Help Stabilize the TF2 Market!

Hello!

I am sure that you, as traders, are disgusted by the high price of keys. The price is especially alarming as keys are used a unit of currency. The value of higher-tier items should not depend on the price of keys. They should, instead, be determined in a fixed currency so as that the "floor" is not pulled out from under the feet of traders. I have no issue with the price of keys, as long as they aren't a primary currency. Refined metal is nice and stable as it is always worth 3 reclaimed metal, 9 scrap metal, or 18 weapons. Keys can go up and down, so items priced in keys don't always have the same value. An example of this are Earbuds. Earbuds used to be almost 28 keys in late 2012. Now, as of April 2013, Earbuds are about 23 keys. That's to show how and why we need higher tier metal that has an unchanging value rather than keys. People only use keys for the convience of transferring larger sums of metal more easily, but is it worth it with today's prices? Also, if higher tier metal existed, think of how much easier it would be to have large sums of metal without taking up a ton of backpack space and trade window space. It isn't worth trading high amounts of keys at today's prices. We don't think so, and I hope you don't either.

The solution:

Higher tier metal! Imagine the day where you could craft 3 ref into some sort of next level metal! That would be wonderful, as this new higher value metal would have a static value, and would be as convient to store as keys. You wouldn't have to worry about its value changing, and they would be quick to offer in trade windows. My proposed system is below:

Tier 4:
Bronze metal: 3 Refined Metal. About a key. Used for trading higher-level stranges, nice hats, and low-tier unusuals.

Tier 5:
Silver metal: 3 Bronze metal, or 9 refined metal. About 3 keys. Used for low-tier unusuals.

Tier 6:
Gold metal: 3 Silver metal, or 27 refined metal. About 9 keys, or about a Bill's. Used for low-mid tier unusual trades.

Tier 7:
Platinum metal: 3 gold metal, or 81 refined metal. About 27 keys, similar to a pair of Earbuds. Used all mid-high tier trading.

You might say that metal is too easy to get and that is the flaw in this plan. We know, but it still doesn't mean we can't have higher metal. If higher metal came out, suddenly a lot of people would want metal and key prices would lower for just long enough to make the price go back to what it was over a year ago.

What you can do to help:
If you are selling something:
Price it in metal instead of keys

If you are buying something:
Offer in metal, no matter how much it may be

In general:
Invite others to this group
Refuse to buy keys for any reason other than unboxing
Petition Valve to add higher tier metal

Thank you for reading, joining, and inviting others!

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Комментариев: 17

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Sholm

28 авг. 2013 г. в 12:04

This is an amazing idea. You should message Valve representatives about this!!!

Dimcairion

17 апр. 2013 г. в 10:08

what if we craft the keys? 3 or 4 (or a Bronze metal plus something) ref make a key, if you want more keys you can buy it... i mean Valve is not going to lose money because you can craft the keys, they got a lot of money (and make a lot of money every hour)

Bill Nye The Science Guy

15 апр. 2013 г. в 20:14

We know that metal is free, and that is a flaw. If higher tier metal could be not as easy to make, and Valve made some sort of profit, it could work and easily be done.

Diñho

15 апр. 2013 г. в 19:47

After a little thought, here are my two cents. The main issue traders seem to have with keys is the ever rising price, and I've seen as high as 4.55. The reason for this inflation is simple supply and demand, while the supply of metal increases the supply of keys at best increases at a small fraction of that of the supply of metal. Because of the now larger amount of metal, more people with metal will want the more valuable keys, while people with keys find the metal less valuable as it becomes more and more available.
(cont.)

Diñho

15 апр. 2013 г. в 19:47

In the same way that the supply of keys increases much more slowly than metal, unusuals; misc.; and buds either don't increase in supply at all, or at best a fraction of that of the keys (if my understanding of the drop system is correct). Therefore the price of these items will increase in proportion with the price of keys. That being now well established, it should not take much of a leap to infer that holding the majority of ones wealth in keys is preferable, because over time they will mature in value (if the current trend continues, and it shows no signs of stopping).
(cont.)

Diñho

15 апр. 2013 г. в 19:46

(cont.)
All of that above is to establish that metal is an infinite and renewable resource (like printed money), while keys are a finite and perishable resource (similar to printed money). Now just like making a million dollar bill would make it easier to buy larger quantities of oil but not reduce the price per unit, adding bronze, silver, platinum, or even solid rainbow magic metal would not make unusuals any more obtainable or keys any less expensive.
Now this would not be a necessarily bad idea, and Valve would probably not object to the idea in and of itself since it does not drive down the price of anything, but it certainly is not a solution to the problem at hand, since a large amount of metal will depreciate in value as the price of keys continues to rise. Avoiding buying/selling keys would be the only 'easy' solution.

TL;DR: Won't solve key problem, but does give (shaky) alternative for large amounts of currency.

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