Here's a short editorial posted on EQ Enchanter in reference to jewlery
pricing with a nice reference to the United Blacksmiths of Britannia (ultima
online). I thought it would be nice to post here so more people might see
it and comment. Notice this was written by Alaya of Fenin Ro.
Azara
Shawn A.
http://www.baelish.aust.com/everquest/standard.htm
Standardized Jewelry Pricing is Needed Now! by Alaya of Fenin Ro
Hail fellow Enchanters! A long time ago, in a galaxy few now remember with
fondness... It is the Dark Ages. Lord British rules the land on a shard
called Atlantic. There were many trades in this land, and although some were
mind-numbingly repetitive, the citizens of the land still ground out their
trade, day by day, hoping and wishing for the gods to grant them a higher
level of skill. One such trade was Blacksmithing. As the months went on, it
became known to the people that Blacksmithing had been touched by the hand
of the gods, and now the hard working tradesmen could make armor and weapons
better than those in any store. Inevitably, the trade became more
popular...the supply rose...the prices of the items dropped, and the
tradesmen who had worked for their skill were not happy. Then came the
United Blacksmiths of Britannia. The UBB (as it came to be known) was a
coalition of these tradesmen, and they brought honor to the trade. They
established a uniform pricing system, fair and reasonable, so that most
could afford their quality wares, and the tradesmen would still be rewarded
for their hard-won skill. I would like to propose something similar for us,
in this new land called Norrath. As we, The Enchanters, are the ones that
control the Jewelry trade, perhaps we can come to agreement on what pricing
is fair and reasonable to our patrons, while still allowing for us to make a
good profit for our trouble. As Azara outlined in the editorial "So You Want
To Sell Cheap Jewelry?", we are in danger of allowing our craft to fall
victim to price slashing and subsequent deflation. Baelish has already done
us the favor of creating a centralized location for us to exchange ideas and
gather information. I propose a new section to the Everquest Enchanters, the
Jewelry price chart, for completed items. The prices can be debated and
agreed upon in the forum. If we do not take this step, I fear our craft,
which we have already put so much time and money in to, will soon be
worthless...or at least, worth much less. Thank you for your time, Alaya,
Enchantress and Jewelcrafter, Fennin Ro.