The GE Website Update

Well, I have to say that todays update of the official GE website (oGE) is kind of making me nervous.  It not that the update effects anything about my webiste, the Grand Exchange Central, which is an investment website.  But many RuneScape members in the official forums are venting pretty hard about Fan sites like the GEC that provide price data and graphs. 

 There seems to be an overlly sensationalized belief that price data helps clan minipulation.  It may help a little, but not to the extent that people are suggesting.  My stand point is that price data and graphs are of little use to a large clan with a huge collective sum to play with.  A big clan with enough money can manipulate any item at any time with no price information at all.  You just get everyone to start buying at the same time and then tell people to stop at the same time (the last one to the party is screwed but the clan leader is good to go).

It is my firm belief that extended price data like that which is provided by the GEC actually helps the small time investor.  It makes it easier for us little people not in clans to spot items that are being manipulated.  We can avoid those things and find other more secure items. 

Anyway, here is what I posted on the official forums.  Let me know your thoughts.

I’ve been reading the comments concerning this “update” which are particularly frustrating.

First of all, I agree with most of the comments that removing the most valueable list is a big mistake. That was a very useful feature and should be brought back.

What frustrates me is that people think this “update” was done to curb clan market manipulation. I am very against clan market manipulation (it has cost me a lot of gp and prevented me from buying items I wanted or needed). But I see nothing in this update that will have any effect on market manipulation what-so-ever. A large clan with enough collective money can manipulate the market with no data at all. It is obvious that this “update” was intented to improve ease of use and better “regular Joe” understanding. It did neither of those things, but the intent was clear.

I am also frustrated by comments that suggest that fan sites that provide extended price data are somehow contributing to market manipulation. Those fan sites and the extended histories now available on the official GE site can allow individual investors not involved in clan manipulation to spot what items are being manipulated and avoid those items.

Anyway, if Jagex wanted to curb clan manipulation it would attack it from a different angle. Data really has no effect. And I think attacks on fan sites that provide price data are unfair and not well thought out. Better controls need to be implimented within the trade system itself to detect these patterns and block them. Data is not the answer.

The Grand Exchange Central

What is the Grand Exchange Central?

The official version of this blog is part of a website known as the Grand Exchange Central (GEC). For almost a year now I have been developing this incredibly advanced RuneScape investing tool, and because of that I have neglected my blog more than I should. But I did want to explain what the Grand Exchange Central is so that even more people can enjoy this one of a kind RuneScape tool. And the best part is that it is free. Plus membership is not required to enjoy most of the sites basic features.

The basic description of the GEC is that it is a repository of data concerning items listed on the RuneScape Grand Exchange. But this description really does not give justice to the power that the GEC can provide RuneScape investors. Yes, the GEC is a repository of price data dating back up to 210 days. But there are so many more tools and features. Here are some of the highlights.

Mock Grand Exchange: Are you a fan of fantasy football or baseball? Well, the Mock Grand Exchange (MGE) is basically the same thing, except instead of having a fantasy team of players you have a fantasy team of RuneScape items. You are provided with mock (fake) RuneScape gp and can purchase and sell mock (fake) RuneScape items. You can watch you fantasy networth grow or decline in comparison to other MGE members. Plus it is an excellent way to try out investment strategies without the risk of losing real RuneScape gp. The Mock Grand Exchange is still in alpha testing, but very stable and has many active users.

Watch Lists: Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to check every day to see if that “killer” item finally has bottomed out or peeked? Well, the Grand Exchange Central lets users set up watch lists that will e-mail alerts when items have reached certain user defined thresholds. Wanna know when Strange fruit hits 9000gp. You can be alerted. Want to know when it hits 1500gp? You can be alerted.

Trending: This feature is in limited alpha testing right now, but soon visitors will be able to submit search queries that look into pricing trends on items. Want to know which items increased by %25 five times over the past three months. Trend Searching will do that. Find those great investments that no one ever thought of.

Runedexes: These are basically the same as Wall Street stock indexes except they lump RuneScape items into various categories such as headgear, malee weapons, gems, etc. You can watch these Runedexes to see how those categories are performing over time. Is it a good time to buy gems? Should I sell some armor? How are sets doing? Or just take a good look at how the overall economy is doing in general.

Counter Clan Manipulation:  The GEC’s data and graphs help small time investors spot items which may be manipulated by massive clan purchasing.  These allows the small time investor to avoid those items and find more secure.  Plus the tools the GEC provides gives small time investors a fighting chance against then rouge clans.

Parts Lists: Is it better to sell the parts of an item, or make the whole thing and sell it for major profit. Well, the GEC can help. Many items on the GEC contain parts lists that display what the item is made from and what those parts will cost individually. Just a glance at these lists can give you a wealth of information. And parts lists are being added to items on a regular basis.

Comparisons: Many items also have easy read comparison charts so you can quickly tell how it compares to related items. How much does cutting that gem stone effect it’s price?

Extended History: Most items have data going back up to 120 days with graphs covering time periods as short as a week or up to four months. Plus item 120 day Hi’s and Low’s are prominently listed. It’s a wonderful way of quickly determining if an item is about to bust or is primed for a major increase.

Accuracy: The GEC is updated multiple times throughout the day so the data is almost always fresh.

Forums: Get together and talk with other people interested in RuneScape investing. Our forums have strict policies to prevent violation of RuneScape rules so if you’ve been concerned about getting involved with other merchanting forums, the GEC is the place for you. No advice on RWT, macroing, bug exploits or cheats allowed. Feel comfortable talking in a place where if anyone tries to promote violating RuneScape rules they will be banned from the forums and the GEC/MGE. Many other sites are tolerant of these things. We are not. We want our members to be safe. 

There are many items I forgot to mention. But what I did mention should already have you wanting to check out the site. So go ahead, check out the

GRAND EXCHANGE CENTRAL