Auction House Request Tab

[Cosmic Hermit]

Adding a request tab to the auction house where players can request certain items in a certain amount. A request would have a certain initial duration, but could be extended by paying gears.  The gear fee could be justified in lore as the trader searching more exhaustively for the requested goods.

Other players could then visit the normal action tabs and list the item or items at a certain price as normal. When the requesting player purchases the item from the main action house tab, their request would disappear and be fulfilled.  This doesn't supplant the current system, as the service provided here has additional fees compared to buying a randomly listed item, or trading directly [player to player]. 

It augments the current system by providing a way for players to acquire items from or signal intent to players not in their timezone, or who otherwise play when the requester is not online.  I think a feature like this could help make the player economy a little more robust, potentially enabling players to see demand for certain goods and possibly create niche industries for products outside of the usual commodities [steel tools, linen, fruit, vegetables].  It could also make selling meat more practical, as there is a much higher chance that the meat will be purchased before spoiling if you know someone is lined up to purchase it.  More generally, it provides players the incentive to brave the trader's fees and list less common goods on the auction house.