Stephanie Savill
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Posted - 2007.08.04 09:55:00 -
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Edited by: Stephanie Savill on 04/08/2007 10:02:55
I like to think I'm a fairly honest trader - Yes I seek out demand, and try to supply that demand, being sure to make a healthy profit in the process if I can. Don't we all.
For the second time though, thanks to Eve's market mechanics, I have won a mini lottery, but instead of popping champagne corks it has caused me a dilemma.
The item in question sells for 1,250,000 isk, but the nearest is 4 jumps away from the regions hub station. So, in the hope of saving our beloved buyers any risk of travel sickness, I buy some and place the item on sale in the hub station at 1,950,000 isk. A greedier opportunist also had the same item on sale in the hub station at 125,000,000 isk, obviously trying to catch a drunk or less diligent buyer unawares. Last night, no doubt after one too many glasses of Pinot Grigio, someone fell for the
opportunists trap and bought the item priced at 125m, but due to Eve's flawed (IMO) market mechanics, I got the sale, at the full 125m. as I was the lowest seller in the station.
Now, I'm not a scammer or someone looking to take advantage of drunks or the foolish (the rich and lazy perhaps) but of course the buyer will think that I am as my name will appear in his journal as the person he bought the item from at a whopping 125m 
This has happened to me once before and I felt so bad about it I contacted the buyer with a view to returning his isk, whilst educating him on good buying practice. I tried to explain to him how the market mechanics work and how I wasn't to blame, but he just smacked me for 5 minutes. Despite this, I gave him his isk back and after thanking me by smacking me again, he finished by telling me he was glad he had helped me to see the error of my ways and he hoped I would never do it again (only he didn't put it quite so nicely) - 
Now - this more recent buyer is 5 months old and losing 125m isk will hurt him badly no doubt, unless he's an alt (I can't tell). He is not in a corp so I can't contact his CEO, although he was recently in a corp proving he's active at least. So, should I quietly return his isk? Should I try and contact him and risk another session of abuse for trying to do the decent thing.
With all the big traders in here I can't be the only one this has happened too, so what have you guys done when this situation has occured?
Whatever I do, I really hope CCP take another look at the market mechanics in this regard and change the way it works.
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