Manipulating prices via Outpost: Scamming?

I would tend to agree with Horse, I believe the spreadsheet is an absolute calamity in almost all cases. Of course it has some function, preventing people from selling seemingly worthless vintages for a pittance, for example, selling a V. FoW for 2 scrap because, in the new traders mind, it's a terrible weapon, without taking other values and factors into consideration.
However, as an avid trader, I believe the spreadsheet hinders more than helps, many people I have traded with seem to this inbuilt belief that the spreadsheet is the word of God. I have argued the point so many times, I bound the argument to my G10 key instead of the report abuse. I also feel that the spreadsheet itself leaves a lot to be desired. It only covers the (often ridiculous) prices of common items, for example, a vintage huntsman is valued at 2 rec, first off, good luck selling it for that, and second, what about odd levelled vintages? I am currently in the process of selling a LV 0 Kritz, and have been plagued by people adding me and complaining that I am a shark and that they will report me to this very website, for having the audacity to ask for 14 keys for a vintage. I have yet to find a report filed against me, but that is beside the point.

I disagree with any arbitrary price guide, no item has a fixed value and anyone who claims they do is naïve of the mechanics of any economy, while I disagree with controlled price manipulation, natural fluctuations in price are normal, and stop the market from stagnating. On the topic of if controlled manipulation, as long as one of the parties is not cheated out of what they should have by right, no scam has taken place. Tricking a person into selling an item cheaply and then selling it for more could, at most, in my opinion be classed as sharking, as long as both parties receive the agreed items.

If I was to rewrite the spreadsheet (now there's a thought) I would allow for a lot more variation in prices. A price guide shouldn't be "This item IS worth this" it should be, "This item is worth around this amount".

Tl;Dr; Price manipulation is bad, but not scamming, in my opinion. The spreadsheet places too narrow value on items, and the margins need to be widened. People need to learn to price items on experience and knowledge, rather than the opinions of one man, or a group of men.

Just my 2 scrap on the discussion

Yeah, But the manipulation of the prices will always happen.
The high-volume traders with a loads of promotional items will always want to change the prices as they get profit from reselling of the items.
Price Manipulation is just another not honest trading trick via which you can lower or rise the price of some items - mostly the wanted as promo items in which are counted from Ebenezer to H.O.U.W.A.R.
But unfortunately most of the high-volume traders manipulating the prices are or were never legit traders - Just my opinion on that

People need to understand nothing in this game has anything but an arbitrary price based on demand, rarity and other subjective values.

Provided someone does not use deceit or otherwise like to misrepresent value, an item can be bought or sold for whatever the hell people agree to trade for.

You can use some "spreadsheet" or pull figures out your bum, totally up to the individual in question. However it is perverse in the extreme to laud ones own methodology for determining value and denigrate another person's chosen method.

If you don't like some "spreadsheet" then don't bloody well use it, but do not moan if the majority of other people choose to, after all they do not question your right to sell XYZ for whatever you choose to offer it for. As I have said before, I am thankful newer players have a basic guide which prevents them from falling foul of the disreputable, and at least in terms of the "normal" item spread, it appears to follow demand trends, and I am in a better position than most to judge that.

^^