the CS is a lie!

[Fusionstrike]

Now that the subject got your attention, I wanted to point out that the consignment shop in balefort castle isn't actually a consignment shop at all. Don't believe me? Read up on how a consignment shop actually works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consignment_shop

Ok, so nobody actually did that. I'll boil it down for you. True consignment means the shop doesn't make any fee on the item until it sells. The shop in PL, on the other hand, charges its fee whether or not the item ever sells. So, it's actually more accurately a classified ad service than a consignment shop.

Why am I bringing this up? It's not just that I'm being anal about the term (although it should be rather embarrassing to the PL dev staff that they actually don't know what "consignment" means). It's that I think PL would be better served if it actually were a real consignment arrangement. Right now, people frequently take not-insignificant losses when an item doesn't sell. This tends to suppress listings by those without a lot of money to throw around. The result? Rich players can make the market (since they can afford to take losses more easily) and supply from poorer players is artificially suppressed.

Why does the shop need to collect a fee up front? It's not like it needs the money to run its business. The CS really just serves the need of linking buyers with sellers so players can have the fun of playing rather than standing around shouting their wares. This is a very good thing for overall enjoyment of PL. Let's make it even more useful by only charging fees on sales, not listings. It's a simple way to improve the PL experience and give the PL economy a boost. It's a win for everyone.