The trade centre is a key element of lioden and the driving force in its economy. Unlike branch shops, the the ability to make and recieve varied offers allows for more of a dialogue between buyers and sellers.
This guide features an outline of generally accepted ettiquette when it comes to trading and sales, as well as some general tips and common mistakes people make. There will be some generalizations based on experience and community feedback and may not apply to every situation but the intention of this post is to help those who feel they struggle trading with other players, both as a buyer and a seller, and point out some general assumptions made by experienced players. This is not a discussion or explanation of officially moderated rules, please refer to the Code of Conduct for an explanation of offical rules and how theyre moderated.
Trading Ettiquete
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The buyout price of any trade is typically used as a guideline for the approximate value a seller is expecting their trade to sell for, either in pure currency or via equally valued items. Unless stated otherwise, a seller typically expects the value of offers to add up to approximately the buyout price.
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Likewise, when listing a trade without a buyout price, add an approximate value for the trade as well as what you're looking for. For "offer anything" style trades, listing your taste in lions, items or decor asthetics can let people know if they have something you'd consider.
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The person making the offer is expected to know the value of what they're buying and what theyre offering. Not knowing the value of an item not only puts you at risk of being ripped off, but could also be seen as rude if an offer is much less than the trade's value. Some players block others who 'lowball' trades to protect themselves from accidentally accepting offers, so particularly bad offers may lose your chance to make a better offer.
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Its good form to respond to an offer in a timely way, either with a rejection, acceptance or a message to the player to let them know you're considering their offer. An offer left on the table for over a weeks time may be interpreted as a rejection and lead to a tempting offer being removed for more active sellers.
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Generally speaking, the lowest current listing of any item is its current value. Equally the value of a lion is based on the lowest range of lions with similar key traits (ie stats, base, markings, mut & heritage). While personal valuations of any trade are valid, it's reasonable to expect others to base their assessments on similar trades.
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Common Mistakes
Mass offers
A mass offer or hoard dump is when many low value items are offered in an attempt to add up to a high value item.
When you stumble across a stunning lion or an item you really want, it can be tempting to throw everything you have at hand on the table to try and get it. However, in many cases, offers with tens or hundreds of items can put off sellers for a number of reasons. People may be more likely to miss valuable parts of an offer or be unwilling to individually price and calculate a total value to see if it's fair. Additionally, even if a mass offer is up to or over the value of the trade, sellers may be put off by the prospect of trying to individually sell each item to recieve the value of the items in pure currency. The fewer items there are in a trade, the less daunting this prospect may be and therefore more appealling to the person hosting the trade.
TLDR: When attempting to buy a high value item, offer a small number of things that add up to its value, instead of many lower value items
Hoard Clearouts
Although it may be more convenient to list everything you're planning on selling in one large trade and the combined total as the buyout, many players can be put off to see a single item they want is hidden behind a 100gb bundle price. Even to those willing to separate off items at the request of a PM, those extra steps could be inconvenient or intimidating enough to dissuade a potential buyer. As a general rule, list items separately, or in smaller bundles of similar items to make buying or trading easier.
TLDR: List items individually to be more convenient to those searching, and increase the chances of a sale.
"Look through my den"
Asking another person to look through your den to see if any lions catch their eye when making an offer is generally frowned upon by sellers for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can be uncomfortable to look through someone's lions without any context for the owner's favourites or projects. Additionally, it often wastes the sellers time looking for something that catches their eye when often your interests and projects may not align to theirs. When offering your lions, its best to look through THEIR territory to see what they might like and offer accordingly. If all else fails, there's no harm in asking what kind of lions they would accept as trade!
TLDR: When offering to trade with your lions, actively offer a lion they may like rather than inviting them to pick from your collection.
Mislabeling or vague titles
When titling a trade, its useful to be specific to ensure you attract the correct people. A trade labeled "Mr Lion's cub #14" Is more likely to be ignored over "Ice based female adolescent, 4 marks" because it lists the important features first. Similarly, listing a cub as "ebony female" could be interpreted either as a cub with an ebony base or an ebony marking. Clicking on a trade expecting one and finding the other can be frustrating and, particularly with the new "Hide Trade" feature, could lead to missed sales.
TLDR: Use clear titles to describe trade contents & pick out key features to attract the right buyer.
Lowballing
Lowballing is the term used for offers dramatically lower value than the contents of the trade itself, either on purpose or through ignorance. It is frustrating and generally interpreted as trolling or otherwise suspicious and can lead to a player blocking you or otherwise being unwilling to further negotiate a fair trade. As a general rule try not to offer less than 75% of the value of an item for sale, and be sure to do your research on what you can afford before offering items.
TLDR: Know the value of your own items & the item you're offering for before making an offer and aim for as close to the value of the item for sale as possible.
Community feedback
This guide is produced based on personal experience and community feedback. I welcome your imput and am open to private messages or comments to this thread for additions or corrections! Please phrase feedback in a respectful and neutral manor & remember not to target specific trades or players in your comments!
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