Merchants ruin the economy.

[Bladewing]

I'm rather aggravated by the ubiquitous complaint about "merchants" inexplicably "ruining the economy" and "causing inflation".

 

Complaint #1:

Check out the prices on GWD gear, Barrows gear, dragon claws, full dragon helms and discontinued rares..these high prices are a result of merches.

These items are all priced as such because such is their equilibrium value determined by the current supply and demand, NOT as the result of merchants.

 

Complaint #2:

they do hurt the economy overall, you know with the law of supply and demand, and the inflation an all.

Let's say an Abyssal Whip costs 3m. Then a merchanting clan decides do buy out all Whips from the GE. All whips become 4m. Then they sell their whips. Let's say they bought a total of 1000 Whips. The profit they made was 1m per whip. This is a total of 1000x1=1000 mill = 1 Billion.

 

This billion enterred the game using the GE. No one made the money, only the GE. The 1000.000.000 coins came into RuneScape OUT OF NOWERE. If this happens too much, wich is happening at the moment, then loads of coins will enter the game. When this happens, prices start to go up and up, become the worth of 1 coin becomes less and less.

Simply false. No coins are created. The grand exchange simply transfers items between players for coins. Yes, the price of the 1000 whips rose, but because the buyout eventually ends and returns to the item's true value (NOT its trade value) that one billion in value is temporary.

 

--

 

Yes, it's inconvenient when you can't buy something from the grand exchange. The grand exchange is not a store - if you can't buy it, get it yourself and stop acting like you're entitled to purchase items instantly.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

I wouldn't say that merchers ruin the economy, but I would say they are parasites that merely accumulate wealth by skimming cash off the economy. If you think about it, merchanters actually produce nothing.

[Tim]

I'm just going to put this on the field, your almost maxed melee with high skills, you don't know whats its like to be screwed around at mid-levels.

 

Yes, GE produces money, it IS creating that 1B, its not temperately there like "Leprechaun Gold" (See HP4 Book) its there full stop and being used by players who are screw'n around with the economy.

Besides, the GE IS a store, its supposed to be that replacement bridge for "World 2 Falador" situations, otherwise EVERYTHING that's obtained by players and sold will just keep on rising and rising if we suddenly stopped using the GE.

I think the title should be manipulators, not merchants.

 

(Sorry, but I cannot stand people who stick up for manipulators.)

[langer]

I'm in agreement with your answer to the first complaint. High prices for these items are established by supply and demand and not by artificial pressure by merchanters/manipulators.

 

As for the statements regarding G.E. creating money, players like Dark Aura are wrong. The G.E. did not create money, the difference between prices bought by the clan/merchanter, and sold price results in more money in the merchanters' pockets at the "expense" of the buyer.

 

As for screwing the economy, it's mostly a matter of opinion and definition of screwing. If by screwing you mean unbalancing the economy by pressuring it unnaturally, then yes, manipulators are screwing the economy.

 

@ Dark Aura, if everyone were to stop using the G.E., price would not rise, neither would they fall. If everyone stop selling at the G.E. and offers for buying are still placed, then yes, prices would ultimately rise.

[sees_all1]

Actually, I think we can thank the Merchants and Price Manipulators for helping stem inflation.

 

Think about it: Do these individuals that like to sit on huge cash piles really ever spend all of their GP?

Its the same as, I buy a rare, never to sell it again. There is now one less rare on the market.

 

I'd like you all to read this article: http://www.slate.com/id/2110817/

 

 

People with large cash piles that use it to grow larger cash piles are actually good for the game in the long run.

[Skater77097]

The thing is, the GE definitely doesn't bring new gps into the game. Where does the 1 billion gp come from? It comes from the players that bought it with their own money. The GE transfers the money to the merchants. Merchanting just causes a change in hands of money which makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.

[langer]

Actually, I think we can thank the Merchants and Price Manipulators for helping stem inflation.

 

Think about it: Do these individuals that like to sit on huge cash piles really ever spend all of their GP?

Its the same as, I buy a rare, never to sell it again. There is now one less rare on the market.

 

I'd like you all to read this article: http://www.slate.com/id/2110817/

 

 

People with large cash piles that use it to grow larger cash piles are actually good for the game in the long run.

 

This is a funny way to look at it. Except the economy of RS and real-life economy doesn't work the same way. RS economy doesn't reward transformation work. It only reward work time when gathering ressources. Xp in RS is highly regarded, in real life, there's no such thing. Only reputation comes close and even then, having a reputation to be a no-lifer fisherman is not the same...

 

People who sits on huge cash pile actually help keep the prices down. Because they don't link their cash pile to items (they don't boost demand), leaving supply bringing prices down.

 

A growning pile of cash is obtained through various ways: profit from buying/selling (at the expense of the ending buyer), gathering ressources (combat, skilling and grunt work) and swapping items for cash (trading or hi alching).

[funnisam]

Funnily enough I see a complete oxymoron. It is such a contradiction of terms that it is staggering.

 

Manipulators CREATE a false demand for an item. The G.E is a computer system and cannot recognise a false demand being made, in normal markets, if such a thing happened, such as the stock market, it would usually shut early, in order to avoid panic buying/selling.

 

It may be a false demand, but if the demand outstretches the supply, the price WILL rise. Manipulators do it in groups, as no single player has enough cash to create a great enough rise in demand to generate significant profit. At least not over a short period of time.

 

Manipulation, as the name suggests, is manipulating the market for profit. It causes those who want the item to have to spend ages trying to obtain the item on the G.E, or simply finding another source to obtain the item.

 

Merchanting is not manipulating. Merchanting is a single player watching the market and using their knowledge and skill in order to gain profit from these markets. Whilst they may be aware that the demand is false, they have not conversed with a manipulation group, and can still purchase and then sell the item in order to generate profit, without needing a group to mass buy an item.

[quelmotz]

I can't stand ignoramuses who can't tell the difference between a merchant and a manipulator.

 

Seriously, STOP attacking merchants. They're just investors trying to predict the market to gain wealth. They lose money sometimes, gain money sometimes. It all boils down to their skills.

 

Manipulators, on the other hand, are people who form clans CLAIMING that you'll make huge profits by investing in this XXX item, so clan members buy it and drive prices up sky-high. Then without informing their members, the manipulators dump their items back into to GE for a huge profit, but also essentially leaving all their members with worthless items. They're mere scammers. They trick people to do what they want for a so-called profit, then they backstab them and abandon them with worthless items (or at least much less valuable than the price they bought it for).

 

Manipulators require virtually no skill - any idiot on the street with a bit of cash can do it. All they need to do is to gather a clan and convince the members to invest in a certain item, driving the prices up so they can dump the item back into the GE for huge profits.

 

Therefore, they greatly reduce supply with false demand.

 

I honestly don't see why Jagex doesn't ban these scammers. They rip people off and also affect the public by stifling supply.

 

And IMO, a merchant clan is just a clan of merchants who discuss mer

[JoeDaStudd]

I love it when people moan about merchanters as the cause of inflation.

They simply move the money around.

PvP trickers are the root of most of the trouble.

 

I support this rant.

 

PS. Massive tip to boss hunters or skillers. Buy enough of the items you need to last a few weeks at a time.

I have 50+ of every potion I use for slayer and boss hunting as well as reserve supplies for skilling.

Last sara brew buyout I made a killing as I accidentally over stocked my brews the week before (200 brews instead of 20 :unsure: ).

[Bladewing]

Okay I'm gonna try to respond to a few of your posts at once.

 

I wouldn't say that merchers ruin the economy, but I would say they are parasites that merely accumulate wealth by skimming cash off the economy. If you think about it, merchanters actually produce nothing.

I recommend you read the thread again.

 

I'm just going to put this on the field, your almost maxed melee with high skills, you don't know whats its like to be screwed around at mid-levels.

Yup, when I registered for RuneScape, Jagex handed me a level 137 account; I had no time for being a mid-leveled player. I was a mid leveled player once, but for the most part I had the common sense and critical thinking skills to realize that if a player had a way to make millions of gold quickly, he wouldn't be telling me how. When a manipulation clan advertises, one should think that the same principle applies.

 

Yes, GE produces money, it IS creating that 1B, its not temperately there like "Leprechaun Gold" (See HP4 Book) its there full stop and being used by players who are screw'n around with the economy.

No, neither coins nor items are generated. The items are simply traded at a higher value.

 

Besides, the GE IS a store, its supposed to be that replacement bridge for "World 2 Falador" situations, otherwise EVERYTHING that's obtained by players and sold will just keep on rising and rising if we suddenly stopped using the GE.

Let's go back to World 2, Falador for a minute. I'm trying to buy lobsters to go kill some moss giants. But no one is selling! :( I guess I'll go fish some lobsters myself, then. This is what I'm suggesting. A manipulation clan bought out prayer potions? Yeah, it's a [bleep], but go kill chaos druids or aberrant spectres for half an hour and make your own potions. When they have dumped, you can buy them again as per usual.

 

I think the title should be manipulators, not merchants.

(Sorry, but I cannot stand people who stick up for manipulators.)

Title was referencing the oft-heard rant by the ill-informed. Although manipulation clans operate fundamentally on dumping on the unintelligent poor, which most consider to be scamming, the topic of interest here is whether they damage the economy. Though I do not support manipulators, that is another rant for another time.

 

Manipulators CREATE a false demand for an item. The G.E is a computer system and cannot recognise a false demand being made, in normal markets, if such a thing happened, such as the stock market, it would usually shut early, in order to avoid panic buying/selling.

 

...

 

Merchanting is not manipulating. Merchanting is a single player watching the market and using their knowledge and skill in order to gain profit from these markets. Whilst they may be aware that the demand is false, they have not conversed with a manipulation group, and can still purchase and then sell the item in order to generate profit, without needing a group to mass buy an item.

I know, and I believe most do as well, the difference between a buyout clan and a flip merchant. But, more on topic, false demand: You are correct when you say manipulators create a false demand. You are also correct that the Grand Exchange is very poor at reacting to such (I have several potential fixes for this in mind, but these are extraneous to the topic at hand). However, this false demand is temporary. After a few days, the clan dumps their stock, creating a false supply, as it were. Eventually this evens out and after a couple days the market is back to normal. Manipulation clans have no long term effect on the economy.

 

I can't stand ignoramuses who can't tell the difference between a merchant and a manipulator.

 

Seriously, STOP attacking merchants. They're just investors trying to predict the market to gain wealth. They lose money sometimes, gain money sometimes. It all boils down to their skills.

You also should read the damned thread.

 

Manipulators, on the other hand, are people who form clans CLAIMING that you'll make huge profits by investing in this XXX item, so clan members buy it and drive prices up sky-high. Then without informing their members, the manipulators dump their items back into to GE for a huge profit, but also essentially leaving all their members with worthless items. They're mere scammers. They trick people to do what they want for a so-called profit, then they backstab them and abandon them with worthless items (or at least much less valuable than the price they bought it for).

...

I honestly don't see why Jagex doesn't ban these scammers. They rip people off and also affect the public by stifling supply.

Yes I agree that the way these clans work is fundamentally scamming. But that is not the topic here. Banning players would not be nearly as effective as altering the Grand Exchange to prevent this sort of a buyout. Lastly they do not affect supply, they increase demand. This creates a shortage, which normally causes an upward pressure on prices, but the Grand Exchange is too slow at adjusting. If the Exchange updated prices 10 times per day, the buyouts would be steeper but would last only several hours instead of several days.

[quelmotz]

You also should read the damned thread.

 

I wasn't speaking to you, but the other idiots who couldn't tell the difference between merchants and manipulators.

 

Yes I agree that the way these clans work is fundamentally scamming. But that is not the topic here. Banning players would not be nearly as effective as altering the Grand Exchange to prevent this sort of a buyout. Lastly they do not affect supply, they increase demand. This creates a shortage, which normally causes an upward pressure on prices, but the Grand Exchange is too slow at adjusting. If the Exchange updated prices 10 times per day, the buyouts would be steeper but would last only several hours instead of several days.

 

[cabbage].

 

Altering the Grand Exchange such that it updated prices frequently doesn't solve anything. Explain how it disallows or disrupts manipulators from driving up prices through mass purchasing of items.

 

Manipulators DO stifle supply. They prevent normal people from buying a certain item, which is the meaning of STIFLING. I never used the word REDUCE.

[funnisam]

In response, I'd like to point out that I was not suggesting that the manipulators have any long term effect upon the economy, merely that it is a frustration that is not needed sometimes, when there is false demand.

 

Whilst it is true that no long term effects happen, as the price merely rises, then falls as they dump the item until it gets below the original price, then after a few days usually goes back to the starting price before the manipulation, it should also be noted that it is usually the same items that are manipulated time and time again, as once an item is considered to be profitable, usually a rotation will occur between items, in order to wait for the items to fall, and then manipulate them after a period of time has passed. This could be considered a long term effect, as the profitability of an item is one of the factors manipulators would take into account.

 

Manipulators do not merely reduce supply, they choke it. Meaning that the item only becomes available when someone places it on the grand exchange at max price (supply can only be choked this way, as if it can still be bought for highest then it is still available), instead of the ordinary stockpile that are waiting on the G.E.

 

If read at face value, updating the market every hour would cause the cycle to go up to 24 times as fast as normal, meaning a significant less amount of time to make the same money. I am sure many people would refuse to allow such an easy way to make money, as it would mean any other method of gaining wealth would be near pointless, unless to make the money to be able to join in.

 

Whilst you may believe that it would speed up the process, you are in fact incorrect, as whilst the prices would start to increase rapidly, after the first couple of hours where the item is fully bought out, the only supply is from those who actually produce or gain the item from the DIY method of production. And guess what? Updating the price every hour will not mean more items will be placed into the ge supply wise. So the price actually slowly goes up to the point when manipulators are satisfied with the price. If you look deeper and critically into an idea, you learn more about it.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

Blade, I reccommend you read my post again. I was giving an opinion on merchanters. Truth be told, it had little to do with your thread. I just dislike merchanters.

[quelmotz]

Blade, I reccommend you read my post again. I was giving an opinion on merchanters. Truth be told, it had little to do with your thread. I just dislike merchanters.

 

MERCHANTS for goodness's sake.

 

I can't influence your likes and dislikes, but I just can't stand ridiculous spelling errors, especially in such a short sentence - how much effort does it take to spellcheck the words? Firefox even automatically does it for you...

 

If read at face value, updating the market every hour would cause the cycle to go up to 24 times as fast as normal, meaning a significant less amount of time to make the same money. I am sure many people would refuse to allow such an easy way to make money, as it would mean any other method of gaining wealth would be near pointless, unless to make the money to be able to join in.

 

Whilst you may believe that it would speed up the process, you are in fact incorrect, as whilst the prices would start to increase rapidly, after the first couple of hours where the item is fully bought out, the only supply is from those who actually produce or gain the item from the DIY method of production. And guess what? Updating the price every hour will not mean more items will be placed into the ge supply wise. So the price actually slowly goes up to the point when manipulators are satisfied with the price. If you look deeper and critically into an idea, you learn more about it.

 

Can you simplify what you're saying? Not everyone has studied economics.

[funnisam]

lol no worries, um:

 

Basically he's saying that updating every hour would speed up how fast the manipulators do an item.

 

But the supply remains the same no matter what, so the manipulators still need to wait for as long in order to make the money they want

[sees_all1]

Manipulators do not merely reduce supply, they choke it. Meaning that the item only becomes available when someone places it on the grand exchange at max price (supply can only be choked this way, as if it can still be bought for highest then it is still available), instead of the ordinary stockpile that are waiting on the G.E.

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

If you objectively look at what manipulators do collectively, you should thank them. The idea of "OMFG I CANT BUY ITEM X BECAUSE OF MANIPULATORS" is one for whiny brats. Imagine a young person screaming at the top of their lungs "BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!".

That's what people sound like when they rant about manipulators.

"I saved up my moneys for months, until I was ready to buy that GS, only to find that clan x was manipulating them, now I can't afford it because they bought all of them out."

Right... months to buy a GS, and when you're ready to buy you can't afford it. Can't you wait like, 4 days? Then, not only will it have crashed, it'll also be a good deal, saving you millions anyway!

 

If you notice a manipulating clan has picked a certain item, messing with it over and over, you can PROFIT OFF THEM!

You have to buy and sell the item out of phase... when they dump (and the item falls below equilibrium), you sweep. When they grab, you give. I've done this with silver ore... I bought 10M in silver ore when a clan was dumping, and I sold it back to a different clan when they were buying out. I made 4M by just messing with the manipulators....

[quelmotz]

Manipulators do not merely reduce supply, they choke it. Meaning that the item only becomes available when someone places it on the grand exchange at max price (supply can only be choked this way, as if it can still be bought for highest then it is still available), instead of the ordinary stockpile that are waiting on the G.E.

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

If you objectively look at what manipulators do collectively, you should thank them. The idea of "OMFG I CANT BUY ITEM X BECAUSE OF MANIPULATORS" is one for whiny brats. Imagine a young person screaming at the top of their lungs "BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!".

That's what people sound like when they rant about manipulators.

"I saved up my moneys for months, until I was ready to buy that GS, only to find that clan x was manipulating them, now I can't afford it because they bought all of them out."

Right... months to buy a GS, and when you're ready to buy you can't afford it. Can't you wait like, 4 days? Then, not only will it have crashed, it'll also be a good deal, saving you millions anyway!

 

If you notice a manipulating clan has picked a certain item, messing with it over and over, you can PROFIT OFF THEM!

You have to buy and sell the item out of phase... when they dump (and the item falls below equilibrium), you sweep. When they grab, you give. I've done this with silver ore... I bought 10M in silver ore when a clan was dumping, and I sold it back to a different clan when they were buying out. I made 4M by just messing with the manipulators....

 

"Reduce" in this case means lower the amount of the item effectively available to buy.

 

Interesting way to mess with manipulating clans. If only everyone was as good at economics as you, there wouldn't be any manipulators at all. Sadly, the large majority of people are ignorant idiots, like the "OMG I CAN'T BUY XXX ITEM" type. Just like how it works in real life...

[funnisam]

Manipulators do not merely reduce supply, they choke it. Meaning that the item only becomes available when someone places it on the grand exchange at max price (supply can only be choked this way, as if it can still be bought for highest then it is still available), instead of the ordinary stockpile that are waiting on the G.E.

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

If you objectively look at what manipulators do collectively, you should thank them. The idea of "OMFG I CANT BUY ITEM X BECAUSE OF MANIPULATORS" is one for whiny brats. Imagine a young person screaming at the top of their lungs "BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!".

That's what people sound like when they rant about manipulators.

"I saved up my moneys for months, until I was ready to buy that GS, only to find that clan x was manipulating them, now I can't afford it because they bought all of them out."

Right... months to buy a GS, and when you're ready to buy you can't afford it. Can't you wait like, 4 days? Then, not only will it have crashed, it'll also be a good deal, saving you millions anyway!

 

If you notice a manipulating clan has picked a certain item, messing with it over and over, you can PROFIT OFF THEM!

You have to buy and sell the item out of phase... when they dump (and the item falls below equilibrium), you sweep. When they grab, you give. I've done this with silver ore... I bought 10M in silver ore when a clan was dumping, and I sold it back to a different clan when they were buying out. I made 4M by just messing with the manipulators....

 

With this, you fail to note the actual reason for the suplly "increase". It is not that suddenly more have magically entered the game, it is because more people who have it want to sell it, and is actually when the leaders of such manipulation clans dump, creating a supply increase. No more than before would enter the game through the D.I.Y methods. Also 4 days is NOT how long supply is outstripped for. The times between updates simply is too long to make significant profit.

[sees_all1]

With this, you fail to note the actual reason for the suplly "increase". It is not that suddenly more have magically entered the game, it is because more people who have it want to sell it, and is actually when the leaders of such manipulation clans dump, creating a supply increase.

The quantity supplied increases because of the common, everyday 'scaper.

They look at the prices of various items, and decide what they want to do to skill, or make money.

 

For instance: I want GP. I am willing to woodcut, mine, or fish for items; to sell on the GE for GP. I look at the prices for coal, lobsters, and yews. I notice that lobsters are the best deal (they are being manipulated?), so I fish for lobs, sell them on the GE, rinse and repeat.

Two days later, I still want GP. I notice that coal is the best deal. I mine coal, sell it on the GE, rinse and repeat.

 

This is happening everyday by millions of 'scapers. When an item on the grand exchange becomes a "good deal" for suppliers, more people supply it to make money. The supply curve doesn't change when manipulators pick the item (it does temporarily when they dump), but the quantity supplies changes.

 

 

No more than before would enter the game through the D.I.Y methods. Also 4 days is NOT how long supply is outstripped for. The times between updates simply is too long to make significant profit.

I'm not exactly clear what you're trying to say here.

 

 

If only everyone was as good at economics as you, there wouldn't be any manipulators at all. Sadly, the large majority of people are ignorant idiots, like the "OMG I CAN'T BUY XXX ITEM" type. Just like how it works in real life...

People don't have to be "good at economics" to realize the best way to make money. Also, if all the masses understood basic economic principals, there probably would be manipulators, or monopolies, etc.

[langer]

 

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

I don't get it... You claim that when manipulators pick an object (buying out that item? - meaning they are the demand), the supply increase? If you mean that hicking up prices encourages player to skill to get that item to sell it at premium prices is increasing supply, then you are right. But claiming that manipulators are creating the supply, you are wrong, it's the law of supply and demand that is adjusting to the new prices.

 

As for the GE update timing, I have no opinion on that matter.

[sees_all1]

 

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

I don't get it... You claim that when manipulators pick an object (buying out that item? - meaning they are the demand), the supply increase? If you mean that hicking up prices encourages player to skill to get that item to sell it at premium prices is increasing supply, then you are right. But claiming that manipulators are creating the supply, you are wrong, it's the law of supply and demand that is adjusting to the new prices.

 

As for the GE update timing, I have no opinion on that matter.

I chose my language very carefully. The statement "supply increases" in economics means that the entire supply curve shifts right. The statement "the quantity supplied increases" in economics means that the supply curve hasn't changed, but the point on the supply curve has changed.

 

Manipulators are increasing the demand (shifting the demand curve right), which in turn moves the (temporary) equilibrium to a higher price.

[langer]

 

 

From an economic standpoint, Manipulators DO NOT MODIFY SUPPLY.

In fact, when Manipulators pick an object, and it starts to rise in price, the quantity supplied increases. That's right, more of that item enter into the game! The fact that the GE doesn't update prices fast enough is a rant in itself, and should be separated from manipulators.

enough of my mini econ-naziness.

 

 

 

 

I don't get it... You claim that when manipulators pick an object (buying out that item? - meaning they are the demand), the supply increase? If you mean that hicking up prices encourages player to skill to get that item to sell it at premium prices is increasing supply, then you are right. But claiming that manipulators are creating the supply, you are wrong, it's the law of supply and demand that is adjusting to the new prices.

 

As for the GE update timing, I have no opinion on that matter.

I chose my language very carefully. The statement "supply increases" in economics means that the entire supply curve shifts right. The statement "the quantity supplied increases" in economics means that the supply curve hasn't changed, but the point on the supply curve has changed.

 

Manipulators are increasing the demand (shifting the demand curve right), which in turn moves the (temporary) equilibrium to a higher price.

 

Basically what I said, only with technical terms. Never knew stuff I learned in school and college would translate so smoothly in an online game.

[quelmotz]

People don't have to be "good at economics" to realize the best way to make money. Also, if all the masses understood basic economic principals, there probably would be manipulators, or monopolies, etc.

 

Even if they do, only the masters will be able to make the profits, and so the novices will all drop out sooner or later.

 

Anyone can start a business, but only the true businessmen will make huge profits.

[Dire_Wolf]

They have already ruined the economy.