Are heartlings alright with Cartel activities?

[Paislee]

Your post on the other thread is what is really the only thing to lol about. Whining about other traders having lowers prices as being disrespectful towards you. I am not kidding that is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever read on these boards.

haha its like someone whining about undercuts on a WoW auction. what kind of person gets mad at that

Were you never a jewelcrafter trying to offload your 4839436446 green gems???



But no, I don't generally agree with anything that interferes with free market.

[Aracos]

I do not like Cartel activites and i dont consider them fair, however im against not allowing players to do it.

I dislike murders and raiders but that dsnt mean they should be banned for picking that role, i love this game because its free to do whatever you want and players can make real changes in the world with their decisions, so i would not ban cartel activities or try to control the market by any dev/admin.

However if one day one faction becomes powerfull enough and there isnt a broken siege system it would be cool to see that faction punishing the traders that work as Cartel.

[Horatius]

There may be a misconception about the free market here. Free doesn't necessarily mean everything is allowed. The ultimate goal is to maintain a stable system where trading is fair for customers and producers. That can only be insured if some freedoms are actually forbidden. That's why we have anti-cartel measures in real life, why bribing is frowned upon and punished, etc. It distorts actual market activity in favour of individual gain that is not connected to their success as a producer and seller. Cartel activity in particular causes the problem that the consumers has to pay higher prices for often times needed goods (take gasoline in rl as a recent example) so that the producer can fill his own pockets at the cost of the people who are dependant on the supply for their daily lives.

Hence i voted no on cartel activity in general.
It's still a mystery to me though what this thread aims at since you couldn't even forbid cartels effectively...

Of course this is just the Haven and Hearth economy anyway where nothing is really needed since we are all our own producers and I doubt a cartel currently exists that encompasses all traders. It lies in the nature of quality that some traders will have to go lower than than others with their prices to be appealing to customers or put some extra effort into production so they can sell the best of their quality to remain competitive. Ramones attempt to create a cartel is therefore a doomed endeavour from the start that he can only enforce within his alliance due to the social pressure on all the people involved. If anything he can only convince other traders that they should raises some prices that are very low. Or he can threaten them that Ainran comes by and crushes them. But afaik he hasn't done that. :p
Would be funny if we had an ingame Mafia too now...

[jorb]

... what? Who would disallow it? I don't understand the question at all.

[Tonkyhonk]

... what? Who would disallow it? I don't understand the question at all.

its more like if you would appreciate a cartel or not, if it doesnt make sense.

[jorb]

Depends entirely on what the supposed cartel actually does, I'd say.

[Tonkyhonk]

Depends entirely on what the supposed cartel actually does, I'd say.

would you bother to enlighten us with what the supposed cartel you would appreciate does and what not, with some WoT?

fyi, here is the thread.