Guild Wars 2

I’ve noticed that when selling gems, you sell for about 7g, but buying costs 10g. How is this all decided and why is there a 3g difference per 100. I’m just assuming greed (which makes people turn to gold sellers that won’t take 3g from what you pay) on anets side. Any logical reason to this? I would get a 50s max fee so you can’t buy and sell once they go up a gold, but really……

It’s no different than when you buy or sell gold. Obviously, when you buy gold, it’s going to cost $X. When you sell the gold however, you’re only going to get $Y. $X > $Y, and the difference between the two can be attributed to fees, taxes, and assumed profit margin for the person/company buying and selling gold.

The reason the gap is (possibly) larger for buying/selling gems in GW2, is that it also contributes as a gold sink. For every 10g that purchases gems, an equivalent amount of gems only nets you 7g (currently).

Gold sink. And it is % based as far as I know, rather than a set number.

I doubt it pushes people to buy from gold sellers, if they wanted to buy from gold sellers they would do that no matter what price ArenaNet “set”.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Trading_Post#Currency_Exchange

The exchange rate is set by the players through supply and demand. There is a 15% fee as with all Trading Post transactions.

I honestly doubt there’s any sort of extra fee involved. If it’s 11g for 100 gems, then I’m paying exactly 11g for 100 gems, assuming, of course, the rate does not change in the process. I’m not paying 11g plus another 1g65s on top of it.

Karizee.8076:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Trading_Post#Currency_Exchange

The exchange rate is set by the players through supply and demand. There is a 15% fee as with all Trading Post transactions.

The tax on gem conversion is much higher, close to 30%.

Saylu.8271:

Karizee.8076:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Trading_Post#Currency_Exchange

The exchange rate is set by the players through supply and demand. There is a 15% fee as with all Trading Post transactions.

The tax on gem conversion is much higher, close to 30%.

15% both directions supposedly. However, with the way the system works, you dont pay fees of any kind. Whether that’s because it’s a flat x% on the buy price is lopped off to get the sell price, or because it’s fees added/subtracted (and not displayed) to what the cost of gems really are, I dont know. Point is, for the sake of simplicity, the gold exchange provides a way to siphon out gold and prevent faster inflation of prices.

The fees also make it so that using the Gem exchange to profit is far harder.

During the start of the game there was no “tax” on selling gems. It was introduced a few months into the game, I believe.

Gems were on the constant rise, and since there was no tax, you could resell an hour after and make some gold.

Aidan Savage.2078:

Saylu.8271:

Karizee.8076:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Trading_Post#Currency_Exchange

The exchange rate is set by the players through supply and demand. There is a 15% fee as with all Trading Post transactions.

The tax on gem conversion is much higher, close to 30%.

15% both directions supposedly. However, with the way the system works, you dont pay fees of any kind. Whether that’s because it’s a flat x% on the buy price is lopped off to get the sell price, or because it’s fees added/subtracted (and not displayed) to what the cost of gems really are, I dont know. Point is, for the sake of simplicity, the gold exchange provides a way to siphon out gold and prevent faster inflation of prices.

It is a 30% lost to both the buyer and seller, you are getting tax once. You are making things complicated by saying you are getting tax twice by the same person, Anet. The gem exchange is different from the rest of the trading post.

The “gap” between the buy and sell prices is called a spread. It’s only natural for it occur in any form of currency exchange (even in a virtual world like GW2).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bid-offer_spread

Vesuvius.9874:

The “gap” between the buy and sell prices is called a spread. It’s only natural for it occur in any form of currency exchange (even in a virtual world like GW2).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bid-offer_spread

It’s natural if it happens on it’s own. The buy/sell difference for gems is not natural, it was instituted by Anet.

The ratio between the two rates is the Gem to Gold rate is 72.25% of the Gold to Gem rate. This is 0.85 × 0.85.

In reality there is only one exchange rate. When you buy Gems, the Gold you are paying is first taxed at 15% and then this singular exchange rate is used to determine the number of Gems you get with the remaining 85%. When you buy Gold from the exchange, the singular exchange rate is used to determine the amount of Gold you will get from Gems and then 15% is deducted, leaving you with remaining 85%.