeds, but the herbs are nearly impossible to buy.

As is usually the case with new items, these things are hard to buy, but they sell instantly for max on the GE.

Can't imagine how this could possibly be a problem -- I'm sure Jagex hasn't given us avatars that are anatomically correct under the skirts.

While the odds are reduced, it's still possible. You could still have this: abyssal, mages, abyssal, mages, abyssal, mages, abyssal.

The best "solution" would be to free the GE from the restrictions that make price manipulation possible in the first place. By setting price limits, Jagex went too far to try to protect players from themselves. If the GE were a true market maker, price limits would be unnecessary, and price manipulation would be impossible. The GE should collect and sort free offers to buy and sell at any price. This would allow anyone thinking of trading an item to check the true market price before doing so. If the GE is available and somebody gets ripped off in a private trade, it's their own fault. In sum, the solution to this problem is more freedom for traders, not less. Increase the information available to all players and then let them play. This would facilitate true merchanting and would totally kill the form of play that is aimed at manipulating the Jagex system. As long as Jagex has a system, players will figure out how to game it. The elmination of the system that is being gamed will solve the problem.

To succeed, price manipulators must act in game. Successful price manipulation takes thought and study. Price manipulators risk losing money (which is the only real risk of "dying" in game).

I hate to be the one to break this news to you, but everything in this game is pixels. This has nothing to do with RWT. Price manipulators operate entirely in game, just like you do. You don't like price manipulators because they cost you money and time. Don't you cost other players money and time by competing for the training spots? You see, many, many aspects of this game are about competition. Price manipulators make your game experience worse because they win your gp away from you. You make other players' experience worse by winning their training spots from them. Plenty of price manipulators help their friends in game, just like you. Contrary to your claims, you don't always "think about the other person" or you wouldn't compete with them for training spots.

Price manipulators play the game how they want and the way they want (to the extent that "how" and "way" are different), and if you got a problem, then you can quit trying to buy things and gather your own materials.

So it sounds like your advice to merchants would be to move into halloween masks and santas. They're rare and getting more rare. They're not bought out yet, but it's very possible to buy them out. Plus, unlike the other small rares you cite, they (like partyhats) have a natural demand because they can be worn.

Oops -- should have read this before posting my previous! Anyway, Brianite makes an excellent point, imo.

Pumping the partyhat again, I see. Why does it have to be a "big item" buyout? It seems that their scheme would work with anything that has some demand and that is relatively rare. Of course, you want it to be big enough to make at least some money, but it doesn't have to be hundreds of mils. In fact, if you don't have enough to buy out items that big, smaller items should work just fine. For example, some months ago, the merchers ran the dfh up to some ridiculous number like 60m or something. Also, small rares are very easy to buy out because they don't cost that much. Seems to me that ranger boots would be an excellent buyout opportunity -- there's a natural demand because they're the best ranged boots, they're relatively cheap, and they're quite rare. Also, supply is inelastic since they can't be made. Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate price manipulation, but it's going to happen whether I advocate it or not. I just can't see why merching clans who are willing to do it would give it up just because they don't have enough money to buy out the big ticket items.

Maybe, but the question may be more serious than you might think: http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/882375-1.html.

Please don't be offended, but if you ever become licensed to practice law (and that's assuming that you haven't already disqualified yourself through the unauthorized practice of law by offering unlicensed legal advice in this forum), then you will realize how silly this boast is.