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GTN Alternative Uses


Drewhat

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The GTN isn't just for finding your gear for leveling. So there are a lot of ways to use the GTN that aren't immediately transparent for the new/veteran user. Below are a few I've thought about. Please list other ideas as you have found them.

 

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Crafters names are listed next to what they are selling. You should be able to get in contact with a productive crafter who is commonly listing gear in a range and put in an order personally. Alternatively, you can find people who are in your class, inspect their gear, and find the person that created it and send them a PST or mail them.

 

Discounted Reverse Engineering

Sometimes people list premium and prototype goods for very cheap. You should see this as nearly free research materials that could get you a new schematic if you could use it. Buy the cheap gear, RE it, and cross your fingers for a schematic. Make sure it is RE'able and could yield a schem first by clicking your RE button and mousing over it. Also you can PST makers of premium or prototype goods and contract them to supply you with gear that you can then RE yourself.

 

Proactive Gearing

People will often see only what they need at a given moment and get it. If you have an alt that is only level 18 but you see some extremely cheap level 24 pieces it may be smart to grab them now before they go. Think ahead!

 

Cheap Modifications

This can be tricky because it requires knowing what ripping out mods costs, but some people will practically give away gear with mods you could use, even though you don't need the gear for that slot. If it is cheaper gear to buy even including the mod removal, then grab it!

 

Arbitrage

There is a ton of cash to be made by buying gear on one market (imperial) where certain classes are rare and selling it on another market (republic) where the intended classes are more proportionately popular. This goes for a lot of goods throughout the market. Just do your research.

 

Re-listing/Money-laundering

If you see something being listed just below your good, you can beat the system by having an alt buy your item and then re-list it. Obviously you'll have to wait for the money, but this could give you an advantage. Also, if you are trying to get resources from one toon to a guildy on another toon in the opposite faction, you can each 'trade-list' gear at an outrageous price on the Hutt GTN. He lists a cheap piece for 100k, you list the piece he wants for 100k, and he buys yours and you buy his. Whatever money you want to give them you just would list your trash item for that much cheaper.

 

Companion Gifts

I really don't think people have fully appreciated (on my server) how important affection is and how the GTN can be a resource for improving this. I believe you can see gifts in the 'Miscellaneous' category.

 

Alternative Med Droid/ Stim Vendor

If you think in terms of HP/credits or stat points gained/credit you can often get great deals through buying crafted prototype and premium consumables (healthpacks and stims).

 

Clearing house for your world loot

Hopefully the makers have made this obvious, but especially if you get blue gear that you do not need/can't use from world loot drops it can be 3-5 times better to list it on the GTN than sell it to an NPC vendor. At the very least send a WTS in /trade chat. As far as gear is concerned, for quick reference, estimate that a NPC vendor will buy gear from you for about 5-10 credits per rating level.

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The GTN isn't just for finding your gear for leveling. So there are a lot of ways to use the GTN that aren't immediately transparent for the new/veteran user. Below are a few I've thought about. Please list other ideas as you have found them.

 

Advertising

Crafters names are listed next to what they are selling. You should be able to get in contact with a productive crafter who is commonly listing gear in a range and put in an order personally. Alternatively, you can find people who are in your class, inspect their gear, and find the person that created it and send them a PST or mail them.

I have never received a request from someone asking for a custom order. I have gotten a few general crafting questions but never someone offering to buy more of my stuff.

 

Discounted Reverse Engineering

Sometimes people list premium and prototype goods for very cheap. You should see this as nearly free research materials that could get you a new schematic if you could use it. Buy the cheap gear, RE it, and cross your fingers for a schematic. Make sure it is RE'able and could yield a schem first by clicking your RE button and mousing over it. Also you can PST makers of premium or prototype goods and contract them to supply you with gear that you can then RE yourself.

Are you sure this works? I thought you could only learn schematics from items that you crafted yourself. You get the materials from the RE but I didn't think you could learn the schematics.

Edited by Screaming_Ziva
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NIce post!

 

I'll admit, when I opened the thread I expected to see something like:

 

 

Airbag

When those nasty Imperials start blasting the Republic Fleet Station, position your speeder between the GTN and the wall to avoid falling as the Fleet Station tips on its side.

 

 

But you're right... There are tons of ways to make money (lots of money...) and save money on this game if you know what you're doing

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I have never received a request from someone asking for a custom order. I have gotten a few general crafting questions but never someone offering to buy more of my stuff. You get get the materials from the RE but I didn't think you could learn the schematics...Are you sure this works? I thought you could only learn schematics from items that you crafted yourself.

 

I'm pretty sure I've done this with a couple of premiums. You just have to be careful though because currently there are 2 kinds of augments on the market, pre 1.2 and post 1.2. They have the same name, but the pre 1.2 can't be RE'ed. I'll double check when I get home.

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I tried this out yesterday... you CAN NOT RE items made by another player for a chance to learn a schematic (only for mats). It seems like the only things you can RE for schematic upgrades is world drops that you already have the schematic for.

 

I checked the GTN for Armoring that my cybertech could RE, and the only one on the GTN that had a 20% chance" listed was an armor plate with no "Made By" tag on it.

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General concepts are.. Kinda solid.

 

However to correct one thing.. If you have an alt or a guildie who has a cross-faction alt, with 1.2 you can send them the item through the mail. You just have to type out their whole name. You can also send credits that way so no need for money laundering. Matter of fact, same faction takes an hour to send in the mail. Cross-faction is immediate.. something to make you go Hmm.

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Never mind, the poster above me said it all. (Although, mail between your own characters is instant regardless of faction, and mail to anyone else on your own faction takes the 1 hour). Edited by Ancaglon
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I believe the OPs intentions with "Money Laundering" is to use an alt to basically cancel a GTN sale without losing your deposit... such as:

 

You post an item for $5K, plus deposit.

Some other guy posts the same item for $4500.

 

You can either:

A. Leave your item up for 2 days, where it probably won't sell because someone else is selling it cheaper.

B. Cancel the sale (and lose your deposit) and relist it for cheaper. Or

C: Buy your own item with an alt, and relist it for cheaper... with this tactic, you lose way less money, because the GTN only keeps a small fraction of your initial deposit.

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I have never received a request from someone asking for a custom order. I have gotten a few general crafting questions but never someone offering to buy more of my stuff.

 

I agree, the odds of that are surprisingly low. Given the nature of the variety of crafted stuff you'd think it would happen more often.

 

That being said, it has happened to me exactly once. Got a whisper by somebody who had apparently just been beat out in buying something I had for sale asking if there would be another one available soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I believe the OPs intentions with "Money Laundering" is to use an alt to basically cancel a GTN sale without losing your deposit... such as:

 

You post an item for $5K, plus deposit.

Some other guy posts the same item for $4500.

 

You can either:

A. Leave your item up for 2 days, where it probably won't sell because someone else is selling it cheaper.

B. Cancel the sale (and lose your deposit) and relist it for cheaper. Or

C: Buy your own item with an alt, and relist it for cheaper... with this tactic, you lose way less money, because the GTN only keeps a small fraction of your initial deposit.

 

but if you post an item and it does not sell you get the full deposit back so you can just re-list it again?

am i missing something or is this entire discussion a little pointless?

:rak_02:

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but if you post an item and it does not sell you get the full deposit back so you can just re-list it again?

am i missing something or is this entire discussion a little pointless?

:rak_02:

You're correct. Unlike in WoW, if the item doesn't sell, you get back the item AND the full deposit. And this isn't "money laundering" in any shape or form, it's a borderline OCD-thing for people who think that they'll actually make a fortune if they can just undercut whoever posted the price just below theirs.

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Also, if you are trying to get resources from one toon to a guildy on another toon in the opposite faction, you can each 'trade-list' gear at an outrageous price on the Hutt GTN. He lists a cheap piece for 100k, you list the piece he wants for 100k, and he buys yours and you buy his. Whatever money you want to give them you just would list your trash item for that much cheaper.

You can mail things between faction within your legacy. It would be easier for one person or the other to simplay make a lvl 1 toon on the other side and mail stuff back and forth. Assuming that you don't already have toons on both sides.

 

Saves time and money.

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The GTN is more than just a way to get money and get leveling gear.

It's a great way on HEAVY servers to get BiS gear.

 

The following probably won't work on a Light Server (so Fatman, Jedi Covenant you're in the clear).

 

Crafters on my server Ajunta Pall frequently RE endgame gear such as the Black Hole implants/earpieces (30, 35 BH Comms) and after learning the schematics sell them on the GTN. Oss'addre'la (incorrect spelling but best I can remember) is an Imp Chiss who RE'd the http://www.torhead.com/item/byjASsM/black-hole-annihilators-mk-1-enhancer and sells them for 1.2-1.5 million. I've seen augmented Black Hole Earpieces sell for as much as 2.5 Million credits. Since you can solo most dailies for 350k a day (about 175k/hour) that's a full week of credit grinding. If you're like me you probably take 2-3 weeks to get that much since you work full time and can't credit grind more than 2-3 times a week.

 

Still that means that with the money I've made off the GTN I was able to buy an AUGMENTED CAMPAIGN RELIC for my main. Now that is pretty cool right?

 

GTN - it's a BiS source.

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