Do not spam trade with useless equipment

[stille_nacht]

Something i think many new people do not realize, is that most, if not all of the equipment that they get will not be worth anything, AKA "vendor trash". (in this thread i assume that i am talking to people before ~> lv 12)

Essentially, if it is not at least almost optimized, then dont even bother trying to sell it, you will not sell anything, because players do not want your stuff, the casual ones that might have used it seldom buy things in the market, and the more serious ones dont want it, and you might get squelched (a function that essentially "blocks" all interaction with a player, including speech, lfm requests, and typed chat) by a fair amount of players, especially if you follow what some people are doing, and linking entire inventories of equipment into trade, drowning out any ongoing conversations, etc. More importantly, you will waste time doing essentially nothing (unless you really enjoy standing in the market)

In general, you should ask people if something nice looking is valuable, also, try posting on the auction house to see if it sells (also, you will probably make more money by just running quests instead of standing in the market forever). Ask yourself the question, would i want to use this? before you try and sell it, remember, if no one wants to use it, no one is buying.

The thing that gets things bought is typically just optimization, or usefulness. e.g. just damage effects, heavy fortification of greater false life, that sort of thing. extraneous effects that are considered useless like, say, slowburst, raise the minimum level and lower the chance of said equipment being bought. (e.g acid longsword of pg ml 4 is pretty nice cash, acid longsword of pg slowburst ml 13 is worth nothing)

also, there might be certain things, called ioun stones, that dont look like they are optimum, but if they have suppressed power, they may be worth a lot depending on color, ask people.

[Templarion]

And next I wonder how many of the people who spam useless junk on the trade channel read the forums...

But yes, I agree.

[stille_nacht]

hey, gotta try and help right 8P, also many new people read the forum, so this could be a "nip in the bud" so to speak

[LookingForABentoBox]

Sure there are valuable trinkets. The underwater action trinkets and ioun stones are sellable.

[stille_nacht]

Sure there are valuable trinkets. The underwater action trinkets and ioun stones are sellable.

yeah i switched it up a little, not gonna try to type otu every valuable thing ><

now just says "optimized"

[BOgre]

I haven't really encountered what you're talking about, well, except the 'ongoing conversations' part. That is, most new people don't use the trade channel to empty their inventories. I think they've realized that standing around waiting for a bite takes far longer than going to a vendor. I HAVE noticed any number of vets using the advice/trade channels to carry on conversations, with only the loosest connection to advice or trade. And when one suggests to these folks who ought to know better that they start a channel for their chat, hooo boy, the rucus it causes.
The odd idiot that spams /trade with their whole backpack IS better off /ignored, because they're not likely to listen to your advice or read the forum anyway.

just sayin'

[stille_nacht]

clearly you do not play on khyber :P, lately theres always someone in harbor or market spamming up the chat box

[Noctus]

What is this "trade channel" you speak off?

.

.

.


Oh right, that thing i destroy on a new char/TR asap as it is full of useless spam.


---> So thats the result of spamming vendortrash all over. So you wont even be able to sell the occasional pearl, as it is drowned in a sea of trash.

[LoneWolfie]

The trade channel is there for... oh wait... trading
what you might consider junk some new player would love to get their hands on
also when people put things on the AH they usually post them for more than they would sell straight to another player for due to the 30% loss
if you want to squelch people for using the trade channel for what it's there for... well that is your problem
also keep in mind some people are f2p only and can only post 1 item at a time on the AH
everyone has very limited backpack/bank space and f2p generally have even less b/c premium/vip players can/will make mules on their account to store stuff
to a brand new player getting 50-100 plat or more out of 5 of the 15 items they try to sell might be the difference in getting better equipment and contributing more to the teams of players they join to play with
try to keep in mind there are different viewpoints than yours alone... i see what you are trying to say but just make a seperate trade channel tab in your game and check it from time to time... doesn't block up general chat and you still get to see what is on offer out there... the player you block today may have exactly the item/s you are looking for next week and you won't see it b/c you blocked them...just food for thought

[AMDarkwolf]

But what do you mean, everyone will want to buy my underwater action belt of light fortification, ml 12.

And my +2 acid handaxe of lesser orc bane. Its GOTTA be worth a fortune.

And what about my cha +2 ring of jump +7. Its ONLY ML 11, it'll sell for a LOT.



/sarcasm off, I totally agree, and sometimes the most annoying thing I see is this **** being spammed for HOURS.(And I am not exaggerating here, I can be in game, see this the whole time i play whenever i click gen chat, flooding my screen, then 3-4 hrs later when I log on again, its STILL there, the SAME guy with his flood of **** in my chat, resending his junk every 10 seconds. VERY annoying. Easily on my top 10 of 'the stuff that ****es me off' list.

[Daggertooth]

See the issue here is not really about the trade channel its about impudence.

This is no different from the people that join your group and start giving instructions because 'whattya mean you don't want to get this done asap? thats silly'

Just as people can't fathom that players may want to experience the lower levels of the game, they can't imagine that some people may want to try to put some of the 'vender trash' to use and decide for themselves what they think of it.

So in short, bug off. Let people experience all aspects/levels of the game even if you and your guild haven't given the stamp of approval. This thread is in line with most of the other 'advice' on this forum....*insert coin here*

And before you start thinking that I'm going overboard, there could be a few hundred people who might enjoy using something like 'slowburst' before they have been put to the firing squad by you and your guild for using something that you consider 'vender trash'.

[LOOON375]

Just because you consider it worthless, doesn't mean it's worthless to everyone that plays.

You can't wear Epic gear at level 4. You have to use "worthless gear".

[KillEveryone]

The trade channel is there for... oh wait... trading
what you might consider junk some new player would love to get their hands on
also when people put things on the AH they usually post them for more than they would sell straight to another player for due to the 30% loss
if you want to squelch people for using the trade channel for what it's there for... well that is your problem
also keep in mind some people are f2p only and can only post 1 item at a time on the AH
everyone has very limited backpack/bank space and f2p generally have even less b/c premium/vip players can/will make mules on their account to store stuff
to a brand new player getting 50-100 plat or more out of 5 of the 15 items they try to sell might be the difference in getting better equipment and contributing more to the teams of players they join to play with
try to keep in mind there are different viewpoints than yours alone... i see what you are trying to say but just make a seperate trade channel tab in your game and check it from time to time... doesn't block up general chat and you still get to see what is on offer out there... the player you block today may have exactly the item/s you are looking for next week and you won't see it b/c you blocked them...just food for thought

That +1 boots of jumping is total vendor trash. Same goes for anything that only adds +1 to swim, heal, repair....you get the idea of trash.

I've seen this kind of stuff trying to be sold and at really stupid prices.

I have no problem with someone wanting to use the trade channel, just don't spam it with crazy amounts for above mentioned trash and really, sell something decent.

[AMDarkwolf]

I think what he was trying to say, is that much of the stuf u see IS worthless, by ANYONE who 'could' equip it. The thing is, if your trying to sell it, its useless to you. The problem is these people don't look at the item and think 'Hmm Would I equip this or not?'


If you find a ML 5 ring of str +3. That has value, because its a nice and clean item. A moderate fortification belt at ML 7 also holds value, since its 'decent' equipment at that point.

What is not (And anyone at all can figure this out just by considering what tehy themselves would slap on) is a 'light fort belt of jump +5.' Either effect, by themselves, MIGHT have value(to someone) because they would be a lower ML to equip, but together the items spike the ML of the item up past when ANYONE in their right mind would equip. Why would you use this when you could have(and easily obtain) a hvy fort belt. Or a boots/ring/etc of jump +11.(Same ML, and likely u would have found this by this point just from looting)

What it is is a bunch of people who DO know better, and are just trying to make a quick buck selling to those who don't know. Problem is, they don't know they could make 100x what they hope to make spamming this 'garbage' in /trade just by taking that time to run quests and vend the 'junk'.



All the OP is asking, and I agree, is for the 'seller' to take a look at his 'merchandise' and think to himself 'Would I wear this at the level I can?' - If the answer is yes, then sure, sell it(or try). If the answer is no, then for gods sake, vend the garbage.

[stille_nacht]

The trade channel is there for... oh wait... trading
what you might consider junk some new player would love to get their hands on


Just because you consider it worthless, doesn't mean it's worthless to everyone that plays.

You can't wear Epic gear at level 4. You have to use "worthless gear".


yes, but new players do not have sufficient platinum to make a difference to other new players, none of the lower level stuff is worth enough for the 30% profit loss to be worth it. Simply doing quests and levelling is a more effective moneymaker then waiting in the market

some low level gear is not worthless, an acid longsword of pure good is pretty nice for example, those boots of swim +3? worthless, no one is going to buy them. did you shop for boots of swim +3 at level 4? did you shop for slowburst +1 daggers (ml 8)? nope. The point is that it is highly unlikely that any of these will be sold. If it was 20 items that were all worth something, fine, go ahead.

using the trade channel is supposed to be for trading yes, but i consider linking 60 (almost worthless) items across several posts to be spam.

[Daggertooth]

The OP and others like him don't seem to understand that everyone learns the game at their own pace. This is no different from just about all of the advice given out on these forums, which is basically intermediate/advanced concepts that are given to people who are just starting the game and have little or no clue about what is going on ( and may not WANT a clue as to what is going on.. not everyone is looking to get going at your pace so they can join your group)

If you broadened your perspective and gave people the space and respect they deserve, you'd realize that someone who has not been exposed to the forums might actually garner alot of enjoyment from something like a 'slowburst' weapon or something that is maybe not considered as a mainstream weapon type. Stop imposing your rigid beliefs on people, not everyone is looking for an acid of pure good weapon or something that you feel is worthy of posting in the trade window. Some (many) people may get more mileage out of the game by taking things at their own pace, where a non-optimal weapon may provide some enjoyment. Or even an ML 5 +5 jump/+1 con belt or something. Maybe certain players have not come across anything with a jump enhancement and just because its not numerically viable for you doesn't mean that others might not take an interest.

Edit : Just remember, everyone enjoys the game differently. Some people may enjoy the idea of a marketplace where they can post everything they find. Not everyone is interested in being whizzed off to end game to provide heals for your guild.

[LordMond63]

Are the defintions of "worthless" items the same for a VIP multiple-TR'ed long-time player with multiple alts and more plat than Scrroge McDuck the same as for a brand-spanking-new free to play player who has just created his first character?

Second question: when you were a brand-spaking-new player, did you know the difference?

[stille_nacht]

The OP and others like him don't seem to understand that everyone learns the game at their own pace. This is no different from just about all of the advice given out on these forums, which is basically intermediate/advanced concepts that are given to people who are just starting the game and have little or no clue about what is going on ( and may not WANT a clue as to what is going on.. not everyone is looking to get going at your pace so they can join your group)

If you broadened your perspective and gave people the space and respect they deserve, you'd realize that someone who has not been exposed to the forums might actually garner alot of enjoyment from something like a 'slowburst' weapon or something that is maybe not considered as a mainstream weapon type. Stop imposing your rigid beliefs on people, not everyone is looking for an acid of pure good weapon or something that you feel is worthy of posting in the trade window. Some (many) people may get more mileage out of the game by taking things at their own pace, where a non-optimal weapon may provide some enjoyment. Or even an ML 5 +5 jump/+1 con belt or something. Maybe certain players have not come across anything with a jump enhancement and just because its not numerically viable for you doesn't mean that others might not take an interest.

Edit : Just remember, everyone enjoys the game differently. Some people may enjoy the idea of a marketplace where they can post everything they find. Not everyone is interested in being whizzed off to end game to provide heals for your guild.

everyone learns at their own pace, i am attempting to accelerate it, is that a bad thing? this is teh "advice" forum

does anyone BUY +5 jump/+1 con belts in the market place?

slowburst isn not only not "mainstream", it has a save so low that most mobs save anyway, not to mention the fact that it only procs on crit, and when it does work, the effect is not even that great anyway, e.g. something people do not want to buy often, i dont want someone to stand in the market for 5 hours trying to sell it, thats what advice is for.

people take the game at their own pace, fine, but those people will also probably not be in the market shopping for bad equipment.

my "rigid beliefs" are merely that you should probably not post 12 items that no one is going to buy, but instead go do quests and whatnot, you know, playing the game. I believe questing and getting more money is better than standing in the same spot, getting less money, and annoying people, is that a bad thing?


Are the defintions of "worthless" items the same for a VIP multiple-TR'ed long-time player with multiple alts and more plat than Scrroge McDuck the same as for a brand-spanking-new free to play player who has just created his first character?

Second question: when you were a brand-spaking-new player, did you know the difference?
no, but certain things are worthless to almost everyone because they are too high level/ have no benefit

when i was brand-spaking new, i did not go to the marketplace to buy light for jump +6 boots

[NaturalHazard]

clearly you do not play on khyber :P, lately theres always someone in harbor or market spamming up the chat box

lately? as long as ive been playing, only a year, it seems that theres always people spamming the trade channel with junk.

[LordMond63]

no, but certain things are worthless to almost everyone because they are too high level/ have no benefit

when i was brand-spaking new, i did not go to the marketplace to buy light for jump +6 boots

I'm guessing you had an RPG background of some sort that allowed you to come to such a conclusion so quickly. I'd guess that most players would have a similar background, to varying degrees, but not everyone is going to be able to translate that experience into knowing what is good and what isn't good soon into their DDO experience. Eventually, yes, but probably not right away. Those the the folks to which I am referring.

[stille_nacht]

I'm guessing you had an RPG background of some sort that allowed you to come to such a conclusion so quickly. I'd guess that most players would have a similar background, to varying degrees, but not everyone is going to be able to translate that experience into knowing what is good and what isn't good soon into their DDO experience. Eventually, yes, but probably not right away. Those the the folks to which I am referring.

true, but then i dont want them to waste money on that sorta thing ;[

also, these players are not common (judging on the identical day to day list of some spammers, they are virtually nonexistant), mostly because a really new player like that is unlikely to buy anything from other players anyway.

and the spammers could have been questing, and getting more money then they do when standing in teh market...

[JollySwagMan]

Here is my tip on stuff you can sell to vendors:

Sell all the stuff you loot at a barkeep or other non-optimal vendor when you're questing. Later on, use the buyback tab when at the specific brokers, and pawn them for more plat. This lets you optimise your haggle boosts and saves a bunch of time. It's also *much* more FTP friendly than the AH is.

You can also use the buyback tab for items that you throw away. For instance, you're midway through a quest and realise you need a rogue. If you decide to buy a Rogue hireling, you can trash the contract when it's fulfilled its duties and buy it back later (for plat), stashing it in the bank for later use. Unfortunately, once a contract has been activated it will run whenever your character is in a quest, even if that hireling hasn't been summoned in that particular dungeon. However this workaround can save you some turbine points, if you find yourself addicted to gold seal hirelings..

Note that the buyback tab does have an item and time limit.

[PopeJual]

Don't tell me how to play mah harbor chat! I mean character. Or something.

Damned kids always on mah lawn.

[Daggertooth]

everyone learns at their own pace, i am attempting to accelerate it, is that a bad thing? this is teh "advice" forum


Yes, it is wrong to accelerate people. One person might start the game, come to the forums, learn everything he can, and get bored and burn out after 2 years. Another player might avoid any kind of exposure whatsoever to said 'acceleration', enjoy using things like slowburst on the casual settings for a while, and end up enjoying the game twice as long.

Again, it boils down to people who simply cannot understand that not everyone takes the same approach to the game that they do (i.e. reduce everything to the top four builds/ weapon suffixes etc that are optimal for end game)

[NaturalHazard]

what about the people who stand around all day in the habour and i mean all day, spamming chat with wtb pale lavander ioun stone pst, over and over and over again. Then when you say ok, make an offer they offer you 5k plat, then when you say surely its worth more than that, they tell you, look it runs out, 40 charges is all you get, im doing you a favour taking it off your hands and giving you good plat for it. :eek::eek:. gee yeah if it was that worthless why would be stand there all day asking to buy some?

[stille_nacht]

Yes, it is wrong to accelerate people. One person might start the game, come to the forums, learn everything he can, and get bored and burn out after 2 years. Another player might avoid any kind of exposure whatsoever to said 'acceleration', enjoy using things like slowburst on the casual settings for a while, and end up enjoying the game twice as long.

Again, it boils down to people who simply cannot understand that not everyone takes the same approach to the game that they do (i.e. reduce everything to the top four builds/ weapon suffixes etc that are optimal for end game)

IMO if someone is looking on the advice for new players section, he wants his knowledge and understanding to be accelerated.

[EustaceTrevelyan]

And next I wonder how many of the people who spam useless junk on the trade channel read the forums...

But yes, I agree.

/this of course. i agree as well, and would like to add ditto for the AH. I am sooooo sick of having to wade through umpteen "Health necklaces of FOO," ML 13, where the con + is anything other than 6, for health or 1 for FOO. NO ONE needs +5 ml 13 anything. Or +2, 3, 4 for that matter.

But the kind of person that goes to the forums is probably not doing stupid sh@x# in game. But squelch is a wonderful tool:)

[KillEveryone]

Yes, it is wrong to accelerate people. One person might start the game, come to the forums, learn everything he can, and get bored and burn out after 2 years. Another player might avoid any kind of exposure whatsoever to said 'acceleration', enjoy using things like slowburst on the casual settings for a while, and end up enjoying the game twice as long.

Again, it boils down to people who simply cannot understand that not everyone takes the same approach to the game that they do (i.e. reduce everything to the top four builds/ weapon suffixes etc that are optimal for end game)

And why is it wrong to help those that come to the forums seeking advice?

I think you are wrong.

I came to the forums seeking advice when I first started and I don't regret any of it. I like to know the rules of the game. I like to know that swim, heal, and repair are useless skills so that when I hit lvl 20, I know that I didn't waste any points.

If I bothered with the trade channel, I'd want to know what is worth something rather than get ripped off because someone is trying to pull something over on a newb. Turns out that the information that will help the new player not get screwed is right here on the forums and their learning is accelerated by that knowledge, but if it was set up like you wanted, they'd get screwed.

[Xenus_Paradox]

WTS masterwork banded mail

[Daggertooth]

/this of course. i agree as well, and would like to add ditto for the AH. I am sooooo sick of having to wade through umpteen "Health necklaces of FOO," ML 13, where the con + is anything other than 6, for health or 1 for FOO. NO ONE needs +5 ml 13 anything. Or +2, 3, 4 for that matter.

But the kind of person that goes to the forums is probably not doing stupid sh@x# in game. But squelch is a wonderful tool:)

Would be interesting to be able to 'mark as junk' on the AH....everything could have a certain color flag on it... which would be determined by how many people 'marked as junk'... you could also sort by the Junk Flag. :D

[Explorer86]

Nice way for the community to rate the quality of an item versus price.

[Daggertooth]

And why is it wrong to help those that come to the forums seeking advice?

I think you are wrong.

I came to the forums seeking advice when I first started and I don't regret any of it. I like to know the rules of the game. I like to know that swim, heal, and repair are useless skills so that when I hit lvl 20, I know that I didn't waste any points.

If I bothered with the trade channel, I'd want to know what is worth something rather than get ripped off because someone is trying to pull something over on a newb. Turns out that the information that will help the new player not get screwed is right here on the forums and their learning is accelerated by that knowledge, but if it was set up like you wanted, they'd get screwed.

See, here we go again... you just don't get that some people want to screw people and maybe some others want to be screwed. Mind your own business :cool:

See whats going is that just because YOU have a hard time understanding that aspect of the game, you have to come here and try to tell everyone that its not right.

There is a TRADE window for a reason. People are able to put what they want in it for a reason. If you cant understand that some people like that then just accept the fact that the devs know how to design a game better than you do and carry on.

[Daggertooth]

And why is it wrong to help those that come to the forums seeking advice?

I think you are wrong.

I came to the forums seeking advice when I first started and I don't regret any of it. I like to know the rules of the game. I like to know that swim, heal, and repair are useless skills so that when I hit lvl 20, I know that I didn't waste any points.

If I bothered with the trade channel, I'd want to know what is worth something rather than get ripped off because someone is trying to pull something over on a newb. Turns out that the information that will help the new player not get screwed is right here on the forums and their learning is accelerated by that knowledge, but if it was set up like you wanted, they'd get screwed.

No because the OP did not present his argument like that. Its obvious that he does NOT understand that some people might like to discover things on their own. He came here for his own ends because he feels inconvenienced by what HE deems to be of no value. And not one person who agreed with him presented one bit of argument for justifying his request. All we got was a stream of rubbish about how the vets are inconvenienced by what they deem to be worthless.

[fuzzy1guy]

95% of everything i have EVER seen linked in trade chat has been complete garbage...

And yet people get so upset when u tell them nobody will ever buy this junk.

[Daggertooth]

You should read Mutiny on the Bounty. Excellent historical adventure about the interactions between explorers and the natives of the south seas. The natives were in awe of the useless trinkets that the Europeans traded with them... cuff links, empty shells things like that. The Europeans were in awe of the beauty and riches of the land (Tahiti) but it also goes on to say that 15 years after their arrival, the place was mostly desolate and wiped out by disease that were introduced by the explorers.

[Geraldicus]

While I agree that reading some plea to sell what looks like junk to you can be annoying, is it really reasonable to suggest that people shouldn't be able to sell their junk--and maybe to them it's not junk--on the trade channel?

[Faerbaste]

You should read Mutiny on the Bounty. Excellent historical adventure about the interactions between explorers and the natives of the south seas. The natives were in awe of the useless trinkets that the Europeans traded with them... cuff links, empty shells things like that. The Europeans were in awe of the beauty and riches of the land (Tahiti) but it also goes on to say that 15 years after their arrival, the place was mostly desolate and wiped out by disease that were introduced by the explorers.

Lucky for us then that the one thing you can't get on the AH at any price is V.D.

[EustaceTrevelyan]

Would be interesting to be able to 'mark as junk' on the AH....everything could have a certain color flag on it... which would be determined by how many people 'marked as junk'... you could also sort by the Junk Flag. :D

I support this quote and subscribe to its newsletter.

[NaturalHazard]

I guess things can change over time whats useless today might not be so useless tommorrow, maybe weapons with righteousness might not be so useless in the future?

[NaturalHazard]

You should read Mutiny on the Bounty. Excellent historical adventure about the interactions between explorers and the natives of the south seas. The natives were in awe of the useless trinkets that the Europeans traded with them... cuff links, empty shells things like that. The Europeans were in awe of the beauty and riches of the land (Tahiti) but it also goes on to say that 15 years after their arrival, the place was mostly desolate and wiped out by disease that were introduced by the explorers.

not all the trinkets where useless, for a people who had no metal tools or implements where things like fish hooks and other things have to be made out of, bone, shell, wood, and stone, something as cheap as an iron nail was seen as very valuable. And they also saw straight away the value of european weapons, metal blades and fire arms. It is recorded that captain cook got so ticked off with men stealing nails from the ships stores and even used nails to pay for sexual favours that he had men flogged for it.

[Dulcimerist]

One time I was running Water Works, and after every chest some guy in the party would try to sell his loot to the rest of the party. He would literally stand there by the chest for a full minute, trying to sell us masterwork items for platinum.

[ericrd]

if no one buys what someone is selling either because of inflated price or dubious effects then the seller learns that the player base is not interested.A self correcting system.by trolling people in trade chat because YOU dont value thier items,then you are trying to limit the diversity of character builds and also discouraging players from posting in trade cause they dont want to be troll food so they end up selling things to one of the brokers and getting very little pp for thier item that another player might want and give them more pp both seller and buyer win i have picked up so many rares and other usefull items from vendors that should have been sold in trade chat to other toons but the newer player who got them didnt want get the trollish smackdown that happens almost evertime someone posts in trade chat. game is about fun and fun only,dictating to other players how they should have fun ie what they should trade how they should build toons or run quests just sucks all the fun out of game like a troll sucks the marrow out of a bone

[Seihan]

I rarely have my trade window up on Sarlona, but anytime I do, all I see is some guy linking some piece of BTA gear and a bunch of people laughing at him.

Then there was a guy during CC event trying to sell his Dowsing Rods in trade, probably read the forums and heard they were worth a lot of plat : P

[Raiar]

the casual ones that might have used it seldom buy things in the market, and the more serious ones dont want it
I don't know any concrete statistics on the matter, but would be amazed if there were any truth to one of those assertions. Casual players buy a lot of stuff in the market. (I'd guess at least as much and probably more than the more hardcore players.)

Hardcore players will wait to find the perfect most optimized item available. They're not likely to see that come up in a random post in the /Trade channel, but are better off either grinding for it themselves or watching the AH for it. Casual players are more likely to buy whatever strikes their fancy at the moment. Not only is that likely to come up more often than the hardcore player's perfect item, but it's much more strongly based on what they're exposed to. A casual player is less likely to have a pre-determined idea of exactly what they're looking for, which makes the AH much harder to search. The /Trade channel is really a better fit for casual players than hardcore ones.



especially if you follow what some people are doing, and linking entire inventories of equipment into trade, drowning out any ongoing conversations, etc.
Ok, I agree with you about linking entire inventories into /Trade. That's pretty useless. Nobody's likely to sort through all that to even see whether any of it is useful to them. Selling items through the /Trade channel works much better when you have one or two items for sale (maybe as many as three or four if they're related). It also works better if you actually say something about the item(s). If you provide some indication of what class and level the item is appropriate for, people will know whether it's worth bothering to look at it or not, so "Any low level wizards out there want this ? 50p or best offer." is much more likely to work than a message that just says "[item]".

I haven't seen any times when these drowned out other ongoing conversations though, since /Trade isn't a channel that seems to get a lot of ongoing conversations. (If you place multiple channels like /Trade /Advice and /General all into the same chat tab, then it's your own fault if one channel appears to drown out another.)



In general, you should ask people if something nice looking is valuable
Yes, but a fair amount of your post sounds like you don't like seeing all this stuff in chat. You are aware, aren't you, that the way to ask people about it is to post it in chat?



Ask yourself the question, would i want to use this?
Actually, the proper question would be "would [i]anybody want to use this?" An item that boosts the pick lock skill would be completely useless to most characters, but great for my rogue.



extraneous effects that are considered useless
What's considered useful or useless is an issue of personal preference. It's affected by game mechanics like class, but even more by issues of playstyle. Every effect available in the game was put there because somebody thought it would be useful, and there are certain to be some players who agree, even if you yourself aren't one of them.

[KillEveryone]

Would be interesting to be able to 'mark as junk' on the AH....everything could have a certain color flag on it... which would be determined by how many people 'marked as junk'... you could also sort by the Junk Flag. :D

This would actually be a good idea.

It would be a help for those that don't know what is worth their time.

[Raiar]

Would be interesting to be able to 'mark as junk' on the AH....everything could have a certain color flag on it... which would be determined by how many people 'marked as junk'... you could also sort by the Junk Flag. :D
It's an interesting idea, and would be useful if people could be trusted to identify items fairly. I think we'd get too many cases where people would mark anything they don't want as junk, even if the reason they don't want it is because it's not useful to them personally. "What, that's only usable by wizards and sorcerers? My fighter has no use for that - it's junk." All we'd learn from such a junk flag is that there are some characters without a use for it, not whether it's useful to others.

[PopeJual]

What's considered useful or useless is an issue of personal preference.

How about my ML 13 +Swim ring of Neutralize Poison: RR Warforged?