IT’S A TLDR POST BUT IF YOU DON’T LIKE GETTING RIPPED OFF PLEASE READ!
There has been a lot of talk about World of Warcraft’s Trading Post since this feature launched in February 2023. A lot of people were happy to see new items as well as some that would be returning that many thought were gone for good. The ‘catch’ that everyone did not agree with was the fact that they would only be able to get SOME of the available items by limiting our currency to 1000 Trader’s Tender per month. This translates into limited currency = limited availability.
I keep thinking of an interview back in Shadowlands when Ian Hazzikostas stated that players should have to make impactful choices, basically stating players would have to make choices of one over the other but can’t have both. The Trading Post has demonstrated this line of thinking time and time again. Yes, we were assured that items would return later for another chance to get our favorite items; but the amount of returned items has been lackluster at best.
Many players were hoping that they would be able to acquire all of the items offered each month. Blizzard reassured the players that the Trading Post items would rotate through and come back around again if you missed it the first time. Many were skeptical, but some items have in fact returned for a second bite at the apple. Although the exact formula on what items would return remains a mystery. A case in point are the Aquamarine Felfire Bulwark/Splitblade and the Ruby Felfire Bulwark/Splitblade. These are a combination 2-piece weapon arsenal of a sword and shield with tanks in mind. The Ruby set has returned twice, the second time with an appearance upgrade that includes blazing flames. The aquamarine counterpart has yet to make a return. Still, players hold out hope to see some of their favorites return sometime in the future.
The real issue at hand though is the initial 1000 Trader’s Tender the Dev team has offered. In February of 2023, there were 15 items offered and 1000 Tender to get what you could. The following months, March, April, May, June, and July of 2023 offered 14, 15, 16, 16, and 18 items respectively. This works out to be an average of 15 items per month from Feb 2023 to July 2023. From August to November, the number of items offered were 25, 21, 27, 27 respectively. This jumps to an average of 25 items offered per month, a jump of 10 items per month with no increase of Trader’s Tender save for a promotion that gave some extra tender for a limited time.
Ok, seems fair to an extent, but… From December 2023 to July of 2024 the number of items offered jumped again to 35, 26, 31, 29, 39, 29, 34, and 30, again, respectively. That is an average of 31 items per month. Still, there has been no increase in the monthly Tender to be earned to purchase from the increased inventory. Save for ONE promo that is tied to pre-ordering The War Within expansion.
Overall, the Trading Post has more than DOUBLED its monthly inventory, but the amount of Trader’s Tender has remained largely the same aside from 2 temporary promotions. If you’re pinching your virtual pennies, that total extra tender amounted to a handful of cape/hood combinations, or some extra one-handed baseline weapons (not the stylized appearances) per month. Or 3-4 big ticket items overall that you just can’t live without (less if you’re into mounts).
Speaking of mounts, these have been traditionally offered in the In-Game Shop (and still are). These go for $25 each. Some of these mounts have gone away permanently. However, Blizzard have brought 4 of these mounts back through the Trading Post. These are the: Alabaster Thunderwing and Stormtalon and the Spectral Gryphon and Spectral Wind Rider mounts. The Alabaster mounts were actually in the In-Game shop, the Spectral mounts were part of a scroll of resurrection promotion for returning players (but are equivalents in the Trading Post and in the case of this writing, offers a bit of consistency).
Regardless of the promo being offered, they were all equally valued in the Trading Post at 650 Trader’s Tender. I bring this up because many people feel Blizzard should allow us to buy extra tender from the In-Game Shop because of the increased expensive inventory that is offered every month.
The opinion of how much that Tender should be varies wildly. So, I have offered a proven value of 650 Tender at $25.
This is primarily because the Alabaster mounts have appeared in the Shop and Post and those are their values from their respective outlets. Additionally, every other mount in the Shop is ALSO $25. So, Blizzard, by their own listings has made the $25 Alabaster mounts from the In-Game Shop worth 650 Trader’s Tender in the Trading Post. This was a 2 for 1 deal (more on that later) but the standard of $25 equals 650 Tender has been set. But as everybody knows, not all mounts are equally priced in the Trading Post. And what about other items that have equal counterparts between the In-Game Shop and the Trading Post?
Let’s break that down into Trader’s Tender per $1. 650/25 is 26 Tender per $1. $5 is 130, $10 is 260, $15 is 390, $20 is 520, and $25 is of course 650. Why is this Important? Well, the Shop sells Pets and Ensembles as well. Pets that are $10 in the Shop, should be 260 Trader’s Tender using the scale of what a mount is worth according to Blizzard’s own prices.
But Pets are not 260 Tender are they? NOPE, their prices are all over the place between 250 and 750 Tender. The vast majority of Pets cost 500 Tender or more with an overall average of 574 Trader’s Tender per pet. This is far more than the $10/260 ratio. In fact, at 26 tender per dollar, if these pets were put in the In-Game shop, they would cost over $22 on average.
Some might think this is a deal getting a $22 Pet for the free Tender you get just for playing the game. That is one way of looking at it, but, What is so special that makes these pets worth $22? If these pets were equivalently priced to their going rates in the In-Game Shop using the scale of $25/650 Tender, you’re overpaying by 300 Tender. That is 300 Tender that you could use to buy even more stuff out of the increased inventory.
It might be virtual currency, but you’re still getting ripped off. And since game currency can be translated into real Dollar values… Blizzard might be stepping in legal doo-doo if they cave into player’s requests to buy Trader’s Tender from the In-Game Shop without making adjustments to equalize the value of in-game purchases.
This is because virtual pricing is protected under the law if it can be translated into real world currency. They would be charging higher prices via exclusive availability. It is exclusive because you can only get Trading Post items if you play the game. For example, anyone can set up a trial account with the intent to “gift” an In-Game shop item to someone. Anyone can do this, it is tedious to do so, but it isn’t exclusive. If Blizzard starts selling Trader’s Tender via the shop with the current Trader’s Post rates, you will have to buy MORE than $10 or $25 worth of Tender to get a pet or mount of comparable value to the ones in the In-Game shop. Trading Post Pets and Mounts that are fundamentally no different than their In-Game Shop counterparts at their respective $10 and $25 prices, they do not have any additional functionality or contribution to gameplay.
That would be price gouging because Blizzard would not have equivalent pricing for equivalent products for everyone. The higher cost items would be exclusively targeted at active players only. In short, after someone become a member of the community with an active subscription, they can get charged more in the game. Yes, it is virtual currency, but remember, it can be translated into real-world currency values.
Is it really price gouging? Have you seen some of the prices on some of these mounts? This month’s new Underlight Corrupted Behemoth is a STEADY FLIGHT mount worth 800 Trader’s tokens. It is a less capable mount (which can impact gameplay) than the Crimson Glimmerfur (which is a Skyriding mount) which is returning in July as well. The Crimson Glimmerfur is a more capable Skyriding mount, and it is only 600 Trader’s Tender. Why does the less capable mount cost more?
Brace yourself… the following are ALL Skyriding mounts over the $25/650 Tender equivalent: Celestial Steed (900), Reins of the Magenta Cloud Serpent (900), Royal Swarmer’s Reins (800), Cindermane Charger (900), Dim Coldflame Core (700), Armored Golden Pterrordax (800), Copper Resonating Crystal (800), Reins of the Fur-endship Fox (750), Reins of the Majestic Azure Peafowl (750), The Dreadwake (750), Blazing Hippogryph (800), and the Pearlescent Goblin Wave Shredder (700). And yet, the Charming Courier mount (skyriding mount) that was released yesterday is $25; the equivalent of 650 Tender.
Now I am going to be fair, the X-53 Touring Rocket was only 100 Tender, and the upcoming Sentinel War Wolf and Kor’kron Warsaber are only 600 Tender each (as they should be because they are only ground mounts). Although these are only ground mounts, they have to be bought individually. The problem is, if these two were in the In-Game Shop, it would only be $25 for the set like the Alabaster mounts originally were. So, it is still way overpriced to collect them for both factions. At a whopping 1200 Tender to get both faction mounts, that translates into over $55 for the pair. As a note of interest, when they moved the Alabaster mounts to the Trading Post, they separated the pair and made them separate purchases. The end result, players that got them through the Trading Post ‘paid’ more than the players that originally got them from the Shop who got them as a 2 for 1 deal.
Do I think Blizzard is doing this on purpose? No, I simply think they’re not paying attention in respect to consistency and are charging more simply based on the OPINION that some of these mounts are ‘cooler’ than usual despite the fact they function the same way cheaper mounts do. The Trading Post has been a huge success (so far) but is quickly losing it’s luster. It seems that Blizzard has just been ‘riding out the initial success of the Trading Post and is just throwing more inventory to keep up the popularity and hasn’t really considered value or availability.
It is almost as if someone from Blizzard is asking, “How much should this cost?”; And the reply is a blank-slate price that “sounds good” without regard to fair value of other similar products Blizzard offers. Another example of unequal value is the Underlight Corrupted Behemoth and Crimson Glimmerfur, you’re paying more for less functionality. The Glimmerfur can be used as a Steady mount OR Skyriding mount whereas the Underlight Corrupted Behemoth only has the single Steady Flight mode.
Ensembles have their own issues. Again, using the same equivalency formula and In-Game Shop prices for Ensembles, In-Game Shop Ensembles usually run $20 for a full Transmog set. This is 520 Tender at $20. Most Ensembles go for about 650 Tender and more in the Trading Post, the equivalent of $25 and more. As a further, more detailed example, June’s Sunny Tropical Swimwear is 650 Tender. The recolor of the same items are bought separately: The Tropical Sunrise Sunshade (220), Tropical Sunrise Halter Top (200), Tropical Sunrise Skirt (150), Tropical Sunrise Sash (60), Tropical Sunrise Airy Sandals (40), and Tropical Sunrise Beads (40) all come to 710 Tender for the EXACT SAME ITEMS just in a different color. Why is it 60 Tender more? Is there a surcharge because the goblin in the warehouse has to make more trips to get your stuff? The same goes for the Tropical Sunny Beachwear and the individual pieces of the Sunrise Beachwear. In both cases, the individual pieces are more expensive than the full Ensembles. There isn’t anything more special about the individual pieces to justify the increased prices. In July, there is the Deepest Depths Diver’s Suit for 800 Tender. The Individual recolor pieces, again 860 Tender for the exact same items just in a different color.
And again, Toys from the In-Game Shop are either $5 or $10 depending if it is just an accessory like the Timewalker’s Hearthstone Effect ($5/130) or has a global effect on your character as with the Transmorpher Beacon ($10/260). The Colorful Beach Chair is an example of an accessory which is 200 Tender, overpriced by 70 Tender using the equivalency formula provided. Most toys are overpriced at 200 Tender or more, save for the Mannequin Charm at only 10 Tender. I am sure there are other examples that can be fleshed out, but I am only focusing on what can be easily verified between the Trading Post and In-Game Shop through Blizzard’s own press releases and other popular and trusted credible media sources.
The problem is that Blizzard has been reckless with the Trading Post. It is more than obvious that they are increasing the inventory to increase the appeal to the players. But Blizzard has not increased the purchasing power for the player. In the end, the Trading Post’s initial inventory versus available currency left players with limited buying power. Now that inventory has more than doubled without an increase in buying power, our buying power is even more limited than it was at launch.
This leaves the player making harder choices on what to buy leaving many with lingering feelings of disappointment every month. This is called “Buyer’s Remorse”, at least one version of it. Current business analytics and research in marketing and advertising are designed to help companies ACTIVELY AVOID leaving their customers with Buyer’s Remorse. Blizzard, on the other hand, is ACTIVELY ENGAGING with instilling their customers with Buyer’s Remorse via limited availability and inconsistent collections leading to disappointment, frustration, and regretful purchases.
Not only are players overcharged, but many are also finding out that some of items available now match other items from the past that they passed up. Had they realized then that there would be matching themes and color schemes in the future that would add to a custom transmog the player is trying to build, this could have impacted past choices. With that in mind, players that have noticed this are hesitant in their selections now just in case there are matching items that may or not be available in the future. This has led to a flood of datamining trying to see what future items will be available in order to get matching items lined up or get a heads up on things they want to save their Tender for.
Blizzard needs to do 3 things. 1), NORMALIZE VALUE AND PRICES that match currently established in-game pricing standards. 2), Increase the players buying power by offering reasonable microtransactions in the In-Game Shop for Trader’s Tender similarly to gold tokens; OR offer more Trader’s Tender for completing more content from the Adventure Guide beyond the monthly bonus minimum. This would be preferred as players like to have a reason to be engaged with the game’s content and consequentially rewarded for doing so. And 3), Plan item releases for the Trading Post.
Blizzard can create collection themes and the player can choose one of the collections to pursue with the assurance that they will be earn enough Tender to complete the collection they are after. For example, a few collection sets can be offered each month to choose from: a Mount Collection with matching weapons; a collection that focuses on Pets with matching toys/attire; an Ensemble collection that focuses on attire with matching arsenal weapons; and a few unique or returning items that can be purchased if the currently featured collections doesn’t interest the player. ANY element of these collections should be purchased separately if the player doesn’t want the full collection or wants to just add the bits and pieces they are interested in having.
I understand that Blizzard doesn’t want to give every player access to everything all at once because that diminishes individual customization they initially endorsed. In Blizzards defense, I can see where Blizzard would want to limit the amount of what a player can buy to encourage variety and limit saturation because having hundreds of carbon copy characters in Valdrakken would negatively impact gameplay because “cookie cutter” gameplay is boring. But that philosophy holds no weight.
This past February proved that. EVERYONE was running around in the Love Witch’s Attire while the Love is in the Air event was active. Players loved the ensemble and wanted to show it off with select characters. It is not as if every player transmogrified the Love Witch’s Attire on every single character they have ever created. Players enjoy giving each character their own unique style. News flash, as soon as the event was over, most players reverted back to their trademark transmogs.
The players INHERENTLY want a transmog that makes a statement about their characters. This affects every single element of their appearance from gear to armor to weapons and illusions to mounts and pets. Players STRIVE for that unique look that sets them apart from everyone else.
Blizzard doesn’t need to invent a restrictive system to encourage player individuality. So, if players want to buy everything from the Trading Post each month by doing extra Traveler’s Log Achievements through the Adventure Guide, let them.
Blizzard’s own creation, Remix, proves that players want individual customization in the long run. Although everyone was ‘giddy’ about getting all the mounts, this wasn’t the case with armor sets. I was paying attention to the chat box and reading what people were excited about the most. Yes, some wanted to get everything, but not everyone wanted to do that. I would say most players only bought what they liked the most and ignored the rest. This is the exact principle Blizzard has been trying to achieve for the Trading Post. In other words, Blizzard opened up the floodgates for players to buy it all in Remix… and for the most part, they didn’t. This defeats Blizzard’s logic that they need to limit our buying power of the Trading Post to reenforce individual customization. Remix proves if Blizzard wanted to make everything affordable in the Trading Post every month not everyone would buy everything. And even if everyone did buy everything, player’s would still favor individual customization once the novelty of wearing a new transmog fades.
As stated, players will differentiate themselves all on their own. But if Blizzard wants to take a hard stance on limited purchasing power, then the Trading Post should release a rotating catalog where players can work on a set of collections over the course of 6 to 12 months. As a new month comes in, an older month goes out and waits to be recycled into the rotation.
This would have been nice to have when they released the class 3-piece ensembles and weapon arsenals. There were so many awesome appearances, but nobody could afford them all in combination with the other equally attractive but expensive items like mounts. The class sets should have been available as a 2023 season bonus collection that players had all year to work on as a side project.
13 classes over 12 months; we should have gotten the first set for free as a perk and been rewarded with another set each month if we doubled the minimum effort required for the monthly bonus item (500 Tender for adventuring gives the usual bonus item; another 500 Tender for even more adventuring awards a class 3-piece ensemble and arsenal). Or Blizzard could have rewarded players with those sets if they did another round of the Adventure Guide on each specific class that had an ensemble and arsenal available that month. It sucked we couldn’t get them all.
This post has been long, but for those that read it, I hope it has been worth it and you can see how messed up the Trading Post has gotten. Please “like” this post and pass it along so we can get as much attention as possible so Blizzard will address this issue.
BTW, I read many of the comments prior to this edit. I won’t apologize for the long post or dramatic title. And although I saw a couple of impressive ChatGPT conversions, I feel there are details are important and Blizzard should be aware of them that did not get covered.
However, I will apologize for not editing my paragraphs and spacing prior to posting. I wrote this on MS Word and copied it over and the format did not carry over smoothly. I hope this is more digestible. One final note, some readers took my post out of context and implied they were getting ripped off on their subscriptions. Never once did I say that was the case. I have only pointed out there are inequities on pricing within the game that have negatively impacted the value of the features Blizzard has given us by diminishing it worth by making the Trading Post less affordable.
