Corison wrote:
Note that as a Jeweler I look at the cost to BUY inks, not make them.
Then why are you arguing with me? Hasn't it been obvious from the beginning that I'm talking about the costs associated with *making* the inks?
Corison wrote:
Exception:
Tier 1 and 2 Ink has always been an exception to general ink reviews. Anyone that needs this tier of ink has always been able to make it. So the market here has always been a bit higher because only people with extra funds looking to rush production every buy low tier inks. Also the extra cost is trivial for a real Alt who has 2-3 pp to spend, but totally out of the ballpark for new players.
Now take a look at what I posted directly above you...
"RussoEQ" wrote:
My "audience"? Simple. It's people who are in a hurry to craft spells, either just to have them, or to level up a tradeskiller, and they realize that they can save 62% of the amount of time it takes to create a spell by simply purchasing the pre-crafted ink (5/8 of the combines involved in making a spell are now related to making the ink alone. That is 62% of the total amount of time dedicated to making a spell).
Corison wrote:
So I guess your right, if you want to look at T1 inks they have gone from what 122 copper to.. oh wait 122 copper. Now mind you most of the cost is tied into raw components so smart shopping could cut that in half. Removing the low level alchemy WORTS was annoying, but 7 copper usually is not a problem. 
That price you quoted isn't in the ballpark on Mistmoore. The old cost of components only, for Tier 1 ink, was 48 copper per vial of ink (averaging the cost of Rough Malachite/Lead Cluster). The *new* cost of Tier 1 ink is 82 copper (averaging the cost of Malachite/Lead, Tuber/Roots, etc.)
(Prices specific to Mistmoore server only)
Old breakdown:
- Candles required for 1 final vial of ink (3 @ 6cp/unit = 18cp)
- Shaped Chloro Wash from merchant (1 @ 7cp/unit = 7cp)
- Shaped Chloro Oil from merchant (1 @ 7cp/unit = 7cp)
- Rough Malachite/Lead Cluster (1 @ average of 16cp/unit = 16cp)
Total = 48cp over the course of 3 combines.
Time per combine: Average 45 seconds.
Total time for 1 vial of ink: (3 @ 45secs = 135 seconds)
New breakdown:
- Candles required for 1 final vial of ink (5 @ 6cp/unit = 30cp)
- Raw Tuber for wash from player (1 @ average of 12cp/unit = 12cp)
- Raw Roots for oil from player (1 @ average of 12cp/unit = 12cp)
- Rough Malachite/Lead Cluster (1 @ average of 16cp/unit = 16cp)
- Aerated Mineral water (2 @ 6cp/unit = 12cp)
Total = 82cp over the course of 5 combines.
Time per combine: Average 45 seconds.
Total time for 1 vial of ink: (5 @ 45secs = 225 seconds)
Difference in time: 225 seconds represents a 66% increase in time over 135 seconds. Pretty close to the figure I quoted in an earlier post. Again, these are averages. Some combines are faster than others, and some are much longer. [Edit: You can see that I used the same figure for average combine time on both examples, so the actual time to combine is irrelevant. The % increase in labor remains the same as long as the proportion doesn't change, which in this case it doesn't.]
So, not only has the cost nearly doubled, but the workload has increased by 66%. That doesn't translate into lower prices to the consumer in ANY business that I'm currently aware of.
Now, I can sometimes (I repeat...SOMETIMES) find the raw materials on sale for much less than the average. But *many* times I find them on sale for far greater than the average I listed (I don't work with average costs in my spreadsheet. I calculate *precisely* what each vial costs me to make on the day I make it.) The prices I listed above were for my last "batch", and represent a decent cross-section of prices. Could I have waited for better prices on the raw materials? Sure could have. But then my "shop" would be closed that day, wouldn't it?
Once again, you're missing what I believe is the primary point. The *time it takes to make ink* just increased substantially. The cost of materials is MINISCULE next to the cost of labor. I don't know how else to emphasize that, nor how many times I have to repeat it. So here's a full-page ad version: IT'S NOT THE COST OF MATERIALS THAT PRIMARILY DETERMINEs THE COST OF A PRODUCT.
Corison wrote:
As for your price estimate, 1 Gold is insane for a Tier 1 Apprentice spell. You can get Adepts for 40 silver most nights if you shop around at that tier.
Not on Mistmoore. Only the *most common* of Adepts are on sale for less than 1g. App IV spells (Tier 1 and 2) sell for between 75sp and 1.25gp.
The numbers just don't bear you out, Corison. I'm sorry. And neither do my sales records, thank God. Because if your numbers were anywhere CLOSE to the truth, I'd give up tradeskilling so fast it would make Sony's head spin ;)
Edited, Sat Mar 12 06:05:09 2005 by RussoEQ