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TRADING POST - Just recently, I was poking around the Trading Post for a Water
Faerie back pack to complete my Neoschool collection for my blue Acara. I typed
in the name of the item, clicked search, sat back and waited for the screen to
load. I waited… and finally it came up. I scanned the lists quickly.
Most of them were being reserved for Neofriends and acquaintances, and my
hopes weakened. Suddenly I spotted the back pack, only it was paired with the
water Faerie Pen and the Water Faerie eraser, which I knew had only recently
been retired, and so altogether would cost quite a bit.
Daring to waste some time and get the pack, I shot a quick Neomail at the
owner, who will remain nameless, and it went something like this: put the pack
in a separate trade & I'll grab it.
With my breath held, I patiently waited. Then… viola! I had a reply Neomail!
I clicked on the blue "You have Neomail" sign and the owner had said: okay NOT.
I was disturbed by this message. Didn't this user know that I was offering
an 1800 for it?! Angrily, I went to the wizard and bought one there, saving
myself 500 Neopoints. At least I wouldn't have to put up with rude users that
way, when all I had been hoping for was a polite trade.
It was only after I had logged off the Internet that I realized my mistakes.
Not only had I not told the owner of the Water Faerie Back pack exactly what
I wanted, but I had also not set up an appropriate trade and had probably convinced
her that I was a dangerous stealer. Thoroughly regretting my rash behaviour,
I sent a sorry Neomail back explaining everything. I learnt a lesson from this
situation I put myself in, and by me writing this article, you can too.
Here I'll list not only my mistakes, but many others and how to improve what
you have been doing in the past, and how you can definitely win that golden
opportunity.
Mistake One: When I had said, "grab the pack", the user had most likely assumed
that I wanted to take or steal it, not trade it. I must admit, I have done this
a few times in the past but the other person has always understood.
What I should have said was something like, "put it in a separate trade and
I'll trade with you" or, even better, "put it in a separate trade and I'll give
you a Pirate Notebook and a Bendy Pencil" or I could have simply used correct
grammar, which I'll also put below.
Tell your trader that you wish to trade, not take, and make yourself clear.
Nothing, in my opinion, is worse than a trader who won't tell you exactly what
he wants.
Mistake Two: It important to use capitals, full stops and other grammar symbols
when they're needed. They weren't invented for nothing, you know! Using correct
English shows that you are organised anywhere and that you pay attention to
the little details of things.
For example, the other day I was on the Trading/Auctions board and I was poking
about for a baby paintbrush, using the title as: NEone got a pb coz the wiz
wont let me search I'll pay the $ now I looked around some other boards, then
came back to mine, with two responses. One was something like: chocolate is
yummy. The second was: Judging by your grammar… you can't afford it.
See what I mean? Good grammar will work, trust me. It sure could've worked
this time!
Mistake Three: When someone is Neomailing you to trade the most likely thing
that you do is check out their own trades so you can see what they will give
you. At the time of my failure, the only thing I had in my trades was a Yellow
Sprinkle Donut given to me by someone as a congratulations present because one
of my stories got in the Times.
Now, really, who would trade a Water Faerie Back Pack, worth about 1500 NP,
for a Yellow Sprinkle Donut, worth about 300 NP? A fool, that's who. No wonder
the owner backed out so suddenly!
Mistake Four: This is one of the most common mistakes, yet I'm proud to say
I have never done it and have warned people who have. It's when somebody gets
a rare/expensive/hard-worked-for item, and the put it in the trades, the wishlist
wanting a really cheap item that's everywhere, or something that's not worth
half the whole item trades. I don't really know how to explain this, but to
be kind on the Trading Post you can use this example to help you.
So, I was clicking the "Newest 20" button over and over, searching for a Air
Faerie Pen (yes, I do like the Faerie school range) when I spotted a trade.
Inside was a Carrotblade, three Apple Jelly Apples and a Har Codestone. Amazed
that the owner could afford the Carrotblade, I switched my focus to what riches
he wanted for the trade, and what did he?
He wanted a Bottled Dark Faerie.
At the time, I just happened to have two Dark Faeries hidden away in my Safety
Deposit Box. Did I cheat this poor fellow of millions of Neopoints? No I didn't!
I sent him a fast Neomail kindly explaining the problem, and he was only too
happy to withdraw his trade.
You might have called this stupid of me, that I let a golden trade slip through
my careless fingers but no, I call to being nice. And I did get something out
of it -- he sent me the Har Codestone as thanks. See? Being nice to others does
pay off.
Also, with Neopets new "being nice detector" software, you'd want to be! Playing
Defender's three times that day isn't too shabby, you know.
So there you have it. There are probably thousands of ways to be polite at
the Trading Post, even though I've only listed three. :) So now that you know
how to be nice, go out and get 'em! And remember to be nice everywhere too,
not just in the Trading Post.
This is _cherryblossom_40, Trading Post expert wannabe signing off.
Authors Note: I hope you liked it, and in the future it will help you! Thanks
to all the users that I mentioned in my article, you've changed the way I trade.
Any comments or complaints will be happily read and replied to.
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