Get A Spam Channel.  This could be a channel where all the AFKer's can broadcast their stupid selling and buying messages.  This would allow the actual trade chat to be used by folks that are in game and available to trade. 

The game was meant to be played not AFK'd 


Yes we have been actively warning and squelching the offenders

Wait... so no more AFK trade barking?! YES!!! Thank you!!

- Reside

For this issue, yesterday a talked to domino about an idea:
Remove the trade world channel and move all the market on the forum, this thing can have multiple positives


1) with spam u can catch only online player, with the forum u do a post and everyone will see that, u can up 1 time in a day
2) Newb player can compare prices, and avoid scam.
3) u can do self auction, with min bid and bid out, set a time for "without bid is sold"


the negatives only for me will be: need a moderator and rules -> rules mean sanctions for who break the rules.. like multiple up post in a day




Don Vito

The first three players I tried to buy something from after this thread was created were all AFK. I didn't report any of them but this really raised my awareness of the magnitude of the issue. It doesn't bother me as much as some people but I understand why it could use fixing. I also find trade chat a tedious way of trying to sell items. It's hard to work in ads and answer questions when you're attended and trying to do other things. (Maybe that's why people AFK it?) I tried having a forum auction a while back but my post fell flat on its face because you're right - as long as there's a global trade chat, very few will bother with the forums. The only thing selling/buying on the forums might not be good for is converting ED/gold. Sometimes people have a legitimate reason to want to flip one to the other quickly.

there should be some sort of captcha like in the gold panning

Oh I agree something needs to be done. I was spammed today with sells so much I missed Dante's chat messages.
Alt spamming ugh.. Messages from 2nd accounts with plz message so and so.. Just as bad..
Its crazy. Just last year it was limited to one message every 30 minutes. There are several people posting more than one message..


Along with trade spam (which I have now left the channel)
Can we do something with the player has entered and left .. Thats just as bad too. It would be different if it stated who. But its just a bunch of wasted chat spam..

Hard code in 30 minute per message in [tr.  If you want to converse with the seller/buyer beyond that point then take it to private messages.  I can't talk back to the adds on the TV (well I do but they never answer me) so [tr shouldn't be there for long drawn out discussions or price haggling.  [PM is there for a reason.  I have no problem with folks getting their wares advertised but only advertised and if you can't fit it all in one message rethink your message.

When I left UO 3 years ago a nice trade system had been in place for a while that worked well.  The trade gump, when opened, would display many options you're looking for on people's vendors.  You would put in what you're looking for and it would scan all the vendors in the world giving you a list of locations, prices and amounts of the item you specified.  You then had the option to be teleported to the vendor you like.  It was free the first time but for a small fee you could re-teleport, if need be, back to the vendor. 

This system seemed to eliminate the need for people hawking their goods in chat and encouraged people to have vendors for people to visit, and also encouraged price wars among vendor owners.  This system also helped the "lone wolves" that had vendors out-of-reach to most players allowing shoppers to find these hidden "gems".  And an even nicer benefit--it ignored empty vendors...no more opening up packs to discover "nothing to discover"!

I know this would be a major undertaking but if you have anyone willing to tackle it I think it would greatly benefit sellers and buyers alike.

Me likie:

When I left UO 3 years ago a nice trade system had been in place for a while that worked well.  The trade gump, when opened, would display many options you're looking for on people's vendors.  You would put in what you're looking for and it would scan all the vendors in the world giving you a list of locations, prices and amounts of the item you specified.  You then had the option to be teleported to the vendor you like.  It was free the first time but for a small fee you could re-teleport, if need be, back to the vendor. 


This system seemed to eliminate the need for people hawking their goods in chat and encouraged people to have vendors for people to visit, and also encouraged price wars among vendor owners.  This system also helped the "lone wolves" that had vendors out-of-reach to most players allowing shoppers to find these hidden "gems".  And an even nicer benefit--it ignored empty vendors...no more opening up packs to discover "nothing to discover"!


I know this would be a major undertaking but if you have anyone willing to tackle it I think it would greatly benefit sellers and buyers alike.