Reselling Guide

Yup, that's what this is.
I decided to make this guide because, as an avid TCer, I see a lot of boards asking, How do you guys makes so much NP?! or What exactly is reselling? I hope to answer those questions here.
Experienced resellers, if you have any input, it would be greatly appreciated. Beginners, feel free to ask questions.

Terms

A list of terms you will see throughout this guide/on the TC, and what they mean. Huzzah for dictionaries!

TP: Trading Post. Can also mean Transmogrification Potion.
K: thousand. 2k is 2,000, 100k is 100,000, etc.
TC/TCer: The TC is the Trading/Auctions chat and a TCer is a person who frequents that board.
PB: Paint Brush
ETS: When people refer to an ETS item, they are referring to an item that is Easy to Sell. These items include: Paint Brushes, Nerkmids, avatar items, Transmogrification Potions & a few others.
HTS: Refers to an item that is Hard to Sell. Most items not mentioned above fall into this category, with a few exceptions. That brings me to...
MP: a Morphing Potion. Morphing Potions usually fall somewhere in between ETS & HTS. Can also mean My Price in formatting.
OTB: Offer to Beat. The highest offer a seller has received on an item.
HB: Haggle Back. People like it when you haggle with them!
Firm: when someone says that their price is firm, they will only accept that price or higher.
Lowest: Asking for someone's lowest price. Do NOT do this. It irritates people and defeats the purpose of haggling.
PC: Price Check. As a TCer, you will frequently see these boards pop up. The person is looking to find out what a certain item is worth, when there isn't one on the TP, or if there is suspicion that an item might be inflated.
SW/SSW: the Shop Wizard or the Super Shop Wizard. The SSW is only available if you have the Premium Neopets service.
Sniper: someone who buys items at low price from the auctions. Takes a relatively high amount of skill and a fast internet connection. You can also snipe items off of the SW.
UB: Unbuyable. Refers to an item worth 100k or more, thus not being buyable on the Shop Wizard.
OBO: Or Best Offer. When people say this, they are open to haggling.
GLS/GLB: Good luck selling/buying. Yay for politeness! (:
NFS: Not for sale.
NTY: no thank you.
Hoarding: collecting a large number of a certain item (like my secret Ee Mote collection). This is fine on it's own, but when you hoard just to inflate an item, that is scamming.
FA: Fun Auction. Items priced way below their value in auctions for resellers to participate in.

What is Reselling?

Simple definition: Buy low, sell high.
Sounds vague, but that's really all there is to it. Like most things, it only gets complicated when you over-think it. But, as I type this, I can see you -ing & saying, That didn't help at ALL!
So allow me to explain further. A reseller is someone who, instead of buying items at the normal going rate, buys them at a discounted price and sells them at said going rate, (hopefully) making a profit in the process.
For example: Let's say a Shoyru Transmogrification Potion goes for 200k. A reseller buys the Trans. for 150k & then sells it for 200k, thus making a 50k profit.


Easier than you thought, eh?

Starting Off Small

In the beginning, reselling can be tough & it's almost always risky, so I suggest you start off small. Nobody wants to see you lose a lot of NP, unless, of course, they're a jerk.
Buyable Paint Brushes are good items to start off with. Instead of paying 90k for a Striped PB, try offering 75-80k. Small profits are a good way to boost your income. Once you get used to the process, move onto more expensive items with increased profitability.


I'm pretty AND helpful!

Making Millions

Once you've gotten used to the reselling process, you can move on to more expensive items. Yay for promotion!

Before I continue, allow me to give you an idea of what I will be talking about in this section.

Low-Range Items: buyable-200k (discussed in previous section).
Middle-Range Items: 200k-2m.
High-End Items: 2m+.

When dealing with middle-range to high-end items, there are a few things you should be aware of.

1. Profit ranges go up.
2. HTS tend to get harder to sell.
3. You still have to be reasonable regarding ETS, but you can offer less.
4. The more NP you have, the easier it is to make NP.

The process remains the same. It's the amount of NP invested that changes.
-Middle-Range ETS: Offer about 50k-75k off the actual value.
-High-End ETS: Offer about 150k-300k off.
-Middle-Range HTS: Offer around 30%-50% off.
-High-End HTS: Offer around 40%-75% off, depending on just HOW HTS the item is.


Ooh, so shiny. @_@

Haggling

To haggle, as defined by Merriam-Webster: to bargain or wrangle.

Sounds simple enough, right? It can get a little bit complicated.

To start off, I will restate some of the Terms listed previously.

HB: Haggle Back. People like it when you haggle with them!
Firm: when someone says that their price is firm, they will only accept that price or higher.
Lowest: Asking for someone's lowest price. Do NOT do this. It irritates people and defeats the purpose of haggling.

This is one of those things that's harder to explain than it is to actually do, so I will try to explain through a couple of scenario examples.

Scenario 1: Let's say that, as a seller, you post on a board an item you would like to sell. You post the price at 800k. The buyer posts 150k HB. You post 600k HB. They post 225k HB. This goes on until you come to an agreed price.

Scenario 2: You're a buyer. A seller comes to your board and prices their Baby PB at 590k. You say 550k HB. They say 585k HB. You say 560k HB. And they say 575k firm. This means that they will not sell their item for less than 575k. You either agree to this price or say NTY. GLS.

Rarity, Item Abbreviation & Unpriced Items

Different items have different rarities. Here is a list of rarities common around the TC.

r100: the rarest of the standard Neopian items. Tend to be very expensive.
r99: A lot of people collect these because Illusen asks for r99s on Quest 35, which gives out the Honey Potion as a prize.
r101: a special item. Can be received from rare item codes, redeeming NC cards, and some random events.
r180: retired items. Items that no longer appear in Neopian shops. They are rarer and tend to be more expensive.

Also, certain ETS items have popular abbreviations. I will list some of them here:

FQD: Faerie Queen Doll
HP or H-Pot: Honey Potion
ZDAP: Zafara Double Agent Plushie
P-Pot: Prickly Potion
G-Bomb: Ghostkerbomb
G-Shield: Ghostkershield
PCC: Pirate Captain's Cutlass
BGC: Bony Grarrl Club
SUAP: Super Attack Pea
MSPP: Malevolent Sentient Poogle Plushie (TCG)
SOS: Sword of Skardsen
F-Pot: Freezing Potion
T-Tear: Thyora's Tear
LEV: Leaded Elemental Vial

Items that do not have a price trip people up all the time. Be sure to always make a Price Check board if you don't know the value of something. If the Rarity is low, chances are it is a new item and you SHOULD NOT buy it/accept it on your trade. New items deflate rapidly. If you buy/accept an unpriced item without heeding the previous, you do so at your own risk.

Formatting

This is Seller 101, but it's amazing how many people don't know how to do it. When a seller asks you to post your items in format, you should respond like this:

Name of Item
Rarity
The current lowest TP price
Your asking price

Example:

Rainbow Paint Brush
r150
TP: 330k
MP: 320k

With ETS items, rarity isn't always necessary. Usually, lower-rarity items don't sell for as much. There are exceptions, like the Golden Compass, however.


I'm special.

Being Sociable & Reseller Etiquette

Resellers tend to fall into two distinct categories.
The Hermits: These RSers tend to keep to themselves. They stalk the TP & TC, searching for good deals, without posting and/or posting rarely on the TC.
TCers: These RSers frequent the TC. They make buying/selling boards, and tend to befriend other TCers.

As with any social system, there are certain "unwritten" rules and boundaries one should abide by. I will describe a few of them.

1. Do not insult a seller with your offer. There IS a difference between trying to make an honest profit and making a ridiculous offer. Generally, it is NOT acceptable to offer 120k on an item worth 800k. Don't be greedy. It is possible to be reasonable and still make plenty of Neopoints. NOTE: Regarding HTS, lower offers tend to be more acceptable. Still, there are limits.
2. Don't troll on other peoples' buying boards. On the TC, trolling refers to lurking on peoples' boards and offering slightly more than they did on a seller's item, without posting. It's not cool, under any circumstances. Seriously. Don't do it. You WILL make enemies.
3. Don't be a jerk. This one is self-explanatory, although quite a few people have issues with this one. Please. Please, please, PLEASE. Nobody likes a Cranky Coconut. Honestly. They don't. So just be nice, 'kay? (:


^Don't be this guy.

NOTE: Yes, there are occasional extenuating circumstances. Like most guidelines, these are not applicable in every scenario, except maybe #3. Seriously. Be nice.

Avoiding Scams

Yes, even those who frequent the TC and spend a lot of time around the TP fall victim to the occasional scam. They say information is power, so allow me to empower you by making you aware of certain common scams around the TC.

1. The Bait-and-Switch: This is when someone offers to sell you a certain item for cheaper than usual, and switches the actual item for a cheaper look-a-like. For example, the Baby Paint Brush and the Baby Brush Plushie. They aren't exactly identical, but its a pretty easy mistake to make if you're not paying attention.
2. Under-Offering: This is when someone offers an amount of Neopoints similar to the amount you're asking for, but it's significantly less than your asking price. For example, 10,000np on an item that you're asking 100,000np for. Once again, its easy to miss when you're not paying attention. All those zeroes. O_O
3. The Buyable UB Scam: This is when a person states that they are putting an UB into their shop, and they put an expensive-looking buyable in there. NOTE: people do actually put UBs into their shop on a regular basis. This is not always a scam. Also, if someone UNINTENTIONALLY does this (and it does happen occasionally), they will usually give you a refund. Try to work it out with the seller before reporting. We all make mistakes.
4. False-Inflation: This happens a lot more often than it should. A person/group of people will buy up all of a certain item, and price the items way higher than they should be. This is against the rules. Don't do it. TNT is trying to fight inflation, and they tend to freeze people for this offense. No warnings, just ice. Once again, don't do it.
5. Fake Offer-To-Beats/Price Checks: A fake OTB is when someone states that they have an OTB higher than they actually have. It's difficult to prove, but it is scamming. Fake price checks are when people tell you that an item is worth significantly less than it is, then try to buy it off of you.
6. Fake Side Scams: This is where someone offers you a really obscure item which they claim is worth a lot on one of your items, so you go to make a Price Check board and then on a side account they mail you offering to buy the item for some large amount if you end up trading.

In short, do your research, pay attention and play fair. People can be Cranky Coconuts and honest people get burned because of it. It's not fair, but that's how it is.

Getting Help

If you are not sure about an offer, a price, or anything else, please don't be shy about asking someone for advice. Most TCers are not Cranky Coconuts, and will be happy to help you. The most commonly used methods of asking for help are Acc/Rej/Beat and Price Check boards.

Acc/Rej/Beat: People usually make these boards when they aren't familiar with an item offered on their trade. They are asking whether or not the should A.) Accept the offer, B.) Reject the offer, or C.) if someone would like to Beat the offer.
Price Check: People usually make these boards when there is no price listed on an item on the TP. Since most RSers handle a wide variety of items, it is likely that someone will know the value.

More Helpful Hints

Here are a few more tips from me to you:
- The Easier to Sell an item is, the closer to the actual value you should offer. On cheaper ETS, 50k is the absolute maximum discount you should expect, unless a seller clearly states they are willing to accept less. Remember what I said about not being greedy? Take it to heart.
-You don't always have to stick around the TC to resell. You can stalk the TP in search of deals, too! Just keep in mind what was said about not insulting people with your offers.
-Try to join a resellers guild. There are a few good ones around. Ask about joining one on the TC.
-On HTS items, if you can, have a buyer in mind BEFORE you buy the item. It can expedite the process a lot. I wouldn't recommend doing this with every single item, however.
-Always read the first post of a board. Just because someone is buying does not mean they're a reseller.
-Be wary of split trades! A safe way to trade for items worth more than 800k is to offer 800k pure + the rest in ETS items. You can also suggest a private auction, where a person will temporarily NF you so that you can bid on their NF-only auction.
-Seriously, be nice. I can't reinforce this enough.

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