what about warps - is 20 ped fair or a rip off? A group of people coming together set prices is market manipulation too. I view warps as worth 5 ped max if it is a shared warp with 3 others. A VIP warp is between the buyer and seller imo and if someone is willing to pay 50 ped then so be it.
While I agree with most of what was said by MrFatBoy re trading, I do feel that yet again I should defend warp ship owners against this ridiculous notion we are grasping profiteers when warp prices are set at 20 ped. Though I do note your qualifying statements re shared warps. please also note scheduled warps may have a lower ticket price but they rely on getting multiple customers to cover that, and to cover those warps to next location where they may have had no customer.
Firstly not every warp provider charges the same rate, but many are similar due to normal market forces, namely charge too much and they fly with someone else. There has as far as I am aware only been one attempt by an owner to get others to price fix in the 7 years I have been an owner. This is however discussed at length in other threads in this forum.
Many people feel that warps are overpriced yet have scant knowledge of what it is that controls that price..
1. Equus and Firebird. These warp capable quads have a warp cost of 3 ped as they have UL drives they simply repair. However they also have thruster decay, and oil usage, which although small should be accounted for.
2. Privateers (pathfinders and starfinders) and Motherships
Warp drive is (L) and cost 3ped TT. However with MU currently around 400% and rising, the actual cost of warp drive usage is at least 12 ped
They also need thruster to get to ship, as most owner/pilots will spend time on planet rather than live 24/7 on the ship. Then there is oil usage during undocking and docking and travel between SS and warp point.
This also presupposes that all warps are successful and that they don't fail and require a second warp. Warp drives operate similarly to TP chips so they may sometimes dump a warpship in a wrong location (usually a mob filled training grounds) requiring a second warp usage and quite possibly some ammo usage to clear a space to turn ship to warp without the warp being interrupted by a mob.
Yes it does happen, not often thankfully, yet recently happened to me twice in one journey and before you ask no this is not because I have low piloting skills, I probably have one of the top 5 in game.
Since the price of the warp has already been paid, owners do not ask more of the customer, they absorb the costs, but that will need to figure in to their pricing, the same as a retailer of fresh food factors in wastage.
Then there is a return on the investment.
Yes owners do expect to earn something towards their investment, just as FAP services do, with only low level fappers working for skills. You want someone that has invested thousands on a fap and the skills to use it, you expect to pay.
Most ship owners have spent time and ped to upgrade their skills especially avoidance, their gunners have also spent time and loads of ped improving skills.
They also upgrade their Structural Integrity to better protect their customers from Pirates. Why should a ship owner be expected to pay for a ship and upgrades to the ship to protect people and get nothing in return. Like everything in life you get the service you pay for.
Then there is time, people expect to pay a fapper for their time, yet strangely seem to think all ship owners work for free. On average from first contact and discussion of the from where to where and how much, to saying goodbye and good luck on arrival, a typical customer takes 20 minutes minimum, and may be 30 or more.
In the event of piracy attacks larger ships may also use gunner and repair crews, these guys usually do it for the fun and pay their own expenses, bless them. But a good owner will try to give something back whether it be discounts on items traded, free ammo, free spacethruster, that is between them, but still an expense.
So next time you think to book a warp, please people consider the time, expense and quality of service you are paying for, think would I do this for almost nothing ?
You always have the option of travelling in a quad or sleipnir if you don't want to pay what is fair