Unstocked: One Writer's Restocking Ineptitude

I never really had a personal desire to restock as a sort of Neopian activity. Why, I wondered, would you want to sit around buying up all these cool things just to sell them to someone else?! I'd much rather be the person buying and keeping those cool things.

Which, honestly, doesn't make the Neopoints that restocking makes. And, really, that would basically sum up the reason for restocking: making lots of Neopoints while doing something that you enjoy. Perhaps there's an air of competition and a rush of adrenaline as you click and hit the keys frantically, scoring a stunning Morphing Potion out from under the noses of hundreds of other users.

Or so I'd imagine, because I wouldn't know. Cursed with the slowest of slow connections (yeah, dial-up still exists), I gave up on the idea of restocking before I'd ever started it. It just simply could not be done, and I would sit and be content with listening to stories from my friends and their restocking friends. Guilds about restocking, Neoboard threads about restocking, countless tales of someone snagging an unbuyable and selling it for unbelievable profits.

"Here's something I restocked, I thought it'd be some nice furniture for your Neohome, taipeiss! Merry Christmas!" You poor, non-restocking Neofriend of mine, I thought to myself as I admired the shiny surface of the Disco Toilet.

I was now curious. My Neofriend seemed to be quite happy with her chosen activity, and I imagined briefly the rush that restocking could potentially bring.

But, alas, those ideas were quickly tucked away in my head under flashing signs that said:

SLOW CONNECTION, NO WAY NO HOW.

And I forgot about thinking about wanting to restock for at least a year.

Then one day, the Neoboards were alight with the declarations of "HALF-PRICE DAY! GOOD LUCK, RESTOCKERS!" Egads, half-price day? Being the point-pincher that I am, I figured hey, I might as well give this a shot and maybe make a good profit, huh?

So that's how I found myself in the Petpet Supply shop, waiting with what was probably a large amount of other users for a restock. One went by, I can't remember what I tried to grab, but the keyword here is "tried." As in, I didn't get it. Second restock came through, I clicked something, ANYTHING, keyed in a price a bit below asking, and scored myself...

A Grumblebug Water Bowl.

Now, at the time, I thought that this was decent and that I'd at least made a bit of a profit, especially since it was Half-Price Day.

I was wrong.

If you've ever seen one of these things, you'll know why.

So then I was done, I figured no more, because I am obviously inept at this sort of thing.

The months rolled on, perhaps another year, and that brought me to this night. Surfing around Petpages, I found one particularly interesting guide to restocking. It also linked to a Petpage with lists of good shops and what to look for.

Let's just say I was more than simply "intrigued."

Following the directions from the pages, I opened up the Food Shop, along with the basic Petpet Shop, the Chocolate Factory, and Faerie Furniture. I chose Faerie Furniture because I love the items, would love to have them for my Neohome, and it's never stocked when I peek in. I chose the Chocolate Factory because I know which items can make a decent profit, and the chance for a new avatar is always enticing. I chose the basic Petpet Shop in hopes of some sort that a Moltenore would stock and that I would magically have enough time to zip to the bank, withdraw enough to grab it, and come back in time to snag it for my own.

Tell me when you've stopped laughing hysterically, and I'll continue.

So before I'd finished reading the guides, I'd refreshed the shops a couple of times and saw a restock happen. There, in the Chocolate Factory, was a single item that looked like it was a good potential pick, and I quickly went to buy it.

And then it was gone. Cursed lack of speed.

I closed the Chocolate Factory after a few minutes and finished reading the guides. Then I sat in the three shops and refreshed on the minute, sometimes the half-minute, hoping to catch something, anything, that I could either make a small profit from or keep for my own.

At first I likened the waiting and the passing of seconds to watching the push and pull of the ocean. Potential coming in, potential going back out, coming back in 60 seconds later, with those who wait not knowing when the next wave would bring a trove of treasure.

Fifteen minutes later, I changed my mind. This was less poetic than it was finger-tapping. When, oh when, would these cursed shops restock? I sat with my points on hand and waited and waited and refreshed and refreshed. Then, after almost twenty minutes of waiting, RESTOCK!

The Food Shop was filled with a few lines of cool looking stuff, and I saw something that looked like it was stocked in a quantity of just one, but I didn't know if I should go for it. The guide said to jump and buy things that stocked in 1, 2, or 3. Instead, I refreshed. And it was gone.

Heh, oops. Go figure.

And then it all died down, and there seemed to be nothing good sitting there laughing at me. The Faerie Furniture shop sat there, as empty as I always saw it, acting like it'd never stocked and ran out of said stock right under my nose. Time to give in, I thought. At least I tried. I deposited my on-hand points and closed the guide.

Then, out of some random curiosity, I refreshed the shops again. RESTOCK! Instantly seeing three Black Cherry Pudding smiling at me, I clicked quickly and entered in just less than a thousand, then clicked the Pet in the picture to continue.

The Shopkeeper says 'You don't have that kind of money. Get out of my shop!!!'

My head just about hit the desk. That's right, I said to myself, you just deposited ALL OF YOUR NEOPOINTS. The Black Cherry Pudding was gone by the time I even clicked back into the shop, of course.

Of course.

Well, I double tried. Quit, time to quit. I closed the Food Shop and the Petpet Shop, then gave Faerie Furniture one last refresh for laughs and giggles.

Ooh, Faerie Fridge! Too bad I didn't have any points on me. Oh well, at least it was good to know that this place actually stocked, and did not just taunt me with the idea that it could. A quick refresh, and of course it was long gone. Bye bye.

That's where this story comes to a close. Maybe in the future I'll have a faster connection to work with, but really, that doesn't make up for my lack of skill when it comes to restocking. To every restocker reading this right now, I have great respect for you. I admire your patience, your speed, your fortitude, and whatever it is that drives you so to spend your time doing the things that I am incapable of. To those who grabbed up the things that I tried for or just stared at wondering if it was a bargain tonight, good game. I'm sure you deserved it more, for all of the time you've spent doing this and getting good at it. All of you guys are really awesome.

Farewell, readers. My name is taipeiss. I am still not a restocker.