Playing the Trading Post is one of my favourite activities in GW2 and even though I dont have an (virtual) economic background I think I have a good grasp on how the economy in GW2 works. I quite like how efficient it is and how many game mechanics and market forces are implemented to balance it.
I have a question regarding the ratio of tradeable items listed on the trading post for sale and their supply stored in personal storage (collectable tabs, personal/guild banks, bags).
Its quite obvious that most of the supply of nearly every item has a greater supply outside of the TP. Luxury goods like precursors for example might only have a supply of less than 20 on the tp but i have no doubt that there are hundreds, if not thousands of each precursor existing in peoples storage that are not bound and intended for sale.
The same goes for any material or mini that is stored in the collectible tab, the supply outside of the tp has to be far greater than the supply listed for sale.
My question is:
In order to have a balanced economy, are you monitoring that ratio for all/specific items and can it hurt the economy in any way, if this ratio spikes/drops?
Personally, i would guess that once and item (especially crafting mats) has a higher supply on the tp than outside of it (sitting at vendor value) it becomes harder to balance it and use it in future crafting recipes while items that have a short supply on the tp and a high supply out of it, are more prone to sudden price spikes, which also isnt intended.
General agenda:
I created this topic not to get an answer from a Dev specifically but to try to improve conversation between Anet and the player base. For those who dont know me or John:
I am a TP trader and a frequent poster in this sub forum. John Smith is the Head Economist of Guild Wars 2.
In general, we have seen several attempts to improve communication between the player base and Anet, most notably the CDI (Collaborative Development Initiative)
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Collaborative-Development-Master-Sticky/first#post3383068
And the Dolyak Express:
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Dolyak-Express-Dev-Q-A-Archives/first#post3496656
Until now, none of the topics discussed in those initiatives concerned the game economy (except the CDI about vertical/horizontal progression).
As a frequent user of this subforum, i see many concerns and questions popping up frequently, which i think is quite normal because new players enter the game on a frequent basis.
Even though people might lable me as a fanboi of John Smith because i generally agree with his opinion and like his posts, i think overall, he has done a great job taking time out of his day replying to posts that have already been answered in the past.
For everybody who is interested in the economy or has a problem with it, I advice you to read Johns post history:
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/members/John-Smith-4610/showposts
Take your time and you will find many interesting posts that will give you an official answer to your question/concern.
In general, some questions or concerns come up on a frequent basis, mostly by new players. As far as i know, John´s stance is that he doesnt comment on issues that have been answered rightly by other users. But usually that user doenst know that an answer given by another user represents Anets (John´s) stance, so he wont accept it.
So i created this topic to make communication a bit easier.
If you have a specific question about the economy/TP/rewards, please post it here.
Make it an honest question, dont QQ, and you might get a good and satisfying answer. Keep in mind that people like me, who have a good grasp on the economy, might answer instead of John and give you the right answer. So please dont disregard our replies. Even if you dont believe us, our replies give John Smith the opportunity to just link our answers and verify them without taking too much time out of his day to respond.
Cheers to all, and hail to Evon.
