[Discussion] Idea for easier map trade tool/HP with current tools available
I recently had an idea for making trading maps easier for both the buyer and seller, while still utilizing the current system we have.
Essentially it would be tool or homepage where you can select multiple maps or entire tiers and search for sellers who have either all or most of the selected maps available for sale.
The generated whisper message contains all wanted maps and the total price, something like this:
@MapSeller Hi, I would like to buy your Map1 (T1), Map2 (T3), Map4 (T9) for a total of x C, x alch in Incursion.
I think this gives both the buyer and seller advantages, saving everyone time and netting the seller a higher trade value.
Unfortunately I'm not capable of programming a tool/homepage like this myself, that's why I'm making this thread in hopes of someone more capable liking the idea.
Posted Jun 6, 2018, 9:06 AM UTC
I actually tried to build this exact tool last year but the problem is that it would require running an indexer (basically a database that keeps track of all items available for sale) since maps are such high volume items. So it's more involved, and expensive, than a simple webapp which means fewer developers would be inclined to build and maintain it. I might come back to it in the future but for now I'm hoping some other nice dev will get around to it.
It only requires an indexer if you're relying on the public stash tabs to list items rather than manually entering them on a web page, as OP suggests.
Any efficiency improvement this kind of trade would gain would be totally axed by needing to manually enter your maps as a seller. It requires an indexer to be usable.