We need a central marketplace

[KernelDamagement]

I've been hoping we have a central marketplace where all the players can put their stuff for sale or buy from someone else.
I know there are shops in most towns but you need to teleport to them and it costs money. It's $10 - $20 each time which is not much but it would be a lot if you want to check out multiple towns.
Also there are other problems with shops in a town. For instance you live in a small town and not many people even know it, which is common since there are just too many towns in this server and most of them are tiny with less than 5 residents. So your items may never get sold simply because there aren't buyers coming to your town at all!

One of the towny servers I've played on had a perfect solution (at least I think so). They have a central town owned by the staff that everyone can teleport to it for free. There are flea markets and shops in the central town. Everyone can put a chest and set up a sign shop in the flea markets, which is also free but a player can only have a certain number of sign shops in the flea market. If someone wants to do some serious business, he or she can rent a plot in the central town and build his or her own shops on it.

I like the idea of central town so much. It's also good for the economy of a server. It encourages players to trade with other players since you can simply teleport to the central town any time you want ?? it costs no money and you don't even need to think about it before you teleport. It also introduces competition and stabilizes prices. Players would be able to compare prices easily and that someone prices twice as much as all the others simply would not work.
In some sense, it helps new players get started in a server quickly and easily as well. New players can buy stuff, which is impractical for them to get, from flea markets or shops easily. (You might argue with that but a game should be fun. If the process is not fun for some players, they should have the right to simply skip it.)

I would like to know what you guys think. Let me know if you have any questions about this idea.

[Migas]

I have a market in my town. You're invited to join it if you want. A 20$ fee is small and if we had a central marketplace in the server would certainly have a fee too.

[KernelDamagement]

$20 is not much but my point is that you might not find things you want in just one town and tons of money would be wasted on teleporting to multiple towns (so it would be $100 teleporting to five towns).

The other thing is that sometimes you're not looking for a specific item and you just want to check out what other players are selling. If it would cost hundreds of dollars doing this I don't think anyone would actually do it.

With a central marketplace, sure you can have a fee for teleporting to it, say it's $20. It's still much better than $100. Also one important thing about a central marketplace is that you don't need to remember who's selling what in which town any more. So you won't waste your money teleporting to a town and find out they don't have the stuff you want or they don't even have any shops.

[Migas]

I don't understand how people would teleport to 10 towns when they know that at least 2 towns have marketplaces on it. Those marketplaces keep getting advertised online. Also there are warps for it in multiple towns.

In my market, I already have about 8 player's shop + mine, so there's a great variety of items to sell. If people start joining either mine or Elle's marketplace, it would get more  and more advertised by the shop owners.

[KernelDamagement]

But what about people who want to sell stuff? Can non-residents have shops in your town?

[Migas]

Yeah, I set up my shop plots as embassies and then later change them as shop plots. I think Elle does the same!

So everyone with a town (basically almost every active player) can have a shop there.

[KernelDamagement]

I didn't know that. How much do you charge for a shop plot? Or is there a tax on shops?
I'd like to have a shop in your town if the pricing is not too bad . I've got tons of stuff for sale.

[Migas]

When you're online you can ask me for information. I have a Market rules board on each side of the market that can be helpful for you.

[Fedgar_Lurch]

Also we have the Auction house now, So you can sell you items there and people can pop in whenever they like to buy whatever they fancy.

I have always supported the idea of a central marketplace. I have been waiting for someone to present me with a reasonable plan for creating it. Bazaar was supposed to be exactly what you said but it never panned out.

[NeonLove]

We now have an Auction House from a plugin recently updated so you can go there by /auction     
There is also Many and by many i mean plenty of player shops at different locations in the server. We have markets in Iberia and Grizedale. We have /shop and many other places to buy new gear.

[Fedgar_Lurch]

Well I think he is saying its hard to know where stuff is. Which I get. Like there can be 300 shops but if you dont know where they are... how can you buy things?

[polsonator2]

I thought Iberia was already going to be kinda the premier marketplace

[Migas]

Like there can be 300 shops but if you dont know where they are... how can you buy things?

Yeah... Iberia and Grizedale are already advertising their Marketplaces at forums and in-game. If a player cannot find them, it's their own fault.

[Ellemenopeanuts]

Migas, haven't we both said as well that it's up to the player to tastefully advertise their market shop?

[Migas]

Migas, haven't we both said as well that it's up to the player to tastefully advertise their market shop?

Exactly. And at least on my town's market, some people have done it.