The New Restocking System Explained

Here are the changes that have been implemented:

1. Shops clear themselves. Every so often, the shops will all clear at once. (Times are random)That means there will be no items in any of the shops. You must wait for them to stock again. Because the trash is gone, it is much more likely that an unbuyable (item worth over 100k) will stock.

2. Shops now stock up to eight rows. Therefore, twice as many items can stock before the next clear. A shop with four rows of items can still stock four more rows. Before the new system came into effect, a restocker would have either gone to a different shop or bought out all the junk.

This sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? No more clearing out junk! This change has had some positive and negative effects:

1. Good items stock much more frequently. You don't have to wait an hour before any unbuyable appears. Furthermore, if you miss one, it's not a disaster because another one will stock soon.

2. You're saving money because you don't have to clear. Some shops were very expensive to clear, such as Battle Magic and Defense Magic. Most items stock for tens of thousands of Neopoints there, regardless of whether they are garbage or actually valuable. People would join together and clear those shops, spending over 100k per person on trash because they were hoping that a good item would stock. Then the shop would stock junk again, resulting in massive losses.

3. Items have deflated as a result of the new system. Because the shops are stocking much more often, the r90-95 items are now more commonly found on the market. Items that used to be worth 200k and up can now be bought for 10k on the Shop Wizard. Because a lot of items have deflated, some shops are not as useful to restock in as before. However, the higher rarity items (r96-100) have retained a lot of value. Some have dropped in price, but they still yield high profits.

4. Restockers have to relearn shops because good items are now trash. However, this shouldn't be too hard with the help of Jellyneo's Item Database.

5. It is now much harder to tell whether you are banned or not. Before the change, everyone would just go to Tiki Tack to see if they were banned because Tiki Tack always had items. Nowadays, this doesn't work, so restockers often have to ask on the boards for a swi (shop with items). If one restocker sees items in that shop but another does not, the second restocker is banned.

In conclusion, is the new system beneficial or harmful to restockers? This is a matter of opinion. I think it's a great idea for the aforementioned reasons. Restockers are no longer wasting their hard-earned Neopoints on junk, shops now stock twice the amount of rows, and good items are stocking much more often. As a result, I am able to make more Neopoints now than before. The concern I have had is that some items that were once good have deflated, but I simply don't buy those items anymore. Also, it is much harder to tell if you are banned, but I can always ask for a shop with items. Therefore, I think that the new restocking system has been a very nice change.

The second part of this article will explain the changes that have resulted in specific shops in more detail:

Shops that sell food- Previously, r90+ items were profitable in the shops that sell food. However, now r96-100 items are the most profitable in these shops, and r90-95 items are often worth only the restock price. The exception to this statement is Neopian Fresh Foods; most r90+ items are good in that shop. Not all of them are as profitable as they were before, but they're still worthwhile.

Merifoods- Previously, all Draik Eggs were valuable, but when the Forgotten Shore started giving them out, they lost a lot of value. (This was caused by the shore, not the new restocking system.) Draik Eggs under 1m (yes, 1m) are still very profitable. The Island and Zombie Draik Eggs can still yield profit, but you would be lucky to even double your Neopoints. The Darigan Draik Egg is more profitable than those two, but again, you won't even come out with twice the restock price. PLEASE avoid Pirate Draik Egg. It's a massive loss. Other than Draik Eggs, r99s are very profitable.

Toys, Plushies, Usukis- At these shops, some r90-95 items have deflated a lot. However, the r90+ collectable charms at Toy continue to be very profitable. Goodie bags restock at Toy and are still profitable, though not as much as before. Most r90-95 plushies have lost a lot of value, but not all. At Usuki, the r97+ items are the most worthwhile, though lower rarities can yield worthwhile buyable profit.

Clothes- There's a lot of junk to sift through, but after looking at Jellyneo's Item Database, I have concluded that some, but not all, r96+ items are profitable. "Kacheek Pyjama Gown" and "Kacheek Pyjama Cap" are also great despite the lower rarity.

Ugga Shinies- I used to restock here before the change, when many of the items were unbuyable. Due to deflation, only a few of the items are still good, and only one is unbuyable. Even that one, Thicket of Flowers, is worth a lot less than it was before.

Grooming- The wearable eyeshadows used to be unbuyable, but not anymore. They stock very frequently due to their low rarity. I have concluded that currently, the profit lies in hair brushes that stock for high prices and r99 items.

Collectable Cards- At this shop, it is very easy to tell what to buy. Go for the gold! Most gold cards, minus a few, are unbuyable. I suggest carrying 200k here because r99 items can stock for high prices. Some black cards yield buyable profit, but a lot have lost their value.

Album items- Stamp continues to be a very profitable shop. Most high-priced stamps are worthwhile buys, although some have lost value. However, this shop is DEFINITELY the busiest shop in Neopia, so you have to be very fast. At Collectable Coins and Collectable Sea Shells, the good items are usually, but not always, the 10k+ ones that you don't usually see.

Petpets- The profitable petpets are mostly the ones you don't normally see. Standouts include Kadoatie, Pofew, Krawk, and Quilin. At the Petpet Shop in Neopia Central, I suggest carrying 700k (yes, 700k) in case a Moltenore stocks. Beware of the Tax Beast, though!

Magic- Most expensive color or limited edition species morphing potions continue to be valuable. However, some Pirate Morphing Potions are no longer worthwile due to dailies. (This is not related to the new restocking system). PLEASE avoid Pirate Krawk Morphing Potion. It's a massive loss. There are also some good Pirate Morphing Potions, though.

Battle Magic/Defense Magic- These shops weren't impacted by the change in the restocking system because the best items were r99s, and there are so many of them, so the best items are still r99s. Unfortunately, you'll have to learn each one individually using Jellyneo's Item Database because prices are all over the place, giving no clues whatsoever. There are hundreds of r99s, which is too many to list. In Defense Magic, full armors are good. Regarding the other shops that sell weapons, you just need to memorize a few profitable items per shop.

Books- I have concluded that at the regular book shop, most items r90+ are profitable, but not all are unbuyable. At Booktastic Books, most r92+ are unbuyable. (Before the change, some books below r90 were unbuyable. Not anymore, though.) At the other book shops, most r97+ books are profitable. Some have lost value but are still worthwhile buys.

Furniture/Gardening- The good items are r98+ Classic Neohome items and higher rarity v2 Neohome items. A lot of the v2 ones which used to yield buyable profit are no longer worthwhile.

That is the knowledge I have to give you. Hopefully you won't buy junk by accident. However, it's not the end of the world if you do. Just try again. Good luck!