An Important Message About the Equiverse Economy

-nods-
mmm going to change my sales from here on out :D

Well said, nari! I, too, have noticed that art sales just aren't as alive as they used to be, and I was hoping that that would change as well.

I was actually going to be dropping my prices to 25k on my next tag set actually. I'd been considering it for quite some time.

I think part of the art sales dying is perhaps an influx of people putting things up for sale (I am guilty of contributing to that, I know) And the market has become very..saturated. The economy I can't speak for in comparison to old EV, I never got heavily involved and in fact quit for a long time prior to the recode. But, the economy seemed to be thriving when I returned and slowly petered out, and tbh, I attributed at least some of it to the time of year. But prices in any economy should never be stagnant, always adjusting and evolving to fit the current of the supply and demand.

And that is why I was considering for awhile now to drop my own prices. :)

I always ask(ed) for less on whatever I sold, simply because when I was just getting back into the game I noticed art was 50-100k a piece. I thought, "well, I couldn't afford that. No new player could either." And I wanted to give everybody a chance to get a tag!

I think it's more to do with same content than prices most of the time (or high prices on something that isn't really worth that- of course players will avoid that). I have noticed prices going up, signatures have gone from 100k to 150k to 175k, I know I have high prices but my stuff is auctioned the majority of the time. Normal slot sales are standard 50k usually. I notice more designs flooding the market (and not necessarily unique or those with time spent on them, just colours slapped onto lines ollowing the same trends), and not necessarily desirable tags/signatures for sale that aren't really going to sell since the recode. And on the recode, a lot of the players that bought art and stuff were under 13 too, and they can't access that forum anymore, hence the sudden drop in interest. .-.

I agree with this 100%.
I came back, and I tried to sell art and designs. Since being back for over a month, have I sold one piece? No.
It's really sad to see this happen to everyone else.

I would be able to buy more art, tags etc, but I just cannot afford it because I'm not getting any income.

It's a vicious cycle.

Another thing I've noticed, but can't really be controlled, is that only certain artists work really sell well.
But, their art is top notch, so it's to be expected, and well, the demand for their stuff is way up there, but, they can in turn help the economy themselves by lowering their prices/expectations.

Sometimes, I admit, it feels like a popularity contest, but once again, not something that can be controlled, it happens. Just a wee bit frustrating.

Being's the economy for the art world has come to a grinding halt it seems, maybe we can all maybe experiment, maybe work on a bit of a pricing guide? I don't know. It is something that would have to be player done, because mods, and Abbey caaan't really dictate (nor can anyone really) what people sell or ttry to sell their work for, and it would be far from fair for anyone to do so. But I think a price guide might help steer everyone in the right direction

I have always been selling stuff for 30k, since that is just as high as I want my prices. I am not as good as the artists selling for 50k and show that with a lower price.
I am just back now, but will continue my shetland pony lines and sell some penny sale designs and see how it goes. I have been offline for over a month. I've always found my own art hard to sell, and therefore not sell most of my stuff.

Since I don't have the money anymore, I don't bother buying stuff anymore for my characters, which is a huge shame.

I am a very new digital artist & have only had 1 tag sale that was not a collab. I'm not really qualified to comment as an artist, but I feel I'd like to comment as a buyer. I was quite a heavy buyer before the recode. Since we've switched over I've had many instances where I like a piece of art, pay the price & then it takes an extremely long time to receive said piece - if I receive it at all. Now I understand real life comes first & I am very patient. I am currently waiting on 3 tags and one of the artists has had other sales and has been active. I've been waiting for over a month for that artist's tag. These 3 are not the only ones I've had to wait on since the recode. For the most part there was zero communication from the artists part also. This has damped my desire to buy art. Many times even if I like a piece and can afford it I am extremely hesitant to buy. I know that not all artists run their sales like this & I'm sure the large majority get their pieces out within a reasonable time frame. However, for me personally, I cannot help but feel a "once bitten, twice shy" sense come over me when looking to buy.

Thank you for letting me share my opinion!

Valzed, if you don't mind me adding on to that from a fellow buyer perspective...

It's also a major turn off to see an artist seem to fly off the handle over petty mistakes. Refuse refunds for said mistakes, and just...over all be very...uhh...what's the word Im looking for...anyways, when I see certain behaviours I view as very uncalled for, I tend to bite my cheek and avoid buying from those artists, even if the situation had nothing to do with me. It very easily could have been me. (I've made a few mistakes in my time, and feel I've had my chewed off for it.) Another thing I've seen on occassion is the "One person make such and such mistake, then the sale is closed, no refunds, no one gets their art". That sort of thing tends to make me very salty. There's this sense of elitism when I see that thing, and that's something that's always turned me off tbh. So I have personally list of people I will not buy from ever, and yes it's personal boycotts, and in the grand scheme of things only means anything to me, but..I just felt that was something relevant to say, and I probably will make a lot of enemies after typing this. But that's okay! I think it's something that should be brought up and addressed, because I do think that may also play a role in it. I can't help but wonder that if Im feeling a certain way about an artist/situation...how must others feel? The ones on the recieving end?

Obviously you can't control how people choose to conduct and operate, but I think it's more of a respect thing tbh. Yes, it's only pixel money, although, sometimes real money. Credits...people pay real money for those. You don't know how people acquire their credits, but one thing is certain, someone spent real cash to get them somewhere, and by not providing them their services, and they paid for in credits? You are, in my opinion, stealing their real money at worst. Which is not cool. It's poor CSR at best.even with a no refund policy. It's insane.

I think it's relevant to bring all that up because I do absolutley think it plays a role in the flow of the art economy.

Last edited on 2016-06-21 at 13:41:01 by -❆-Buck

Welp, you can count me in c:
50k all the way :D

I hope no one mines me throwing in my two cents

I agree with Buck and Valzed. I have been waiting for some art for over 3 months. 2 pieces I actually ordered before the recode. I consider myself pretty patient, I'm not one who likes to continuously ask someone when it will be done. I usually wait 1 to 2 months if I don't hear anything from them, just to make sure they haven't forgot. I also have a list like Buck mentioned due to being losing money or some players conduct during sales. I have another list of things that I'm owed and if I have paid or not. The increasing tag/sig prices also make me less likely to buy art. I liked on the old EV how most tags were 50k (not including auctions/limited edition tags)

The credit prices seem to be getting quite high. I personally won't pay more than 50k for a credit because when using them to buy art that's what they are valued at. Most artist still consider 1 EVC = 50k. I'm not going to buy EVC for 60k plus just for it to be valued at 50k.

Once more this is just my two cents

I didn't know it had gotten that bad, buck and valzed....

I did hear someone else sold my art on here through some other site, but I still haven't figured out whether that's true or not.

*chants* 50k! 50k! 50k!

Silliness aside, I almost always sell tags for either 50k or for the equivalent single credit. To me, credits are no less important than before cause I love keeping my extra features and if I have more credits to splurge on custom horses, all the better. The only reason I ever price a tag higher is because I have invested a large amount of time and personal energy and emotion into it, and it is simply harder to part with.

I'm trying to keep sigs at an affordable pricing too - since they're three times the real estate of a tag, just multiply by three and the resulting 150k feels fair. That's just my reasoning on it. |D

And as for auctions, I've only tried them a handful of times but I don't like them. It begins to create a situation where only those with the funds can afford to stay in the bidding, and it pushes out people who would gladly pay a flat fee for the art but just can't put out for a high auction cost. I think I will continue to stay away from auctions for that reason.