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Thread: Ultimate Riches - A Guide to reselling!

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    Ultimate Riches - A Guide to reselling!



    Ever wondered how some people get so many Neopoints legitimately?
    Ever wondered how that three week old account has 20m already?
    Scared to risk your account by buying Neopoints, or just want to stay legit?
    There's tips and tricks to making money on the site, and none of it involves needing a high speed computer, super fast internet, or any illegal activity!
    I myself used to be one of the best resellers on the site. Reigning from 2008 - 2013. I made 100m a month when I went hard out, or 50m a month when I was barely online!

    I'll posting some tricks to resell better, faster, and smarter in this guide.
    In addition to that, I'll be posting ways to avoid getting scammed, how to look out for scammed items, and help prevent any bad items from ending up on your account. Unless you want those bad cheap items!

    The guide will be split up into multiple sections -

    • The basics
    • Knowing item values
    • How to avoid getting scammed
    • Going a little more advanced
    • Spending your riches wisely
    • The gamble of trial and error.
    • Disclaimer


    *The Basics*

    So, reselling in short is just buying low and selling high. Simple right? WRONG! Sounds like a lot of hooplah, but it's not.
    A lot of people are going to tell you that ETS (easy to sell) items such as Paint Brushes, Morphing Potions, Trans Potions, and Petpetpet's are the best thing to sell. They're wrong. Those items are the safest to sell. The best money is in the HTS (hard to sell) items.


    ETS:
    Paint Brushes
    Morphing Potions
    Petpetpets
    Non-R99 petpets, and popular cute Petpet's. PAINTED PETPETS ARE NOT ETS
    Avatar items
    Hidden Tower items
    Some* Cove items
    All maps excluding Space and Underwater
    R99+ Stamps (Varies)
    HTS:
    Retired books
    KQ Code items
    RIC items (Rare item code)
    R101+ wearables
    Collectable Cards
    Some cove items
    Plushies
    A lot of r180 items including books, gardening items, toys, Utility Fish, BD items, Sepcies related items.
    (TCG)'s - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND avoiding (TCG)'s unless you know values for specific cards. They are INCREDIBLY hard to sell, and sell to very cheap resellers, and very few collectors ONLY.
    Almost every item below r99 will be HTS.


    Now, as stated above. The definition of reselling is buying low, and selling high. If that's what you plan on doing, then this guide is not for you.
    If that's what you plan on doing, all you need is a price guide, and an account to sell off.

    This guide, will teach you how to go more in depth, and maximize your profits without maximizing your profits.


    *Knowing item values*

    Now. A lot of people think that the Trading Post dictates value, and many others in addition to that, think that Jellyneo's item database is accurate. Using either of these as a reliable source for spot on prices, is a big mistake. Both are easily manipulated by users to change the price however they want it.
    There are many MANY users who will buy up Morphing Potions on the trading post, and then list prices at 800k+ because they have the "only one for sale" or because it's r99 and unpriced on the TP. From there, that person can just go to Jellyneo's item database, and input their price and the price changes. HUZZAH, it looks like that item is worth 2m but it's really only worth 200k.

    Now, I'm not discouraging using the TP prices as a reference when buying items. Jellyneo however, I will use only 5% of the time. Don't rely on JN. Just don't. Here's why:


    Pay attention to the price fluctuation.
    From May 24th, 2010 - September 6th, 2010 the price jumped from roughly 50k to 3m.
    This is a common case of hyperinflation where one user buys all of a single item from the shop wizard, and prices it exponentially higher on the Trading Post. A lot of the time the user will have MANY quantity of the item, and will offer it on low end ETS items on the trading post, or anything that costs more than what they paid per item. Some items are harder to determine if they're inflated or not, but some of the more common item types are:

    • (TCG)'s
    • Old plot items
    • Buyable Keyquest code items
    • Buyable TCG RIC items
    • In some instances, complete junk restockable items


    The best thing to do if someone offers an item that you think might be inflated is to check Jellyneo's price history:


    This is the only time I will EVER recommend specifically to use Jellyneo's item database as a price reference. Any other time I would say to use Trading Post as a reference, or ask for a price check on the Neoboards, or on cK's price checking thread.

    Lastly, I've uploaded a file to cK ONLY to use as reference. It's a little out of date, but should be incredibly accurate without factoring the most reset Charity Corner. I highly recommend using it over any other price reference.

    *How to avoid getting scammed*

    There are a lot of scams that go around on the Neopets market.
    First thing I want to say. If it seems too good to be true. Then it more than likely is.
    The first scam I'll point out is one of the oldest in the book: Putting up Plushies to look like different items.






    Now, side to side, these items look completely different. You can notice the differences instantly without any issues and tell what's more expensive without even having to think about it.
    People however, still get tricked with this simply because they're scrolling through trades and only glimpse at the Faerie Brush Plushie that's listed at 500k.
    The person then offers, gets their offer accepted, and they get junk instead of what they expected.
    The biggest problem with this scam, is that it is NOT reportable unless the seller states that they want X amount for the more expensive item i.e "500k for this Faerie Paint Brush". In which case, it is reportable.
    So stay attentive, and pay attention when offering. The last thing you need is a garbage item, and a short end bank account when you're reselling!


    Now, another scam that I've already covered a bit is hyperinflation of items.
    People will constantly find items that have a small quantity on the shop wizard and from there they'll buy the items, and list them on TP from their main account, or a side/shell account to give it a false price. And from there they offer the items on your more valuable items. I won't cover it very much in this section because it was covered previously. But I do want to strongly emphasize that if you're uncertain about an items increase in value, make a price check thread. There have been instances where items legitimately hyperinflated from 3k to 3m overnight (Gourmet Cooking for your Pet when Bonju was found, Wishing Well items when the Wishing Well avatar was released...)


    Now, what do you see in this screenshot?

    The next common scam, is exactly what's posted above.
    Someone puts a trade up and says their item is worth X amount but they're quickselling for a massive discount. I won't say these are always scams because there are people who do put up legitimate trades like this where their items are worth X amount like they claim, and they're selling for a large discount. It doesn't happen very often however.
    But, with the previous screenie:


    Very clearly, the item isn't worth 10m. It's not worth 1m. It's not even worth 100k.
    This is an incredibly common practice. If you see something like this, go with your gut and stay away from it or buy it.
    My motto when I was big on reselling was "I'd rather take a small loss, than miss out on a large profit." And to this day it's something that I stand by.
    Once you get into the groove of reselling, you will definitely be running into more profits than you will losses. In the beginning, you may run into a loss once or even twice a day. It's a learning process, and the beginning is always the worst. But it gets much better!

    The last major scam, unfortunately I won't be able to get my hands on any screenies for.
    This scam is most common when it comes to dealing with other resellers!

    In this hypothetical situation, you are buying the item cK Mace of Scrub Smacking, and you're buying it from me.
    This is how our conversation goes:
    • "Hi, how much for your cK Mace of Scrub Smacking?"
    • "I don't have a set price for it, what would you think is fair?"

    Now, this is where you offer what you know is either fair, or get a price check and then offer if you're uncertain. If you're uncertain, find someone else who WILL provide a price.

    • "I will offer 1m. I got a price check of 1.2m on it, so I believe that is fair!"
    • "Sorry, but I've got an offer of 2m on it. If you're interested in beating my OTB (Offer to beat) please feel free to offer!"


    A lot of resellers have the tendency to lie about their highest current offer, or OTB.
    As much as I would like to say this is a reportable and freezable offense, TNT almost ALWAYS turns a blind eye to this simply because it's not worth looking into.
    This scam also goes both ways. When the buyer in the situation said they got a price check of 1.2m, they could have been lying just as easily as the person saying that they had a 2m offer on the item could be.

    Remember, if the trade doesn't feel right. Don't do it. There's plenty of other sellers on the site, and you can live without the profit when you think you're being scammed.


    *Going a little more advanced*

    Up to this point, I haven't really covered how to resell correctly. So let me tell you how to do it incorrectly.
    -Buying an item for 150k and selling it for 200k is wrong.
    -Buying a Baby Brush on the SW for 50k and selling it for 575k is wrong.
    -Buying a Pile of Dung for 150k and selling it for 10 NP's is wrong.

    The only time I'll ever really emphasize selling an item for a fast pure profit is when you're strapped on pure. If you've got 100m pure to work with, and you snipe a Baby PB for 50k. Don't sell that for 575k. Hold onto it. It'll be more beneficial later on.

    Trading up

    Here's why selling that Baby PB for 575k is wrong.
    To break it down, you've spent 50k on a Baby PB. That Baby PB can be sold for pure, or used in a trade.
    If you use it for a 1:1 trade, then you basically only pay 50k for the item you traded for.
    So there's a reseller trade lot up. 550k for any seven UB's the seller might have up. It's a good deal right? Seven UB's for 550k? Even if you toss them all into your shop, you profit. But you only profit a minimal amount.
    You see this trade, and you have that Baby PB that you sniped for 50k. You don't offer pure on that trade. Screw that. Pay 50k for the trade and offer the Baby PB for it.
    The user accepts your offer, and you now have seven UB's that you paid 50k for.

    This is where you start selling items for pure

    You now look at the items you traded for, and they're all worth 150k - 350k each.
    From here, you minimize what you can sell them for. 100k each if you want to quicksell, is a 650k profit on a Baby PB. More than the Baby PB was even worth to begin with. And that's just at the minimum. Or you can repeat. Take these seven items that you paid 50k for, with a combined value of 1.05m - 2.1m for a different ETS item like a Faerie Paint Brush worth 1.4m. Trade them directly, and you've now paid 50k for a Faerie Paint Brush. It's entirely your choice how you work your items.

    "Let's get a little deeper" - She, 2k16

    In this situation, you have no pure, but you have the items mentioned above.

    You have no pure, but there is a Royal Paint Brush on TP and you want to try to make a deal for it, but the seller wants pure involved in the trade as leeway.
    How do you get the trade?

    You've still only paid 50k for these items, so keep in mind that anything is profit above that 50k mark.

    You have a collector offering 500k for three items that are valued at the 150k - 200k mark. This being full price, you accept.
    You now have 500k pure and four items worth somewhere between 600k and 1.2m.
    Royal Paint Brush is valued at 1.7m.
    You offer the PB owner 500k pure and the four items you have for the PB and they accept.

    On a realistic note, if you wanted the fast profit for the items, you could have sold them in your shop for 100k each and made a 650k profit from the start.
    However, with just a little muscle, 50k can be turned into 700k, or 1m, or 10m depending on how your scenario plays out.


    TP sniping

    This is simple, easy, and to the point.
    First things first, you need to know what a TP snipe is.


    This is a TP snipe.
    The Dragonfly Nymph is worth 1.5m, but thrown in with a bunch of junk items.


    This is not a TP snipe.
    Why? The seller has a (junky) set of items with the Rainbow Paint Brush. This is a common practice among sellers. Having something simple and cheap to go with your big value item makes it seem like a better purchase, and appears more often on TP in searches.

    So how do you offer on TP snipes?
    Cheap. You offer very low. This is a perfect example.



    This is an exact offer on the trade listed above with the Dragonfly Nymph.
    The user offering clearly sees the Dragonfly Nymph and is hoping that the seller (in this case me ) doesn't know the value of the Nymph, and will jump on what could appear as a large offer for the trade. This is the correct way to offer.




    This is not the correct way to offer on a TP snipe.
    Chances are someone else sees the snipe just like you do, and they can offer correctly. If they offer more accordingly, you won't get the TP snipe. And you want the TP snipes!

    Before I move onto the next section

    Trading up is MUCH easier when dealing with higher end HTS items. If you can buy a high end HTS plot prize, retired item, code item, Cove item, or similar items for a good discount, I always advise doing so. If you can get a 5m HTS item for 1.5m pure, and you know you can sell it for 3m, or use it in a trade for 2.5m value (or vice versa) do it. These small quantity HTS items are worth A LOT in bulk.
    If you pay 15m for ten items worth 5m tops each, you can trade them in bulk +/- pure with a value from anywhere between the lower end of 20m, up to 45m depending on the item and who you're dealing with. The profits are entirely situation based on who/what/why.

    Who's buying?
    What items are involved?
    Why are they being? To resell, or to collect?

    *Spending your riches*

    As a reseller myself, my goal was always to make more and get the items I wanted along the way.
    This little section is just a reminder to budget your money appropriately.
    Remember, you can't make money without money.

    Set a limit for yourself. If your goal is to just make more money, then by all means put all your investments into reselling.
    If you're looking to add to your gallery, paint your pets, train a BD pet, buy a BD set. Anything. Set yourself a percentile to spend out of X amount of money and don't go past it. If you want to set X amount as your budget rather than a percentile, who am I to discourage you? Work it however you know you can hit your goals and continue making money.

    If you overspend on your goals at any point, I'd recommend cutting back and spending a short bit of time solely on making more money to recuperate your spendings. From there, start splurging again!

    *The gamble of trial and error*

    I want to emphasize that reselling is A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR. YOU WILL LOSE MONEY

    The hardest part of reselling is not being able to know for certain that you'll profit on every sale.
    Do not let this discourage you.
    If I were to count up my total losses on trades from quickselling, cut my losses, or just making stupid purchases. I'd estimate I've lost over 2b in the last ~8 years.
    If I were to calculate my profits however, I've struck over 10b on profit after losses over the years. And I still have the storage accounts to flaunt around.

    The best way to resell, is to work with every field of items. Wearables, Morphing Potions, Stamps, Collectables Cards, BD weapons. Anything and everything.
    Starting out, if you know a specific niche of items very well, then I do recommend starting with those items. So if you know how the market for the next Flaming Flamingo Yoyo that Jumpstart releases to the site, bend it to your own advantage and reap the profits.
    Take the profits from your niche, and slowly branch out to other groups of items. It'll sting when you take a loss, but the knowledge on the economy that you'll gain will make up for every loss 10x down the road when you're rolling in hundreds of millions.

    *Disclaimer*

    • I am not held accountable for any loss you take when reselling.
    • This guide does not guarantee profit, but it does give an understanding of how to resell.
    • Scamming is bad. This guide is not to show people how to manipulate the site economics to scam others.
    • The cK UB Price List was made by me for cK ONLY. It is not to be distributed outside of cK.
    • The scenarios for trading up were entirely hypothetical. While they were slightly farfethced, the scenarios are entirely plausible and possible to happen.
    • If you ever need a price check, I am more than willing to help out with individual items, or lists of items for anyone who needs assistance.
    • If anyone feels there should be something added to this guide PLEASE PM me. I will be more than happy to add notes to any sort of trading that can be added here!


    And remember. Enjoy your riches. Happy Neopetting amigos!

    Last edited by Mophead; 02-16-2016 at 03:37 AM.

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  3. #2

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    Here's why selling that Baby PB for 575k is wrong.
    To break it down, you've spent 50k on a Baby PB. That Baby PB can be sold for pure, or used in a trade.
    If you use it for a 1:1 trade, then you basically only pay 50k for the item you traded for.
    So there's a reseller trade lot up. 550k for any seven UB's the seller might have up. It's a good deal right? Seven UB's for 550k? Even if you toss them all into your shop, you profit. But you only profit a minimal amount.
    You see this trade, and you have that Baby PB that you sniped for 50k. You don't offer pure on that trade. Screw that. Pay 50k for the trade and offer the Baby PB for it.
    The user accepts your offer, and you now have seven UB's that you paid 50k for.

    that's not how math works...you actually lose money when you do that.

    say you have a baby PB you purchased for 50k. that doesn't mean you value the baby PB at 50k. presumably you value it around 575k. you could sell that baby PB for 575k, and then buy the lot of UBs for 550k, like the seller is asking for, and save an extra 25k.

    OR, you could trade that PB for a lot being sold for 550k as the guide suggests, and lose out on 25k by overpaying on the asking price.

    in essence, paying 575k for something when the owner is asking for 550k is silly. pay 550k instead.

    edit: just wanted to add that i found the rest of the guide to be interesting and helpful!
    Last edited by gooddoggo; 06-11-2017 at 08:57 AM.

  4. #3

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    that's not how math works...you actually lose money when you do that.
    Came here to say the exact same thing actually. The rest of the guide was really solid tho

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  6. #4
    Sarada's Avatar
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    Are non-retired hidden tower items that aren't very useful in the BD still easy to sell?

  7. #5
    jawlong's Avatar
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    Not really, unless the price is much lower then the HT's.

  8. #6
    badsk8700o's Avatar
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    Thanks for the guide! Would you say TP snipes still happen nowadays? Wasn't sure if it's pretty much non-existent like SW/Auction snipes.

  9. #7
    Kite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by badsk8700o View Post
    Thanks for the guide! Would you say TP snipes still happen nowadays? Wasn't sure if it's pretty much non-existent like SW/Auction snipes.
    Rarely, usually when a item is first released usually stamps/charms/books etc. from events a lot of players don't know the value of these and will put them on the TP and sell for a lot less than they end up generally trading for


    at least that's my experience with teh TP
    Ana's slave <3

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