Say what you will for equipment from Bloodstone, Tomb, Ely, or
DemonForge, the best equipment in the game can't be found in any zone - it can
only be given by the gods themselves.
For a nominal fee of 25-50 bucks, any player can own a Mystical or
Magical talisman or any one of the many other items in the game. Of
course, just having the donation equipment won't make you a better player
and won't substitute for skills or other statistics, but it sure helps!
The most common way of getting donation equipment is, of course, by
donating to the game (see HELP DONATION). However, one could also submit
a piece to the Mudslinger (see HELP MUDSLINGER_SUBMIT) or even have
someone do the buying for them in exchange for something on the game.
I've known a lot of people who have bought donation equipment online -
given ingame cash, eggs, or elite equipment in exchange for someone
spending their real life money to give them a piece of donation eq. Most of
the time, things go smoothly, the ingame items are transferred and within
a week the donation item arrives. Thanks to a few dishonest people,
however, I have also known of a few transactions that went sour... the
med items were transferred, but the donation item never arrived and vice
versa.
This is a simple guide to buying donation equipment online from
sellers, and also to selling it as well as how to avoid the pitfalls that have
tripped a few unfortunate people:
BUYERS
Buying a donation item online is an economical way of getting good
equipment. Any person can attempt to buy donation equipment in this
manner, no matter their level. To avoid the pitfalls of a deal gone bad, I
suggest the following based on my experiences and those of people I know:
1) To find someone who is selling donation items, check the library
board in the City of Medievia. You may also try asking your friends and
clannies if they know of anybody - use your clanboard if clanrules
permit. If possible try to make it someone you know - it will make the
transaction easier in the long run rather than going through someone you've
never heard of on the game.
2) Know specifically what you want. Don't ask for a deal if you don't
even know what you want. For a list of all donation items type HELP
DONATION on the game. If you'd like a better list of the items and what
each one does, type HELP TALISMAN on the game (it will actually show you
all the items). You could ask clannies what they enjoy using for other
opinions, or even flip through medweb and read Arkain's review of
donation equipment from a while back.
3) Know the going rates for what you want. Ask around - get estimates.
If the seller wants eq or eggs in exchange for buying you a donation
item, try to figure it out so you don't get a bad deal. Ask a clan elder
for help. Do not ask advice outside the clan or someone you don't
know It's possible that they could be working with the seller to get you
to hike the price.
4) Be willing to take your time. Something worth having is worth
waiting for. If you are in a hurry you are more likely to get a poor trade
or talked into something you don't want. Let your buyer know that
you're just looking around. Ask how many they are going to be selling or
how long they are going to be doing it for. If they are in a hurry -
Don't Do It. This is probably the main warning signal to look out for.
5) Know the reputation of the person who is doing the buying! Ask if
they've sold before, who they sold it to and so forth. If possible,
contact them and see how long it took and if there were any problems. Of
course, just because someone hasn't sold before doesn't mean that they
are untrustworthy.
6) It's okay to change your mind! Before the deal is witnessed and
goes through, that is. No-one will hold it against you if you tactfully
find a way to say you've decided to wait, or lie and say that someone
sold one to you cheaper. Make sure you change your mind before the
deal is witnessed or even brought up to a god, though, or your reputation
as an honest deal-maker could suffer heavy blows.
7) Once you've decided to go through with the deal make sure a god
witnesses it before any transaction takes place! Any honest buyer will
also insist on the same. If you cant get a god right away to do the
witnessing, see number 3. If you don't have a god witness the
transaction, and they don't follow through on their part you are out
of luck - it won't hold up with the gods so don't even try. If the buyer seems
hesitant about this step do not go ahead with the deal. Even if you've
known them for years, don't do it. See below for more help on contacting a
god to witness a transaction.
SELLERS
If you have extra cash laying around, this is a great way to get ahead
on the game. For 50 bucks you can conceivably get that nice elite eq
you always wanted, tons of med cash, or even a huge basket of eggs.
There is only one set rule in HELP WITNESSING about who can be witnessed
for a deal like this - a triple classer must be sending the money in to
Medievia. There are heavy consequences if you do not follow through on
a deal (see below).
1) Selling donation items is easy - there's always someone who wants
one. It is really helpful to a clan and to your friends if you offer it
to them first, but there's occasionally someone who will want to take
advantage of the relationship. Post on the med library board, post on
your clanboard, let your clanleader know. Use your networking skills.
"Hey, by the way, I'm selling donation equipment items - know anyone
who wants one?" is going to get you plenty of responses, believe me!
2) Know the going rates of all donation items. Know what you want in
exchange for what they want. Again, ask around. If they don't have the
cash remember that eq and eggs are easily liquidated, just be sure you
know the exchange rates for those items as well.
3) Know thy budget! The game appreciates all donations, sure, but
don't get so swamped with offers that you can't afford your next ISP
payment! Know when to say when, and also remember you can only have one
transaction pending at a time (see below.) No-one will hold it against you for
saying, "I'm sorry I'm all done selling, but I'll write your name down
for next time!"
4) Be willing to take your time with a deal. You are spending real
money in exchange for ingame items. Be sure you don't get bamboozled.
Anyone who wants it now now now is possibly trying to snow you.
You're going to get plenty of offers, anyway, go ahead and shop around for
a good buyer!
5) Know the reputation of the person who is buying. Are they someone
who is going to complain if it doesn't arrive tomorrow? Are they
someone who is going to back out at the last minute? Do they have the goods
ready to exchange for the donation item? This is why it's so much
easier to sell to friends or clannies - you know them better than a random
person who links you because of your post.
6) Just like buyers, it's okay for sellers to change their minds, but
again make sure you do it before the deal is witnessed! Work the
details through as much as you can before it gets witnessed, if you don't
like them and the buyer isn't willing to work with it it's all right to
tactfully say that you're not comfortable doing it just then, or that you
were wrong about your finances. Be careful here, though, your
reputation is at stake more than the buyer's!
7) Insist on getting a god to witness! You're an honest person, you
want to make sure the buyer knows it and is willing to play fair as well.
See below for more help on contacting a god to witness a transaction.
WITNESSING
Witnessing is the most important part of the donation deal. This is
where a god confirms and records the transaction taking place. You can
type HELP WITNESSING on the game for full details.
Any god level 132 (level 33) and up can witness a transaction. To see
what gods are on at the time that can do this - simply type who 33+.
Getting a god can be tricky, especially at off peak times, but it is so
worthwhile. Remember, in doing this, that gods are busy people who are
here to help - be polite and they will return the compliment.
If there are gods on your 33+ list who are not afk, you can either
telepath them privately about the deal or, if this fails, use pray
sparingly. Customer Service gods are most likely to respond. To see who
these are look on WIZLIST. Make sure only one - either the buyer or the
seller does the contacting so the gods aren't double spammed. Simply
ask if anyone is available to witness a donation transaction.
What will happen next varies slightly from god to god. The god will
either come into the room (some insist on both parties being in the same
room - medlink is often used for this) or witness the transaction via
telepaths. All gods follow the same procedure for the actual
witnessing, however. S/he will ask what is being exchanged and the dates on
which they are to be sent. They must know what payment method is to be
used. The donation money must be promised to arrive at the donation
address (HELP DONATION) within a month. The ingame items (cash, equipment,
eggs etc) should be exchanged right away at the time of the witnessing
and not before the god says so - they need to be able to verify the
deal. All gods will then record the transaction in your playerfile -
please allow them time to complete the notations and say they are finished
before you leave the area. If you do not follow through on a
transaction you will be purged - hence my warning that you are sure about the
deal before you contact a god! There is no reimbursement whatsoever -
only punishment.
If you have already made a deal, please give it at least a week to go
through - even if you use paypal! You may only have one transaction
pending at any one time. All donation deals must be completed before any
others are started. If, after the previously agreed-upon date, your
donation item hasn't arrived, you can email Soleil at soleil@medievia.com
to inquire about its status. Don't whine, don't spam, and don't send
one email per day or bug one god per day until you get it - that may
affect your ability to buy or sell in the future.
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