The Mercantile Order of Commerce

[jaycol]

The Mercantile Order of Commerce

                                             
              [The Mercantile Order of Commerce is the beginning of a more organized structure to marketing. Realizing that the different time periods, playing times and familiarity of other players in-game creates a problem in getting information out about the current markets dates, times and locations. So given this I'm going to start a formed Order of Merchants. It is to be a freelance type of organization that works together regardless of affiliation.
               This post or thread, is to help provide players with a guideline to how to set up a market activity as well as provide an in-contact list in which they can contact in order to get the information out to that particular group. After the information is given it can be passed on to their guilds or associates..
                We can then provide a regular setting that we will all be aware of. And if someone wishes to hold a market in another area they can rally participants from a known source of contacts. As a more organized group we can work to better our businesses by expanding the competition through the teaching of our own trail and errors. I always welcomed competition because it always brought me more customers.]


         Jaycol Ironhandt sits in his office. His attention is deeply within the growing stack of paperwork on his desk. He finishes the last few sentences of the one in front of him. He lends back and exhales deeply before grabbing another and starting over again.

             My Fellow Merchants for so long many have worked with me to help bring the wealth of commerce into our good communities. many of you have discussed the concerns of never being notified of any changes or posted plans of a scheduled marketplace. Concerns also were mentioned many times of letting the public know as well.
We have together brought much of the riches of our world into the communities that we reside. Unfortunately we still struggle to make it work successfully for us all.
It is with this concern that I write to you.
              It is my wish and I believe that if we consolidate our efforts together we can improve our businesses and provide our communities with a respectable source of commerce within their boundaries. By doing so we can contact other merchants to join us in a given market and to bring in newer ones to expand our interests.
              I am asking that you join me in forming a Mercantile Order where we can discuss our concerns. That we can work together to make a better flow of commerce within the surrounding communities. I will be discussing this matter at the next few markets to gather interest and support. It is my hope that you will consider my proposal and join me as a merchant of the Order


          [ In short, What I'm looking to do here is to form a contact list of interested players and guilds that merchants can contact in game to get the word out. And to get a few of the other merchants to help to advertise in-game as well if they are going to participate. I would also like to set up some guidelines as to how set up and participate and a market so that new players have a source to go to and a lifeline in-game that they can ask to be tutored about marketing. This will take me some time yet to structure and I will make the necessary adjustments. So please bear with me]

[Requirements of Registration
-Membership of The Mercantile Order of Commerce is free. ( It is a freelance Order of Merchants)
-The only requirement to join is to post here for authentication of your interest
-The Mercantile Order of Commerce is not limited to merchants only, but to all interested parties. (By becoming an interested party, the Order offers an lifeline of communication that can be used to draw assistance and support to other in-game activities. But, don't be surprised if we attach a booth or two before or after such activity)

**WARNING**  Contents are subject to change briefly and without notice to better the existing structure

[jaycol]

Merchant list of contact

       [I'll gather the contact names and place them here. I'll  review them every so often to keep it as updated as possible. If you have any questions on concerning the contact lists please notify me PM or in-game. If you wish for your guild or party to be notified you will have to provide us with a source of contact


Merchant list of Contacts to contact The list here is provided to lend easier access to people in-game, Once you notify a person or group,. They in turn will notify and inform their group or membership. ( through their guild websites chat irc etc) The chain reaction will help us to expand our use of communication to bring players and the activities together. This list is not restricted to Merchants only, but to all interested parties.]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Call of Destiny
    Jaycol Ironhandt
    Pilieser
    Stats
The Woiperdinger Trading Co.:
    - Torias Reethu
    - Thob Ciscon
    - Firiban Frenocco

-Nexus of Devotion-
     Dragnoor
     Inomor
     Perlan

The Organisation
     Carua Toan

Daughters of Xiosia
    Elady

Individual Merchant Contacts
    Harither Nilrave
    Jamek Eimart

[jaycol]

Planning a market


       [I realize that some think there is a lot to it but there really isn't. A market to me is one of the simplest in-game activity to set up. So I'll put my 123's here for anyone interested to follow it. I use pretty much the same guidelines when I do any other activity, so it's kinda simple.]

1)  Date, time, and location
     
      Date:  Pick a date in which you can be sure to be available to hold the activity, and one that suits the crowd that you wish to participate. A small activity may work better during the week as the weekend will bring more players into the scheduled activity.

    Time: Select a time that is convenient for you and allow for an extra hour or two give you time if you need it to set the activity up. Again the time falls into that category of the size and type of participation you wish to involve. The in-game events thread holds the information of what time may be best to suit your time period or interests.

    Location:  The location as it is very important. Look for a place that can support the type of activity in which you are planning. A market for instance needs some space and easy access. It would be best to place it in an area where you can pick up a stray passer by as well as informed participants.

2) Presentation

   Presentation: Presentation provides the theme of the activity. How you present the activity is how you gather interest in what it is your doing. In most cases I would say to make sure it is done in IC so that a good theme can be set for others to join in with.

3) Other

   Other: Other involves any details that the players may need to know in order to participate easily. I do this in OOC to make clear the guidelines of what I wish to make clear. We are a multi-continent community so this step helps all to understand your meaning. This is where I would put the rules or any other necessary information.

4) Advertise

    Advertise: Pretty much what it says. Like anything else you need to sell your activity. Post it here in the forums, tell you friends and have them tell theirs. Get the word out in game. Remember many player don't read the forums, many of the forum users don't play the game. So don't stop here. In game the players play at different time periods so let as many as you can know what is going on.

[That being said I'll use this weekends market as an example]

Market Day
Sunday,12 April 2009
1900GMT- Open
At the Plaza near Harnsquist

                                     A market Day is coming soon to bring us the many rare and exotic items from the far reaches of Yliakum.
                                        Many merchants from outside our fair city will be offering us a display from the smallest gems to the
                                        greatest weapons ever crafted. It is our hopes that you can come join us at the Hydlaa Plaza near the
                                        blacksmith shop [Sunday,12 April, 2009, 1900GMT- Open]

          [Merchants are free to set-up where they find room in the open areas around the blacksmith shop and around the Plaza]



[Well, that's my simple 123's of setting up an activity. I hope it's useful]

[thob]

Merchant list of contact


The Woiperdinger Trading Co.:
    - Torias Reethu
    - Thob Ciscon
    - Firiban Frenocco

You'll find our headquarters at the Stronghand Ridge in Hydlaa.

[carua]

The Organisation
-Carua Toan,Unofficial Market Rep. of The Organisation
Leave a note in fron of Guildhouse eleven,Stronghand Ridge.If anything is needed
(It's ,round the corner from the leather armour traders and across the courtyard from the Woiperdunger also)
[Feel free to contact any of our members for any information]
[@Jaycol:Perhaps,we could continue with our idea to move the market every now and then.Until we find a good place for it to settle,just a suggestion]

[dragnoor]

-Nexus of Devotion-

Dragnoor , Inomor , Perlan.
We would welcome being added to your directory of Traders.
Our Guildhouse is also located at Stronghand Ridge in Hydlaa.

[Nairan]

you can count in

Harither Nilrave.

[jaycol]

* Thanks Carua

[@Jaycol:Perhaps,we could continue with our idea to move the market every now and then.Until we find a good place for it to settle,just a suggestion]

           [I'm with you on that, for there are several reasons to do so. I personally like the East Gate area for a regular area. Mainly for its stability, size and accessibility. The Plaza though stable once in awhile for a big events often react with the moodiness of the server. There is also the need to move interest into other areas of Yliakum. The main concern is to keep the Market operating in the regular fashion that it has developed into. Moving it I feel should be done as a special activity in conjunction with the already existing schedule. Problems in the pass arouse by moving the actual market every time, so to keep it working well I would suggest a different location as a separate entity to the existing market schedule. Maybe a Saturday, once a month or so. Not all merchant have the time and the resources to effectively move quickly to another location.]

[jaycol]

[I made a advertisement that can be used to copy in book form. That will help cut down on my time to hand them out, not that would be a big problem atm but there will always be updates to the existing structure. ]

[-To use this as a loadable text, copy and paste to notebook or whatever program you use. Save, then move the file to the PS books file. That will allow you to load the information into a blank book for your use.]


The Mercantile Order of Commerce


     In order to expand the interest of commerce within our community/communities. Several Merchants have decided to form a freelance Order of Merchants. The advantages are to give a growing source of communication with other merchants and members of the other affiliated Guilds, groups and organizations. This is a chain source of communication that will help to spread to word of our local activities to those hard to reach are
     The Order offers assistance and support to its growing membership, as well as offering our experience as a source of reference.
      It is Our Hope that you will consider the advantages of being a active member of the Mercantile Order of Commerce. Our membership will strive to better the existing communities by bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge and support to the local functions and/or community interests.

                  My Thanks,
                       Jaycol Ironhandt
                       Master Merchant
                       CoD
       

Membership requirements:

[http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=35165.0]

-Membership of The Mercantile Order of Commerce is free. ( It is a freelance Order of Merchants)

-The only requirement to join is to post here for authentication of your interest(Or contact me in-game or send me a PM at the PS forums)

-The Mercantile Order of Commerce is not limited to merchants only, but to all interested parties. (By becoming an interested party, the Order offers an lifeline of communication that can be used to draw assistance and support to other in-game activities. But, don't be surprised if we attach a booth or two before or after such activity)

[* Please feel free to change my name and info to yours if you so desire]

[jaycol]

Participating in a market

                [This is by no means written in stone or a set structure of rules. The information is based on my experiences in game. From the things that I observed or experimented with. many of the older merchants already have their set format that works for them. This is basically directed to the new player who is interested in participation]

- Participation only requires the desire to do so as well as a few items to sell

- a booth or stand can be made simply by finding a good place to stand with your character

- Books are available in-game to display the type of items that you wish to sell if you wish to use one

-The type of item is not important as I have seen all things sale at one time or another. rare items sell better then small easy to get items. But if it is in-game it can be sold.

- Pay attention to the other merchants and their prices, as well as the ever going auctions. This will give you an idea of the availability of certain items and the existing price range of the item.(example; If an apple regularly goes for 5 trias, chances are your not going to sell it for 100,000 trias. But, you never know. I seen stranger things.

- Learn who the local merchants are. (Local merchants carry an array of items, and are often willing to help you find or trade certain items. Good relationships with them is beneficial to both you and them)

- Booth displays are nice, but not necessary to be successful at selling an item. They do give a good eye catcher for passersby.
*Never place rare or valuable items on display if your not willing to lose it!( crashes, reboots and other weird things do happen and things do walk away)
(The downfalls to a good display, may cause lagg in the effected map of the market and effect game play of yourself and other players. Some older players will ask merchants to reduce the numbers of a dis[play of that happens on a large scale. If your customers can't play near you, it will effect the amount of business you get.)

- Barter for an item. This helps increase RP within a market place and is often very fun if you let yourself haggle on a price or trade. I have let things go at a steal at times for the entertainment value of a good haggling session. It also gets the attention of new customers. So don't be set in your ways.

- Use Auction to advertise your interest or items. Auction has very good range in a city environment.
  *Please, And I stress do not use shout during a scheduled activity to advertise your wares. The shout clogs up the main chat and restricts RP of all surrounding players. ( If you can't talk to a customer it's doubtful that you'll be able to sell an item. Most players will not participate with you if you are disrupting their play. So leave the main chat open for RP)

[* Again, This is not written in stone. It is a basic list of tips to help you join into an activity that you may be interested in participating in]

[jaycol]

Regular market
Sunday, 10 May, 2009
1900GMT-2200GMT
East Gate area


                             The Mercantile Order of Commerce have discussed the affairs of the regular market, and have decided to our best interests
                         to relocate back to the Grounds inside the East Gate along the Merchants Road. We appreciate the corporation of all of Yliakum's 
                         merchants, and of course our valued customers. Our move has been planned due to the unregistered practice of magic in the plaza
                         area, causing much concern from the Merchants and attending citizen's. The air has held some residue of the mixed magic creating
                         some unforeseen and uncomfortable effects upon the surrounding participants of the regular market. We apologize for the
                         inconvenience of the effects and of the rescheduled relocation. We hope you will find your way to join us and share in the bounty
                         that commerce offers to our communities.

                                                                                                                     Sincerely,
                                                                                                                           Jaycol Ironhandt

[* Not really, The move is in accordance to the concerns that have arisen due to overcrowding the Plaza and the lag it has caused during the market. The East Gate area is more responsive(Stable) to hold a larger crowd and the larger displays of merchant wares then the Plaza map is. The last market resulted in several crashes and heavy lag making it hard for some to talk let alone participate. So the move is actually for the convince of the Merchants and the security of their wares, as well as to cater to the comforts of their valued customers. Thanks! Hope to see you there.]

[jaycol]

[* I have talked to several players in-game about the Mercantile Order of Commerce. Several have wished to Rp that out with me. I do prefer that interested parties post their interest here as well as the RP in-game. Mostly for authentication of your interests in be added. This will help to let players that don't know you to see for themselves that you or your party wish to be informed.(again not necessary, but helps) I will reconfirm those that contacted me in-game before adding them here.]

[ The Mercantile Order of Commerce is not limited to Merchants. It is designed to provide an inter-communication network in the game. Many regular merchants are very active and have a long list of customers that they can reach. It is a valued resource to myself as it is to them. If you are planning an activity(event) you may wish to contact one and ask for their assistance in advertisement. Advertisement is after all Marketing, and no one talks the talk better then an established merchant. So it doesn't hurt to ask.]

                                                                                                         My Thanks,
                                                                                                              jaycol

[Elady]

I'm interested in being more involved as a seller. Think I'll switch to crafted food items since the market for weapons seems to be  a bit crowded.

[Donari Tyndale]

* Tolian Tyndale signs the letter of interest "I, Sir Tolian Tyndale, would like to join the Mercantile Order of Commerce."

[dragnoor]

[fantastic posts jaycol welldone]
I for one wholly support Jaycol in his endeavours to establish a permanent market day in Hydlaa. As the MarketMaster has pointed out due to concerns with casters of magery in the plaza, we plan to move the venue to East hydlaa [to avoid lag]. The merchantile Order of Commerce will ensure fair play & a safe location for the event.