Yew Bank Vendor Contest -- Free placed house!

To help spur development of the Yew Bank area and as a service to the shard, I’m donating this placed log cabin right at Yew Bank. This location has easy bank access and is right on the guard zone line. Although it is my hope that the new owner will run honest, well-stocked vendors, no formal restrictions will be placed on the new owner. The winner of the contest will own this house.



How to Enter
There are far too many vacant houses in the Yew area that could be great vendor locations. To help ensure that this location is actually used for vendors, this house will be donated to the winner of the Yew Bank Vendor Contest. Contestants will have until July 31st to post a reply in this thread explaining why they should be the owner of this premium vendor spot.

Entries will be judged based on:

• Commitment to running vendors – In the long term, will the player actually end up running a good, complete shop?
• Innovative ideas for running vendors – Does the player have any new, catchy ideas on how to run the shop?
• Veracity (aka “truthiness”) – Is this an established player or a sham? Is the player just looking to flip the property or is there a genuine desire to run vendors here?
• Entertainment value

I'll pick out the top 10 entries and on August 2nd at 10pm the contestants will roll dice to determine the winner.

Questions:
What time zone is this?
All times are server time (Central)

Does it cost anything to enter?
Nothing but your time.

Do contestants bid on the house?
Nope. The winner of the contest gets the house -- free and clear.

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

A group of friends and myself from my hometown began playing UO when I was about 13 years old way back in 2000. We played for several years on OSI shards and various free shards. Eventually, life happened. We moved to different places, some of us to different continents, and started raising families. It is difficult for us to see each other, especially all in the same place. Recently, we managed to organize a reunion and in a 2 AM drunken stupor we began to discuss our glory days on UO. One of us never really stopped playing and became quite a prominent businessman on a few shards. We discussed the economic strategies he has used in the past few years and 6 of us decided to find a newer shard where it would be possible to get started. Then we found Renaissance and hit the ground running. We have been working on our characters now for a few weeks, and will soon need a place to sell our wares. It has been a fun few weeks, even the grind of skill raising, mining, etc. is fun now that I'm able to connect with my old friends from around the world.

I must be honest, if we were to win this contest, it would surely be a while before it became a complete vendor shop, but I can guarantee that we will get there as soon as possible. Our long term goal is to help the shard grow and develop a rich economy and player-base. Our idea for the shop is to make quality, affordable goods for new players such as cheap GM iron armor and arms. Our hope is that we can create customer loyalty this way and when these new players become veteran players, they will purchase their higher level gear from us at standard prices.

Upgrayedd, thanks for holding this contest, it is a charitable thing to do and causes me to fall in love with this shard even more.

Thank you for your consideration,

Augustus

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

I would like submit my name for consideration...
Plans for the house:
1. Have it set up for up to 5 or 6 new players to shard can place a vendor (under the proposed stocking guidelines) and sell easy to farm items such as leather, boards, ingots, cloth). These items will be solely allowed to be sold by new players to shard, giving them the chance to make some cash and get a start in the game...

2. For more experienced player needs, I would like to get help from folks setting up vendors and sell "GM Kits" for instance bag of "40k cloth and 4k leather" for Tailoring with a book in each bag describing describing the guide of what to make at what level of skill.

I am sure other great ideas will pop up. But being the resource gatherer I am, this is what seems a great idea to me.

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

I'd put a vendor there and keep it stocked. My bowcraft is almost finished, and after that I think I just need a scribe and poisoner. I also would sell things at minimal profit and take player surveys in the forums on what they would like to see stocked. I dunno. I'd totally run a vendor out of there and I wouldn't sell bulk cloth, fishing goods, or bulk regs that would compete with my neighbors. Just craftables and the occasional rares



!



That is amazing you're doing this by the way. Kudos

Also if there came a time for me to leave the game, I would revert the house back to Up (and never sell it, swear lol)

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

Good evening.

Well, sincerily it is my 3rd week here, and im not nearly even finished my crafters. Im first setuping my economy, based atm on Leather bulk selling, and now investing on fishing. But as soon I had it running, I would like to seek for spot to setup a proper shop, and I think this one would be the best and safer place to place, and in this case, to keep one runnning.

I had a villa on Europe shard, 3 screen at south SL HQ, I have run a vendor there, from mostly PvP stuff, since regs/pots bags, magic/GM weapons and armor, to fishing and rare stuff. I loved it and when it decayed because I was travelling, I left OSI Shards. Ive played on UOSA for 4 years, not 24/7 but yes from time to time, and I couldnt afford to buy a proper spot, as I cant atm because Im just a new player here.

New ideas? I dont know if they are, but I would like to setup few vendors with bags for newbies on shards(like we all were) GM armors and weapons, at really low prices,without any gain even I with looses,but I dont care, It would be for the good name of the shop and to try to make the begin easier to new ones. Probably some people would think on buying them for their own profit, but I trust on the reasonable people of this server, which atm, it is the only kind of people I have found.

I would try also to keep selling my leather orders there, because I think I havent see many vendors selling it, although ingots and boards, even cloth, is everywhere.

And of course, I would love to decorate this shop, I had a greenhouse on my villa, growing plants, and I would really like to repeat it or try something different but not with less work

Well, and to finish, I would like to thanks for this chance, and to sorry for my english errors if I had.

Thanks and good luck to everyone.

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

Treasureman:

Commitment:
I have been around on UOR since before beta, and was running around on the shard a few days after Telamon first started. I am fully committed to the economic grown on the shard, and fully committed to making this a very successful and widely used place to purchase anything someone desires. I ran Kyptonical & Co on Voldeshard for Krypt after Telamon left for UOR. I have plenty of experience in running and maintaining vendors, while also managing other people who wish to place a vendor in that location. All vendor spots that I can not fill myself would be given to the public for people to sell their wares at this location. Although, I am fairly strict on people placing vendors at my houses. Vendors not stocked for over 48 hours are usually removed if possible.

Possible ideas:
I have a few things I was thinking about doing. I am from the deep south, and love a good place where you can get everything done in a one-stop shop. If i want to grab a beer, maybe roll a few dice, buy some cloths, and then buy a bag of regs to drag my ass back to the house, that is what I want. This is sorta of the idea I am looking to do. Bar, casino, and a walmart all combined into one, lol. Also maybe putting together a mini museum and a lounge if people wanted to stop by .. relax, look at some pretty pixels, and then buy what they need and go. All the usuall wares would be sold ranging from regs, weapons, pots, and more. I know I am severely limited to lock downs, but I am pretty sure I can make it happen with what is given.

Truthfulness:
I was very trusted on that past servers, and I have completed many deals on this shard as well to promote that I am trustworthy. I have some long time friends on this shard all the way back from osi on baja that have beat honesty and being trustworthy into my brain. I am also a hoarder, I will not try and flip this house for a profit. If it ever gets to a point that I am unable to maintain this location as a vendor, I will hand this house off to the next person free of charge. I would most likely talk with Upgrayedd about possible candidates, or even have another contest. All items sold at this establishment would be exactly what the description says, and if a player ever became upset with a transaction I would refund the gold in full.


Thanks for the opportunity Upgrayedd

Re: Yew Bank Vendor Contest

I just started on this shard about two weeks ago, first time playing in about 4 or 5 years. I began playing OSI in 1998.

I'm an all around player, I partake in everything save for PK'ing. I've got a GM carp and tinkerer and my tailoring should be GM'd later on tonight. By the time it's all said and done, I intend to GM every crafting skill.

I will also be doing a lot of PvM which is sure to yield a lot of weapons and armor.

So along with stocking every ware imaginable, I will also make the lower end magical weapons and armor as cheap as possible for the newer players. It is my intention that this be a vendor house stocked full of everything a person would need. I will likely invite others to place vendors here as well.

The shard needs to grow and UO can be tough to traverse as a new player, so the focus would be on helping them while also being a practical place to shop by veterans as well.

I can promise that the house will never be sold.

Obviously I haven't been here long enough to build up a reputation, but I can proudly say I've never cheated anyone in this game and have worked to help people where I can. Seems like every time I make a million most of it ends up given away.

I think I'd like to do a weekly prize where people have to take screen shots of them having to do something along the lines of a theme inside or around the house.

More to come at some point when I'm not intoxicated.

.

David Hasselhoff has asked me to submit an application on his behalf.

•Commitment to running vendors – In the long term, will the player actually end up running a good, complete shop?

David Hasselhoff currently already runs a successful vendor shop in the Yew area. David Hasselhoff has always dreamt of being able to bank from his doorstep, and would love to upgrade his store location. David Hasselhoff currently sells: ingots, smith BODs, tailor BODs, boats, GM tinkered lockboxes, and lockpicks.

David Hasselhoff's Vendor Thread:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1880

David Hasselhoff's House of Booze has recently even earned critical acclaim, for pretty vendor displays:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1937&start=15#p12668

•Innovative ideas for running vendors – Does the player have any new, catchy ideas on how to run the shop?

At the current location of David Hasselhoff's House of Booze, David Hasselhoff already offers free booze to lure in potential customers. This practice would continue were David Hasselhoff to win.

David Hasselhoff also pledges to run a vendor that will offer daily deals. David Hasselhoff has informed me that he would like to call them "David's Daily Deals". David Hasselhoff will sell goods on this vendor at a greatly reduced cost for a short period of time and advertise them on the forum.

• Veracity (aka “truthiness”) – Is this an established player or a sham? Is the player just looking to flip the property or is there a genuine desire to run vendors here?

David Hasselhoff is a well established actor with ties to the community. He has starred in legendary TV shows such as Baywatch and Knight Rider. He has appeared in several movies including Dodgeball and Click. David Hasselhoff also served as a judge on America's Got Talent.

In the world of UOR, David Hasselhoff is already in the vendor business (as previously mentioned) and has a proven track record of excellence and free booze.

• Entertainment value

David Hasselhoff is a professional entertainer.

When David Hasselhoff's account is not in use, David Hasselhoff himself will log in and sit on the balcony of the store. David Hasselhoff will sign autographs and take pictures (screenshots) with fans. David Hasselhoff is aware that free booze is offered in the store, but since he has a reputation for getting hammered and eating burgers off the floor, David Hasselhoff will not be drinking any of the free booze.



David Hasselhoff has assured me that the above will not be a problem if David Hasselhoff were to win this property. David Hasselhoff will always remain sober and will definitely not get trashed while on duty and shout obscenities at potential shoppers.

OK, who am I kidding. David Hasselhoff is a loose cannon and he is a man that enjoys his booze. While I'm AFK, David Hasselhoff will stand on the balcony running a macro to drink liquor and shout obscenities at passers-by.

I bet those are magic cookies

Just want to say that this is a cool thing for you to do Up.

Thanks Mes. The offer is open to you too. I'm sure you have plenty of items to sell...just have to wash off the blood

Why should I get this cabin?
The answer is quite simple, really. I should have the same chance as anyone listed before or after me. I have run vendors in OSI, UOSA, and look forward to running them here, pretty much like anyone else will claim. And yes, I have the experience. In 1997-2001 I was on Atlantic and Napa Valley and ran serious vendors there.

Can I handle it?
Surely. I am a member of C^V, and the guild as a whole has several GM Fishers, Tamers, Smiths, Tailors, Tinkers, Scibers, Miners, Lumberjackers... the works.
Personally, I just GMed my Tailor a few hours ago, working Tinker as we speak, and look forward to having Smith done this week.
I hunt with my tamer in many places where Force, Power, Vanq, and even Might weapons/armor drop.

My ideas?
A noob starts with 1000g. If they are a dexxer they need armor, weapons, bandages, etc. A mage needs a rune book, regs, runes, etc.
I plan to make bags for 500g (just half of what they have), and these bags will contain exactly what they need, depending on class. Also, I plan to put a simple guide book in each bag. How to build str with herding, build dex with snooping, etc.

So please, put my name on the list

I just entered twice to double my chances of winning.

And it will be a convenient place to sell back the items I steal from people who buy from your new vendors :twisted:

I have thought about it a while now trying to decide if I should enter or not. I am doing quite well with my vendors placed at Apoc's shop in front of the bank. I appreciate everything he and others have done since I got here. I do not want to seem ungrateful for the opportunity he has given me. But it is his shop, his rules and he runs it as he sees fit.

However, right now, at this stage of evolution and population of UOR, there is no better Vendor location than Yew Bank. And the opportunity to own my own shop in one of the prime spots is too tempting to pass up, so I am tossing my hat in as it were..

•Commitment to running vendors – In the long term, will the player actually end up running a good, complete shop?

I am currently running vendors in 3 locations. Trinsic, Yew and Occlo. Occlo sells tools priced at 10gp each, 100 bandaids for 10gp each and Force weapons at 100gp each.
My Trinisic shop is right outside the front gates of the city and locals shop there. There you can find Scribe items, addons, furniture, bulk cloth, leather armor and reg packs.
Finally I have 3 vendors at Apoc's S3X shop in Yew selling Scribe items from fullspellbooks, to runebooks to the usually big 3 scrolls, recall, mark and gate. I also sell Magic Weapons, empty potion kegs, leather armor and bulk cloth.

I am a very good sheep farmer


•Innovative ideas for running vendors – Does the player have any new, catchy ideas on how to run the shop?

A lot of good ideas have been expressed here already, some of which are very feasible, others I think will be hard to maintain. I have run vendors my entire UO career, 10years at OSI, 4 months on Voldeshard ( I joined $$$ on my crafter there and sold out of the Moonglow North Vendor Shop) and my time here. I currently run ALL those vendors listed above. If I am lucky enough to win this location, I will be moving my 3 Yew vendors there. I am also offering a free vendor spot to all who have entered and did not win.

The one thing I have learned in all my years of vendoring is that customers expect consistency in both prices and stocking. I have not always been the cheapest vendor shop around, but I am always consistent. That is the key to repeat business. A lot of people think that low prices will lure customers away and to some extent its true, but those low prices are not sustainable. The vendor cant keep up and the customers quickly come back.

At my shop I stress consistency and I expect the same from those who I allow to place there. I like to run a neat orderly shop. Front Porch spots are for those who show they can keep that consistency. Indoors, nicely decorated, with a theme for each vendor type. If you want to place here, bring your deco ideas on how to set apart your vendor. There is a dress code, but its per placer. That way at a glance you can tell who runs what vendors

• Veracity (aka “truthiness”) – Is this an established player or a sham? Is the player just looking to flip the property or is there a genuine desire to run vendors here?

I believe my record here speaks for itself. I have vendors here now, been running them since I could farm stuff to sell. Population will soon see another growth spurt and Yew will only become more popular. There are new shops popping up all the time and I look forward to the competition.


• Entertainment value

Strobe lights and Disco Balls abound...... err scratch that. A lot of people far more creative than I put on events. I prefer to work more behind the scenes to assist those events. I give back to the community by helping out new players, ie the Occlo house, giving away things I craft. Donating to resist sessions. I don't like just giving gold to new players, I truly think that it doesn't help them in the long run, so instead of giving them 10k, I give them armor, regs, weapons. Then buy the things they farm.

Even if I am not fortunate enough to win this prime vendor house, I will continue to do all the above. If I win it, I will rally the vendors there to do the same with Free Giveaways, Sponsoring of Events all in the name of the Shop.

Matter of fact, the first thing I will sponsor is a Name the Shop event!! An epic location needs an epic name !!!

I've gone back and forth on whether to throw myself into this hat as well. However, I guess I may as well.

The reason I've not already written this, is purely because I, and Sosarian Alliance of Traders, are still establishing ourselves here in this great land. SIRSLY and myself have the ultimate goal of becoming well-respected and trustworthy citizens of UOR, both as traders and as reliable brokers as the need increases over time. But, as a side effect of the fact that we are still establishing ourselves, at this point in the venture we're not sure what we ourselves could offer out of this site -- the prospects have us both salivating, but the reality of what we have to offer still is a bit of time in coming.

So, alternatively, what SAT would do with this location if we were the lucky recipients of such a wonderous gift, would be to open it up for easy accessibility for new vendors. We would offer up the location to any new players, looking to vend their gathered cloth, lumber, leathers, and other goods at reasonable prices to help others get their feet on the ground on this shard. This service would, of course, be free -- and only contingent on the expectations that we have of no price gouging. We would additionally begin to stock our own vendors, with things such as various craftables and items that we have begun the gathering of -- though the focus at first would be establishing the venue as a newbie trading center.

Long-term, our goal would be to incorporate this location in with the other planned vendor locations that SAT is planning on establishing, and bring it to terms to be competitive with both pricing and selection to the other vendors in the area. Most likely, due to proximity to the bank, this would become more focused on things like rares and bulk commodities over time, though we will never be too good for lower scale goods to be provided.

Our goal as a guild is to establish a trustworthy and reliable vendor network for the benefit of all; this house would give us a great advantage towards approaching this goal.

Lets cut this bs its mine!!


thats all I got ?

Last chance to get in on the contest. Entries need to be in by midnight server time.

Shop name: Dead Giveaway



•Commitment to running vendors – In the long term, will the player actually end up running a good, complete shop?
Well let's look at whats for sale?
Tailor BODS, Bulk Resources(Lumber, Ingots, Cloth) and Guaranteed Stolen Discount Goods
With 3 tailors at 99.6 tailoring - being GM is overrated - No more recalling to Gideon's bod shop!! Plenty of recall resource gathering macros as well.

•Innovative ideas for running vendors – Does the player have any new, catchy ideas on how to run the shop?
Guaranteed Stolen Discount Goods.. Angry that I just stole your rune to your house while you were macroing flamestrike? Upset that you think sparring just outside town guards with 2k bandies was going to go smoothly all night? Riled up that you got your house looted or killed while afk and lost your barbed armor? Come buy all your stolen/dropped goods back at a discounted rate.


• Veracity (aka “truthiness”) – Is this an established player or a sham? Is the player just looking to flip the property or is there a genuine desire to run vendors here?
I like gold but losing the respect of my peers at flipping the house would absolutely be devastating. Let's sign a contractual obligation that if my time as owner comes to an end, I'll put up the same (dead)giveaway process.

• Entertainment value
**See innovative ideas**