Dorgesh-Kaan market trading

Dorgesh-Kaan market trading is an activity that can be played at the market of Dorgesh-Kaan. It revolves around selling "exotic" surface foods to Dorgeshuun gourmets for a certain price, with some foods being more or less desired than others. If executed well, a significant amount of money may be earnt this way. Completion of Death to the Dorgeshuun is required to access the market.

Starting out
Before being able to sell foods, you will need to get permission first. This is done by speaking to Lurgon, owner of Dorgesh-Kaan General Supplies - he can be found wandering around the middle of the market. He will explain the basics of trading and inform you that you will need permission from the Dorgeshuun Council first, with a certain (random) councillor in charge of the marketplace. Find this councillor and ask for permission, which you are granted instantly. Return to Lurgon - you will now be able to sell food to the goblins.

Overview
As a result of the established connection to the surface, many goblins have got a crave for tasting exotic human food. There are four differently dressed gourmets wandering around the market, to whom you are able sell your food. Simply use a piece of food on them and name your price. If your price is too high, however, the gourmet will not buy anything since the food will be too expensive for them; likewise, if the price is too low, the goblin will think the food is of poor quality and not buy it either. If the gourmet agrees with the price, they will offer to buy a certain amount of food (usually up to five pieces depending on whether the price was on the low or high end) and you may agree to sell or decline. If you don't have the amount of food the gourmet desires, you may still sell what you have. Moreover, it is not required to stick with the gourmet's wish - you may sell less if you want to. After completing a transaction with one of the gourmets, you must trade with a different one next - the gourmets will not want to buy from you twice in a row.

Offering a suitable price is tricky. You may use the food on Lurgon to get a rough estimate of the price that the food goes for, along with some advice. This price is usually higher than its high level alchemy value, but it depends on popularity as well. You may deviate from the suggested price, but not too much. As a rule of thumb, the foods will generally sell best for slightly above Lurgon's price if the gourmet liked its look or smell.

When determining your price, the gourmet's reaction to the food must be taken into account as well. If they react positively, they will be willing to pay more. However, if they don't like the look of the food, they will not pay as much and it may be a good idea to try selling to a different gourmet, preferably the one with the most positive response. Additionally, it's important to sell a variety of food types; the novelty of all foods quickly wears off, causing the gourmets to pay less if offered the same type of food repeatedly.

It's also possible that a gourmet is really amazed by the food, which will lead to a craze for that particular food. This allows you to charge more for that food for a limited amount of time, as the gourmets will pay more for it.

After a successful trade, a grateful gourmet may also give you some Dorgeshuun food for free. This will be one out of mushrooms, fillets, roast frog, eel sushi or grubs à la mode. Also note the gourmet's response to your price to get an estimate of how good it was; they may either say that the price is too low and refuse, happily state that it's a great deal, say that the deal is fair, agree to buy one with a slightly annoyed look, say the price is "a bit too much", or call the price outright absurdly high.

The trick is to find a balance between a high price and the gourmet's willingness to buy more pieces. Sometimes, lowering the price a bit may lead to greater profits since the gourmet will want to buy more. It's always handy to bring several pieces of the foods you are trying to sell. Note that the ideal price

Types of food


The goblins will accept nearly all foods, but there are certain restrictions.


 * According to Lurgon, fish is not very popular with the goblins and will sell for lower prices. Therefore it is not recommended to sell fish.
 * More "exotic" foods such as biscuits, corn chips or spiders on sticks seem to be the most popular and will sell for higher prices. Foods won from the Squeal of Fortune or Treasure Hunter are usually quite popular, although some, such as the candyfloss or the seaside rock, seem to count as fish. The goblins also seem to appreciate baked goods.
 * Obviously, Dorgeshuun foods cannot be sold to the gourmets.
 * Some foods, such as scorpion meat or rocktail soup, cannot be sold at all. This also applies to all drinks.