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Dealership Changes | Max Sale Price, Auctions, Re-Stock Amounts

JackJohnson

Elite
Elite Donator
Location
Scotland
Brief Summary:
This will be a multi-part suggestion based around the dealerships and massive unbalance in the car market.

Detailed Suggestion:

Something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, but with the market progressively getting worse and worse I thought I’d throw up a suggestion and get others thoughts on it. This suggestion will be broken down into multiple different things I think will help re-balance the car market and stop absurd sale prices.

Maximum Sale Price
Before the dealership update, before there was sales people required and you bought cars at the front desk, there was always a max sale price you could set. I think it was 20% profit if I remember correctly, so say 100k import cost you could sell for 120k. I really think this is something that should be reintroduced, although possibly allow for a higher % of profit, I’d say 50% of the import cost is reasonable. This would mean sale prices are much more in line with the import cost for the businesses, for example;

Import: £100,000, Sale Price: £150,000
Import: £500,000, Sale Price: £750,000
Import: £1,000,000, Sale Price: £1,500,000

There's a lot of reasons I think this would benefit the majority of the player base, but the main reason is the massively inflated economy right now, especially with sports and super cars. A few examples of this;

Itali GTO, £168,000 to import, used to sell for £192,000, now selling for I think £2,500,000 or more at times
Tyrant, not sure of the import price, used to sell for £1,400,000, now selling for £2,000,000

There is obviously many more examples of this, but I think I'd be here all night listing them... there has been no changes to these vehicles, the dealership owners have simply decided to put the price up and make this even more difficult for people to obtain, which I believe is now having a negative effect on the player base, because it forces people to spend more time grinding and less time roleplay. Now essentially unless you want to grind constantly, these cars will not be achievable to most players. If a player actually wants to pursue some kind of roleplay instead of being a bin man for 12 hours a day, how are they ever expected to be able to buy these vehicles now? Taking into account people who play the server to roleplay certain roles, NHS members get paid £840 at their lowest rank, Police Officers get paid £960, with the prices just going up and up with no real sense to it, these players who prioritise roleplay simple won't be able to enjoy that side of the server.

By re-introducing the maximum sale price to dealerships, it forces some regulation to the market and allows prices to remain fair.

After talking to some people about this, even super cars that aren't auction vehicles right now the price changes constantly through the month. So person 1 buys a car for 1.5m, they charge the next person 1.6m and so on until their stock for the month runs out, the car isn't worth any more, it's simply being sold for more out of greed.

Auctions
Now I know people will say there was always auction vehicles, and that is true, however it was 1 vehicle being auctioned per dealership if even that, and they were actually special vehicles. These were Ferraris etc… and there was very few of them, the auctions were done for roleplay and for the hopes of owning one, but since they disappeared there’s now several supercars that were previously buyable have been made auction vehicles.

There’s nothing special about these cars and they are purely auction only for the sake of making loads more money from them. In my opinion, it makes absolutely no sense that these cars are being auctioned for insanely inflated prices. I’d understand it if they were rare, like the cars the Firm have been auctioning recently where it actually makes more sense because they are rare vehicles, they haven’t sold any of those vehicles for about a year and are now auctioning one of them, or even take the Draugur at Beekers, it’s been here for about 9 months and there’s been 4 auctioned, that’s a special vehicle, same idea as the SM722 that Mosleys auction it makes sense.

I’m not suggesting auctions stop, but what I am suggesting is that these 'auction vehicles' are put under regulations from the Chamber of Commerce. Now I know everyone will say the CoC are already overworked and undermanned, which yes is true but they've recently just gotten more people, and really deciding if a vehicle can be auctioned or not doesn't require any dev work, shouldn't require management approval etc... it should be a fairly simple and fast decision I'd imagine. All I am suggesting is that the CoC meet Dealership owners, the owner pitches which car they'd like to auction and the CoC will then take into account how many other cars this dealership auctions, how rare the vehicle actually is and whether it's suitable to be considered good enough to auction. I personally believe each dealership should be limited to 1 or 2 auction vehicles at the most only.

From what I've been told, the super car dealerships are currently restricting 9 or 10 different cars to auction only, which are selling for between £5,000,000-£10,000,000 every month, which considering they all cost around £1,000,000 to import is absolutely insane. These are all cars that used to be for sale normally, for normal prices, until it was just decided they'd auction them instead.

Restock Amounts
This is less impactful change, but I still think would help balance the car market, and encourage 2nd hand sales. As it stands right now, when re-stocks happen through the month the new stock is just piled on top of the old stock in the warehouse. So for example if a Neo hasn't been sold for a long time and it has re-stocked 10 times, there would be like 40 of them available in the warehouse to order. What I think should happen is that the re-stock should just reset the amount. So instead of piling on and make that 42, it would reset back to 2 (or 4 whatever it is). This would mean if a new 'meta' vehicle is found, Dealerships can't then sell 50 of them on day 1, and it would encourage 2nd hand sales and would make cars actually hold some value in this respect, instead of their suddenly being loads of them because its the new up and coming thing to have, the 10 people or whatever that manage to get one would appreciate it and cars would be sought after. Yes it would probably mean Dealerships would make less sales, but is really the end of the world? I know for Beekers and Custom Motorcycles, the Lost businesses, it wouldn't be the worst thing.


The Pros:
- Re-balances the car market
- Makes things more affordable and achievable for players that focus on roleplay

The Cons:
- I imagine some Dealership owners won't like this too much, because they'd make less money, but is that a con? Really it's a benefit to the larger playerbase, while leaving a few less advantaged than they were

Does this suggestion change balance on the server ?
Yes
 
The inflation of seeing these fly out the door due to a sudden surge in income more than likely has seen an attempt to control the stock take into effect or, simply, the stock is no longer available from the Warehouse (this is my opinion, i have no say in what happens with the management or decision making). I can't comment of how things used to be, of course.
The thing is dealerships have been dealing with no stock for a long time - take the bike dealerships for example, we regularly run out of BF400s, Sanchezs, Manchezs etc... even when there was import bike they would run out every month, but they were still sold at reasonable prices. I don't think thats a good enough reason to start selling them for crazy prices. Even now with the BF400s, we raffle some, but what we have been doing more recently is just posting on Tweedle "first person here can buy it" kind of thing.

If the price is capped and placed on the open market on a first come, first serve basis, people will be waiting a long time to see their dream car purchased (this could a be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it).Whether this has a positive or negative effect on the 2nd hand market, I am unsure, although these would become highly sought after. What is to say that a motor is purchased from a Dealership for a much lower price simply for the sole purpose of reselling immediately for a ridiculous profit?
I think this opens up the potential more for the second hand market and I don't think that's a bad thing honestly. Yeah people might make some profit from re-selling their vehicles, but it won't be anywhere near what it is right now. Back when dealerships had set prices nobody was paying 4m for a GTO when dealerships sold them for 192k, it just didn't happen. Maybe someone would pay 500k or whatever, but that was a lot rarer.
If people sell for more, then it is what it really, that's going to be one person making a little bit more here and there, not one person/group making 80m extra every month...

Please note that Dealerships are not at fault for someone choosing to spend up to £9.7M on a car they really, really want at auction.
I disagree with this actually, yes people will absolutely compete against each other at auction, but the root of the problem is the dealerships. If business owners, who are supposed to be community leaders, made any attempt to maintain a fair and balanced economy then they wouldn't be auctioning every car they have low stock of to begin with.

The Tyrant used to have a profit of 30%, which had moved to 50% in the recent months, only with the binning abuse this had been changed to 80% to keep it a bit realistic, when have you seen a binman drive a lambourgini?
No probably a bin man shouldn't have a Lamborghini, but what you've jus said there is exactly the problem I am talking about. The car hasn't changed, but in the last few months the price has just gone up and up. Just increasing the price doesn't solve or help anything in my opinion.
 
I will just mention a couple of things for a clearer picture for everyone.

The prices were the prices for the longest time, something caused them to change, and SURPRISE, it wasn't the dealerships. (including Non-supercar dealerships)

There was a small bump when people started buying ALL the cars they could (influenced by OOC information, tsk tsk), just waiting to resell them later on (people admitted to it)
stock ran low, less available supply for the demand - (by the way, it was only like a 100k-200k on supercars back then)
In my opinion - SuperCars should not have been sold at the time.
The second time, Bin-jobs, dried up nearly all of the stock of "wanted" supercars in such a short time...

Changing stock numbers won't magically make the prices go down, maybe slowly, in the future (not due to dealerships, but second hand market)

Biggest "Keep in mind" - Supercars should be something of "end-game" of sorts and not a do "Bin-jobs for 5-10 hours and buy one" but hey-ho.

And let me add this, as the whole situation overall can be explained by this, and isn't just a "RPUK/FiveM" issue.

wage-price-spiral-2.png

From what I've been told, the super car dealerships are currently restricting 9 or 10 different cars
Don't know who has told you what, but there are only 3-4 cars currently being auctioned, (at least by one dealership that I know of :ROFLMAO: ) while in the past there have been 9 (branded import supercars)
In addition to that one, I don't think there's an issue with Taxing auctions, for example, however, that will not resolve the issue of the prices, it will only hit the dealership directly, not the second-hand market which will still try to sell it for even more, so again and we've got a cycle, not a solution.

- Makes things more affordable and achievable for players that focus on roleplay
People that are here to roleplay - roleplay and get what they want eventually, maybe slightly longer (and can grind for a little bit to make it quicker)
people who are here to constantly "war" (tsk tsk) will "war"
people that are here to grind and get "everything they want"... well you get my point :)

Overall, I'd personally love to see suggestions on ways to fix it, but this thread, unfortunately - provides no solution to the server/economy/supercars market, it does provide an easier way for people to get stuff (sorry Jack 🙏) and I do not believe that is what is needed.

Now people can jump my throat ;)

Also, this is my personal opinion and in no way reflects the other Lovely Staff/Dev teams' opinions. (unless they say so)
 

Well hello there,

While I understand the concerns raised, I believe that some of the proposed changes might actually create more problems than they solve. Here's why:

Maximum Sale Price​

1. Supply and Demand Dynamics:

- Economic Principle: The suggestion of a maximum sale price disregards the fundamental economic principle of supply and demand. Supercars, being rare and highly desirable, naturally command higher prices. Capping the sale price artificially limits the market's ability to reflect true demand, potentially leading to quick sellouts and exacerbating the second-hand market issue where cars are sold at even higher prices.

- Market Flexibility: "Re-introducing the maximum sale price to dealerships" limits dealerships' ability to adjust prices based on real-time market conditions. Flexibility in pricing is crucial to respond to fluctuations in supply and demand, ensuring that prices remain fair and competitive without creating artificial scarcity.

2. Encouraging Resales:

- Reseller Problem: The suggestion aims to combat inflated prices but might unintentionally encourage resellers. By capping prices, resellers could buy up all available stock at the maximum allowed price and then sell at much higher prices in the secondary market, profiting off the dealership's inability to adjust prices according to market demand.

3. Roleplay Experience:

- Grinding vs. Roleplay: The concern about "forcing people to spend more time grinding and less time roleplay" is valid. However, price caps won't necessarily resolve this. Instead, it could lead to a scenario where only a few get the cars while others are left frustrated due to the limited availability and high competition.

4. Earnings Potential and Affordability:

- Current Job Earnings: It's crucial to note that one of the current jobs, binning, allows players to earn around £2,000 per minute.
Based on this earning rate:

Mid-Range Vehicle (£150,000): It would take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to afford.

Top-End Sports Car (£500,000 to £700,000, averaging £600,000): It would take about 5 hours to afford.

Supercar (£1,200,000 to £2,000,000, averaging £1,600,000): It would take around 13 hours and 20 minutes to afford.

This means that within a reasonable amount of dedicated gameplay time, players can realistically afford a wide range of vehicles, from mid-range to top-end sports cars and even supercars. The auction vehicles, while more expensive, are also within reach for players willing to invest the time even within 1-2 month of work, as at the current average sale price it would take a player a bit over 50 hours.

- Impact of a Price Cap: If a maximum sale price were reintroduced, no one would actually be able to buy any cars because they would be sold out instantly. With the ability to earn substantial amounts quickly, cars would become even more scarce under a capped pricing model, leading to frustration and potential market imbalances.

Auctions​

1. Auction Benefits:

- Fair Market Allocation: Auctions are a market-driven way to ensure that vehicles go to those who value them most. This helps mitigate the issue of resellers since the highest bidder is likely a genuine buyer who values the vehicle. Regulating auctions could reduce this market efficiency and flexibility.

- Starting Prices: It’s also important to clarify that we normally start all our auctions at the old default sales price, so about $2,000,000. The high final prices are driven by the bidders themselves, reflecting the true market value based on what buyers are willing to pay, not by an inflated starting price set by the dealership.

3. Economic Impact:

- Market Constraints: Limiting the number of auction vehicles "to 1 or 2 vehicles at the most" per dealership restricts the natural market dynamics. This could lead to a decrease in available supercars, further driving up prices in both the primary and secondary markets, counteracting the intended effect of making vehicles more accessible.

Restock Amounts​

1. Stock Management Efficiency:

- Artificial Scarcity: Resetting stock amounts rather than accumulating could create artificial scarcity, increasing frustration among buyers who cannot find the vehicles they desire when they want them. This could also lead to a surge in demand each time new stock is released, causing periodic spikes in market activity rather than steady sales.

2. Market Distortion:

- Inconsistent Availability: By resetting stock levels, the availability of certain cars becomes inconsistent. If a car is popular, resetting the stock might mean that the vehicle is perpetually out of stock, forcing buyers into the second-hand market where prices are uncontrolled and significantly higher.

Conclusion​

The assumption that accessibility through price caps and auction limits will enhance player experience is flawed. It could lead to quick sellouts and artificial scarcity, frustrating players who cannot access the cars they desire, leading to dissatisfaction rather than improved engagement. The current system allows for a dynamic market where prices adjust based on supply and demand. Overregulation could stifle this flexibility, leading to unintended consequences such as increased secondary market activity and potential resentment among long-time players who enjoy the challenge of obtaining rare vehicles. The assumption that dealerships are driven by greed overlooks the economic reality that they respond to market conditions. The proposed changes might benefit a few players temporarily but could disadvantage the larger player base in the long run by reducing market flexibility and driving prices up in the secondary market. While the concerns raised in the suggestion are valid, the current system is designed to balance market dynamics with player satisfaction. Auctions and flexible pricing ensure that supercars go to those who value them most, maintaining a vibrant, dynamic economy. Overregulation could lead to unintended consequences, such as increased second-hand market activity, frustration among players, and a less engaging market overall.
 
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