There are 3 very good reasons why this feature should be removed to help improve our current economy. 1. It is a gold generator 2. It has the potential to negate any taxes from gold only purchases 3. It has the potential to affect item average buy prices
Some may argue that it is a great secondary option to buying things in the MP when they can't be bought for gold. Yet, high prices are the initial drive that would make a user choose this option. We want to end the cycle of rising prices through eliminating gold generating RIGs and certain features, such as this one.
#1 It is a gold generator
Quote:
Take a look at what new gold can be generated into the economy if 1, 10, and 100 GC users purchased from the MP this way. The use of a Token is only an example
1 Buyer Each
10 Buyers Each
100 Buyers Each
Please keep in mind that these totals are before 5% tax is removed. Truthfully, it generates 47.5M gold for each 1GC.
How is it a gold generator? Some may not understand so we can answer with a quick Q&A Does the seller get GC when listing with this option? No What does the seller get when their listing is bought with GC? They get the gold in the amount they listed it for Where does the gold come from? It is generated from the system in exchange for the GC purchase
#2 The potential to negate taxes from gold only purchases
Quote:
Although the MP Graph is broke again, we can assume that around 400T is the daily average. That means 5% of taxes from that would be 20T removed from the economy daily. However, that would also suggest that if 5% of Marketplace total sales were purchases via GC , generating 20T new gold, then it will delete the tax taken from gold only purchases.
It only takes 5% of total marketplace value to be GC purchases to ruin everything!! In other words! 400,000 purchases for 1GC =20T 40,000 purchases for 10GC =20T 4,000 purchases for 100GC =20T 800 purchases for 500GC =20T 267 purchases for 1499GC =20T Some of these numbers are realistic
While gold generators keep being sold on top of this mess, the marketplace tax is having zero effect on our economy this way.
The GC purchase option is so potent!
Look at what 5% is!!
This little bit completely erases any MP taxes that the other 95% of us have paid!
#3 Can affect average buy price on items
Quote:
Using this actual listing as an example: You can see that it is possible to purchase 445 Heart Charms for 300GC
This, of course, would generate the seller 14.25B in new gold. But you can also see that the individual price for the charms listed would be 33M Gold each. That is 3X (three times) the actual average buy price of a single charm.
With enough purchases like this the average buy price of a charm would naturally rise. This scenario could happen to any item in the marketplace. Here you can see how 1 GC could affect the ABP Although you may think that someone would never purchase something like this, you would be proven wrong quite quickly to be honest...
It is a scenario like this that prompts users to buy via GC instead of gold in some cases, repeating the cycle. Other cases would be users exploiting this feature to increase average buy prices intentionally for their own gain. Exploitation is not always the culprit in this situation, but rather negligence in realizing what authorizing the GC purchase option does when listing items. This box is "checked" by default when going to list an item for sale. Negligence in un-ticking that little box is all it takes.
For starters, I would like to see the little box "unchecked" by default to avoid the unintentional exploitation to artificially inflate items in the MP. Ideally, removing it from the Marketplace all together would have the best effect on our gold economy. With gold generators still being sold and the idea that only 5% of the total marketplace value being purchases via GC can ruin what is supposed to be a gold sink, you have to wonder if any gold sink is actually effective, daily. wahmbulanceThe only things that are actually acting as a gold sink are shops, and some of those have been ignored for a while nowwahmbulance
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:16 am
I'm with you, that sounds dreadful. Not that I don't want Gaia to have money but there are better ways than this. Like GC for non sell-able items or boosts. Things like the thread promotion. Or even if they do want to leave the cash maybe give the seller the cash with the tax taken out. I know they don't probably want to do this but it would effectively make the current market work correctly at least in that sense.
I obviously have done a lot less research than you but I have watched the market change over the years and I think it's safe to say things were more fun when 1000g was a lot of gold and the Halo was an unfathomed 10-15 mil hahah. Gold was hard to get but you didn't feel like you had to pay your way to the top. It's sad that I don't even look at an item as useful if it's under 5 bil these days
ive always hated this option, i wish lanzer would pull it from the gaia system. would definitely help to relieve inflation a very easy first step
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:13 pm
lief_7
I'm with you, that sounds dreadful. Not that I don't want Gaia to have money but there are better ways than this. Like GC for non sell-able items or boosts. Things like the thread promotion. Or even if they do want to leave the cash maybe give the seller the cash with the tax taken out. I know they don't probably want to do this but it would effectively make the current market work correctly at least in that sense.
I obviously have done a lot less research than you but I have watched the market change over the years and I think it's safe to say things were more fun when 1000g was a lot of gold and the Halo was an unfathomed 10-15 mil hahah. Gold was hard to get but you didn't feel like you had to pay your way to the top. It's sad that I don't even look at an item as useful if it's under 5 bil these days
I think that trading CG would not be a very good financial option for Gaia. There are too few other places to spend it around the site, such as what you described. It needs to be consumed at a high demand to keep sales expectations up, so I would never suggest that option. Trading it in the MP would only delay when it is spent. There are a ton of other no good things to consider where that thought is concerned.
There is still more I need to add to this topic to elaborate on how it affects average buy prices too. Then it kind of touches on what could be considered marketplace manipulation.
I need to organize the OP properly too. Looking at it I just kind of confuse myself gonk
I'm with you, that sounds dreadful. Not that I don't want Gaia to have money but there are better ways than this. Like GC for non sell-able items or boosts. Things like the thread promotion. Or even if they do want to leave the cash maybe give the seller the cash with the tax taken out. I know they don't probably want to do this but it would effectively make the current market work correctly at least in that sense.
I obviously have done a lot less research than you but I have watched the market change over the years and I think it's safe to say things were more fun when 1000g was a lot of gold and the Halo was an unfathomed 10-15 mil hahah. Gold was hard to get but you didn't feel like you had to pay your way to the top. It's sad that I don't even look at an item as useful if it's under 5 bil these days
I think that trading CG would not be a very good financial option for Gaia. There are too few other places to spend it around the site, such as what you described. It needs to be consumed at a high demand to keep sales expectations up, so I would never suggest that option. Trading it in the MP would only delay when it is spent. There are a ton of other no good things to consider where that thought is concerned.
There is still more I need to add to this topic to elaborate on how it affects average buy prices too. Then it kind of touches on what could be considered marketplace manipulation.
I need to organize the OP properly too. Looking at it I just kind of confuse myself gonk
Ya i agree, it's not a good option really, just a thought if they don't want to do away with it. Honestly no one gains anything from that option so there is no reason they would do it. The best thing is to get rid of it, or at least not make it default would go a long way. Basically no one is going to click on the option at that point because they would get gold either way, why would you bother to click an option. Unless they just are hoping giving the option would increase the chance of sale.
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 1:20 am
Agreed. The GC purchase option is just making the economy worse. It doesn't matter that the gold received is taxed, whatever the seller gets is generated out of nothing like a gold generator. Buying an item worth 5 billion gold for 100 GC (worth $1, or less if it was on sale like it often is) generates 4.75 billion gold into the economy instantly.
I recently read a question in Site Questions & Answers asking how to make gold quickly, and someone recommended using mule accounts and selling items with the GC option on, then buying the same item with GC on a different account because it apparently has a higher gold to GC ratio than most or all of the items in the Cash Shop. cat_gonk Using just the free GC we were all just given a few days ago, using that suggested method makes each new account worth about 4.75 billion gold each. Note: Since I may also be making that method sound enticing to some people (and I'm recommending against it), I'll redirect to some economy-friendly methods of earning gold I posted earlier if you're looking for some easy gold. If you find it's not making you enough gold, you can always use mule accounts to multiply it, and it shouldn't hurt the economy as long as you follow all of the instructions. Though I'm not sure at what point it becomes unfair and excessive gold funneling (the rules are vague on mule usage).
Removing the option entirely would be ideal, but at least making it no longer default would help a lot. Of course, some people will still check it off because they're under the impression they might get GC for checking it (which they won't, even if the option is used by the buyer), or they just want the item to sell as quickly as possible.
If the GC option transferred your GC to the seller (and taxed it) instead of converting it to gold, that would probably still be an improvement over the current system (but not ideal). The ability to transfer GC would have its advantages (both to Gaia and the users), but it would also open a loophole for easy GC transfers between mule accounts, which often have a limit on how much GC you can earn with the free offers (or at least the videos), and if those free GC grant links (such as this one) don't expire before allowing GC transfers, some people will probably make hundreds or thousands of mule accounts and funnel them to one account to buy the more expensive Cash Shop items.
Agreed. The GC purchase option is just making the economy worse. It doesn't matter that the gold received is taxed, whatever the seller gets is generated out of nothing like a gold generator. Buying an item worth 5 billion gold for 100 GC (worth $1, or less if it was on sale like it often is) generates 4.75 billion gold into the economy instantly.
I recently read a question in Site Questions & Answers asking how to make gold quickly, and someone recommended using mule accounts and selling items with the GC option on, then buying the same item with GC on a different account because it apparently has a higher gold to GC ratio than most or all of the items in the Cash Shop. cat_gonk Using just the free GC we were all just given a few days ago, using that suggested method makes each new account worth about 4.75 billion gold each. Note: Since I may also be making that method sound enticing to some people (and I'm recommending against it), I'll redirect to some economy-friendly methods of earning gold I posted earlier if you're looking for some easy gold. If you find it's not making you enough gold, you can always use mule accounts to multiply it, and it shouldn't hurt the economy as long as you follow all of the instructions. Though I'm not sure at what point it becomes unfair and excessive gold funneling (the rules are vague on mule usage).
Removing the option entirely would be ideal, but at least making it no longer default would help a lot. Of course, some people will still check it off because they're under the impression they might get GC for checking it (which they won't, even if the option is used by the buyer), or they just want the item to sell as quickly as possible.
If the GC option transferred your GC to the seller (and taxed it) instead of converting it to gold, that would probably still be an improvement over the current system (but not ideal). The ability to transfer GC would have its advantages (both to Gaia and the users), but it would also open a loophole for easy GC transfers between mule accounts, which often have a limit on how much GC you can earn with the free offers (or at least the videos), and if those free GC grant links (such as this one) don't expire before allowing GC transfers, some people will probably make hundreds or thousands of mule accounts and funnel them to one account to buy the more expensive Cash Shop items.
There are always ways to exploit something eventually. The GC option can be exploited as it is now, but a user would have to be diligent in knowing what items can be used. I figured I could do it if I wanted to, but I don't want generated gold and I'm not about to give users wild ideas emo
Realistically, all the gold I have in my account is "generated" if we want to get technical. We are now at the point where 1T is the new 1M, by old standards. Actually, it's not that hard to earn 1T these days either. I pulled in 1.955T over 4 hours time just today by doing my auctions. 955B was from the Gold Kitten Star Pin Ticket, the other 1T was just from a specific few items, as well as other random items, from my inventory gonk
It is getting worse and worse and I am convinced that the GC purchase option holds half of the blame.
I should do some kind of inventory value log to keep track of how it rises without buying or selling anything on a single account. It won't determine if GGs or the GC option is the culprit, but it will show that gold value keeps diminishing.
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 9:23 pm
lief_7
why would you bother to click an option. Unless they just are hoping giving the option would increase the chance of sale.
This point right here is basically the reason why so many items are listed with the GC option. Users can't be bothered to un-tick the box. The way I see it, those who don't un-tick the box just don't care about their economy or are totally ignorant of it. Gaia is taking advantage of us in this way. That is why I said "sneaky way it works"
Some users come back to the site months or years after the introduction of this feature and don't even have a clue what it is about, or care what it does. Does the welcoming fairy explain this? Probably not is my guess.
I feel like the introduction of this feature did not meet enough negativity for it to become a notorious issue for the long term. I still come across users who don't understand how it is a "gold generator". Users need to be educated.
Looks like the Welcoming Fairy doesn't mention it. Not only that, but I've noticed some other issues with some of the PMs. In case anyone's curious, here are the PMs I've received, and the time I got them (from my various mule accounts):
In the inbox of my mule created in 2016, a lot of the earlier PMs seem to be missing, and I don't think I deleted any. Maybe they cut out the less important ones? Oddly, the zOMG PM is still there, despite being gone for a while. cat_rolleyes
2016 (July - August):
Day 4: Trading Pass!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Day 3: Trading Pass
Hello again! Today is a very exciting day for you, because it's your 4th day as a Gaian! Do you know why that's exciting? In addition to 4 being an all-around awesome number, it's also the day that you can get your Trading Pass!
To get your Trading Pass, hover over 'Shops' in your navbar and and select 'Marketplace' from the drop down menu.
When you get there, in the upper left corner of the main content for the page, you should see a form! Fill it out and click submit!
Now you have your very own trading pass! Trading passes can be used to:
- Purchase items from the marketplace! - Sell items in the marketplace! - Trade with other users!
Enjoy your trading pass!
See you tomorrow with more tips and tricks, The Welcoming Fairy
Day 7: Earning Gold!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello there!
Today we're going to talk about how to earn more Gaia Gold! A few of these methods were mentioned in the guide given to you on Day 1, but we'll look at them again and talk about a few more ways to become a golden millionaire!
Browsing the Website
You get gold for browsing, posting, & taking polls all around Gaia! If you decide that you'd like to try earning gold this way, please make sure that all spam stays in the Chatterbox! Another method is to look for topics that have polls and vote in them!
Playing Games
Another great way to earn gold is by playing our games! Visit our Games page by clicking on the 'Games' tab in your navbar. There you'll have a bunch of fun activities to choose from!
One of the most popular games to earn gold in is zOMG!
Using the Charity Forum
Sometimes other Gaians will be generous and donate to you! If you want to look for some of the charitable Gaians, try the Charity Subforum. Remember, no one is obligated to give you gold! So make sure to thank any kindhearted Gaian that wants to help you get started! Have fun! The Welcoming Fairy! Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 11: Purchasing Gaia Cash!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today, let's talk about Gaia's other currency: Gaia Cash.
Gaia Online has two main currencies. You're already very familiar with gold! GCash is our other, premium currency that you can buy.
Why use GCash?
- It lets you buy things from our premium store, La Victoire. - It helps support the site going and keep coming out with new items and features! - Gaians who are generous enough to purchase 9999 GC in a year are invited to an exclusive club, the Verge!
How do I purchase GCash?
Click on the 'Refill' button in the top navigation bar that contains your username!
Then you just select your amount and payment method! Send your payment, and you're good to go!
Today we'll navigate our way around the Marketplace!
The Marketplace is where Gaians sell and buy items from each other!
First, as you've probably figured out, you can search for items you want using the search bar!
Let's talk about how to get around the MP! Hover over the 'Marketplace' tab and take a look at the drop down:
Item Search: Lets you search for items you want to look at!
All Listings: Displays all items available in the MP. (Warning, it's a lot!)
My Store: Displays all the items you are selling!
Sell an Item: Lets you look through your inventory and select an item to sell! Outfits Shop: We've visited here already! This lets you buy entire outfits!
Sell an Outfit: This lets you make and sell outfits yourself!
Flynn's Plunder: An NPC run store with some really cool items!
Now let's say you want to sell an item! Select the 'Sell an Item' link from the dropdown we were just looking at!
You should see all the items in your inventory. Click on the one you want to sell! You'll see a popup modal.
The 'lowest' buy price shows you the lowest amount of gold someone is currently trying to sell that item for. The 'average' buy price shows you what it's sold for on average historically.
If you're going to sell your item, you should probably price it around the lowest buy price! Otherwise, many Gaians will just buy the one priced lower than yours!
Enter your price in the 'buy now' section and click next. You can also choose to do an auction using the settings above.
It will show you your item again, and your 'Buy Now' price! Make sure everything looks right, enter your password, and click the yellow 'List It' button!
Happy buying and selling! The Welcoming Fairy The Welcoming Fairy
Day 16: Flash Spaces
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
By now, you've probably explored the forums quite a bit! However, there are even more places to hang out on Gaia Online: the flash spaces! You can see a list of them by hovering over the 'World' tab and looking under the column labelled 'Virtual Spaces'
A few of the must-visit flash spaces are:
Towns 2
Here you can explore, chat with other Gaians, and even set up your own house to go to! Have a walk around!
Virtual Hollywood
This flash space is based off of Hollywood! There are many places for you to hang out with other Gaians here, including a two night clubs, the streets of hollywood, and a very fancy house!
Rally
Here is where Gaians hang out in a parking lot and show off their cool vehicles!
So have a look around, and enjoy! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 23: Where to Turn if you FInd Trouble!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today's topic is a little more serious: where to turn if you find trouble. We do our best to keep Gaia a safe & fun place for all of our members, but unfortunately we do have people who break our rules.
Fortunately, we have a great team of moderators to help you with any trouble you run into!
Here is how you can let them know you found a TOS violation!
Forum Posts
If you see a post that violates the TOS, use the report button on top of it! It will ask you for a little information about the violation. Provide any information you can, and then submit your report! A moderator will handle the content!
Other Issues
For Hacking, Abuse & Harassment, and Scamming reports, go to the main Forums page. At the bottom of all the forums, you will see three links! These lead to the appropriate report forms!
Safety Violations
If you ever see something that makes you worry that someone could be in imminent danger, we take these kind of violations very seriously! Send an email to safety@gaiaonline.com and link to the content that you feel poses a safety threat. We respond to these as quickly as we can!
As always, if you feel directly threatened and feel you are in a dangerous situation, call your local police!
Who are the mods and admins?
The mods and admins are friendly folks!
The moderators are volunteers who dedicate their time to keeping the site safe and fun! The admin are Gaia Staff that work as hard as they can to make sure that the site is the most enjoyable place it can be!
Now you know where to turn should you ever run into trouble! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 25: zOMG
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today, we're going to play Gaia's very own MMORPG, zOMG!
zOMG is the story of your avatar as they battle with their friends against the animated! You will gain new powers, make new friends, and battle evil!
To play, go to our 'Games' page and click on the zOMG link to launch the game!
If you want to talk about the game / get some more tips, head to our zOMG forum!
Happy adventuring, The Welcoming Fairy
Day 31: Parting Message!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Today is a sad day, because this is your last tips and tricks session.
My advice to you is to get out there, get some gold, make some friends, play some games, and above all: have fun!
Here is your last gold grant, it's a little heftier than usual!
One of my older accounts has most of them, but seems to be missing day 18.
2014 (July - August):
Welcome to Gaia Online!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Let me be the first to welcome you to Gaia Online! I hope you enjoy your time here! To get started, check out our FAQ / Guide for New Users. It might answer some of the questions you have about how to play!
In addition, for the next 30 days you will be receiving private messages with tips and tricks about how to get started on Gaia Online! Make sure you log on each day, because each of these private messages will also include a link to click that will give you a generous amount of Gaia Gold!
Hope you enjoyed your first day in the world of Gaia Online!
Welcome to your first 'tips & tricks' PM! Today, we'll go to the Shops where you can get some snazzy clothes and stylish accessories for your avatar!
To get to the shops, click on the 'Shops' tab on your navbar! Then, use the list on the side to pick a shop you want to visit. Click 'Enter' on the shop front!
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
The Shops contain a bunch of different items that you can purchase for gold or GCash! First, browse the shop to find an item that looks interesting to you! Using the tabs on the top of the shop's catalog, you can view items in a specific category like 'Tops' or 'Accessories!'
Once you find an item you're interested in, click on it! You can try it on your avatar!
If you like the item and want to get it, click on the 'Buy' button!
The shopkeeper will ask you to confirm that you want to buy the item. Click 'Buy' one more time and the item is yours! (You can find it in your inventory!)
Want to check out another shop? You can easily jump from store to store using the navigation located above the shops catalog.
Congratulations, you're now a regular shopaholic!
See you tomorrow with more tips and tricks, The Welcoming Fairy
Day 3: Site Navigation!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today let's talk about your basic navigation around Gaia Online!
Above most of your pages and just beneath the header, you'll see a bar that looks like this!
Each of the tabs here are a category of Gaia Online. Clicking on them once takes you to the landing page for each category.
For example, clicking on 'My Gaia' takes you to your 'My Gaia' page!
However, you have even more options than that! If you hover over a tab, you'll see something like this!
You can choose from this set of options to check out Gaia Online's features and content as well!
If you ever get stuck, just head back to the 'Home' page and start clicking around!
Happy exploration! The Welcoming Fairy!
Day 4: Trading Pass!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Day 3: Trading Pass
Hello again! Today is a very exciting day for you, because it's your 4th day as a Gaian! Do you know why that's exciting? In addition to 4 being an all-around awesome number, it's also the day that you can get your Trading Pass!
To get your Trading Pass, hover over 'Shops' in your navbar and and select 'Marketplace' from the drop down menu.
When you get there, in the upper left corner of the main content for the page, you should see a form! Fill it out and click submit!
Now you have your very own trading pass! Trading passes can be used to:
- Purchase items from the marketplace! - Sell items in the marketplace! - Trade with other users!
Enjoy your trading pass!
See you tomorrow with more tips and tricks, The Welcoming Fairy
Day 5: New Outfits!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today we're going to talk about how to get some new outfits! We've talked a little about how to get new items for your avatars... now let's talk about how to get a complete look!
Today we'll try the three main ways to get a new outfit / make you as stylish as possible!
- Buy one in the marketplace! - Ask someone to design you one! - Design one yourself and ask others their opinions!
Buying an Outfit on the Marketplace
Head to the Marketplace!
Right underneath the marketplace's search bar you'll see a button that says 'Designer Looks!'
Click it! You should now see a bunch of outfits put together by your fellow Gaians! When you see one you like, click on it!
A modal will pop up. It'll show you what that outfit will look like on your avatar! If you want to buy everything in that outfit for the price that user has listed, enter your password into the box provided and click 'Buy It!'
The outfit is now yours!
Asking Someone to Design You One
We have a whole subforum dedicated to asking others to design you outfits or offering to design outfits for others! It's called The Dressing Room!
To get there, go to the main forum page by clicking on 'Forums' in your navbar. Look for the forum 'Avatar Talk' in the 'Gaia Community' category. Click on it. Once in that forum, you will see towards the top of the page a link to the subforum called 'The Dressing Room.' Click there! If you want to skip these steps, here is a link to The Dressing Room.
Many of our users use a fan made site called tektek to design their avatar before deciding to buy the items. So if someone designs you an avatar, it will likely be a 'tektek' or a design for you to follow when buying and equipping items!
Designing Your Own
If you want to design your own avatar, it's as simple as finding the items you like and putting them together! If you want to play around a bit before actually buying the items, you can use the fan made site I mentioned earlier, tektek.
If you want to ask people what they think of your avatar and get some suggestions and feedback, try visiting the Avatar Talk forum! As mentioned earlier, it is on the first page of the Forum directory, located in the Gaia Community section. Or, if you want to skip all that, here's a link to Avatar Talk!
Have fun! The Welcoming Fairy!
Day 6: Find a Forum!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
In your first FAQ there was a list of forums for you to visit! Here's an expanded list with a few more options.
Today we're going to talk about how to earn more Gaia Gold! A few of these methods were mentioned in the guide given to you on Day 1, but we'll look at them again and talk about a few more ways to become a golden millionaire!
Browsing the Website
You get gold for browsing, posting, & taking polls all around Gaia! If you decide that you'd like to try earning gold this way, please make sure that all spam stays in the Chatterbox! Another method is to look for topics that have polls and vote in them!
Playing Games
Another great way to earn gold is by playing our games! Visit our Games page by clicking on the 'Games' tab in your navbar. There you'll have a bunch of fun activities to choose from!
One of the most popular games to earn gold in is zOMG!
Using the Charity Forum
Sometimes other Gaians will be generous and donate to you! If you want to look for some of the charitable Gaians, try the Charity Subforum. Remember, no one is obligated to give you gold! So make sure to thank any kindhearted Gaian that wants to help you get started! Have fun! The Welcoming Fairy! Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 8: Making Friends!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today let's talk about making friends on Gaia Online!
Where to Look
- Search for people with your same interests, and send them a private message! Just type in one of your interests and see who pops up in the search! - Visit the Friends Chat forum! There are plenty of people there looking to make some new friends! - Start talking to people in our virtual flash spaces like Towns 2, Rally, or Virtual Hollywood!
How to Send / Accept Friend Requests
To send a friend request from forums, click on the dropdown menu underneath someone's avatar and click 'Add Friend'
They will see your request and decide if they'd like to embark on the journey of friendship with you!
To see friend requests sent to you, hover over your 'My Gaia' tab. Under the 'Other Stuff' column you'll see a link to your 'Friends' page!
You should see a list of your current friends!
At the top of that list you should see a few tabs. Click on the 'Requests to You' tab.
People who request to be your friend will appear here!
If you have an open request, you can check the box next to their name, scroll to the bottom of that list and click 'Accept!'
Today our tips & tricks message will be pretty brief, but touch upon the very important topic of site etiquette!
Here are a few general rules of thumb when talking to your fellow Gaians on the forums!
- Make sure you know what the topic you're about to enter is about! For example, if the first is talking about gardening~ it's probably not the best thread for you to pop in and talk about your newest favorite band!
- Make sure if you're asking someone to donate to you that you're in an appropriate spot / thread! Charity threads are often dedicated to donating to new users like yourself, so that's a good spot to check! There are also plenty of giveaways in the Chatterbox as well!
- There's a difference between disagreeing with someone and flaming them! If someone posts something you disagree with, you are more than welcome to post disagreeing with their opinion and stating your own! However, there's a huge difference between respectfully disagreeing and name-calling or using hateful language towards that person.
- Some threads contain rules set by the first poster. If you see a thread where someone has posted a list of 'rules,' be respectful of them!
- Make sure you scan over the Rules & Guidelines of a forum before making a topic! It can help prevent you from making misplaced threads!
- If someone is being discourteous to you, add them to your ignore list. To do this, click the dropdown under their avatar and select 'Ignore'
That concludes today's tips & tricks! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 10: Achievements!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Today I'm here to show you our Achievement system! You can earn points just for doing fun things around the site!
To get to your Achievements page, click the trophy in the top bar of your screen.
Once there, you'll see a list of achievements you can complete!
If you're interested in learning more about one, click on its icon!
It will give you a set of instructions! Follow them to get your achievement!
We also have a forum dedicated solely to earning some achievements! You can find it as a subforum of the Chatterbox, or by clicking here!
That's all for today! Have fun achieving! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 11: Purchasing Gaia Cash!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today, let's talk about Gaia's other currency: Gaia Cash.
Gaia Online has two main currencies. You're already very familiar with gold! GCash is our other, premium currency that you can buy.
Why use GCash?
- It lets you buy things from our premium store, La Victoire. - It helps support the site going and keep coming out with new items and features! - Gaians who are generous enough to purchase 9999 GC in a year are invited to an exclusive club, the Verge!
How do I purchase GCash?
Click on the 'Refill' button in the top navigation bar that contains your username!
Then you just select your amount and payment method! Send your payment, and you're good to go!
Today we'll navigate our way around the Marketplace!
The Marketplace is where Gaians sell and buy items from each other!
First, as you've probably figured out, you can search for items you want using the search bar!
Let's talk about how to get around the MP! Hover over the 'Marketplace' tab and take a look at the drop down:
Item Search: Lets you search for items you want to look at!
All Listings: Displays all items available in the MP. (Warning, it's a lot!)
My Store: Displays all the items you are selling!
Sell an Item: Lets you look through your inventory and select an item to sell! Outfits Shop: We've visited here already! This lets you buy entire outfits!
Sell an Outfit: This lets you make and sell outfits yourself!
Flynn's Plunder: An NPC run store with some really cool items!
Now let's say you want to sell an item! Select the 'Sell an Item' link from the dropdown we were just looking at!
You should see all the items in your inventory. Click on the one you want to sell! You'll see a popup modal.
The 'lowest' buy price shows you the lowest amount of gold someone is currently trying to sell that item for. The 'average' buy price shows you what it's sold for on average historically.
If you're going to sell your item, you should probably price it around the lowest buy price! Otherwise, many Gaians will just buy the one priced lower than yours!
Enter your price in the 'buy now' section and click next. You can also choose to do an auction using the settings above.
It will show you your item again, and your 'Buy Now' price! Make sure everything looks right, enter your password, and click the yellow 'List It' button!
Happy buying and selling! The Welcoming Fairy The Welcoming Fairy
Day 13: Creating Your Signature!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
You may have seen some people's post have an image underneath! These are their signatures!
You can make one too! Hover over your 'My Gaia' tab and select 'Account Preferences'.
Underneath your main navbar, there will be a bunch of symbols. Hover over the one that looks like a gear, and select Signature!
Here, you can write something that will appear below all of your posts, or put an image by using the 'IMG' button.
Signing off, The Welcoming Fairy
Day 14: Creating Your Profile!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Every Gaian has their own personal page on the site called their profile! Today's all about making yours look snazzy!
To look at your profile options, hover over your 'My Gaia' tab and select 'Account Preferences'.
Underneath your main navbar, there will be a bunch of symbols. Hover over the one that looks like a gear, and select Profile Options!
You see the section that says Theme Override? This is where you can really customize things! Using CSS you can style and color your page to look however you want!
There's even a forum dedicated to learning how to make these look exactly the way you want, Profile Discussion!
Have fun! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 15: The Chatterbox!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today we're going to talk about one of the most frequented forums on Gaia Online: the Chatterbox!
Why is the Chatterbox so great? Any post that does not violate our Terms of Service is allowed there! It's a place where you can spam freely or engage in meaningful conversation!
Today I'd like to invite you to dive into the Chatterbox, if you haven't already!
Here are a few types of threads to check out in the Chatterbox:
- Giveaway Threads! These threads are made by generous Gaians who want to give something away! Maybe it'll be to you! - Contest Threads! Also made by generous Gaians who want to give you something... but this time you must win a contest to get that prize! Best of luck! - Hangouts! Just what they sound like: a place to hang out and chat with other Gaians! - Bump Threads! Made specifically for you to 'bump' the thread, or post in it and bring it to the front page. This is a great way to enage your inner spammer and make some gold at the same time!
By now, you've probably explored the forums quite a bit! However, there are even more places to hang out on Gaia Online: the flash spaces! You can see a list of them by hovering over the 'World' tab and looking under the column labelled 'Virtual Spaces'
A few of the must-visit flash spaces are:
Towns 2
Here you can explore, chat with other Gaians, and even set up your own house to go to! Have a walk around!
Virtual Hollywood
This flash space is based off of Hollywood! There are many places for you to hang out with other Gaians here, including a two night clubs, the streets of hollywood, and a very fancy house!
Rally
Here is where Gaians hang out in a parking lot and show off their cool vehicles!
So have a look around, and enjoy! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 17: Cars, Houses & Aquariums!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Yesterday we talked about flash spaces, and I briefly mentioned cars. Want to know more? Well then today's your lucky day because this tricks & tips message is about cars, houses, and aquariums!
These three features are things Gaians can create and customize! You can find links to all of these features under the 'My Gaia' tab.
Cars
When you go to the 'Car' area you'll see a screen that will let you add a car to your collection! Click on one of the little plus symbols to begin!
Same will direct you to the shop Sam's Body & Parts! Here you can buy things for your car, and also customizations for the car! When you're ready to add the customizations to your new vehicle, click on the 'Go to your Garage' link located under Sam.
Once there, click on a car to add customizations! Now you're ready to display your car to everyone in Rally!
Houses
If you want to place your home in towns, go to Towns 2 and use your Towns smartphone to find your housing options! Then, visit The Faktori to buy and place furniture!
Aquariums
When you go to the 'Aquarium area you'll see an empty tank!
You can use the buttons surrounding the tank to edit / manage it! You can also visit the 'Shop' and buy more fish & decorations for your tank!
Looks like you've got a bunch of new toys to play with! Enjoy! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 19: Getting Avatar Art!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today's tricks & tips are especially fun, because today we're going to take about getting art of your avatar!
You've probably noticed that many people's signatures contain art that looks an awful lot like their avatar... this is because there are a lot of awesome artists on Gaia who like to draw for their fellow Gaians!
So how can you get someone to draw your avatar? There are a few ways!
One of the funnest ways is to see if someone will draw you a freebie! To do that, you'll want to head to the Art Freebie forum. You can get there by going to the Mini Shops forum and looking for the 'Art Freebies' subforum in the list there, or by clicking here! Here is where Gaians draw one another for absolutely free! Good luck!
If you're looking for a specific style of art, sometimes it's best to hire an artist to draw your avatar for gold! To do this, you'll want to visit the Art Shops subforum. This is also a subforum of the Mini Shops forum. Find it there, or by clicking here!
Have fun looking at all the pretty art! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 20: Gaia NPCs!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today, there are some people I'd like you to meet! The Gaia NPCs. You've seen them running the shops, making announcements, and guiding you around the website! But who exactly are they?
Gaia NPCs are that: Non Playable Characters. Here are just a few of the main ones!
Ian and Rufus! This vampire and his adorable cat run one of the oldest and most popular stores on Gaia: Barton Boutique!
Moira! This fashionable punk rocker has been keeping Gaians looking good since the very beginning!
Edmund! This dapper gentleman used to run HR Wesley, before he embarked on an airship adventure!
Brennivin! This magician turned fashion designer creates some of the most coveted items in all of Gaia!
Carl! This elk is... well this elk is rather terrifying, actually.
To interact with these NPCs go to their store and click their 'Talk to Button.'
You never know what they'll say!
Have fun meeting these interesting characters! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 21: Manga!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Yesterday you met some of the colorful characters of Gaia Online. If you're interested in seeing their past shenanigans and adventures, you might want to check out our manga!
That's right, Gaia Online has it's very own Manga, 10 years in the making! New arcs are usually released during our events (which usually happen around holidays!) So read up and say tuned!
You can find our Manga under your 'World' tab, or by clicking here!
Today we're going to learn how you can compete against your fellow Gaians in our Arenas!
You can find our Arenas by hovering over the 'Forum' tab in your navbar and clicking 'Art Arenas', or by clicking here.
Here you can enter your original artwork, writing, avatar, or gaia home in to a competition against your fellow Gaians!
To enter, go to the category you are interested in entering using the tabs at the top.
Then, find the submit button (also near the top). Here you will prepare your entry for competition! New competitions start every week, so you'll have plenty of chances!
Good luck! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 23: Where to Turn if you FInd Trouble!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today's topic is a little more serious: where to turn if you find trouble. We do our best to keep Gaia a safe & fun place for all of our members, but unfortunately we do have people who break our rules.
Fortunately, we have a great team of moderators to help you with any trouble you run into!
Here is how you can let them know you found a TOS violation!
Forum Posts
If you see a post that violates the TOS, use the report button on top of it! It will ask you for a little information about the violation. Provide any information you can, and then submit your report! A moderator will handle the content!
Other Issues
For Hacking, Abuse & Harassment, and Scamming reports, go to the main Forums page. At the bottom of all the forums, you will see three links! These lead to the appropriate report forms!
Safety Violations
If you ever see something that makes you worry that someone could be in imminent danger, we take these kind of violations very seriously! Send an email to safety@gaiaonline.com and link to the content that you feel poses a safety threat. We respond to these as quickly as we can!
As always, if you feel directly threatened and feel you are in a dangerous situation, call your local police!
Who are the mods and admins?
The mods and admins are friendly folks!
The moderators are volunteers who dedicate their time to keeping the site safe and fun! The admin are Gaia Staff that work as hard as they can to make sure that the site is the most enjoyable place it can be!
Now you know where to turn should you ever run into trouble! The Welcoming Fairy Get 3,000 Gold!
Day 24: Cash Offers
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today we're going to learn about a way to get GCash... without paying a cent! You can do this through our cash offers!
On many pages of our site you've probably seen a little dancing TV & Cash Tree
If you click on either of them, you'll be taken to our cash video or cash offer page! You can watch videos from our sponsors here or partake in sponsor offers and we'll give you some spending GCash!
In addition, when you go to 'Refill' your Gaia Cash, you'll see the 'Earn Gaia Cash' button along the top. Click there to learn about more offers!
Happy cash hunting! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 25: zOMG
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today, we're going to play Gaia's very own MMORPG, zOMG!
zOMG is the story of your avatar as they battle with their friends against the animated! You will gain new powers, make new friends, and battle evil!
To play, go to our 'Games' page and click on the zOMG link to launch the game!
If you want to talk about the game / get some more tips, head to our zOMG forum!
Today we're going to talk about another way to find and make friends on Gaia Online... by joining guilds! Guilds are mini-forums on our website created by Gaians for Gaians who have similar interests!
To get to guilds, click on 'Guilds' under your 'Forums' tab.
Once there you can either use the search bar to look for guilds you might be interested in joining, or just select from the categories listed!
Once you find a guild you want to join, click on its name! You will be taken to the guild's main page. Up in the guild navigation, you will see a yellow 'join' button. Click it to join the guild! Read the guild page and join instructions carefully though, because some guilds have forms they want you to fill out, or a membership fee.
Have fun finding your perfect guild! The Welcoming Fairy
Day 27: Word Game Forum!
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today we're going to talk about an often-overlooked... but incredibly awesome forum: Word Games!
You can find this sub-forum under the Chatterbox, or by clicking here!
So why is this forum special? It's a great place to casually exercise your creativity! Here you'll find threads spanning from saying what you like/dislike about the avatar that posted above you, to corrupting wishes, to predicting the future!
To participate in a game, read the thread's first post. Once you understand the rules of that game, post away!
Today I'm going to show you a great place to see what's new & hot on Gaia: the Gaia Blog! Check out some user created content, events spotlighted by the admin, and featured avatars!
To view the blog, go to the front page. Towards the bottom of the page, you will see a section with 'Staff Notices' selected. Your other option is the 'Gaia Blog!'
Today we're going to talk about something really fun... your avatar! Have you ever seen someone's avatar that just made your jaw drop? Chances are, they're using one of the popular avatar styles!
Let's get you the inside scoop on some of the most commonly used techniques to make a stunning avatar!
Matching Avatar
These avatars use two or three colors that are very similar to each other!
Themed Avatar
These avatars follow a specific theme! Dig vampires? Make your avatar look like a regular dracula! Love angels? Get some wings and get angelic! Fascinated by fairies? You get the idea!
Original Character Avatar
If you're a roleplayer this one might be the style for you! This kind of avatar is where people come up with their own original characters and dress their avatar like them!
But when all is said and done, the best avatar is one that makes you feel happy!
By now you're a regular, honest to goodness Gaian! Today's tips and tricks is all about getting involved in your Gaian community. There are plenty of ways for you to have fun, give back, and create some awesome things!
Join a Charity Organization
After you've accumulated some gold yourself, give back! Keep the generousity going and donate to your fellow Gaians in the Charity Forum!
Quest
In the same forum, you can also post quest threads! Where you state your goals for that one item you love and go for it! People will encourage you, and sometimes even donate. Be sure to stop by other people's quests threads and give them the same encouragment!
Annual Ball
Join the Annual Ball Group and help put on a giant online party for all Gaians every year!
Community Projects
Check out the Community Projects subforum of the Gaia Community Discussion forum!
Have fun getting involved! The Welcoming Fairy! Get 3,000 Gold!
Didn't see day 18 in my inboxes, but apparently it's about games:
[NPC] The Welcoming Fairy
Hello again!
Today's a fun day, because we're going to talk about Games! You can view all of the games available on Gaia by clicking on or hoving over the 'Games' tab in your navbar!
We have many mini games ranging from cards to fishing! In addition, we recently launched our Playpen which contains games you can play for a chance to win some really great prizes / lots of gold!
See which ones look interesting to you, and give them a shot!
Happy playing! The Welcoming Fairy
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:31 pm
Inflation has only increased.
Do you consider the effects of inflation reversible at this point with methods such as these?
Take a look at what new gold can be generated into the economy if 1, 10, and 100 GC users purchased from the MP this way.
Please keep in mind that these totals are before 5% tax is removed
Although the MP Graph is broke again, we can assume that around 400T is the daily average.
If I am correct that this graph just shows purchases, that would mean that 20T is removed from 5% taxes. However, a portion of that tax also calculates the taxes on an item purchased with GC. It would be hard to tell if it 20T in taxes from a 400T daily average is a real number at all because we don't know how much of those purchases were generated gold via the GC option. So the real 5% tax on a 400T marketplace is a mystery, but should be lower than 20T. By all rights we can't calculate a "virtual" tax into this total.
If I were to make a guess on what portion of purchases are done via GC, I would probably say 5% to low ball it.
That would mean that 20T of that marketplace graph total would be generated gold and the 1T tax on that would be non existent. 19T generated after a virtual 5% tax is removed.
lets remove 19T from 400T and make the actual marketplace gold only revenue 381T
Tax on 381T would be 19T in actual taxes taken out. That is the same as the gold generated from 5% of total MP purchases!!
It only takes 5% of total marketplace value to be GC purchases to ruin everything!! While gold generators keep being sold on top of this mess, the marketplace tax is having zero effect on our economy this way.
The only things that are actually acting as a gold sink are shops, and those have been ignored for a while nowwahmbulance
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 10:44 pm
The GC purchase option is so potent!
Look at what 5% is!!
This little bit completely erases any MP taxes that the other 95% of us have paid!
I have been selling items on the marketplace for YEARS. When I first saw this feature, I wasn't really sure how it all worked. But this? It is just... so impractical. I honestly don't see the point.
First of all, if I bought GCash with my hard earned money, I wouldn't want to spend it on marketplace items. I could just use my gold! What is the point.
Second of all, why would I want to have you spend your GCash only to give me gold? If I got GCash out of it, sure, I could see the point. I can never seem to get those free promotions to work. They are always broken. But why bother?
I agree. This hurts the economy too greatly. Perhaps while Lanzer is evaluating all that is going on with this site, he will address this issue. How hard could it be to turn off a feature, right?
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:03 pm
I think they should probably get rid of this option too. I mean, I have to admit that I do use it once in a while. I'm not good at making lots of gold when I don't have time to sit and grind away at games, and sometimes it's more palatable to pay a small amount of GC for a "cheap" item than to use what might be a big chunk of my gold supply at that time. I mean, it's a fairly rare occurrence because I can't afford that much GC either these days, but I know ideally I still shouldn't do it at all. As long as the option is there, it's going to get used by someone... best to remove the temptation, I think. sweatdrop
