Since Patch 9, players in Fallout 76 can sell their goods through vending machines to other players without having to trade actively. The system makes many things easier, but there is a catch: taxes.
What are these taxes? Fallout 76 received the new Patch 9 a few days ago, which implemented the long-awaited player shop feature. Players can offer weapons, armor, and other items here.
The price they set, however, is not the amount they actually receive. Because they only get 90% of the caps they set for the respective goods. 10% flow back to the game as “taxes” – basically going into nothing.
The official justification for this tax is that these 10% are supposed to help “maintain the economic system of the game and prevent excessive inflation.”
What are vending machines? Players can set up the machines in their C.A.M.P. and fill them with items like legendary weapons. It is up to them which items they offer at what price.
C.A.M.P.s with an active vending machine are displayed to other players on the map with a green symbol. When an item is sold, the seller receives 90% of the price credited to their caps account.
Before the vending machines, players simply helped themselves with self-created shops, where goods were offered without taxes.
How players are reacting: At the moment, there is still some confusion about what exactly this tax is supposed to achieve. Some players are against it, others are for it, many simply ignore the 10% as “negligible.”
In a reddit thread, a fan complains that the tax would only lead to players now demanding higher prices than actually intended. However, the player received little support and quite a few counterarguments.
One of the responses in the same thread points out that the system is supposed to prevent inflation, which is a devaluation of the currency. Without the taxes, more caps would be circulating in the long run.
There are also players who find the taxes important and make comparisons with World of Warcraft. In that MMORPG, players already pay a percentage of their profits to the auction house for the same reason that players now pay “taxes” to Fallout 76.
Most players seem to agree with the taxes, even if they would at least wish for free fast travels as a compensation.
If you want to get rid of your items in another way, the legendary vendor is coming soon:
