Why you should never use a "Merchanting Clan"

[MerchantInTheDark]

Hey all,

 

Unfortunately, the closest many get to Grand Exchange Merchanting is joining one of the so-called "merchanting clans" that spam their way throughout the Exchange, promising "20m profit a day" if you buy what they tell you to. "Merchanting clans are scams" is pretty cliche, and most people have heard it. But still they join the clan chats by the hundreds.

 

The truth is, merchanting clans exist only to make profit for the few scammers who run them at the expense of everybody else. This is an excerpt from a conversation I recently had with the owner of one of the large merchanting clans you see in World One and Two every day:

 

[01:23] *******: of course lol

[01:23] *******: my friends and I pretty much completely buy the item out

[01:24] *******: and rise it for a while

[01:24] *******: and then when it goes public, we dump

[01:24] *******: public is just there for us to dump on bascially lol

 

So the moral of this story is, if you see the item in a manipulation chat it's really the clan leaders trying to get you to buy their spent items. They will drop like a stone, and your savings will go with them.

 

If you want to legitimately make millions on the Grand Exchange, learn how to merchant/invest solo by reading the Grand Exchange graphs and price patterns. There's millions of gp of potential profit here, you just need to learn how to get it. Those who promise you insane profits by doing exactly as they tell you are, just like in real life, trying to scam you.

[Ermy]

All I can say is; Amen.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

Duh?

[Kiriyama]

They're called "Manipulation Clans" get it right.

 

And really, you posted that here, where everyone knows what a scam they are?

[MerchantInTheDark]

Manipulating clans call themself merchanting clans.

 

And I'll say it again:

 

"Merchanting clans are scams" is pretty cliche, and most people have heard it. But still they join the clan chats by the hundreds.

 

If you already know, good for you. But I know that there are many who don't.

[Sevestia]

Well, not all are scams (99%, though), and even if the leaders aren't planning to scam and the clan is public, the public will dump early because they think the leaders will. :mellow: Definitely better to solo-merch.

[Den]

Old news, but its nice of you to inform the public. ;)

Manipulator clans call themselves merchanting clans, indeed.

 

Sadly, there will always be gullible people who have faith in these poor excuse for a merchant, clan leaders.

[Nurse_Renard]

Bleh, I still go by the logic of "If there's so many of them, clearly someone must be making lots of profit"

 

Which is proably why (If you're british) there's so many of bleedin' online Bingo ad's everywhere.

[ilovecuttingyews]

These clans prey on the uneducated middle class of RS. The ones with a couple M sitting in their banks but not smart enough to know what to do with it. A lot of the time after these clan leaders dump, they claim that a minor rank or unranked player predumped and it wasn't their fault. Then they make the claim that the next merch will work. So these people accept the loss and trust that they'll make it back next time.

[timmyx50]

i think merch clans kill the game imho.

[Dire_Wolf]

Good post.

[RSBDavid]

Merch clans are worse then bots.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

They kill the game for a lot of people. They're also responsible for many other far reaching effects.

[Yes_Its_Ross]

They kill the game for a lot of people. They're also responsible for many other far reaching effects.

 

Duh?

[Arthu]

i think merch clans kill the game imho.

 

Dramatical.

They don't do much really, as long as you just keep ignoring them.

 

If you are right though,

I played a dying game today.

[Big_Stingman]

Thanks I guess. I found this out within weeks of the Grand Exchange graphs coming out...

 

Good for people who don't know, and a warning for those who are new though. :thumbup:

[RSBDavid]

Actually couldn't some action be taken in game? I mean, a scam clan operator admits that they dump their load on the other people. So if jagex CS person was to scroll through the chat logs and confirm what the OP said, then action could be taken against the leader and his friends.

[Big_Stingman]

Actually couldn't some action be taken in game? I mean, a scam clan operator admits that they dump their load on the other people. So if jagex CS person was to scroll through the chat logs and confirm what the OP said, then action could be taken against the leader and his friends.

 

Yeah... Getting banned for suggesting to people what item to buy?

[RSBDavid]

[01:23] *******: of course lol

[01:23] *******: my friends and I pretty much completely buy the item out

[01:24] *******: and rise it for a while

[01:24] *******: and then when it goes public, we dump

[01:24] *******: public is just there for us to dump on bascially lol

 

 

No, this section. If this truely what the leader said, he is basically admitting to scamming the masses.

[Giordano]

The more you know I guess...

[MerchantInTheDark]

Unfortunately, Jagex won't ban them just because they admitted to scamming people in their merch clan.

 

They disapprove of them, one Jagex mod said they're basically Ponzi schemes (which they are), but besides locking a few CCs every now and then they don't take much action against them.

[Dragonlordjl]

As has been said, merchant clans kill the game and they are definitely as bad or worse than bots. Bots drove the prices of resources down, so everything was much cheaper. Merchants drive the prices of resources up, so everything is much more expensive. The thing that makes merchant clans worse than bots is that merchant clans can and do make it IMPOSSIBLE for ordinary players to obtain many items without paying arbitrary, exorbitant "street prices." Now, many months since the Extreme Potion update, the herblore market is STILL at a standstill because of merchant clans. Tortstol seeds are MORE than SNAPDRAGON seeds. But bots threatened the credit card companies and therefore affected Jagex's bottom line, and merchant clans don't affect Jagex in any way, so it's easier and cheaper for Jagex to sweep the problem under the rug and deliver vague, empty promises that they'll "look into the issue."

[JeRambo]

Well said Dragonlord. :)

[KISS]

Only if there is a way to combat this.

[qeltar]

A lot of the blame for this situation lies with the scumbags who run these pyramid schemes, and Jagex for refusing to take any meaningful action to stop them.

 

Let's not kid ourselves, though -- the players who get involved in these often deserve what they get. They are motivated by their own greed, knowingly signing up to be involved in a group that rips other people off, so it's hard to feel too bad if they get ripped off themselves.

 

I recently wrote an article on this very subject, if anyone is interested in reading it: The Grand Exchange Economy, Part I - "We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us".

 

As has been said, merchant clans kill the game and they are definitely as bad or worse than bots. Bots drove the prices of resources down, so everything was much cheaper. Merchants drive the prices of resources up, so everything is much more expensive.

They are both bad, but I don't agree with your comparison or conclusions here. Something being cheaper doesn't always mean it is better for the game -- for every person who wants a cheap item to buy, there's another person trying to sell who is hurt by that low price. Some people have short memories of what it was like trying to earn a few bucks chopping wood or catching fish when the bots were around.

 

Also, merchants are not primarily responsible for the overall inflation in the game. That's a pervasive myth.

 

 

1. Bots concentrated on resource items

 

The thing that makes merchant clans worse than bots is that merchant clans can and do make it IMPOSSIBLE for ordinary players to obtain many items without paying arbitrary, exorbitant "street prices."

A situation only made possible by the trade limits on the GE, which Jagex refuses to acknowledge or correct for reasons that remain a mystery.

 

Tortstol seeds are MORE than SNAPDRAGON seeds.

A classic example of blaming things on merchants when it doesn't make sense. Torstol seeds SHOULD be worth more than snapdragon seeds -- they are much more rare, and torstol is in very heavy demand.

 

Mod Edit: Please do not double post needlessly, simply take advantage of the edit button. - Rainy_Day