Finding Your Niche in the Economy by sarakrindel |  |
NEOPIA CENTRAL - One of the best ways to earn Neopoints/items is exchanging
them with other players. I find this the most interesting way to earn Neopian
property. The basic rule is "buy low, sell high" and the higher above your buying
price you sell, the more you get to keep for yourself. However there are many
ways to accomplish this. You can get items cheaper in the auctions to sell in
your shop, you can buy from the main shops and resell in your shop, you can
try to get more valuable items in the trading post, you can search the Shop Wizard for cheap items to sell in your shop, etc.
Some people are more generalist (they are looking for any way possible to
get a profit), some are more specialist (they have one or two strategies that
work for them). But most people are specialised to some degree to match their
Internet bandwidth, knowledge, and what seems to earn Neopoints for them. Some
time ago there were articles about a way of how to earn Neopoints by haggling
for morphing potions in Kauvara's Magic Shop, then sell for higher in their
shop; that was a very good example of a specialised strategy.
So what strategy have I specialised in? I am generalist in the sense that
I have had a shot at many different ways to earn profit (and property) for variety
if nothing else. But when all is said and done, I favour marketing in Battledome
items, PetPets, and paint brushes which are 7,000-14,000 NP in price. My tool
is the Shop Wizard to find the lowest prices. As a rule, I try to earn at least
1,000 NP of profit per sale, which is why I like items of that price range.
PetPets, paint brushes, and Battledome items are of my choice because they can
get sold within a reasonable time. I especially like items which cost about
12,000 NP in price - many people will just round that down to 10,000 NP (yum!).
Since there are not a whole lot of people dealing with items that expensive,
I can just go on my dial-up modem without much worry of someone beating me to
the cheap item.
However, no specialised strategy fits everyone. If you don't have a fast Internet
connection, you're not very likely to win a good deal in the auctions (I learned
that the hard way). And when I tried the "morphing potion-haggle strategy" which
was described by those articles, I did miserably. The only person I know who
has successfully used my strategy is myself. My experience tells me when I should
buy, or whether it is too expensive to be worth my while (and I had to make
mistakes to gain that experience). But when most other people try it, they sink.
What is your specialisation? The best way to find out is to go out there and
try things. It's a good idea to first have a steady income from games to cover
mistakes you might (and will) make - keep in mind mistakes will result in very
valuable experience. Then try out any way you can see to "buy low, sell high".
Whenever you hear about an item, look it up on the Shop Wizard, whether it's
an angel Chia plushie or combo battle mirror, you never know when you'll stumble
on a strategy. Go to the main shops (as in shops not owned by players) and compare
their prices to the Shop Wizard, and be sure to see the prices of the items
at restock times as well. If you experiment with many methods, you will eventually
settle into a specialisation that will fit you like an old shoe.
I have a friend who is cruising on a 28 kbps modem with 300,000 Neopoints.
Remember, no matter how slow your computer is, you can earn Neopoints if you
are willing to put in the effort. |
