The trading post - most Neopians know about this place, but many are not familiar with it. Some newbies may find this place obsolete; not true. Some people may find this place very confusing; this is true. Well, there are many different problems, questions, and confusing areas on the trading post. You�re so lucky to have a guide like this!
Well, I�m sure some of us are just totally confused on this whole trading post deal. What is it? What are all the things in it? What are all those links for? What does it all mean? Whoa, there! All questions will be answered. Just hold on -
First things first � the trading post can be found on Mystery Island. Although, you can find it by clicking �shops� on your toolbar, putting your mouse on the shop menu at the top of the screen, and finding the island girl. If you have found the right link, it should say �Trading Post� above the picture. So, if it does, click it!
Whoa� It looks confusing, doesn�t it? Don�t worry. It�s the opposite confusing; so, it�s very easy. Right now, what would you like to do? Do you want that Baby Paint Brush that would make your little Usul look so cute? Would you like a Zafara Double Agent Plushie to get that cool avatar that you�ve always wanted? Maybe you found a rare item on the ground that you�d like to put up in the trades? Well, we�ll start with that.
Sometimes as a newbie, you�ll find some really cool items on the floor � some may be worth a lot! Well, take it to the trading post, if you don�t need it. First, click on the link to the trading post. The page that comes up is exactly what you need. Click on �Creat a new trade!� Okay, now you should come to a list. Check the item that you would like to put up for trades. Now, towards the bottom of the list should be something called a �Wishlist�. It�s just a box, but it�s pretty important to type things in here. Otherwise, people may not know what to bid, and could possibly ignore your trade.
Uh-Oh!
Some people may not be able to use this wishlist. I�m not sure how it will appear if you can�t, but this means you signed up as too young to use it. This is kind of a bad thing, since people won�t really know what to bid, but you might be okay. Although, speaking from experience, most people do just look over these trades. Sorry.
So, type up your wishlist. This could be very simple. If you�re putting up something worth 150,000 neopoints, you could say something as simple as �125k� or something like �I would like a ghost paint brush in exchange, and the rest pure neopoints.� Whatever you want can be put in this wishlist. Although, not anything will be bid on. If you�re putting something up worth 150,000 neopoints, and you are asking for something worth 600,000 neopoints, your trade will often be ignored.
Do Nots!
**Make a ridiculous wishlist � You want people to offer, right?
**Leave the wishlist empty!
**Accept the first offer � Let them stay for a couple hours. After a while, choose the best one.
Do!
**Advertise on Trading/Auctions boards!
**Be patient! �wink wink�
Tip
If you are unsure about an offer that somebody has given you, check the help boards. These will be a huge help. Everyone here is pretty friendly, and they�ll tell you what a good deal is, and what a bad deal is. Any other questions? � Ask them there, too.
So, now we know how to put up your trades, about wishlists, and what offers to take. Well, we�ve covered most of the bases on that. Now, what if you find something that you like?
Buying on the trading post � A very touchy area. This will take some patience, and there a couple things that you can do here to get the best prices, and not pay the wrong amount, in other words, too much!
So, what�s the item that you want? Let�s say that you want a Faerie Queen Doll. Notice, this is an avatar item? This means that you can search on the Avatars/Signatures boards. People here will be selling FQDs and any other expensive avatar item all the time. All you have to do is make a board with that subject title saying something like �Buying FQD!� You will get people wanting to sell on your board. This means you get to haggle � which is a very good thing. Haggling is what will get you a good price on all items at the TP. I highly recommend you do this, or try, before buying.
If it�s not an avatar item, then take it to the Trading/Auctions or Shop neoboards. You�ll get great deals here, and will be able to haggle. I strongly recommend going to the neoboards before automatically bidding. This will save you a lot of neopoints.
Well, let�s say that you don�t go on the neoboards. Maybe you don�t have time? Maybe nobody there is selling and your board is just full of bumps? Well, that�s fine � Just go to the trading post. Look at all of the items, it doesn�t matter how many pages there are; you need to find the best price on the item that you want.
Okay, did you find the best price � the person with the cheapest wishlist? Okay, don�t press �Make an Offer� just yet! Go to the help boards and ask about this item. Say the price that they�re asking, and if you�re really confused, ask how much you should bid, how much they think it�s worth. Although, if you have a pretty good idea on what price you should pay, you can bid. But, I do strongly recommend the help boards � it�ll help if you�re stuck.
Now, you have the item that you want, it�s pretty cheap, and now that you�ve done some research, you�re ready to bid! Phew � finally! Well, stay according to their wishlist, and bid just under what you think. I promise, you�ll still get the item. If not, that person has some serious problems and is very stubborn. �Wink wink- Oh well, don�t dwell on it. Just find the next cheapest price, and bid on it. Sooner or later, you�re bound to get this item and save neopoints, too!
Have fun with you�re new, expensive item! I�m sure that all those saved neopoints will add up in no time. Good luck at the Trading Post!
-Ary