nindon
04-27-2013, 04:20 AM
I am not quite ready to offer ensorcelling services to the public, but I will be soon. In preparation, I would like your opinions on my pricing model. Please give me your comments on whether or not you think this is a good idea and what problems you foresee.
I call it "economy ensorcelling" because I will charge a nonrefundable fee payable in advance for each attempt I make to ensorcel an item plus a larger fee contingent upon completion of the project. As you may know, an unsuccessful attempt consumes 5% of the energy that is required for a successful attempt. In exchange for shifting the cost of failure to the customer, I plan to charge less overall than prices I have seen elsewhere.
On average, this pricing model will result in higher prices for difficult items than for easy items, because I will have to make multiple attempts on difficult items.
Tier|Per Attempt|Upon Completion
T0 to T1|25,000|475,000
T1 to T2|40,000|760,000
T2 to T3|55,000|1,045,000
T3 to T4|72,500|1,377,500
T4 to T5|95,000|1,805,000
The above prices are just for discussion purposes, and I may change them before actually offering the service.
Here's how it will work. I will do a test cast on the item for no charge and tell you the probability of success using the phraseology that the game gives me, not an actual percentage number (see this (http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?80647) for examples). In doing the test cast, I will not use enhancives or take the item to a magic workshop. After you know the probability of success, if you decide not to proceed, then I will return your item and we will part ways. If you want me to proceed, then I will collect the nonrefundable per-attempt fee. After collecting the per-attempt fee, I will put on my enhancives and take the item to a workshop where I will attempt to channel a permanent ensorcellment. If it works, then I will exchange your ensorcelled item with you for the completion fee. If I do not succeed, then I will let you decide whether or not I should make a second attempt; if you want me to make another attempt, then I will collect another nonrefundable per-attempt fee and try again. If you do not want me to make a second attempt, then I will return your item and keep the per-attempt fee that you paid me for the first attempt. Until I run out of necrotic energy, I will make as many attempts as you are willing to pay for. Did I mention that the per-attempt fee is nonrefundable?
I will only do one tier per customer. I cannot currently do enhancive or sanctified. I also cannot do items that resist magic. I will be able to tell you before making the attempt if your item resists magic.
For example, if you bring me an item that has previously been ensorcelled to tier 2, then I will do a test cast and tell you the probability of success. If you want to proceed, then I will collect 55,000 silvers, put on my enhancives and go to a workshop to attempt the permanent ensorcellment. If it fails and you want me to try again, then I will collect another 55,000 silvers and try again. If it succeeds on the second attempt then I will exchange your item with you for the T3 completion fee of 1,045,000 silvers. In this example, you will have paid me a total of 55,000 + 55,000 +1,045,000 = 1,155,000. If I had succeeded on the first attempt, then you would have paid a total of 55,000 + 1,045,000 = 1,100,000.
I have three main concerns about doing it this way:
1. It's complicated. People may get confused about the nonrefundable fee, because it's a different model than people are accustomed to with enchanting mages.
2. Depending on what town I'm in, the customer may not be able to watch me attempt to channel a permanent ensorcellment because the customer may not be able to accompany me to the workshop in the sorcerer guild. If I fail, then the customer could think I didn't try at all and just claimed that it failed to collect another per-attempt fee. I'm thinking about only doing ensorcelling in towns where there is a public workshop, but I'm not sure public workshops are as good as those in the sorcerer guild.
3. For tier 5 projects, I may not have enough energy to make a second attempt. Because of that concern, I am considering limiting my work to tier 4. I do not want to end up holding your item for weeks while I work on it, as mages must do with their enchanting projects. Some time in the next week, I should know whether or not T5 is the overall cap.
Because I will only be able to do a few of these projects per year, I do not think my work will have any effect on the market price being charged by other sorcerers. When I am ready, I will post in the fixed price folder and take whatever customer publicly responds first. I think this model is reasonable and fair to both the customer and the sorcerer.
Before I offer this service to the public, I feel obligated to give Roblar the first opportunity. I did an ensorcellment for him earlier and charged him a lot more than these prices.
I call it "economy ensorcelling" because I will charge a nonrefundable fee payable in advance for each attempt I make to ensorcel an item plus a larger fee contingent upon completion of the project. As you may know, an unsuccessful attempt consumes 5% of the energy that is required for a successful attempt. In exchange for shifting the cost of failure to the customer, I plan to charge less overall than prices I have seen elsewhere.
On average, this pricing model will result in higher prices for difficult items than for easy items, because I will have to make multiple attempts on difficult items.
Tier|Per Attempt|Upon Completion
T0 to T1|25,000|475,000
T1 to T2|40,000|760,000
T2 to T3|55,000|1,045,000
T3 to T4|72,500|1,377,500
T4 to T5|95,000|1,805,000
The above prices are just for discussion purposes, and I may change them before actually offering the service.
Here's how it will work. I will do a test cast on the item for no charge and tell you the probability of success using the phraseology that the game gives me, not an actual percentage number (see this (http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?80647) for examples). In doing the test cast, I will not use enhancives or take the item to a magic workshop. After you know the probability of success, if you decide not to proceed, then I will return your item and we will part ways. If you want me to proceed, then I will collect the nonrefundable per-attempt fee. After collecting the per-attempt fee, I will put on my enhancives and take the item to a workshop where I will attempt to channel a permanent ensorcellment. If it works, then I will exchange your ensorcelled item with you for the completion fee. If I do not succeed, then I will let you decide whether or not I should make a second attempt; if you want me to make another attempt, then I will collect another nonrefundable per-attempt fee and try again. If you do not want me to make a second attempt, then I will return your item and keep the per-attempt fee that you paid me for the first attempt. Until I run out of necrotic energy, I will make as many attempts as you are willing to pay for. Did I mention that the per-attempt fee is nonrefundable?
I will only do one tier per customer. I cannot currently do enhancive or sanctified. I also cannot do items that resist magic. I will be able to tell you before making the attempt if your item resists magic.
For example, if you bring me an item that has previously been ensorcelled to tier 2, then I will do a test cast and tell you the probability of success. If you want to proceed, then I will collect 55,000 silvers, put on my enhancives and go to a workshop to attempt the permanent ensorcellment. If it fails and you want me to try again, then I will collect another 55,000 silvers and try again. If it succeeds on the second attempt then I will exchange your item with you for the T3 completion fee of 1,045,000 silvers. In this example, you will have paid me a total of 55,000 + 55,000 +1,045,000 = 1,155,000. If I had succeeded on the first attempt, then you would have paid a total of 55,000 + 1,045,000 = 1,100,000.
I have three main concerns about doing it this way:
1. It's complicated. People may get confused about the nonrefundable fee, because it's a different model than people are accustomed to with enchanting mages.
2. Depending on what town I'm in, the customer may not be able to watch me attempt to channel a permanent ensorcellment because the customer may not be able to accompany me to the workshop in the sorcerer guild. If I fail, then the customer could think I didn't try at all and just claimed that it failed to collect another per-attempt fee. I'm thinking about only doing ensorcelling in towns where there is a public workshop, but I'm not sure public workshops are as good as those in the sorcerer guild.
3. For tier 5 projects, I may not have enough energy to make a second attempt. Because of that concern, I am considering limiting my work to tier 4. I do not want to end up holding your item for weeks while I work on it, as mages must do with their enchanting projects. Some time in the next week, I should know whether or not T5 is the overall cap.
Because I will only be able to do a few of these projects per year, I do not think my work will have any effect on the market price being charged by other sorcerers. When I am ready, I will post in the fixed price folder and take whatever customer publicly responds first. I think this model is reasonable and fair to both the customer and the sorcerer.
Before I offer this service to the public, I feel obligated to give Roblar the first opportunity. I did an ensorcellment for him earlier and charged him a lot more than these prices.