Bundling in trade

[Tim Armstrong]

The trade market supports simple pricing for individual resources and credits. It would be interesting to be able to offer product bundles on the market. Perhaps a player could create specific bundles for a given activity such as:

• a bank bundle that includes the 5 steel and 10 aluminum that are needed to build a bank,
• an iron dome project bundle that includes the 500 aluminum, 1,250 steel, and 500 gas that are needed to build the ID,
• a war chest bundle that includes 1,000 gas, 1,000 steel, 1,000 aluminum, and 10,000 food

I like the idea of a nation having the opportunity to implement multiple pricing strategies for the resources and credits that they are selling. Thoughts?

[Ayayay]

I fail to see the point tbh, why can't someone just buy the resources individually?

[Tim Armstrong]

Well, they could. The point is that bundling would make the market less efficient and make it possible to get higher profits as a seller or to find arbitrage opportunities as a buyer (who may also be a reseller). 

 

As nations grow larger and their growth goals become more expensive it becomes easier to get bored or disengaged with the game. I thought about this as a way to make the market a little less transparent and allow for a single nation to have more than one price for the resources and credits that it sells.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Tim Armstrong

[Ayayay]

Well, they could. The point is that bundling would make the market less efficient and make it possible to get higher profits as a seller or to find arbitrage opportunities as a buyer (who may also be a reseller). 

 

As nations grow larger and their growth goals become more expensive it becomes easier to get bored or disengaged with the game. I thought about this as a way to make the market a little less transparent and allow for a single nation to have more than one price for the resources and credits that it sells.

Problem is the bundle prices would be astronomically high. It would be far easier to buy a little bit over time as opposed to sitting on a bunch of cash for no real reason.

[Pfeiffer]

Only real problem I see is the exponential expansion of drop down items on the trade page.

[Grillick]

I've never heard anyone argue in favor of a suggestion on the basis that it's less efficient. Well done, Tim!

[Tim Armstrong]

I've never heard anyone argue in favor of a suggestion on the basis that it's less efficient. Well done, Tim!

 

Lemme break this down for you, Grillick.

 

Efficient markets = transparency and low margins

 

Inefficient markets = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Tim Armstrong]

I should probably have started this off by saying that this is a big sky idea on making the trade market more dynamic. My thinking is that a more dynamic market could achieve the following:

• Create more mispriced resources and credits, which would allow for more players to engage as active traders.
• Provide a way to move less desirable resources by making them part of a package deal.
• Offer convenience to those players who prefer a one-stop purchase for specific resources to achieve a nation goal. 
• Maximize profits for sellers by allowing multiple prices for resources depending on the buyer and situation.
• Build large lot discounts into the global trade market.
• Reward qualitative review of resources available as opposed to the current market that rewards automating trades with market trade tools.
• Encourage creativity in bundling resources for sale.

Basically, trade could become a place to spend more time as a player if there were more things we could do there. 

 

 

Problem is the bundle prices would be astronomically high. It would be far easier to buy a little bit over time as opposed to sitting on a bunch of cash for no real reason.

 

Nations could make up any kind of bundle that they wanted whether small or large.

 

Only real problem I see is the exponential expansion of drop down items on the trade page.

 

Perhaps just a heading in the drop down called "Deals". Then the long list would follow as it does now.