Shopping for items

[Merl]

I guess you can say I am quite the average player. I deposit when necessary, play as economically as I can, enjoy a few "damn the torpedoes" hunting trips every now and again and I buy things when I have the need to.

I used to buy from the auction almost exclusively as there were very few shops that had the item I needed in stock. Sometimes I did business on the streets of PA or Twin, but that was occasional at best. Then with the advent of Malls, there was a huge selection out there and despite the closing of quite a few retail establishments, there are still plenty of options.

The Problem I have is that I really don't have the time to visit 15 - 20 shops all over Eudora or Amethera to see if the item(s) I want is in stock or which has the best price. Just the other day it took me nearly 90 minutes just to find and price compare a few MD-202's.
I don't want to spend my time shopping for something I know I want to purchase, I just want to find it and buy it at the best possible price. So now i find myself turning back to the auction where its easier to price compare and make a purchase and be on my way.

If shops want to draw in business, they need to find a way to advertise their goods and prices for all to see. The current ad system does not work this way.

I would love to go up to an "Ad Terminal" and type in what I want, say Ore amps 103's and have it list all the shops that have them in stock and their current selling price. I can then make the purchase and go there to pick it up or go there and make the purchase. Either way, it would be beneficial to the players and MA who collects taxes on the purchases.

And while I am at it, the ability to sell and buy a group of individual items together would be a smart thing to do, no? Imagine selling or buying a whole set of armor or an EP 41 with an A104 amp, Abrer site and Cinclair scope?

Not trying to rant, just giving my opinion on what would make things a little better for the players.

 

[Nitrosomonas]

if all shops would be accessible through 1 single terminal, what would be the difference with auction

 

[Merl]

In auction, one has to adhere to auction rules, there is an end time and only some items have buy outs. Shops are all buy outs. I am not saying that one has to even buy it from the terminal.

Think of the terminal like a website similar to CNET or something similar where all retialers who are selling the item you are looking for are listed, with their selling price, shipping chaarges, tax and item availability.

Once I search and find that Joe Smith is selling MD-202's in his shop for 75ped, I log off the terminal and go to the shop where I make the purchase.

 

[Oleg]

I think the best way to do it is to get to know a few good shops that sell stuff you buy regularly.

For L weapons I have one place I always go to as a first stop because I can usually get a good deal there, and a couple of other shops which I'll try if it's not in the first shop or if I want to see if I can get a better price.

You might need to do some running around to begin with, but make some notes on which shops are potentially useful for you and it'll be much easier next time. I was doing exactly that last night, trying to find some places that might be a good supplier of tailoring materials.