How To Be A Successful PC Trader: Realistic Version

2. Do not let them forget you. Reply to every mail in a kind fashion and by a reasonable date. If they have a better offer they're considering but the owner appears inactive, yours may just be the one they turn to accept. This doesn't mean you need to spam them with ten mails. Try to stay fun and aloof. Act like you haven't been waiting impatiently for ten years to receive a reply back. If you haven't heard from someone who is considering your offer in a few days, mail them to double check if they still are. I would recommend waiting at least three to five days minimum to mail however. Waiting less then two comes across as desperate, waiting more then five means you don't care enough.

3. Start writing names of UCs down. This may seem overwhelming at first, but I promise it'll help later. Keep the list on your PC. Do NOT put it on a petpage or anywhere on Neo where a hacker may be able to access it. Notepad is my application choice for this step. I would also suggest buying a USB drive and saving a back up there. It'll take time, but eventually your list will grow big and you'll be able to use it for potential trades or to help friends.

4. Ask questions. Which brings me to numero quatro on this list. Always take the time to ask what a trader may be interested in for their pets. While most people may say they want a VWN pet two tiers up from theirs, there are /some/ who want a pet more reasonable. Besides it doesn't hurt to take the time to get to know a person's goals and support them when you can! We're all rooting for each other on the PC. Seventy-five percent of the time anyway.

If you're not sure of the value of your pet, make a board asking for opinions/links to value pages. No one is going to bite you, I promise. Same goes for an offer you're not sure is a good trade. Make an A/R/B board. That way you'll have less of chance of doing something you may regret.

If you're curious about another user's trades, feel free to reach out and ask for your own reference. The worst they can do is not reply or decline your request. Which if you've spent enough time on the PC, will mean nothing to you.

5. Understand values are subjective. Guides are just that, GUIDES. They only give you an estimate of what your pet might be worth at the moment. Watching real trades involving real people will give you a better idea of current values.

6. Offer fairly. Unless the owner states they're after an underoffer for pet "A" they're not interested in severely downtrading. If the only trades you want to make are penny trades, you're going to be stuck trading the same pets for a very long time.

"My very badly named Green Ixi for your UC Plushie Draik sir? She's my dreamie!"

*cringes* While it's generally acceptable to let a potential trader know their pet would be in a permanent home if they decided to trade with you, it's less acceptable if your offer is extremely bad. Keep in mind every single person on the PC has a goal they're after and no one by any means is expected to sacrifice their own goals for the sake of your own.

7. Do not get your hopes up. Your biggest enemy when it comes to trading is your emotions. They drive your impulses, make you feel crazy when no progress is being made, and manipulate you into decisions your brain disagrees with on multiple levels. Assume nothing will work out until it does and you'll save yourself a lot of heartbreak.

8. Mentally prepare yourself for the work it will take. Oh you have a pet in mind you want to trade for? That's good! Expect to bump for months at a time with limited offers, constant rejection mails, and maybe one or two trade reversals. Unless you have fantastic art skills that will take your project page from a level zero to a level ten, your end goal is not going to drop down from the sky and into your lap.

9. Be positive! If you work hard enough, there's nothing stopping you from reach your goals. I sincerely hope you get yours too! You don't have to be positive all the time, because there's inevitably going to be a few hiccups along the way, but try to be happy whenever you can. We're lucky to even have the chance to trade for what we want. Don't take anything for granted.

10. Keep an open mind. Try your best not to judge other traders around you. People can change and often times their behavior and goals do as well. By the time you've spent a few years on the PC, not much should surprise you.

If the answers to those three questions is yes, chances are it's exactly what you think it is. Not every case is this easy though unfortunately. For now it's better to hang back and be safe rather then sorry later.

-Hopefully this was helpful! Good luck to all you readers out there and safe trading!