At current prices, it is no longer be possible for small or medium sized players to effectively enter or participate in the furniture market.
As it stands, you need at least a Q of 5 to make anything off wardrobes. To make a profit equal to selling stones, you need a Q of 8. To make a profit equal to someone selling Q0 wood, you need a Q of 9.5 (not possible, but thats what it would take). This all assumes that you get this Q buying the wood at 52 and steel at 135 (Q0 these days).
Here's another fact: used in wardrobes sold to CMB, (i.e. at + 50Q) wood is worth a maximum of .625 per Q and steel 2 per Q. That means those contract offers you see at those rates in the faxes are from buyers who are able accept not making any profit from the Q they buy, and able to wait for their research to progress so that they can avoid rounding errors (that is when you have extra Q in a produce that does not get used).
Additionally, the average sale price for wardrobes is very messed up. I will do without the math, but no one should sell at anywhere near those prices. Even Q10 Wardrobes sold in retail make less then power plants. The only players wardrobes at those prices are worth selling for, even at the wisest price (about 150% of market average, just in case you are curious) are huge players - retail is not hurt by level penalties or expansion penalties, and does not even really start making money until you reach 300m2 or so with full ads.
Add this all up:
Basically, you need to have major research in Wardrobes, or you are out now.
Unless you are HUGE and have HUGE retail stores, you are better off selling your retail stores and building plantations.
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Don't get me wrong - I have enough research to make money. I can stay in if I want to. Still, in a way it is part of the end of an era:
For a long time, wardrobes were one of the golden routes for new players trying to get going. CMB's prices, seeds, and reliability as a customer provided much opportunity.
Another of the golden routes has also narrowed recently - the gas market is no longer an easy entry business.
Other routes are threatened: contests are not .. as reliable, or even present.
In the end, these doors not being as wide, well, we will see what it does.
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Enough of my rambling - why does it always happen when I should be asleep?
- Capi
Not only you are losing money, but you damage the market in process.
Anybody made accurate calculations about wood and wardrobes ROI (with current market prices)?