Would you buy more than 800 gems at a time with real world money if there was a volume discount?

[Taygus.4571]

@fizzypetal.7936 said:

@Taygus.4571 said:One thing I like about the gem shop is it DOESN'T have volume discounts.

It doesn't try to manipulate you into having to buy more than you would actually want to spend.

Not quite true...I checked the shop today because I wanted to confirm to myself that there were no discounts on gems. There are price breaks for the more you buy on certain items in the gem store. Keys was one item - there are others on there as well that I can't recall just now. The price breaks are not consistent so discounts on certain items are greater than on others.

Yeah but you could save up the gems a tenner a week... if they do it by gems. ..you would feel like you wasted money saving up this way and instead are manipulated into purchasing a higher quantity at a time.

It's exactly why online shops do the purchasing discount to manipulate people into spending more than they would.

[Ashen.2907]

Some of ANet's decisions regarding post launch development of the game have led me to minimize my real money spending on the game. So long as those decisions remain in effect I am unlikely to increase my spending to earlier levels regardless of price cuts on gems.

[AliamRationem.5172]

I budget myself $10/month (plus Ultimate expansion purchases) to support the game and get some nice perks for what I consider a reasonable price. From my perspective, I'm going to purchase those gems anyway. So why not get a cheaper price for buying more at one time?

[ReaverKane.7598]

Definetly, yes...I bought a TON of Platinum (equivalent of gems) in Warframe, simply because it has a RNG login reward that sometimes awards discounts (up to 75%) on their premium currency. SO yeah, a lot of the times when i get that, i tend to buy some, even if its just a couple euros (which it is sometimes), other times i buy more expensive packs to get more bang for my buck. (It helps that the currency is used to buy stuff from other players in-game, and can be earned that way too, so there's more to it than premium store purchases), in the equivalent scenario in guild wars i'd probably still buy some, but less often, although probably in larger amounts.

But yeah, one thing's for sure, Arena Net's gemstore model is a bit off, compared to most other games. Like almost any other game offers incentives to buy more expensive packs (you'd get bonus gems the higher the amount you buy), also they seem to purposely price the larger packs so that they rarely match actual gemstore prices. Like most stuff costs like 1000 or 2000 gems, but there's no gem pack with those amounts, you either buy more than you need, and deal with the leftover by selling it or keeping it for later, or you buy less, and top it off with gold.

[Dreamy Lu.3865]

@ReaverKane.7598 said:

But yeah, one thing's for sure, Arena Net's gemstore model is a bit off, compared to most other games. Like almost any other game offers incentives to buy more expensive packs (you'd get bonus gems the higher the amount you buy), also they seem to purposely price the larger packs so that they rarely match actual gemstore prices. Like most stuff costs like 1000 or 2000 gems, but there's no gem pack with those amounts, you either buy more than you need, and deal with the leftover by selling it or keeping it for later, or you buy less, and top it off with gold.

But those other MMOs, you pay a monthly fee to play yes? Or are they also cost free like GW2? Because for a MMO that can live already good thanks to the monthly fee, it is of course easier to provide good offers at their shops.

As for the poll, I voted no. I think that the first amount of 800 gems for 10$ is very fair for a game that has no monthly fee. Additionally, what we can purchase with gems is "nice to have", but not mandatory to the game play. So there is no harm done. And of course, not to forget that with time, gems can be built up inside the game without using real money (it takes more time but that's an existing alternative).

They have to make money somewhere. I personally have full understanding that they go rather slow on reductions and promotional offers, of whatever types they are.

[Figlilly.3907]

I almost always buy 4,000 at a time anyway just so they will last a while (yeah, right).

That doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate a bulk discount.

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

@Taygus.4571 said:One thing I like about the gem shop is it DOESN'T have volume discounts.

It doesn't try to manipulate you into having to buy more than you would actually want to spend.

This! After initial surprise, this has been one of the things I really like about the Gem pricing!

It means I never feel like I'm getting a crap deal when buying the lowest amount - this is really important when buying gems for two accounts on a tight-ish budget.

[Ayakaru.6583]

I'm not heart to heart with the economic aspect, but what if you get 10 gems for 100 gems bought?880 800+801760 1600+1602640 2400+240Etc

[BunjiKugashira.9754]

So far I've bought more than 800 gems at once with cash a few times.I've still voted no, because if ANet goes down the F2P route any further I won't purchase gems ever again. The current system feels fair. You know that $10€ are 800 gems and you know that $10€ are still 800 gems if you buy in bulk. If ANet offered a discount (for example $20€ for 2000 gems) I would feel ripped off. Are $10€ now 800 gems or are they 1000 gems? Which one is their real value and which one is just marketing shenanigans? I would definitely stop buying the 800 gems package, but I'm not all that sure I would buy a higher priced one instead. I generally don't buy into things if I feel cheated.

[Sarge shot Grif.6450]

I've made it a point to not spend a cent on this game because of the lootbox mount bullshit that was never fixed.

[LadyRhonwyn.2501]

@fizzypetal.7936 said:When I do my family grocery shop, when there is an offer for buying 2 or more of an item - I will generally buy the 2 or more to get the discount. At the time I'm spending a little more than intended, but over time this pays off for me because these are items we consume/use on a regular or daily basis. The win for me is that I feel like I've got value for money when I acquire items at some sort of discount. The win for the retailer is they shift more stock quicker.

Your analogy is flawed. You don't buy things in the gemshop with real money. You buy it with gems. Which is a currency in the game.

The correct analogy would be: you go abroad and want to buy something in the shop in that country. So, you go to a money exchanger. Will he give you more foreign currency depending on the amount you want to exchange? Some might, but never the official ones.

But my answer: maybe, other reasons. I might, if I need more than 800 at that time or I foresee I'll need those extra gems in the near future. But I do that now too.

[fizzypetal.7936]

@fizzypetal.7936 said:

When I do my family grocery shop, when there is an offer for buying 2 or more of an item - I will generally buy the 2 or more to get the discount. At the time I'm spending a little more than intended, but over time this pays off for me because these are items we consume/use on a regular or daily basis. The win for me is that I feel like I've got value for money when I acquire items at some sort of discount. The win for the retailer is they shift more stock quicker.

The economy balance thing in GW2 is far more complex than my brain can handle and granted gems are not the same as consumables from the grocery store so perhaps that is not a good comparison. I used the grocery store as an illustration of my buying habits.@LadyRhonwyn.2501 said:

@fizzypetal.7936 said:When I do my family grocery shop, when there is an offer for buying 2 or more of an item - I will generally buy the 2 or more to get the discount. At the time I'm spending a little more than intended, but over time this pays off for me because these are items we consume/use on a regular or daily basis. The win for me is that I feel like I've got value for money when I acquire items at some sort of discount. The win for the retailer is they shift more stock quicker.

Your analogy is flawed. You don't buy things in the gemshop with real money. You buy it with gems. Which is a currency in the game.

You took that one quote out of context - if you read the next bit I said that it might not be a good comparison and that I'd used the grocery store as an illustration of my buying habits. I am fully aware that gems is a currency in game. That isn't in question. What is in question is whether or not a discount on gems would influence how much more a person would be willing to spend above and beyond the £8.50.

[TheRandomGuy.7246]

Volume discount is like the basic thing to have if you want to make extra money without looking like greedy kitten.

[ReaverKane.7598]

Definetly, yes...I bought a TON of Platinum (equivalent of gems) in Warframe, simply because it has a RNG login reward that sometimes awards discounts (up to 75%) on their premium currency. SO yeah, a lot of the times when i get that, i tend to buy some, even if its just a couple euros (which it is sometimes), other times i buy more expensive packs to get more bang for my buck. (It helps that the currency is used to buy stuff from other players in-game, and can be earned that way too, so there's more to it than premium store purchases), in the equivalent scenario in guild wars i'd probably still buy some, but less often, although probably in larger amounts.

But yeah, one thing's for sure, Arena Net's gemstore model is a bit off, compared to most other games. Like almost any other game offers incentives to buy more expensive packs (you'd get bonus gems the higher the amount you buy), also they seem to purposely price the larger packs so that they rarely match actual gemstore prices. Like most stuff costs like 1000 or 2000 gems, but there's no gem pack with those amounts, you either buy more than you need, and deal with the leftover by selling it or keeping it for later, or you buy less, and top it off with gold.