Empty Shops

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I don't want to be that person... But is there a system in place to showcase how often people are actually utilizing their shops?

I'm not going to name any names but I frequently visit certain areas shops everyday and for the past 2 weeks I have found some shops that have not done anything with their shops. The shops have had a single item or even items that hold no value at all (like small pelts and animal bloods) and that's it. The shops have been able to just stay in business despite selling nothing? Nor trying to change / stock their shops what so ever? I find that a bit discouraging as a person who enjoys the trading aspect of the game. I feel as though these people are taking shop and just holding them hostage for some future character or their friends? Apologizes for the accusations but it all just seems either suspicious or incredibly lazy.

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I want to reiterate, I am not trying to throw anyone under the bus but at the same time I feel as though if you are not going to put in the effort to use your shop, or even your own house. You are taking up space for the people who actually want to be shop owners and home owners.

[Eyeliner]

Well two things. One, with the way the system works currently, if someone abandons a shop without releasing it, that's one week of it sitting empty then another few days of auction. And then after auction, some people don't even know they won the shop as you don't get a message and have to actively go back and check on all the shops you bid on, which could be a lot, to see if you won it or not. So it could potentially sit for another week empty with an owner who doesn't know they have it, then it goes up for auction again.

If there's just trash like animal blood I'd guess it was a case like this. The shop just doesn't have an active owner and the system can sometimes take a long time to get someone new who's active in there. If it's a settlement, tell the leader to look at it.

And two, people do get busy and it should be reasonable for a shop, especially one that's not in a prime location, to have some down weeks here and there as long as it's usually solid. I mean you have to be allowed to have a life outside the game.

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To your first point. No the shops were never vacant it's been the same names owning the shops so it can't be as though someone won and bid and didn't realize they won and left the shop there considering the shops used to have stuff now they don't and haven't had anything for weeks (despite the same person being the owner.)

To your second point. Well I can understand that. Lives matter more then video games so it would make sense if people left their shops empty for a bit while they live life. That's why I wanted to make it clear that I was not throwing shade at anyone I just wasn't sure what the system were to counteract if people were actually just holding shops and not selling anything.

[MissEvelyn]

Not everyone plays on the same timezone as you. It could be that the shop is getting restocked and sold out (from being a reasonably priced shop, perhaps??) while you were offline.

[Wethrinea]

Sometimes shops struggle to keep up with demand for some items, making it appear to be low-activity with only "overpriced" or unpopular items, when in fact some things fly off the shelves. There is no way to see this unless you can check the sales log.

[TheDoctor]

Sometimes shops struggle to keep up with demand for some items, making it appear to be low-activity with only "overpriced" or unpopular items, when in fact some things fly off the shelves. There is no way to see this unless you can check the sales log.

This is very true.. And while some do that on purpose, even others do it out of not knowing prices so they start high and after time they drop down.

My own shop is like this.. I have some things I have NO IDEA whatsoever how much they should sell at. If something doesnt sell after a while I drop price. Eventually, the way I see it, I will find a fair amount of gold to charge and someone buys whatever it is..

On the other side of that same coin though.. There are other items that I know very well the price of, that people want to have, and those things, fly from my shelves.

In the end, with shops it could be a number of reasons a shop looks overpriced, or empty. For me I see it as an opportunity to RP. Find someone in the know and get some nice nice pricecheck RP goin... Thats for me anyways.