Pocket Trading Guide
Hi! This is just a quick trading guide I put together, for you! Everything you need to know to get your feet wet in the training business! Learn how to avoid making junk offers, and accepting junk offers as well! You'll also be able to estimate the value of just about any lot you'll come across before offering on it.
Use the menu below to navigate your way around the page. Thanks a lot for reading, and I'd appreciate some feedback if you have the time! �~ Quadra
What to Expect |
Golden TP Rules |
TP Lingo |
Pocket Value Guide
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What to Expect: A few terms you'll need to come to if you're gonna make it on the Trading Post
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Trading Post Lingo: Some common abbreviations and words used on the Trading Post. Reading it might save you a lot of time and frustration!
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Golden Trading Post Rules: Rules that you should always keep in mind while using the Trading Post.
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Pocket Value Guide: This simple chart lists the most common items seen on the Trading Post. This also lists their Shop Wizard value, and will let you know how much is too much to bid on it. Using this, you'll be able to estimate the value of just about any lot on the Trading Post--by just looking at it! Under construction but you can still take a peek!
What to Expect
Trading is a lot of fun, a great way to get great items for a great price, or for you to get rid of your items for maybe even a better price that you were expecting! But, the Trading Post is home to some of the shadiest Neopians. Here are a few tips.
- Everyone wants something for nothing. If you really want to get the most you can for your items, I highly suggest putting them in your shop instead or auctioning them.
- Almost everyone wants a little more extra than what their items are really worth. Don't be surprised if you yourself, find yourself wanting that few extra hundred or so np. This is quite common.
- A great number of players have ridiculously outlandish wishlists for the worthless (and I mean worthless) junk they have in their lot. You will see a lot of players wishing for job coupons, in exchange for their Wooden Blocking Shields and Green Doughnuts!
- Just to reiterate the last few points, most people don't bid fairly, nor do they ask for a fair price. The best way to avoid this is to either auction, sell or purchase at a shop.
- There are a lot of liars! People who have extremely overpriced lots on useless items to deliberately trick inexperienced or ignorant players into buying them!
- People will say anything to reel you into their lots without being specific. Not a crime, but a very annoying and inconvenient way to fish for good offers.
- Do not take advantage of the misfortunes/neediness of other players! These include players claiming to have been "scammed" of their entire account and having to start over, those with "fundraisers" for various causes, and those who are in some kind of desperate need to rid themselves of their items.
Golden Trading Post Rules
A few "unwritten rules" of the Trading Post. Abide by them, they will save you a lot of trouble!
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Be specific! The more specific you are, the more pleased you will be with the bids you receive! Specifying a desired number of neopoints, or particular items will greatly reduce the amount of junk bids you'll get. "Something good" or "anything", is not specific.
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Tabbed browsing is your best friend! If you plan to do a lot of power-trading, it's good to keep a few tabs open. Tabs for Shop Wizard, Quickstock, and of course, the Trading Post are highly recommended...More coming up!
- The Shop Wizard is your second best friend! It's the best way to accurately check the prices of items (especially if you don't know them!).
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Haste makes waste! Don't be suckered in by wishlists like "BEST OFFER IN 5 MIN". Why? Just look at the last Golden Rule.
- If the item is too expensive to appear on the Shop Wizard, see what others are asking for it using the Trading Post search option. Can't find it? Try the Auction Genie. Still can't find it? Go to the NeoBoards.
- Just because you've never seen it before, doesn't always mean it's valuable! Don't be suckered in by "OMG FREEEEEE this is worth 500k but ill sell it for 50k!" unless you are absolutely sure what the item is worth!
- If you're paranoid about losing your items over random events, it's very convenient to have a tab open with a Quickstock of your inventory. This way, every now and then you can deposit, stock, donate and discard your items without having to interrupt your trading session (at least not for too long, anyway).
- Can't afford it? Don't bid! It's that simple! No matter how unreasonable or expensive their wishlist is, the safest thing to do is nothing! You will quickly find yourself getting "told-to", blocked, or in some cases, reported. Don't risk it.
- Again, if you want a fair bid, know the value of your items, and be specific!
- For those of you who are serious power-traders and trade for items using Neopoints only, don't run out of junk! If you do, offer genorously on "free junk" trades to get quickly get more junk before you miss out on more deals!
- If you find yourself doing multiple (successful) trades with the same user, why not thank them for their business?? I mean, obviously you're pleased with their trades, so why not send a little gift? Nothing special, just something useful (I usually give scratchcards)! That way, that user will know that they can count on you to get rid of their trades!
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Advertise somewhere else! Nobody wants to hear about your guild or your shop while they're browsing for trades! That's what the NeoBoards are for, don't be silly.
- If you are going to mark your trade as "free", please don't write "FRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" in your wishlist to the point that others will have to scroll vertically AND horizontally to see your lot and others'. We get your point!
- Don't fall for advertisements! "COME SEE MY SHOP!! $ HUGE SALE!! HURRY!" You're just asking to have your time wasted.
- The best way to find trades is to continuously click on Newest 20.
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Respect any miscellaneous requests written in wishlists. This especially means not bidding on lots you're not supposed to! Examples: guild-members-only lots, lots reserved for other users, and lots requiring that a bid be placed via neomail. Some users take this very seriously, so don't risk being blocked or reported.
- If your "quick trade" doesn't get any bids in 10 minutes, try cancelling the lot, and continue to repost it until it's sold.
- And remember...The best offer always wins. No matter what! If you really want it, don't stingy. Give them a offer they can't refuse and it's yours!
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Contact me if you think something should be added!
Trading Post Lingo
Some common terms, abbreviations and acronyms used on the Trading Post. Learning about them now may save you the embarassment of asking about them later.
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AUTO (s/e) - Short for "automatic". Used to define a particular requested item/bid as the best one, meaning that user who bids on the lot with the particular requested item/bid, "automatically" wins the lot. Example: "Best offer, bottled dark faerie = auto"
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Best Offer Trade (n.) - A trade that will be rewarded to the user with the most valuable bid. Very similar to auctioning, except with the option of adding items to your bid. Not to be confused with a "free trade", this is another great method of trading! But, if you want to avoid getting poor bids, specify a minimum bidding amount. If you're the one bidding, respect the user's wishes if they specify a price.
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Free (adj.) - Something that has no charge. Sometimes users will post lots with multiple items, but will be pleased to get the asking price of one or two of them. Therefore, the other items will technically be "free".
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Free or Best Offer Trade (n.) - A "free trade" that will be rewarded to the user with the most valuable bid. Although this term is redundant, it is a better way to rid yourself of a trade while still getting decent bids.
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FREE! No junk! (s/e) - The owner of the lot specifies this as a "free trade", but requests that no junk items are offered (again, this is relative. The value of a "junk" item depends on the value of the "free trade").
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Free Trade (n.) - A trade that is by all means free. This means that any offer whatsoever should get you this lot. However, more than likely, the owner of the lot is looking for and will take the best offer they can get for it. If you really want to get rid of an item and you're looking for something particular, do not mark it as a "free trade"! Note: A "free trade" should never specify any minimum offer! If it does, it is not free and that person is a liar!
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Fundraiser (n.) - A term used by players to state that the profits of the winning bid will be contributed to whatever they're raising money for.
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Guild Members Only (s/e) - Lots available for bidding only to members of the user's guild.
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Junk (n./adj.) - A term to describe items or offers that have an extremely low value below what the user wants; Items that are completely useless, extremely common, or are just generally valueless (usually worth 100np or less).
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Junk Offer (n.) - An offer containing "junk items"; this term is relative, depending on the value of the trade. Example: Even something like a single Secret Laboratory Map Piece will be considered worthless to a user whose lot contains a Fyora Faerie doll.
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K (abbr.) - An abbreviation for "thousand". 9 times out of 10 used for prices. Example: 100K = 100,000.
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Lowest priced (on TP) (adj.) - A term to describe an item that the user is selling for the lowest price. This means that this user's item is the cheapest price available on the trading post.
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M/mil (abbr.) - An abbreviation for "million". Also used like "K". Users who are asking for millions of neopoints for their lots may request that all offers/inquiries be sent via Neomail (because you can't offer more than 800,000 on a TP lot).
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n00b/Silly Offer (n./adj.) - Synonymous with "junk offer".
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obo (abbr.) - An abbreviation for "or best offer".
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pure (abbr.) - Used to refer to neopoints; meaning that they want a specified amount in "pure" neopoints.
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Quick sale/trade (n./adj.) - A user says this when they want to complete a transaction in about 5-10 minutes or less. Most of the wishlists are very short, and blunt. These are strictly "open-and-shut" cases.
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(the Shop) Wiz (n.) - Slang for the Shop Wizard.
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TP (abbr.) - Abbreviation for "trading post".
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Try me! (s/e) - What users say to fish for offers when they have not decided on a specific wishlist. They are leaving you to decide the value of the item for them.
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What it's worth - A term used in wishlists as a request that the user bid fairly, meaning that the entire bid should be worth exactly or above the value of the desired lot.
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Contact me if you think something should be added!
Pocket Value Guide
*UNDER CONSTRUCTION*
...but you can still see it by clicking HERE!
Thanks For Reading!
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