The Imperial Trading Company has been operating continuously since before the early access phase of the original PC launch of Elder Scrolls Online in 2014 and until now we have always tried to make ends meet with the tax system the game provides.
Ever since the introduction of the multi-bidding system, kiosk bids have been on the rise however. Especially over the past few months there has been a considerable increase and our upkeep has reached new levels that are no longer sustainable with the current rule-set for our guild.
To counteract this development the changes outlined below will take effect with the begin of the next trading week starting on the 15th. Sales requirement and inactivity limits will be rolled out over the next few weeks, to avoid anyone getting kicked unexpectedly while they were away.
Minimum sales requirement
We are a casual friendly social trading guild and want to stay as such, but considering almost 1/3 of our members is neither actively trading, nor interacting with the guild, we see ourselves forced to introduce changes that will hopefully rectify that.
In other words, Yeoman and above will now have a 5k sales (not tax) requirement per month. One week before they would become eligible to get kicked, they will receive a warning mail and badge. In case they have earned 3 warning badges, they will be instead kicked without a warning once the month is over.
In case of a planned absence, the period can be extended by spending Benefactor badges.
We will monitor how this change will affect different aspects of the guild and depending on how it goes, we may further adjust it in the future.
Vacations
For the reasons stated above, prolonged absences won’t be free any more.
In order to receive an Away badge, a payment of one Benefactor badge for each week of planned absence that goes beyond the inactivity limit for the current rank is required.
For example when a Yeoman wants to stay offline for three weeks, they need to spend two Benefactor badges. There won’t be any refunds in case of an early return, so careful planning is advised.
Also keep in mind that Benefactor badges can only be earned once a week. Regular donations to keep a stock of them are highly encouraged!
Badge Changes
Our guild uses Aetherius Badges in order to keep track of guild member activities and forms the basis for our rank system. Since their introduction a few years ago, we haven’t really made any adjustments, so it’s long overdue.
Top Trader
This badge will be removed in an effort to reduce clutter and instead the top 3 traders will be announced in the Message of the Day going forward.
Entrepreneur
It has been a bit too difficult to earn this badge up to now, so from now on the top 10 traders (up from 5) each week will receive this badge. Due to the removal of the Top Trader badge it will now be awarded the same week instead of the next one.
Vendor
Over the past few years we have seen a general increase in sales numbers and the vendor badge has become too easy to earn as a result. To account for this, the new sales requirement will be 300k (up from 200k).
Shopkeeper, Executive & Tycoon
These badges will now only require 5 of the previous level respectively, in order to make them more accessible. Existing badges will be updated accordingly.
For example 1 Tycoon badge would be the equivalent of 10 Shopkeeper badges or 100 Vendor badges in the old system. After the update the Tycoon badge will be “worth” only 25 Vendor badges, so the count is updates to 4 Tycoon badges. The other badges will work similar and 1 old Executive badge would become 2 for example.
Benefactor
The required sum will be increased to 15k gold. To account for the new requirement of the Vendor badge (tax income for 300k sales would be 10.5k gold, so we round up to the next 5k). Existing badges will be left as they are.
Investor
A new badge awarded for donating a cumulative sum of 1M gold. Can be earned multiple times and will count the same as earning one tycoon badge. It will be awarded retroactively according to the data stored in Advanced Member Tooltips.
Associate
Awarded for joining our discord server. Make sure to put your ingame name somewhere in your nickname or profile, so we know it’s you!
Philanthropist
This badge hasn’t seen much use and will be merged into the Participant badge, which will now account for all types of participation.
Away
Marks members who are absent for more than their inactivity limit. Purchased with Benefactor badges.
Warned
This badge will be added in case someone has received a warning for not meeting the monthly sales requirement one week before the limit.
Crafting
Aside of “Trait Master”, these will be simplified into a single “Artisan” badge to indicate a member wants to offer crafting services of any kind for gold.
Adventuring
Will be removed without replacement. People are already just asking in guild chat when they need someone to join them.
Rank progression and inactivity limits
Seeing how it had been almost impossible to get past Yeoman rank, some major changes to our ranks are in order. The new system will be more strict towards new recruits and also make it easier to earn a higher rank.
Freeman
The default rank for new members. Unlike the higher ranks, it has a strict 3 day inactivity limit and 1k weekly sales requirement. Kicks will happen without warning and after a 2 week probation phase new members can rank up to Yeoman by earning any one of the trading or participation badges.
Yeoman
The inactivity limit for this rank will be reduced to 7 days and it will no longer have access to the bank. After being with the guild for 30 days, the next higher Trader rank can be unlocked by earning a Shopkeeper, Executive or Investor badge.
Trader
Traders will have a 14 days inactivity limit and receive access to the guild bank. The next higher Merchant rank will require one Tycoon badge.
Merchant
Merchants will be able to stay offline for up to 21 days. This is the highest regular rank.
VIP
This rank was introduced a while ago to accommodate members that have contributed to the ESO community or our guild in a substantial way. There is no hard limit on inactivity.
Considering how hard it previously was to earn the Merchant rank, we decided that from now on anyone who earns 4 Tycoon badges, will become a VIP and stay with us forever.
That’s it for now. Lot’s to read and hopefully not all too confusing. The guild description, website and everything will be updated over the coming days and the Aetherius Badge Filter addon will also receive an update to reflect the updated badges.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.
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