Auctioning Tips... By the Dozen!

Also by swimfastist1091

AUCTION HOUSE - You walk into the Auction house and scan your surroundings. Upon entering you spot the item you've been saving up for for the longest time, and hurry over to place your bet. Only a few seconds later another, higher, bid has been placed! You continue bidding 'til the last few seconds, but suddenly, when you go to place a bid, that dreaded message appears- the one that states someone already bid higher. Well, you rush back to bid, and find the price has gone up outrageously, by several thousand Neopoints in only a few seconds. In this article we will show you 24 tips on bidding; an even 2 dozen, including everything from when to bid, to what to bid.

1. Don't jack up the price unless it is absolutely necessary; unless there are only a few seconds left, it is generally a waste of your Neopoints to raise the price more than you must.

2. Pick an auction that is ending sometime when you will be on the computer. If you are not there for the last few minutes, there is almost no way you will win.

3. Make sure that you can refresh often and quickly. If you computer isn't loading very quickly at that time, it may be best to do it some other day.

4. If you think you will run a little low on Neopoints, get a friend to stay as backup for the last 5 minutes. That way, you won't run out and lose!

5. Have ice cream or another snack handy, just in case hunger gets to you before your item does!

6. Don't think that your computer won't break down on you. It always could. Make sure that friend of yours knows to keep bidding til the very end.

7. Don't eat and drive! Be safe, and from the auction house too.

8. Know your limits -- even though you really want Tonu Leather Shield, don't go spending way too much on it. If you know that you need those 2000 extra Neopoints to buy some food, don't spend them.

9. This is going to sound silly but… Have fun! It's not worth the trouble if you're frustrated or stressed about getting it. People at auctions who get two intense about getting something bet things they don't want to bet. (Trust us; we know this from personal experience.)

10. Just surf around Neopets; find something new you've never seen before. You can spend hours searching for the Mystery pic each week, only to still be completely lost! Then, a few of days later, you may click on a page by accident only to find yourself smack dab in front of the answer to the Mystery Pic. Of course by then you will have given up on the idea.

11. Sometimes people will jack up the price very high before the end of the auction is coming. Here's the tip, if you see its very high don't bid, if you already did let it go. If the price is very high... let's say, half an hour before the end, just imagine how high it will get in the last five minutes.

12. If it's a while before the end of an Auction, save your Neopoints Wait till the end- someone's just going to bid higher than you if you bid too early. Our suggestion: bid on to show people that you're there. Then open up a second window and play a game. That way you have entertainment till the end, and you can grab a couple more Neopoints as well.

13. Don't participate in a role-play and go to the auction house at the same time. They just don't mix.

14. Have spare time, and be prepared for when someone else bids higher. Basically, be quick on your toes. Or should it be... fingers?

15. If you're trying to get an item for an avatar, you better count on the fact that someone else will be too. So even if you are the only bidder at one point, don't go and run off. There's a good chance someone else might just want that for an avatar too.

16. Don't bother bidding on items that appear on the first page of the auction house- generally, there's only about a second left to bid, and you probably won't make it in time.

17. Search around; if you're looking for cheap food, don't go for the first Carrot and Pea Omelette you see. You can find a better deal just around the river bend.

18. Don't you just love how the How to Draw section makes everything sound so simple? Like, for example, on the Grey Faerie: "Lastly, add hair". Anyway...

19. Usually, the best time to go on the Auctions is generally either very early in the morning and very late at night (NST 11PM-5AM). Although this may be in the middle of the day for you, a lot of Neopians are from the USA, and they will most likely be either sleeping, or not fully concentrating. It's much more empty than other times, say, 1PM NST, when a tons people are online and at the Auction house.

20. Make sure you have a large pad of paper and a writing utensil handy for those long "When will this end!?" moments. Let your mind soar as you make captivating sqiggles across your page. Then you always can rip it up and aim for the trash can. We bet you could make it in...12....16...101 times!

21. Be persistent. If you don't win the first item you try for, just try again!

22. The most important step to winning an auction is be aggressive! Go for the Gold! If you don't try hard, you won't get that item you've been saving up for.

23. Wait.... if that's the most important, then why isn't it Number 1? Did we miss something!??

24. If you find that, no matter how hard you try, you never win auctions... go to the Trading Post.