Notifications for point changes on Offers.....

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sinnr Posted: 03-11-2010 9:49 AM

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As a seller, it would be very convenient for me to be notified of point changes on items that I am ofering.  I presently get the notifications for my requests, but not for items I'm offering.  I've looked at my settings and I didn't see any options for changing this. 

Obviously, there are items that I, as a seller, list because of their point value.  When that value decreases, it may affect my decision to list.    It would seem that users would generally be as interested in seeing point value changes on offers as on requests.

I did look for previous threads and didn't see anything on this subject, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss it.

Thanks......

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I-Weapon-X replied on 03-11-2010 10:54 AM

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I remember there being a reason why there wasn't an email doing just that but i can't seem to recall it

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mattxmatt replied on 03-11-2010 12:35 PM

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I totally agree with this. I just got a notice that one of my offers had been accepted, but the point value was less than it was when I listed it. Obviously values are going to change but after a certain point it's not worth it.

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mattxmatt replied on 03-11-2010 12:41 PM

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I had another thought as to why this feature would be important. Assuming that the point value is at least somewhat based on demand, if you are far enough down on the list of offers, it's pretty much guaranteed that you are not going to get the point value that you listed it for since the demand will have dwindled by the time it gets to you on the list.

Logically this makes sense but it does feel somewhat misleading without the notices discussed in this thread

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sinnr replied on 03-11-2010 1:13 PM

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Part of what may make this important is that the economics of Goozex does not follow the regular economy, but it's hugely affected by it.

As an example, say you list a game that is 400 points and retails for $25.  Trading on the game has been consistent at this level, with neither a huge supply or huge demand developing. 

On Sunday, some retailer puts this item on special for $9.99.  Suddenly, the market has changed dramatically, as you'll have fewer people willing to drop 400 points on it, as well as also having people purchase the game with the intent of turning it on Goozex.  Suddenly, supply rises dramatically and demand drops dramatically due to an event entirely outside of Goozex.

What happens is what should happen, the game drops to 350.  The price goes back up to $25.   Probably not a huge issue for most people.  However, there is a delayed effect which occurs, in that demand for the game will not immedately recover, so the points will continue to drop since supply is high and demand hasn't recovered. 

What should happen is that eventually balance will be reached, since the point drop should increase demand.  But, when you add in that buyers SEE the point drop and sellers do not, that you end up with a point at which there will be a huge 'batch' of requests that occur with a price drop, as the buyers have a tactical advantage of being able to drop requests (move from hold to active) immediately after a point drop, while the sellers don't receive the information which would allow them to do the same.    This causes undershoot in the fair market value and creates an inaccurate "trading" level for the game. 

It also creates some bad will, as buyers will see an abnormal number of cancellations/time-outs on their item from sellers who feel the price has gone too low.  This keeps the price artifically low, since those sellers will just keep the items sitting on-hold waiting for a point increase, so the supply looks sufficient to meet demand. 

I realize this is a simplistic example of a complex system, but it points to why I believe its better for the entire community to have the same information provided.