Hello, guest! Welcome to my (Spell's) restocking guide. (: I hope this helps many people become great restockers! It'll be updated as much as possible to ensure it has the best information out there. So, let's get started...
Basics
First, you need to know what restocking is! Well ... restocking is buying things from neopian (non-user) shops, like food or book, and selling them for profit in your store. I know that makes it seem kind of simple, but it definitely isn't. xD it's hard work and can take awhile to get good at. But that's why I am here, to help you along the way!
Ok, so now that we got that under our belt there are a few common misconceptions about restocking we need to clear up. First, when you wander into a shop with no current items in stock and a bar that says "Sorry, we are sold out of everything! We get restocked every eight minutes or so, so please come back soon." you need to know that that is fake. shops do not restock around every 8 minutes. restocks are completely, 100% random, there is no time system or schedule whatsoever. Secondly, let's talk about bans. When you refresh too much or buy too many items you may be susceptible to being banned, which means you won't be able to see any items in shops, no matter if they're stocked or not. If you want to know whether or not you're banned see the section below called "Checking Bans". Bans, just like restocks are completely random. some people will say that the more you refresh the more chance of you being banned. I disagree, i've been banned before after refreshing very slowly and for only a few minutes. However this is only my opinion, you may develop your own theory. You're still better off not refreshing like a maniac, just in case. ;) I'd say refreshing every 3-5 seconds is a good bet.
Restocking Acronyms, Abbreviations & Terminology
rs: Restock
ub: Unbuyable (you can not buy it on the shop wizard, it must be bought through either trading post or auctions)
hts: Hard To Sell
ets: Easy To Sell
sw: Shop Wizard
ssw: Super Shop Wizard (only available for premium members)
tp: Trading Post
rf: Refresh
nh: No Haggle (did not get to the haggle page for an item)
gh: Got Haggle (got to haggle page for an item but did not get it)
mh: Mishaggle (to haggle something other than what you meant to)
ot: Over Tab
or: Over Refresh
hpd: Half Price Day
r##: Rarity ## (the higher the number, the rarer it is, usually)
Rarity List
If you're just starting to play neopets, or have just made a new account (hopefully that is your main because restocking on sides is bad! (; ) then you might not be able to see all items. TNT has added a rule in which you have to be a certain age to see certain rarities restock. The older your account, the higher the rarity you can see. The following table will tell you up to what rarity your account can currently see:
- Newbie: Rarity 79 and below
- 10 days: Rarity 84 and below
- 16 days: Rarity 89 and below
- 1 month: Rarity 94 and below
- 3 months: all items
Buying An Item
to see full the full view of a screenshot, drag it to your address bar or tab bar
Now, let's try to restock something, shall we? For this demonstration i'll be using the food shop as our example. Now, when you first open up a shop, you may see one of two things. First, there is an empty shop, which will look like:
Or, it may have just a few junk items in it (items that are not worth buying, so they may be there for awhile), that will look like:
Now's the fun part! ;D waiting for a shop to restock. After a few hours or two you come across a restock, omg!
Now skim through quickly and find a good item you want to go for! click it and then get ready for the popup. You don't want to move your mouse and click it, because that takes to long. The trick is to either press enter or spacebar, and that will automatically hit the ok button and send you to the haggle page...
Click in the haggle box, and type in your haggle (see the "Haggling" section below). Now find the neopet in the picture below the haggle box and click that. After, you will get one of two pages. If you didn't get the item ( :( ), you will be presented with a "SOLD OUT" page:
However, if you successfully restocked the item then you will get a page that looks like:
Congratulations! (:
Types of Haggles
Repetition: Repetition haggles are haggles with only one number involved. as in 11111 (for 10k items), and 5555 (for 5k items). These are one of the slowest haggles, and only recommended for beginners.
Exact: Exact haggles are haggles where you enter in the exact amount that the item restocked for. So if an item restocked for 5000, you would haggle 5000, etc. I do not recommend this haggle at all, as it can get very complex with some types of items.
Two-Step: Two-Step haggles are haggles that start out with one digit as one number, and then the rest of the haggle consists of a different number. Example would be "15555", "2555", or "5444". I would only recommend these for last second decision haggles, or when the two numbers you've picked to haggle with are uncomfortable to reach. As such, these are often called "Panic Haggles", and usually come out because of bad planning or nervousness.
Alternating: Alternating haggles are haggles which use two numbers that alternate, as the name suggests, as in "9898" or "5353". These haggles come out relatively fast and are better than most other haggles. I'd recommend it to be one of your go to haggles, if not the only type you use.
Row: Row, or "Step Ladder" haggles are haggles with 3-4 numbers. These are the most complex haggles, which means they're also the hardest to do, especially if you use the number pad. Row haggles could be things like "12341", "9879", "34543", or "5645". If you can get these haggles down, I definitely recommend you use them, as these are very efficient if done right!
You do not have to haggle the exact amount an item restocks for, but it is wise to keep it relatively close. In my experience I usually get more leniency if I haggle more than restock price, so i tend to favor those.
Haggling
Now, before we get started it's important to know that there are numerous ways to haggle, and no one way is the right way. There are two basic ways to haggle; You can haggle with either the number row or number pad. You should experiment and find a way that works best for you.
pad haggling: I haggle with the number pad, and have done so since I started restocking. How i do it is I have my left hand pinky on the 'f5' key and my thumb on the 'enter' button. I use the 'f5' key to refresh the page, and as soon as i see a restock I click on the item I am going for and press the 'enter' button to go to the haggle page. While it is loading I shift my left hand over to the number pad and place my fingers on the numbers i am going to be using to haggle. Since I have been pad haggling for awhile now I can find the numbers i am going to use without having to look, but you may need to look to find your finger placement until you get used to it.
Restocking the megh4n Way
Haggling Method: Alteration
Resolution: 1280 x 768 (widescreen)
Visibility: 4 rows
Hand Positions:
Left - Hovering over number row
Right - On the mouse
Refresh Using: Shopkeeper
Reasoning for that? - Since haggling is done with my left hand using the number row, moving those fingers can lead to trying to haggle with the function keys instead of the numbers
Using the Number Row
Reasoning for that? - When I began restocking, I was using a desktop computer and had been using the number pad. But when I purchased a computer of my own, I got a laptop. Most laptops that I have seen, including my own, do not have a functional number pad for the purpose of restocking. This left me no choice but to change my previous method. Now this doesn't mean that the number pad is the way to go. I did make the change because I had to, but I wouldn't go back. With any change, it just takes getting used to.
Pro - I find using the number row more comfortable. When I used the number pad, I used to turn and move my keyboard to avoid having to reach across to the pad with my hands working side by side.
Con - Sometimes it is a stretch to haggle with numbers that aren't close to each other, ie. 18181. That I think might be the hardest thing to get used to, but it is possible, even with small hands like mine.
Checking Bans
Now, there are two ways to check if you're banned. One is more common and well used, and another is my own personal method (and considerably) more efficient in some cases.
First, the old method of checking tiki tack. If it's empty, you're most likely banned. There are those few times that tiki tack can actually sell out though, especially on HPD. So that brings us to my method...
If you do not want a long-winded, wordy explanation, just skip down to the bolded purple words at the end
Due to the coding of the shops and their layouts, a black box typically encloses the items and reads "Shop Inventory" at the top. However, the box isn't always there. The shops do not show this black "Shop Inventory" box when empty, except for the food and coin shops. The toy shop, for example, simply reads the typical Sold Out message without being enclosed in a box. Food and Coin, conversely, show the Sold Out message in the box. However, all shops do not show this box if you're banned. Simply put, if you're banned, then the "Shop Inventory" box in the food or coin shop will not show. If you're not banned, and the store is merely out of items, the box will show.
The screenshots below will show you the difference. The one on the left shows what you'll see if you're unbanned. the right is what you'll see if you're banned.
FAQ
When does (shop name) restock?
Restocks are random.
How much do r##s restock?
Restocks. Are. Random.
(shop name) hasn't restocked for awhile, and it's completely empty, does that mean it'll restock soon with a lot of good items?
RESTOCKS ARE RANDOM.
If I buy out a shop, will it stock faster?
Restocks are random, if i have to tell you again i'm going to slap you. B1
How long do bans usually last?
usually between 16-24, in my experience, but they can last anywhere from a couple hours to a few days.
What are good shops for beginners?
Book (#7), pharm (#13), food (#1), garden (#12), and chocolate (#14).
I've been restocking in pharm for a couple of days and i think i'm ready for magic, yes?
You're not. Magic is NOT a beginner shop, only go in there once you're a very experienced restocker, and you better be ready to get owned. ;)
I'm tired of restocking in book and pharm, any shops that are a little bit more competitive?
Clothes (#4), and Toy (#3), just to name a couple.
I searched the shop wizard for an item i restocked and nothing came up, does this mean it's UB?
The shop wizard does not show all shops at the same time. If you refresh a few times and still don't see anything, it is most likely UB.
How much NP should I have out?
Depends on the shop. For beginner shops 50k should be enough. For more experienced shops 200k. I always have out 500k at all times, but since Darigan Draik Eggs stock for around 1.7mil it would be wise to have out at least 2mil when restocking in Meridell Foods.
Can you rs on your side if you're banned?
No! Why did you even ask this? Shame on you.
I searched for an item I restocked in the search bar nothing came up ... What the crap?
It's r99, they do not appear in search results.
Where can i find a good adblocker?
Download Firefox and then Adblock Plus.
I've had a book in my shop for 30 minutes and it won't sell! :( Help?
Umm, things don't sell instantly, be patient. As long as you have priced it lower than the shop wizard than it should sell, and if it doesn't in a few days reprice.
Can I adblock images, or js?
No. Even if you have good intentions doing either of these is simple against the rules, period.
I searched something in the trading post and nothing came up, what?
When you're searching in the trading post, the search can not have a space before or after the name, if it does then you will see nothing. If you searched right and it still doesn't bring up anything than it's either a new item (in which you should put it in your shop, or sell quickly on the TP), it's a rare item and none are currently on there, or the item is glitched.
Someone wants to buy my item through auctions, and they told me they wanted private and high rise, what does this mean?
Private means they want the auction set to NF only (only your neofriends can bid on it) and high rise just means a large jump from starting price and the increment. For example, you want to price something for 4,000,000 neopoints, so the starting price should be "2000000" and the increment should be "2000000". Don't worry, it will work out. The first bidder doesn't bid only the starting price, they bid the starting price PLUS the increment, so the first bidder would then bid 4000000, and the next bidder would bid 6000000.
Listed At
