TOPIC: Going back to fewer auctions/non competing auctions?

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

Transparency in bids mechanisms/etc is good. Hard agree on no doxxing.

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

I'm curious on this. You are upset on bidders having their forum names revealed for who bought what? and you consider this Doxxing? How does that differ from you having an active trade thread?

Or are you thinking people are suggesting that your real name be recorded and released? I do not think anyone is asking for that?

Arcanist Kolixela wrote:

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

I'm curious on this. You are upset on bidders having their forum names revealed for who bought what? and you consider this Doxxing? How does that differ from you having an active trade thread?

Or are you thinking people are suggesting that your real name be recorded and released? I do not think anyone is asking for that?

*laugh* there are TD players who I know by their forum names and can’t remember their real names despite having dome in-person runs with them. For some reason, it is easier to remember “Arcanist,” etc..

Back to the topic

I am concerned about why individuals would want to intentionally make it more difficult for others to run auctions. It is a bit like saying we’ll all get water from the same water fountain drinking at the same time. Though, technically true, it isn’t polite. Refusing to take a break, even when charity auctions are proposed is incredibly selfish and not in the spirit of the community.

Fred

This seems to be a very opinionated topic. Here is my two-cents worth. I will say that I have bid on many different auctions by many individuals over the past four years. Many auctions funded and others did not. Part of this is due to the timing of the auction. People only have so much money to spend.
The increased number of auctions being run and funded has benefited TD and the players. Twenty more Golden Tickets were added for GHC 2022.
So why are prices increasing or decreasing? Basic Economics will tell you if the demand is there then prices will increase. Supply increasing will decrease the price of a good.
Take a look at the market--
1) Golden Fleece (decreased from $80 < $50). Supply of available Monster Trophies increased dramatically due to VTD. Fewer are consumed in transmutes due to the lower amount needed in a recipe and the less desire to make relic or legendary tokens. Also, there was a large supply of 2020, 2021, and 2022 monster trophies due to the lack of use for them.
2) Aragonite (decreased from $25 < $15). The supply of rare weapons and armor increased due to VTD. More runs = more treasure = more rares being generated = more AR being transmuted resulting in increased supply and less demand. It also takes less Aragonite than other trade goods in recipes for relic and legendary tokens leading to fewer consumed.
3) Oil of Enchantment (decreased from $17 < $7). The supply of uncommon armor increased due to VTD. More runs = more treasure = more uncommons being generated = more OE being transmuted resulting in increased supply and less demand. Amounts consumed in recipes for relic and legendary token transmutes is lower than other trade goods.
4) Elven Bismuth (decreased from $14 < $7). The supply of uncommon weapons increased due to VTD. More runs = more treasure = more uncommon tokens being generated = more EB being transmuted = resulting in increased supply and less demand. Amounts of EB consumed in recipes for relic and legendary token transmutes is lower than other trade goods.
5) Minotaur Hide (increased from $3 > $8). MH is generated from common armor. The amount of MH available decreased from the previous set. This means there are fewer tokens available to transmute = decreased supply & increased demand = increased price. The amounts consumed in recipes did not decrease so demand is still high.
6) Dwarven Steel (increased from $3 > $5). DS is generated from common weapons. The price went up moderately. Surpluses were probably used up since 2021 token set was not ordered as heavily as others (this is an educated guess). Amounts used for relic and legendary transmutes remained significant. Transmutes for 3* and 4* used up some too.
7) Alchemist Ink (increased from $4 > $8). AI is generated from potions. The price doubled. Apparently this was already in short supply. Tokens such as Potion Death's Door or Polymorph items would not often mulched into AI. Tokens in the sets for AI seem to be about the same.
8) Mystic Silk and Darkwood Plank (each increased from $ .50 > $1.50). Demand increased primarily due to Pirate Treasure Maps (PTM). Recipe amounts for relic and legendary tokens seem to remain stable. These are also used in 3* and 4* transmutes.
9) Alchemist Parchment, Enchanter's Munition & Philosopher's Stone all remained fairly constant. (AP = $3-4), (EM = $2), (PS = $2.50-3).
10) PYP's (decreased from $120 < $85). In my opinion PYP's increase or decrease as determined by the market demand and the number of classes it can be used in. If it is used in a popular transmute will have some effect. Once recipes are announced then the demand for the PYP's that are ingredients usually increases. If the recipe for a relic or legendary seems too expensive to make then the demand for the PYP will decease. If the number of auctions being run is greater (such as this year) then the PYP prices will drop due to less demand.
After thoughts--Auction prices usually determine whether someone is going to bid or not. Some people bid on an auction if they know the individual (reputable and run a tight ship) and want them to succeed. Some people bid because the auctions funds very fast and is run well.
No matter how many auctions are run--people only have so much money available to spend this includes the casual bidders and those with carryover bids). They have to balance how much can I afford to bid on this item(s)? Is it reasonable with the current market prices? If someone has a bid in ahead of you then you may look for another auction.
There are more reasons that affect market prices. Those indicated above are only some in my opinion. Sorry this got so long.

OrionW wrote: I want to see a no BS fully transparent auction with no semi-secret rollover bids, where at the end of the auction the tracking spreadsheet is shared with everyone that participated including the forum names of the bidders and when they bid. The current secrecy only helps the auction runner - no one else has a clear view of how prices are moving in the process.

In a perfect world that would be great. But letting bidders know who outbid them at the last moment would probably create just more drama (like this thread). Also, the 8K purchase organizer generally only knows the PM names -- which are not always the same as the forum names.

ini wrote:

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

Transparency in bids mechanisms/etc is good. Hard agree on no doxxing.

You can have transparency without reporting moniker identity. Having bid records (spreadsheets with bids), and knowing who it was, are not the same. If bidding info like forum names is desirable, people can run non-anonymous auctions, without monikers.

macxdmg wrote:

ini wrote:

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

Transparency in bids mechanisms/etc is good. Hard agree on no doxxing.

You can have transparency without reporting moniker identity. Having bid records (spreadsheets with bids), and knowing who it was, are not the same. If bidding info like forum names is desirable, people can run non-anonymous auctions, without monikers.

Honestly I've always struggled to see why people wanted monikers unless they were engaged in behavior they wouldn't want associated with their common names.

For my 2 cents, I dont participate in auctions anymore. I cant put my finger on anything specific but they feel exploitive at this point.

Arcanist Kolixela wrote:

macxdmg wrote: Just to put out a slightly opposing opinion. I don’t think anyone should divulge pseudonym info. Doing so would limit my future investment in the game, and is why I do not bid in open auctions. Making it worth my time, like others have in the past, and allowing me to divulge might however get me to individually divulge info such as moniker which I would have less issue with than unhindered public disclosure.

I also don’t appreciate having folks doxed though, and others are okay with random or semi random people having that done to them. I suppose both views have their place, and monikers are not quite the same as phone numbers, legal names, and current address. Unless it gets into a spreadsheet on accident sometime, then it could just be a full doxing. That hasn’t happened on the forums yet though, right?

I'm curious on this. You are upset on bidders having their forum names revealed for who bought what? and you consider this Doxxing? How does that differ from you having an active trade thread?

Or are you thinking people are suggesting that your real name be recorded and released? I do not think anyone is asking for that?

I do not bid in public auctions because of some feedback I’ve received in public forum auctions. I think it was a CoA, and I bid twice, feel free to find it, the feedback was not received publicly and has been deleted. This is not doxxing, though what Bertram said is apt.

The difference between a public auction and a trade thread is that I’ve never received unsolicited advice on where I can put my prices in my trade thread. Not posting prices has helped that also I suppose. That is not true for public auctions, even in non public auctions I have been told that I do not follow the rules, and it has mostly, though not always, worked itself out well.

As for releasing more information than intended, I’ve seen it done on the forums with information, full names (unsure if legal as was not my own), phone numbers and address. When I noticed it I contacted the individual whom posted it to see if the data was left on purpose, and they thanked me and removed it. I don’t even know if it was the person whom I contacted, though it was in a spreadsheet they shared.

I trust Utaku, I trust him enough to run auctions, and enough to bid in auctions, I would also trust if he would like to share spreadsheets to do it without personal data. Having bidding information is something I appreciate also, seeing why Mr cat and Mrs dog won and not me is very interesting, though ultimately it doesn’t help me except in having information provided so I build trust with Matt. If he is forced to report this, or friendly new guy(FNG) is demanded to divulge, I trust Matt to do it correctly, and the FNG I would only be so trusting of. However, if FNG would like to show information with monikers, that self guided interest I suspect would drive personal standards that benefit the community.

Both unwritten social norms and written requirements can guide action organizationally, and the forums are an organization. One of them guides action, through trust, and a bit of Haywards rule 6. One of them shows lack of trust, and deviance that way follows, find the David Zweig Ted talk from 2017. The reward mechanism for “I am doing a good thing for our community” of a thread like this, and the things I’ve seen written here seems like a poor mechanism and I think the OP should know that.

Others have said it better before me, if you don’t care for a persons process, don’t give them bids.

Meanwhile, Mr Utaku, please put me in your que, I’ll let you deal with threads like this and go on with my day.

Just to chime in, Matt Hayward provided the bid sheets. Those were awesome. I really think bid sheets cures transparency. Leave it with the monikers. No need to identify the absolute individual. But to see the path to bids definitely removes some of the more negative impressions.

I really have no issue with rollover but if rollover is not available because five bids came in at the last moment, knowing that the helps

In a live event auction for something, you see the surge so it’s very easy to feel like a level playing field. To make this more transparent, “seeing the surge of demand” levels the field

I have a bid in Casey's auction which is probably my last for the year.

I plan to reassess next year before starting bidding again, but at this point would be more likely to bid in auctions where I know the bid sheet will be released at the end of the auction.

I would prefer that monikers be dropped and forum names be used for auctions, but I am not sure there would be enough bidders to get a fully transparent auction to fund. In one of the auctions I participated in you could get free shipping if you identified who you were after the auction closed. As long as the auction runner could still turn a profit, the free shipping option might be a good compromise - if enough folks took advantage of free shipping it would add the transparency that I am looking for while still letting some bidders remain anonymous.

An auction requiring me to divulge my name as a bidder would be 100% a no go for me.

It’s none of others freakin’ business that I have entered into commerce with another individual. My privacy outweighs third parties feeling the need to police others.

I agree that a personal information redacted post-auction spreadsheet could be helpful to the community, but it also is not a deal breaker to me participating in an auction either.

AAckeret wrote: An auction requiring me to divulge my name as a bidder would be 100% a no go for me.

It’s none of others freakin’ business that I have entered into commerce with another individual. My privacy outweighs third parties feeling the need to police others.

I agree that a personal information redacted post-auction spreadsheet could be helpful to the community, but it also is not a deal breaker to me participating in an auction either.

Auctions across the entire platform that affect dozens of bidders absolutely have a right to know who is actively participating. Private purchases are private, auctions, even on eBay are traditionally open information as to who the high bidder is.

There's no way for anyone on the forum to force your information to be revealed at auction end, but there's not going to stop being requests for visibility across the multiple auctions, especially when auctions run with undisclosed bids rolling over from auction to auction.

If your privacy is more important than the community's want of information take that into account when you participate in auctions. Verify your auction runner will keep your info anonymous.