I’m terrified of voicing my own opinions on here but this is a really interesting thread and I couldn’t help myself.
There’s definitely too much PC in the economy, and a PC sink is very much needed for older players. I really like Yubelchen’s trade-eggs-for-statues idea. Releasing eggs is a constant source of good PC so that might help a bit(the statues must be reasonably attainable for old and new players, so needing 99 Feliphene eggs is a no-go). This might also help the egg economy, and make it worth participating in. I really hope it doesn’t turn into a dragon scale/jade orb situation but I have my doubts, knowing the community. At least most eggs aren’t stupidly rare, and you can narrow them down with colors. Even if this happens, it may pull richer players away from furniture sales, giving newer players a better shot at deco items.

I also really like the maximum bid idea. Nothing is more annoying when you’re in the middle of a bidding war, then someone comes in and drops 1000PC+ on the item(that is worth far less!) instead of bidding bit by bit like everyone else. But if it were optional, I wonder how many players would use it. The auction house is mostly for making money. And I’m not sure how many players are willing to put that aside for the good of the community if it means they might make less from auctions.

And ah yes, the snipeguard, the bane of my existence >_<
On multiple occasions I’ve stayed up bidding for HOURS after the first snipeguard. Then I notice it’s actually 1am and I need to go to bed instead of bidding on a game(what am I doing with my life). I think my record is three hours if I remember correctly. I’ve tried to think of solutions for the longest time, but I just can’t come up with anything. I feel like some of these problems are unfortunately due to how auctions work in general. Auctions in real life still boil down to who has the most money unfortunately, or how fast you can snipe stuff.
And about the bidding notifications, why don’t we have a “disable New Bid notifications” option? With how common bidding wars are, it just hit me that we really need one.

Part of any game is leveling up, getting stronger, etc. Having less options at the beginning of the game and building from there is part of the gameplay, and the fun. And it’s quite satisfying to look back and see how much progress you’ve made. If you lose an auction, think of it this way: you just saved yourself a heckin ton of PC that can go towards other things, like getting potion ingredients so you can maybe get the thing you want at a cheaper price, or a bigger house, etc. Also, that shiny new item may go down in value over time so you may have a better chance at getting it later for less PC.

In general, I like the concept of an auction house. I just wish it was balanced better, if that’s possible. But I hate to see new players having such frustrating experiences with the game, especially with the limited time stuff. And the pixdex is becoming harder to fill as well with the addition of those absolutely cursed unique evolution items(I really wish alt forms didn’t go towards the pixdex count).