[BriGuy]

I just want to take a moment to say that I'm ultimately here on the server to mine, grind and craft my way through hours of endless entertainment!  The selling aspect is fun and discussing it with you all is VERY enjoyable.  Just a public service announcement that this discussion ultimately has very little impact to my actual play style or fun that I have playing on the server with you all!! 

[AngelinaMeow]

I see what you mean and yes, I agree experience and doing a build does add value, but to me it comes to whether or not it's worth it to pay for an item versus just get it myself. In the case of zombie heads, for me personally, why pay $2000 when I can just murderize zombies myself? Zombies are everywhere, including grinders. Bear heads are infinitely harder to attain, elder guardians are limited, ghast heads are a pain in the butt.

I also know how to build a grinder and I have the patience to do so. Some others may not have that skill or patience and may want to pay 2000 for even a relatively common item...so it comes to whether or not the buyer thinks it's worth it. Maybe I have a diamond ring my great grandmother gave me and it's worth no less than a million bucks to me. That's great that I think it's worth it, but no one's ever going to pay that so if I truly want to move that item, I have to lower the price. My perception of it's value isn't going to sell it. And if I can't sell it for what I think it's worth, then it comes to the choice between whether or not I should sell it at all then. Maybe I think if no one is willing to pay a million bucks, well then their loss. And that's fine too.

But again, those are just my thoughts. I know you're not attacking.  I'm not attacking anyone either, just offering my own thought processes. 

And of course there's always outliers in the buying process. I bought a nether star for 15k just for the express purpose of decoration -  a totally frivolous buy that others would prolly think weird of me for. But I bought it from a friend, because she had given me some extra cash during an exchange. So ya know...it's a complex issue whether or not something sells. I sell arrows for a buck a piece, have for a month or so, and only ever sold 64. *shrugs*

[jjminedogs]

I have a hard time pricing items. I don't need the DCD's but I want to help the newer players on the server so I keep my prices low. On the other hand I don't want to undersell everyone because I will hurt the other shops. I also have a tendency to purchase things I really don't need so I can inject some money back into the server economy. As with survival 1 the prices will slowly level out on Survival 2. I agree with Sith (I can't believe I just wrote that  ), one persons trash is another persons treasure, everyone has a different price they are willing to pay for certain items.

[BriGuy]

All very excellent points!  Everything is ultimately grindable or craftable, so in the ultimate end it comes down to saving the customer time of having to hunt/mine/craft/grind for said item. So one could call ALL items in the mall as "convenience fees" and therefore the price is only as good as what will be bought.

I have tons of bones, arrows, etc for one DCD but no one needs them since everyone can get them. My string is currently 2 DCD because spiders swim upstream on farms and still attack the farmer. But the only things that have sold have been gunpowder and Shulkers so far. So it's the items that take a grind and are more difficult that are usually purchased.  Economy is confusing. In the game its a lot of fun, but still... Confusing haha!

[clangedinn]

Let me start by saying I have never opened a shop on surv1 or surv2.  I am a patreon and have been for a wile so i do have a bit of DCD stuffed into the mattress but i only use this to buy playerbuffs if i can help it.  I try trade material for material most of the time.  One of my base mates makes a fair living using our farms to sell items for DCD in their shop but this kinda thing is not for me   I believe when they get a new item they troll around the market and look a the prices and make the decision on what they wish to sell it for then.  Thing is, people will pay what they feel is needed.  For example if someone needs 50 blocks of iron, they are either going to mine for it, make a golem farm for it, or hit the mall and drop some dcd.  On surv1 i used to jump into the mall find the first person (granted there were a couple of shops i was a regular at) selling what i wanted and just buy it and be done with it.  It was a bit easier then when DCD flowed a bit more. 

I have always felt that DCD takes away for some of the interaction.  I would prefer to take some of the material i have for some of the material you have.  Just feels more personal and minecrafty to me is all. 

I do not think we will ever see set prices for anything, more of a around this price kinda thing.  Really in the long run the items most folks are going to be saving for are website shop items like diamond homes (i advise everyone to get diamond homes its a quality of life thing.)  Other big purchases i would think if you farmed something that folks want (lanterns, iron, gunpowder etc) then you can get by very easily without DCD production from a shop.