Trading Post: Difference between revisions

The '''Trading Post''' is where a travelling NPC trader buys '''and''' sells goods at fluctuating prices — a genuine two-way market, not just somewhere to vendor surplus. It is unlocked by purchasing rank 1 of the '''Trader's Charter''' in the [[Shop]]; each further Charter rank adds +25% to the post's daily stock and demand, and the '''Grand Bazaar Pass''' from the [[Exotic Broker]] adds more on top.

* The trader posts fresh quotes each '''market day''' (every 6 hours of game time) — an independent random price roll for every tradeable good, shown on the Trading Post screen as '''Surplus''' (cheap), '''Steady''', or '''In demand''' (expensive).

* Each good's quote sets what he pays if you '''sell''' to him — above the item's plain vendor sell value, so selling to the trader always beats vendoring from the [[Bank]] — and what he charges if you '''buy''' from him: that same quote plus a flat 25% markup.

* Buying isn't just a curiosity: it's a way to stock up for a special order below, and for three endgame gems — '''Deep Sapphire''', '''Ember Topaz''', and '''Abyssal Amber''' — trading is their only use at all, since nothing else in the game consumes them. Pick a good up on a cheap '''Surplus''' day and sell it back once the quote turns '''In demand''' for a real profit.

* Every good has a limited daily '''demand''' (how much the trader will buy from you) and '''stock''' (how much he'll sell you); the two are currently set to the same number for every good, shown as "Daily demand" in the table below. Higher-value, later-tier goods have smaller quantities and tighter price bands, so premium goods swing less and run out sooner than early goods. Both figures grow with Trader's Charter ranks and the [[Exotic Broker]]'s Grand Bazaar Pass — fully upgraded, daily stock and demand triple.

* Prices are bounded against exploits on both sides: what he charges to buy always stays above the item's plain vendor value, so buying from him and immediately vendoring it is always a loss; and what he pays to sell never rises high enough that buying the same good at the [[Shop]] and reselling it to him would turn a profit.

* Every trade — buying or selling, including special orders below — also progresses the Trade Writ [[Contracts]].

The price band shows the full range the day's quote can land in for a good — the low end is roughly a '''Surplus''' day, the high end roughly '''In demand'''. That same quote sets both what he pays you to sell and (plus his 25% markup) what he charges you to buy; it re-rolls independently for each good every market day. '''Demand''' above is also each good's daily '''stock''' (buy) cap, since the two are currently identical for every good.

From Trader's Charter rank 2, the post also posts a rotating '''special order''' each market day — a guaranteed bulk delivery at a '''fixed''' multiplier (up to '''3.0×''' sell value) that doesn't draw on the good's daily demand, so it stacks on top of ordinary selling. For higher-tier goods that fixed multiplier beats even the top of the good's usual price band; for early goods it mainly guarantees the top of the band on demand, without waiting for a lucky market day. There are 16 orders in the rotation, unlocked in three pools by Charter rank — common goods at rank 2, mid-tier goods at rank 3, gems at rank 4; the '''Broker's Book''' ([[Exotic Broker]]) and the '''[[Trader's Seal]]''' relic add extra concurrent order slots.

* [[Items]] — materials and gems traded at the post

* [[Amber]] — spent buying goods, earned selling them