I have created a Trading post website. Any shop owner can add their shop and set the prices of the items they buy and sell.
For each item, you can view, the selling price, buying price, supply, and demand of all the shops that have chosen to join and have updated their listings within the last 96 hours.
The trading post also has an API for anyone that wishes to create applications with the information found on the site, the API documentation can be found here: https://boundlessskill.com/shops-api
Any suggestions are welcome!
Are you a shop owner? Want to get your information added to the catalog?
As of now there are a few requirements to get your shop and its items listed:
You need at least 10 shop stands or request baskets ( or combination of both)
The shop must be “near” a portal hub or have a portal on the hub. (This is to make it easier for customers to find your shop)
If you are an interested shop owner, message me on here with the following information:
Shop Name
Shop Owner (Character name that owns the plots)
Planet where the shop is located
Coordinates
Directions (For example: PS Hub on Grovidias Te, On second tier behind the Biitula portal)
Whether you want Google Sheet access, API access, or both.
If you want Google Sheet access, Your email (A Google Sheet unique to your shop will be shared with you, this is where you will update pricing at any time to the website)
If you are unable to private message on the forums due to a newly created account then reply to this post that you need help getting a shop setup. I will message you and you can reply with the above information.
Congrats on the site. Looks like a good one. But…
I don’t know. I don’t want to be a downer. I’ll probably use it and even contribute…but does anyone else feel like this kind of thing goes against the spirit of the game?
I mean, I’ve been spamming my personal “ad” all over the board, so I have no room to talk.
But I hate the idea that sites like this means players will no longer be forced to walk from store to store to compare prices. That can only lead to stagnant pricing. The wild swings in price is one of the things that make this game work and I want people getting lost in an attempt to find something new…
Meh, I’ve said my piece on this before. Ignore my ramblings.
I mean, I hate that people use Discord, too. However that works. [Old man shaking fist]If it’s not in the game it doesn’t belong!!! [/OMSF]
Well the site only works if the shop owner updates the google spreadsheet attached to their data on the site. If they don’t update it, but then update their shop… their data on the site is not reliable.
Even so, there’s going to be a lot of folks who just don’t put their shop on the site (which I think would be odd). So because of that there’s still plenty of reasons to look around and explore hubs for additional shops.
Personally, I like having that knowledge of where a good deal can be found without anyone else knowing about it. The wandering around can be rewarding as you might snag a bargain… and on occasion a shopkeeper may be able to sell for a higher price than the norm. It’s not price gouging by a seller - it’s presenting opportunities on both sides with supply and demand… Not a flat “the price should be this and nothing else” scenario.
This is one of the main reasons why I never added shops and prices to Boundless Crafting.
The problem is people can auto add stores to other sites or trackers could be popping up to auto scan various stores and list the prices when people figure out how if at all possible in the games current condition.
You may not like it but it’s something many people want and will progress with or without your permission as has happened in similar games without a central auction house / market scanner.
I think your heart is in the right place. However, what mechanims are in place to stop people from manipulating prices? I can see this tool being used for so much bad.
If shop owners are found to be consistently posting incorrect prices or quantities then their store will be removed from the site. If you can think of another way this site could be abused please message me privately so I can implement ways to monitor and detect the negative behavior.
It seems like there’s still a little bit of fear when it comes to shops competing with one another. It isn’t like every shop is buying up all their materials to make their items with to sell to people, at least I hope that isn’t the case.
Competition breeds innovation. That innovation leads to lower prices. Lower prices is good for every player. Even if that lower price makes an item 500c cheaper, it still is better.
Sites like Boundless Skill can be used in a lot of different ways. You can use it to price check what competition is doing for certain items and then window shop around to see if their prices match up to something reasonable. Like if the price of their Soft Coal looks good compared to the Compact Soft Coal price. If it doesn’t make sense, probably means there are other items that are off in pricing.
The other side of it is the site allows you to drive traffic to the shop. Increased footfall coin and increased shop stand sales.
As far as it preventing people from exploring and looking for other shops, I doubt that is going to happen. I would still look for shops for good prices even if it wasn’t on a shop listing site. It just means I have less to spreadsheet tracking.
I welcome these kinds of things people want to create. Just creates more opportunity for me.