Gemstore items should ALL be available.

[Horus.8304]

This "limited time" thing needs to end. It's both stupid and non-profitable. I realize Anet has this idea of "oh oh oh it's limited, get it quick ooooooo" but the fact remains that some people simply can't farm the gold for it and other's might not even have an interest for the item currently. Having it appear for a "limited time" then disappear for a range of months to a full year is absolutely stupid and needs to stop. 

 

To give an example I experienced: Start of the year I had enough gems for an infinite tool and went with Unbound instead of Volatile. Unbound proved extremely useful as I went about getting my Aurora legendary. However, after I was done, I wanted to go for Vision. Which is where Volatile comes in more handy. Unfortunately, it was April and I wouldn't see the tools in the store till June. So there I was, wanting an item that simply wasn't there and having to wait till June to finally get it. In this case, Anet got a win since I bought the tools. However, the reverse has also happened. See, I wanted to get the Cyberscale skin once upon a time and had the gems for it. However, the skin wasn't available. So I waited, and waited, until at some point I literally just stopped caring and used the gold I was going to turn into gems for other TP items. Haven't cared for the Cybersale since. So, rather than having the skin available where someone like me would have bought it on the spot, they lost a buyer. I've also met people who were grinding gold for a specific store item and failed to meet the deadline. Which is another loss. 

 

There's no point in making the items limited time. The incentive to buy is irrelevant against people who aren't willing to drop money. Furthermore, it would be more lucrative to have all items constanty in the shop and simply cycle which are "discounted". This would cause people to stare at the full priced item, trying to hold out till it comes on discount, and some inevitably failing and forking over the cash for the full price item. It would creat MORE sales than limited time items. 

 

Anet needs to quit this crappy limited time design and just make all items available and cycle discounts. It's one of those really weird decisions that just makes no sense and ends up more clunky than effective. 

[Infusion.7149]

Your complaint is you can't farm enough gold. You do realize that the entire premise of the gemstore is to generate revenue for Arenanet through purchases via real world currency and not imaginary ones right?

Also it's not profitable for them according to who? You? There is someone in charge of the sales and presents at GDC regarding the findings:

The only item that arguably should be available year-round is the Armistice Bastion pass since it is the only place to test WVW damage in a controlled environment without enlisting other people to go to EOTM.

[DeanBB.4268]

25 minutes ago, Horus.8304 said:

To give an example I experienced: Start of the year I had enough gems for an infinite tool and went with Unbound instead of Volatile. Unbound proved extremely useful as I went about getting my Aurora legendary. However, after I was done, I wanted to go for Vision. Which is where Volatile comes in more handy. Unfortunately, it was April and I wouldn't see the tools in the store till June.

FYI

Since you already had permanent gathering tools, and were collecting gold for another set, you could have just bought the volatile glyphs off the TP.

But yeah, the stuff missing from the gemstore is annoying. There's been something I've been wanting and by the time it arrives...if it arrives...I may not care any more.

[Lanfear De Noir.9127]

I am afraid to say that you fell for their sales technique... You waited so long that you decided to buy something you had no intention of buying (you will now save up for the thing you actually want).

 

They want us to buy things we dont really want because we will end up spending more.

 

But you are right, it would be better for us, the customer, to have all things available.

But for them it is better to 'make' you buy more.

😲

[Kattliadi.1507]

 I totally understand the logic behind why Anet does it the way they do...and I certainly don't think they'll be changing it anyway soon.  That said, I DO understand the frustration and share in it to some extent.  Even if they could just try to offer *more* updates to the gem store...or even something where they have a single item that is only available for 1 day.  Yeah, people might complain that if they don't log in everyday they might miss it.  But it would be incentive for people to log in while also making it so that items can cycle faster through the gem store in at least some capacity. 

 

I'm waiting for the hummingbird mount skin myself and feeling frustrated about it.  But aside from that sometimes I go check the gem store with nothing in particular in mind to buy....just hoping I see something I like.  But then its all the same things and nothing I'm interested in.  Which is then frustrating since I *want* to give them money...but have nothing I want to buy on offer, lol.

[Xynxycs.6718]

I absolutely agree, it's a harmful practice. However, it will never change because it's the publisher's decision, and the goodwill they would buy by removing it wouldn't get them closer to gaining their infinite profits. 

[Super Hayes.6890]

I promised the Starborn Outfit to my daughter as a birthday gift back in August. It still hasn't rotated back in 😡😡😡😡😡 Not gonna make me quit but it is incredibly annoying.

[Ashen.2907]

17 hours ago, Horus.8304 said:

who aren't willing to drop money.

A lot of businesses do not cater to people who are not willing to spend money. Ultimately, if you are not willing to spend money then the system is going to be aimed at someone else who might be.

That said, cant say that I like the limited time availability either, but this sort of system generally produces better revenue.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Ashen.2907

[casualkenny.9817]

You aren't a cash-spender so you don't (directly) contribute to their company's survival (except through expansion purchases), so there's no reason for them to cater their sales tactics to you.

 

It works on enough paying customers, and thus keeps the game alive. You won't feel that benefit directly, but it's worth the inconvenience. If the game is closed by the parent company, all the virtual gold that you saved to buy your volatile tools would be, how did that veggie say it, "I saw your gold in a dream"

[kharmin.7683]

No.

And "not profitable?"  I'm pretty sure there are volumes of data throughout many company's marketing which would say otherwise.

[DarcShriek.5829]

Dear OP,

If you had posted how Anet shouldn't have limited time sales because you don't like them and sometimes you want to buy something, only to find it's not available. If you had said that finding what you want to buy is no longer available is a bit of a bummer and somewhat discouraging, I may have been able to get behind you on the subject.

but NOOOOOOOOOOO, you had to go and start making things up.  Things like leaving things in the store would be more profitable when just about every treatise on sales says the exact opposite.

At this point, by obviously telling a lie so outrageous and expecting anyone to agree, you're just being a jerk.

stop being a jerk.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

3 hours ago, Super Hayes.6890 said:

I promised the Starborn Outfit to my daughter as a birthday gift back in August. It still hasn't rotated back in 😡😡😡😡😡 Not gonna make me quit but it is incredibly annoying.

That's never actually never been sold in the Gem Store, its always either been via the BLCs or the statuettes (and the wardrobe unlock thing, but...yeah).

[Sobx.1758]

4 hours ago, Super Hayes.6890 said:

I promised the Starborn Outfit to my daughter as a birthday gift back in August. It still hasn't rotated back in 😡😡😡😡😡 Not gonna make me quit but it is incredibly annoying.

Well then you better stop making random promises you can't keep.

[Gehenna.3625]

21 hours ago, Horus.8304 said:

This "limited time" thing needs to end. It's both stupid and non-profitable.

Right in the first sentence you are already wrong. I mean how do you figure that getting gold in game to trade for gems is profitable for Anet? It works for the people who buy gems with real life money. I thought that was abundantly obvious.

4 hours ago, Super Hayes.6890 said:

I promised the Starborn Outfit to my daughter as a birthday gift back in August. It still hasn't rotated back in 😡😡😡😡😡 Not gonna make me quit but it is incredibly annoying.

It was available for Black Lion Statuettes in June this year. The only way you can get this till next year probably is through the black lion exclusives chest from the TP...going for just under 1400 gold at the moment.

But it's only available through those 2 means.

[Arnox.5128]

I really don't like how so many people are jumping down OP's throat for asking for more customer-friendly design in the gem store. That said though, it's really hard to say one way or another whether it would be a good idea for ANet purely finances wise. They may get more money if they release everything, or they may get less. Or they may get generally the same amount. Who knows.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Arnox.5128

[Dawdler.8521]

1 hour ago, Gehenna.3625 said:

Right in the first sentence you are already wrong. I mean how do you figure that getting gold in game to trade for gems is profitable for Anet?

Tbh the longterm retention of players is fairly important. Even someone that currently does not pay for gems may eventually do it given enough time. I dont think Anet would earn much profits today if GW2 had died off 6 months after release.

But obviously the rotating gemstore is part of this trick to keep players coming back. So they aint gonna do what OP want.

[Svarty.8019]

It's dumb that things aren't available all the time. I mean, why? Arenanet seem to treat the store like it's a real shop with limited stock or shelf-space or something.

[Gehenna.3625]

6 minutes ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

Tbh the longterm retention of players is fairly important. Even someone that currently does not pay for gems may eventually do it given enough time. I dont think Anet would earn much profits today if GW2 had died off 6 months after release.

But obviously the rotating gemstore is part of this trick to keep players coming back. So they aint gonna do what OP want.

Sure but this game doesn't have a sub model and they need to get their money somewhere. The OP comes here with claims that are simply not true though. I get that they want things to be more customer-friendly and I wouldn't mind that either but the bottom line is that limited time sales do work. It's psychology. 

I'm just saying that they are wrong in their argumentation. It would also be easier for me if all the things were in the gem store all the time, but I don't claim that it doesn't work what they are doing with limited time sales.

 

[Farohna.6247]

19 minutes ago, Svarty.8019 said:

It's dumb that things aren't available all the time. I mean, why? Arenanet seem to treat the store like it's a real shop with limited stock or shelf-space or something.

For the same reason all stores have rotating and seasonal merchandise along with their usual items.  To get you to spend more for fear of missing out.  You have things there all year that are necessities.  Then you have featured items you want to grab quick because of limited time...online stores as well as brick and mortar do it.  It works...so why wouldn't anet use the same technique.

[DeanBB.4268]

There's FOMO, then there's frustration. An item I'm interested in has been in the store twice this year (prior to when I had interest in it), twice the year before, and once the year before that. Five time in 36 months. If/when it does come back, I probably won't get it, so Anet has MO'd (missed out on) my money.

[Ashen.2907]

1 hour ago, Arnox.5128 said:

Who knows

Decades of research with hundreds of thousands, or millions, of data points mean that merchants (not just game companies) know.

[AgentMoore.9453]

Agreeing with OP.

It's hard to talk overall profitability without seeing the numbers from their end, but they'd definitely make more from me if I could buy the things I want at the time I want them instead of the nothing they're currently making from me on the things I'm waiting for. People claim 'well, this makes people log in and check constantly for the thing they want and they buy other stuff while they wait!' <-- this absolutely does not apply to me. I either happen to see what I want when I log in, or I miss the sale of the thing completely because there's no watch list for the shop; their loss every time.

If they insist on stock rotation, the least they could do is implement simple predictability, like the sort you see in retail and food services. You have a rough idea of when the Halloween stuff will show up at your local homegoods store. It's no secret when the peppermint drinks return to the coffee shop. No one is surprised to see the bathing suits at the department store in summer. With ArenaNet, however, sometimes you get the bathing suits never in January, the Halloween items in April, and the winter stuff in August - and even then it may not be the entire menu. As a matter of fact, there are some items that go literal years without returning in any form, including festival-related items that just... don't get sold during the festival.

It's silly, and it should change.

[Ashen.2907]

A watch list would be nice.

[captrowdy.9561]

Dont yalll think if it would make more money anet would have already done it? I do find it annoying but I also like playing this game and want them to be profitable as they can. 

[Arnox.5128]

1 hour ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Decades of research with hundreds of thousands, or millions, of data points mean that merchants (not just game companies) know.

Appeals to authority do not work with me. I want to see some good hard data.