Greetings Folks!
I have a general question for everyone out there. How long in advance do you start putting together parts for new gear?
Me? I generally try to set up getting new equipment a few days before I need it. In the case of large orders (like suits of armour) I will spend several weeks stockpiling tech comps and the resources like bars/orbs/spools/tannin. (I'm pretty wierd in that I like collecting all the parts that I can myself, even if raw materials at 5:1).
In light of all this IF I spend say, up to a week finding a crafter with the right combination of ability/forms/techs/willingness it's not overly an inconvenience. Afterall, our major population shows up at once over the weekend, and that's when I start asking around if I don't already have someone in mind and lined up. It's kind of like a mentality shift since a lot of the old crafters I knew started playing less and less, or had things come up, you have to make other arrangements.
-HratLi