Commerce
Overview
The economy of Ragnarok Online is a complex entity. Players have multiple ways of looking for and trading for items they desire. The following is a compendium of the various means that can be used to seek out items in the game. Marketplaces outside the game also exist on official websites, fansites, guild websites, etc. The most common trading method in the game by far is to exchange an item or items for Zeny, the currency used in the game.
Zeny
- Main article: Zeny
Zeny is the currency in Ragnarok Online. When things are denoted in "Z," that usually means Zeny, as in "Selling Item X, 100,000 Z!"
Making Zeny
- Main article: Making Zeny
As Zeny is the main currency in the game, how rich a player is or how much gear and items they can afford is reliant on how much capital they have in terms of Zeny. Zeny mostly originates from selling items to NPCs, but selling to older players who already have large amounts of Zeny is usually the main method to attain decent wealth. The basics start with selling items to NPCs and Vending. Some items that have a high value can be hunted or obtained through Quests.
Vending
- Main article: Vending
Vending gives Merchant and Super Novice-type characters the ability to open shops if the character has equipped a Pushcart. Only items inside the Pushcart Inventory can be sold through Vending, and the maximum price for vended items is 1,000,000,000 Zeny. Merchants and Super Novices with Level 1 Vending can only vend 3 items at once, but increasing this skill's level will increase the maximum amount of concurrently vended items.
You can leave your character vending while you're offline with an Offline Voucher (free with VIP). Classes with no Vending skill may use these vouchers to vend up to 5 items at a time.
Online Market
The official Warpportal Ragnarok Market Forums is also a good area for selling items that are beyond the 1,000,000,000 Zeny limit, or for people who cannot vend often. Some players may use other social websites such as Facebook to advertise what they are buying / selling.
Buying Store
- Main article: Buying Store
A Buying Store (also known as a Purchase Shop) is a player-generated "store" where players can input items they would like to buy, with a specific amount of Zeny willing to be paid. Players must have one of item they are seeking to purchase already in their inventory. Only certain items can be purchased through a Buying Store:
- Etc. Items
- Non-Brewed Consumable Items
Buying Stores are created via different means based on what class the player is. Non-Merchant type characters must purchase consumable items while Merchant-types open stores via the skill Open Buying Store much like a normal shop is opened via using the Vending skill.
You can leave your character buying while you're offline with an Offline Voucher (free with VIP).
Chat Rooms
While not a system per-se, players may use chatrooms (Alt-C) to advertise the buying/selling/auctioning of items. The advantages of this are its simplicity and the ability of every class to use it. Deals can be easily completed by the Trade Window (therefore avoiding a 5% tax on vending an item over 10 million zeny) instead of a formal shop or auction. The Eden Group is a popular place for these chatrooms as it is a frequently accessed central area.
Catalogs
Catalogs allow players to easily search for items in-game, and even buy/sell directly from the catalog interface.
- Window Shopper Catalogue will display the shop name, item name, price, and amount of items. You can search up to 10 times with this item. It will also highlight the shop window in yellow on your screen. They are sold by Catalogue Magician in Prontera.
- Bargain Hunter's Catalogue have the same functions as the Window Shopper Catalogue, but adds the additional feature of being able to remotely open the shop window and purchase/sell items directly to/from the shop. Bargain Hunter Catalogue are obtainable by purchase from the Kafra Shop. Shopping Board NPC located on major cities also offers free usage of this items.
- Black Market Catalogue are identical in function to the Bargain Hunter's Catalogs, but are only obtainable during special events.
Shopping Boards
Shopping Boards work like Bargain Hunter's Catalogues. They are found in towns and search exclusively in their respective maps. You can open the shop by clicking the shop name and view the item by right clicking the items image through the interface.
- Searches are case sensitive.
- Searches are limited to 1 use per board click (you can re-use the board without closing it to get another search).
- Pressing Enter on your keyboard clears the typed text, you need to click the Search button.
Locations:
- Prontera
- Center at
- South at near the Kafra
- Payon
- South at near the Kafra
- and more
Auctions
- Main article: Auction System
The Auction System is a feature allowing high-priced items to be auctioned via an automated in-game system, versus offline or chat negotiating. Due to the high fees and somewhat high minimum bid amounts, the system has proven to be unpopular, seeing almost no use on iRO. Auction Houses can be found in multiple cities, but each house independent from the others. The main advantage of the system is its automation, allowing players to auction items without sacrificing an account by having to leave a chat or vend up in the game.
Currently, the Auction System has been removed due to bugs related to the Mailing System.