Gem Store prices are unbalanced.

Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

While I don't disagree, I'm curious: how do you expect ANet to make money so they may continue to give you free content?

Last time I checked low prices that are relevant to content you get for them lead to massive profits and company growth. Just ask Riot Games and League of Legends - these guys are running full F2P non P2W business model. Money is made by selling skins, but these have "tiers" and you can be sure that when you pay more, you get more.

For 12.5 euros you can get a really great skin that asides new look sports completely new voiceover, special interactions with other champions, skill effects, recall animation and even dance. Compare that to one single animation and sound effect of a pickaxe ...

..or to the fact that you get a lot more bang for your buck from Total Makeover Kit that at least lets you completely redefine your character's looks (as sounds are not possible) vs again one single mining animation...

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:While I don't disagree, I'm curious: how do you expect ANet to make money so they may continue to give you free content?

That's kind of like asking who do we think will make more money: a store that sells toothbrushes for 2 dollars or one that sells them for 20.

That 20 dollar toothbrush better be able to reverse gum disease and enamel loss. If not, and if its basically the same as the other store's toothbrush, then there is a clear pricing issue.

End of the day, more people will be willing to put more money down with realistic pricing, but Anet doesn't follow that business model. This is a sad cycle because what that means is new players with deep pockets rush to buy the inflated priced items, temporarily giving Anet a cash bump, but ultimately its not sustainable so they put more mediocre things in the store for higher prices to make up for any financial losses. Older players continue to be disenfranchised by these tactics, stop spending money or even playing and Anet prays for the next round of short term whales to fill the coffers.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

Or they should have significantly increased the price of PoF.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:Last time I checked low prices that are relevant to content you get for them lead to massive profits and company growth. Just ask Riot Games and League of Legends - these guys are running full F2P non P2W business model. Money is made by selling skins, but these have "tiers" and you can be sure that when you pay more, you get more.

For 12.5 euros you can get a really great skin that asides new look sports completely new voiceover, special interactions with other champions, skill effects, recall animation and even dance. Compare that to one single animation and sound effect of a pickaxe ...

..or to the fact that you get a lot more bang for your buck from Total Makeover Kit that at least lets you completely redefine your character's looks (as sounds are not possible) vs again one single mining animation...

They have metrics to show what sells. Im not always happy with their pricing structure, but as a salesman and retailer of 20 years, i know full well how metrics are often well placed indicators of what sells at what prices.

Would i buy a total makeover kit even for that price? No because i can get them easily enough from bl chests using keys from map completion. That alternative method of obtaining likely influences the low price.

Would i buy animated tools for a much higher price? Well i have about a dozen, so yes and given that im seeing almost every gatherer with one, im guessing the pricing here works. Remember, if they were to halve the price, they would have to double the sales and if they are selling strongly, that is near impossible to achieve.

Im not sayng the system works well or is consistently balanced, because it isnt, but metrics combined with gold to gem conversions are what ultimately dictate pricing. And since we have no access to those metrics, we cant outright say they are wrong.

ANet's current gem store practices have largely been about the implementation of bundles and higher-priced individual items. Lower prices lead to "massive" revenue only when volume is high. That suggests that the volume for lower-priced items is less than it once was.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

It doesn't matter that you are buying it for the skin, they are still selli g it for convenience on top of that. I find some things too much to spend on a game, but others don't, and I don't wish to take that money from ANet. If you don't want to pay the price, move on.

It doesn't matter that you are buying it for the skin, they are still selli g it for convenience on top of that. I find some things too much to spend on a game, but others don't, and I don't wish to take that money from ANet. If you don't want to pay the price, move on.

Which is what i just did - rougly ~ 12 euros spent on LoL skin about half an hour ago, cause i had that amount to blow and wanted something fun. Had gem store more tame prices on tools (as i already have full set and am not desperate) i would toss that cash at a-net, but the better deal imho got my "fun fund" money today.

Just saying there are guys like me who would join in and chip in for the game, had the deals been better. If they're not, it's not that i won't spend at all. I'll just spend it elsewhere...

It seems Gem prices have not changed since launch, so I'm not sure how 'over-priced' they are. If Gem Store items only cost 10 or 25 Gems, you would say the cost in real money for Gems was fantastic, even though the real money cost for Gems was exactly the same.

Many items in the Gem Store still have the same price, as well; not too bad after 5 years.

Regardless, the Gold-to-Gem exchange allows every one of us to acquire any Gem Store item we desire, at 0 real money cost. Pretty generous, in my estimation. Of course, that's just me.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

Bah.. I have harvesting sets for all my characters, it's not that bad, just buy some a little at a time, like spend 20 a month and before you know it, you will be like "Humm now what do I buy?"

Something isnt overpriced because you think it is.Something is only overpriced when it doesnt sell, and then the seller will reduce the price until it does.If the seller isnt reducing the price of something, then it means the seller is happy with the current sales of the something.Its the same for the exchange rate between RL money and gems.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:Last time I checked low prices that are relevant to content you get for them lead to massive profits and company growth. Just ask Riot Games and League of Legends - these guys are running full F2P non P2W business model. Money is made by selling skins, but these have "tiers" and you can be sure that when you pay more, you get more.

For 12.5 euros you can get a really great skin that asides new look sports completely new voiceover, special interactions with other champions, skill effects, recall animation and even dance. Compare that to one single animation and sound effect of a pickaxe ...

..or to the fact that you get a lot more bang for your buck from Total Makeover Kit that at least lets you completely redefine your character's looks (as sounds are not possible) vs again one single mining animation...

Completely different games so you really can't compare the two, and if you want to say that you can compare them because they're both cosmetic items I beg to differ...permanent gathering tools are not just cosmetic, they remove the cost of gathering tools from your account/characters forever. If someone wants something bad enough they'll buy it, regardless of price, that's just human nature, even if it's something that's not necessary.

@PookieDaWombat.6209 said: more people will be willing to put more money down with realistic pricing, but Anet doesn't follow that business model.

Not to point out the obvious, but that argument makes no sense since more than enough people bought and continue to buy items at the current prices. Not even going to touch that toothbrush/gum disease analogy. Because . . . you know . . . people do buy various toothbrushes between a dollar to two-hundred dollars. And as far as I know? None of them cure gum disease.

All said, it still doesn't answer the question of how anyone expects ANet to make money otherwise. Cheaper doesn't mean more people will buy. Demand first before supply, friend.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:

It doesn't matter that you are buying it for the skin, they are still selli g it for convenience on top of that. I find some things too much to spend on a game, but others don't, and I don't wish to take that money from ANet. If you don't want to pay the price, move on.

That is always going to happen no matter the pricing structure. It is more a case of are there enough lost sales for them to reduce the prices snd take more money than they currently do. If not, then them losing sales is something they will accept and only the data they have access to can best tell them that.

The more people pay the higher prices, the more we will see them.

This is exactly why I haven't bought any more infinite harvesting tools. I got the first 3 back when they were 800 gems and soulbound, and I later got a Watchwork Pick with gold because I hated the animation on the Molten Pick (when I got it that was the only choice, and looked likely to stay the only choice). I don't feel like I can justify spending 1000 gems a time just to change the animation. But as this topic shows other people are willing to buy multiples.

On the other hand I buy every mini pet they release, and I doubt many other people do that.

Just like each person will have their own idea of what's a reasonable price for an item we also have different ideas about what items are worth buying and how many of them we'd buy. There's no harm in providing feedback on what would get you to buy more (for example I've periodically suggested adding gathering tools to the wardrobe and selling just the skins at a discounted price - that way I'd buy more of them) but they're not going to change the current system just because 1 person, or even 10 people, don't like it. It has to actually affect their sales to be worth changing.

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:While I don't disagree, I'm curious: how do you expect ANet to make money so they may continue to give you free content?

i paid for pof expansion and i don't play it at all and where is the so called free content ??

@PookieDaWombat.6209 said:

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:While I don't disagree, I'm curious: how do you expect ANet to make money so they may continue to give you free content?

Excelsior.

The difference is that you can put a $20 price tag on a toothbrush when there's demand for it. And I am sure aNet would change the price if there would be not demand for it. Look, you can buy a house in the remote outback for $5,000. Or you can buy a multi-million Dollar appartment in NYC. It's the same thing: Property. Of course you attract more with cheaper prizes, but why would you? And does it really take "whales"? Or just people that can simply afford it? This is capitalism, and, as we know from history, commnism/socialism did work even less.

I am used to read well-thought stuff from you, but this time your comparison leaves much to be desired.

@Verthurnax.2784 said:

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:While I don't disagree, I'm curious: how do you expect ANet to make money so they may continue to give you free content?

Are you for real?! There is so much wrong with everything in that post.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:Last time I checked low prices that are relevant to content you get for them lead to massive profits and company growth. Just ask Riot Games and League of Legends - these guys are running full F2P non P2W business model. Money is made by selling skins, but these have "tiers" and you can be sure that when you pay more, you get more.

For 12.5 euros you can get a really great skin that asides new look sports completely new voiceover, special interactions with other champions, skill effects, recall animation and even dance. Compare that to one single animation and sound effect of a pickaxe ...

..or to the fact that you get a lot more bang for your buck from Total Makeover Kit that at least lets you completely redefine your character's looks (as sounds are not possible) vs again one single mining animation...

Oh, so you have Anet's balance sheets or you're just making a generalization? The fact is that you have no idea what Anet's Revenues and Costs are.

Is it unbalanced. I mean they charge 500 gems for premium gloves and people are fine with that. But 2000 for a premium mount and people just rage. The pricing is right on in my opinion. Don't forget you have the option to grind the gold or just simply outright buy it.

Given that there is very likely a boffin sat looking at profit curves for Gem Store items (and adjusting prices accordingly), I would humbly suggest they are not unbalanced. I regularly buy items from the Gem Store, and there are definitely some that I would not consider buying at any cost; there are some people, however, who clearly see value in items I do not. There are likely some expensive items which have a fairly low purchase rate, but these allow for a benchmark when other items are on sale and players invariably rush to buy.

To bring it back into something tangible, I would be more likely to spend £100 on a fountain pen than over £50 on a pair of jeans. Others may perceive value differently and their purchasing perspective would be completely opposite to that.

Essentially: Gem Store ran like any other shop, with pricing taking into account demand, exclusivity, perceived value, strategic pricing goals and plenty of other factors. If Gem Store prices are truly 'unbalanced', this will be reflected in purchase trends and adjustments made to reflect that - potentially (but not not necessarily) a lower cost, or inclusion in a bundle, or a regular 'sale' price.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:

As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

Spoiler by buying with gold you still support anet pricing methods. Since all those gems on gold exchange are already paid for by other players, anet loses nothing by having people buy with gold. In fact it encourages even more people to spend money on gem to sell for gold. Gems on the exchange are not infinite, more players buy, prices go up. Prices go up more people buy gems to sell for gold.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

Well you can either a grind gold and turn into gems and work 10-20 hours in game atleast.or work irl 1 hour and buy gems with cash, I know whats easier/faster but its more fun to me to play the game normaly and get the gems the even slower way.

@"Magnus Godrik.5841" said:Is it unbalanced. I mean they charge 500 gems for premium gloves and people are fine with that. But 2000 for a premium mount and people just rage. The pricing is right on in my opinion. Don't forget you have the option to grind the gold or just simply outright buy it.

and many, maaany others...

Ofc i have the option to grind gold, and that's what i do if I really want it. I'm not mad about it.That's not my point. Hell i'm better off not wasting real money for these items and getting gems with gold instead.

What I am doing is being nice, and taking my time and effort (as a real life economist and a player) to let A-net know there's a big market right under their noses they're not tapping into. The poorer/F2P players, that aren't ingrates and given a good deal would happily throw few $ at the game to keep it going and flowing.But few very big mistakes with gemstore policies prevent that from happening, costing A-net a lot of money it's clearly not aware of.

A game can sure as hell run on whales that's true. But it'll run a lot better if everyone is happily willing to chip in a bit of their $, rather then going by "you gotta be thiiiiiiis tall (money wise) to pass that gate" policy.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Example:

PoF xpac - 30 euros. Pretty darn good deal for a good price. No complaints there.

Total Makeover kit - change any aspect of your character's looks save race. around 5 euros. Great deal for great price, customization is major part of GW2.

Perma harvesting tool - 12.5 EUROS (vinil record screech) - what? Better yet - what if you already have another perma tool of given type and the convinience part is out of the equasion? Then you're asked to shell out 25 euros for just a minor animation...Similar story with musical instruments...

If you want sales up, and player's happy, you should rebalance the prices of stuff in there. Not to mention the very high price in rl money for gems.As things are on more then one occasion i chose to grind for ingame gold and exchange it for gems, rather then throw a few $ at you, because of the high prices and low real money:gem ratio...

The harvesting tool is the only thing in that list that i will get long term value from. If pof was anything to go by.