The Secret Lives of Restockers

Restocker [ree-stock-er]

– Verb

One who buys items from the Neopian shops and sells the items for profit. Commonly referred to as an 'RSer.'

[Excerpt from the Official Neopian Dictionary]

While many of us know what an RSer is, and we may have even given restocking a try or two, perhaps for the very elite Chocolate avatar, not many of us truly know much about these enigmatic Neopians. And so today, you will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore…

*dramatic pause*

The Secret Lives of Restockers!

*eerie music followed by a fanfare of trumpets*

First off, Restockers can be very grouchy in the morning, and if you choose to become one, you will have "grouchy days" too. Of course, you cannot blame them. They had to stay up all last night to continue RSing. They were so close to upgrading that bank account that they just had to do it. Or they may have missed that oh-so-coveted Draik morphing potion that seems to only restock late at night. But, their grumpiness may wear off about an hour into restocking, depending on whether they managed to snag an unbuyable or not. But, if they are having a bad RSing day I would suggest staying away for a little while. If not, they are likely to send their evil Meepits after you. *trembles*

In case you are wondering what an unbuyable, commonly referred to as a "UB" is, an unbuyable is an item that cannot be bought from the Shop Wizard. Meaning, it's worth more than 99,999 Neopoints when priced properly. Those are usually items like paintbrushes and morphing potions. They are also the most desired items in Neopia!

"Meepits? Whaaa?" you ask, nervously. Ah, yes. There is a reason why they like to restock in the Petpet Shop. Once they have restocked one or two, they hide them and send them after people who bother them. Stay away, again I warn you, stay far, far, away.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. Most Restockers are very kind people, and wouldn't even think of sending their Meepits after you, unless you really bug them. But there are the few sour apples who become so full of themselves, that they boast and brag and look down on others. Try to avoid those people, and just look out for the nice Restockers.

Now, you may have been one of the lucky ones and caught one of the RSers having a good day. You decide to Neomail them and try to have a conversation. After all, they may give you one of their rare tips on restocking, if you are friendly enough.

Little do you know, the tips this wonderful Restocker is about to give you are going to help you become one of the greatest Restockers of all time!

"Hi there. I hear you are a very good Restocker," you Neomail them politely, and innocently.

"Well, I've restocked a few unbuyables but I don't think I'm the best there is," they say modestly, not trying to brag. You assume they are one of the nice, non-arrogant Restockers.

"So…do you have any tips? How do you get so good?" you type eagerly, your eyes shining like an excited Puppyblew's.

It takes them a while to respond. Your palms get sweaty. You tap your fingers against the side of your desk. A terrible thought crosses your mind: What if they don't respond? What if they don't give me any tips? WHAT IF THEY SEND THEIR MEEPITS AFTER ME?

But then, you click on the "explore" page, and a shiny yellow Neomail event is at the top waiting for you. Anxiously, you click on the Neomail.

"The biggest part is to practice," it reads. "If you don't practice, you'll never get better. Practice makes perfect. It's so cliché, but it's also so true. Nobody was born an expert Restocker. They all started somewhere. ;)

Also, don't overload yourself all at once. If you're just starting out, don't try for anything big, like a morphing potion. Try restocking somewhere else, like the bakery or the garden centre, because disappointment at the very beginning is never good.

Now, haggling is an important part. If the item you want is say, priced at 15,389 Neopoints, you need to make a very quick and easy haggle. There are many options for the haggling price. You could do 15,000, 15,555, 15,515, or any alteration of the sort. The key is to use numbers that are close to each other as possible. Whatever is fastest for you. Plus, make sure the item you are going after has a good amount of profit. You don't want to lose Neopoints. Get yourself familiar with the shop you are RSing with. Make mental notes of what items gain profit and what items don't, so you don't make the same mistake twice.

Also, don't freak out and/or attack your computer if you miss something. It's not the end of the world (unless you miss a Pink Draik Morphing Potion). Just smile and shrug, because you will always have another chance to snag something else. And do not get mad if an item loses you money. It happens to everyone, and it's all a part of the learning experience.

Hope these tips helped you out! And don't forget; items can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye (literally!)."

You reply with a big thank you, and save the Neomail into your RSing folder. Afterward, you continue talking to this Neopian, and find out they are kind and considerate.

And THANKFULLY that they don't plan on sending Meepits after you.

Following their tip, you head straight to the bakery to try and Restock a good item for some profit. You refresh for a few minutes patiently, and you feel your stomach drop as a new row of items appear. But you stay calm, and glance over everything. One item catches your eye, "Smooshed Heart Cake." There's three in stock, for 893 NP. Hurriedly, you click on it and get to the haggle page. With fast fingers, you type in "888," and click the green Kau.

Your heart leaps when your computer screen declares, "I accept your offer of 888 Neopoints!" Smooshed Heart Cake has been added to your inventory.

Hurriedly, you check the Shop Wizard, and you stomach drops again, when you see it is worth 5,000. You easily resell it for 4,750 Neopoints!

That day, you restock a Grilled Cheese Sandwich for 688 Neopoints, and resell it for 5,500. You lose about 1k on a Mint Skeith Iced Bun, but you make up for it when you restock a Fyoras Magic Airspray for 2,444 and resell it for 15,000.

At the end of the day, you've made 40,000 Neopoints in profit. And you owe it all to that wonderful Restocker who gave you some great tips and suggestions.

Later on in your Restocking career, you snag ten Unbuyables in one day. Your stomach no longer drops when no lines of items appear, and you no longer get somber when you miss an item. You no longer kick your computer when you miss that alluring Draik potion (unless it was Pink ;)), and you're completely content with the Neopoints in your bank account.

*snaps fingers*

Okay, time to snap out of dreamland. That didn't really happen. But it can happen to anybody! Anybody can be good at Restocking with some patience and effort. So, what are you waiting for? Start restocking today!