Stopping the Poverty

by Gloxinia

Some poor Neopians have said that the only ones who are rich have been playing NeoPets since it opened. I have only played for 140 days and I have 3 beautiful pets and 190,000 NP. Some might call me rich. I didn't win the lottery or find an Ultimate Nerkmid. I strategized.

One of the first things I did was open a shop. I sold simple items and 90% of the money I made went to upgrading my shop. I only took money from my till in extreme cases -- otherwise it stayed there until I upgraded. I sell my items 1 NP less than the current price at the Shop Wizard.

Knowing what items to sell is crucial. Apples can be bought for 4 NP and sold for 50 NP. Faeries can be bought for 85 NP and sold for 1500 NP.

Seem unfair? It is. Everyone is getting ripped off. This is just the world of business. That might seem mean, but I was poor once too. My shop is now a size 150 and I am quite content. But after reading articles I realize that there is more poverty than I thought, and now I'm here to change the aristocracy of NeoPets into a caring and nurturing society of pet owners. So I'm giving pointers.

The most important thing to know is to only buy from the main shops. Most items are much cheaper there, but they are harder to get. Basically if you don't have a high speed modem then it is almost impossible to get anything from them. I have a cable modem and quick reflexes and can get 3 faeries from one restock.

OK, so you didn't get anything. That's OK! Use those map pieces, Nerkmids, codestones, and other items and trade them for stuff. Basically nothing for something. Get the free Space Map pieces by playing a game and complete the map for about 10,000 NP and rare items.

Play games the give you NP. Join guilds -- maybe you can meet someone to help you. Put the money you find, get from auctions, or get from trading and put it in the bank and collect interest. I get 60 NP a day!

The one thing that totally annoys me and other wealthier Neopians is the poor nagging for give out. Yes, I am open to bargain and trade with people, but don't just ask for something that I could sell for 8000 NP.

The rich need to help too. We have to reduce our prices in our shops. Yeah, yeah. Supply and demand. What happens when people can't afford anything from your shop? You get no money and you have to lower your prices anyway. Save time and keep them low to begin with. You don't need 500% profit on everything!

I am also collecting food for a week, then on Saturdays selling the food for about 5 NP. The only fear I have is sneaky and cheating people who aren't poor coming to take the food from the poor. That's a chance I'll have to take. I hoped this helped someone out there!