Discovering Neopian Shops

Every Neopian becomes curious once in a while, at what the Neopian world hides. Whether it is a secret place where your Neopets can venture, to finding your own personal shop where all kinds of valuables may be found- for free.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you a discovery that perhaps you did not know about! This discovery is called, *drum roll*: "The Neopian Second-Hand Shoppe".

This delightful yet enclosed store is found in the Neopian Plaza. If you're not sure of where it is or how to get there, you pretty much have to know where to go, or find someone (such as a Neofriend) who knows where it is already. ;) * wink wink* (Or go on the "Help Boards".)

A shy, yet casual looking Ruki holds the store. He wears thick glasses, an old blue hat and patched up sweater. He doesn't have a known name, which adds to the mystery. His shop is a total mess (mainly due to all the Neopians rushing in and out with handfuls of wearables!).

Due to the fact so little is known about this yellow Ruki or where he emerged, I have yet decided to create a little tale about this adorable Ruki who has helped thousands of Neopian get obnoxious or divine clothing from his shop.

Born long ago (ok, not too long ago) near Meri Acres Farm, Sam the yellow Ruki lived with his cousin Charlie, the blue Kacheek (who takes care of the Rubbish Dump). As the Rubbish Dump items grew scarce, Sam realized 1. He didn't like the odor Charlie or his Rubbish Dump cast off, and 2. He realized there was no more place for him to work alongside Charlie. It was then that Sam decided to help Neopians around Neopia with their clothing style (let's face it, Charlie isn't very "fashionable"). So off Sam went to the Neopian Plaza, where he opened up a little shop and where every day he greets people hoping to make a change.

Enough with the story! Now, let me explain to you what this marvelous little shop does. It is where Neopians donate their old wearables so other Neopians may take them and hoard them in their closets! These items can be practically anything, but the common ones you will see are dung, (yes, dung is wearable!) mossy rocks, ultra fashionable potato sacks and a few common backgrounds. (Common or not, backgrounds are always fun to have, especially when they're free!)

This little Shoppe is sort of like the Money tree, but instead of being able to donate all sorts of items, money, books, etc. this shop relies mainly on accessories and trinkets for your delightful and charming pets!

Once again, like the Money tree, the shopkeeper only allows a user to take a maximum of 10 items a day. This being said, be careful at what you select and decide to choose! Once you click on an item, even if you give it back (or donate it back) it will still have counted as part of the 10 items you could bring. So don't take home 10 piles of dung even though you find them astoundingly pretty, or you grew inevitably fond of them, because you can buy them in the Shop Wizard for about 10 Neopoints each depending on the times. (Don't bring them home because you think they smell pretty either... if they did, the shopkeeper would be keeping them and not trying to get RID of them!)

When selecting an item, remember to refresh your page often as well, so that new items may come in and the old ones that people already took leave.

Before going further with this great shop, let me explain to you how you could donate to it too! (And why you should as well... ) Each and everyone one of us has a bit of hoarding in us, and because of our SDB (safety deposit box), we tend to let our "inner hoarder" appear a little more. As soon as we have too much junk, we usually keep it in our SDB or we delete all of it with our quick select, and depending on others, I have no idea what you do with your items. But here's what I know you can do... you can DONATE! (And make your inner hoarder leave a little bit because that's what happens when you have 3,000 + items in your SDB and most of them are wearables... )

So by taking out a lot of wearables you know you'll never wear again, (because you have 100x that one item or it's COMPLETELY out of fashion) then you can donate it all, and if they ARE wearables, then they'll go directly into Sam's Shoppe (or the yellow Ruki's Shoppe).

By doing this, you're helping another Neopian and their Neopet's fashion, and you're helping yourself too! (By becoming less of a hoarder and by being less greedy; come on, who needs 200 wearable Dungs?!)

Also, before closing this article, it is said that every so often TNT makes characters donate items as well, such as Jerdana. (Jerdana was known as "the protector"; she was part of the council of twelve that ruled over Altador.) Other "donors" include Hubrid, Koya, Prince Jazan, Princess Amira (and a few more). An example of what Jerdana donated was a Snowflake Frame. Remember to be quick when restocking here, especially when characters are donating items that can sometimes be worth quite the amount!

Now that you've discovered the shop, the owner, and some of the donors *cough cough*, off you go to the Shoppe to try and get your hands on a rare valuable that you can gift, exchange, donate or wear. ;) (Ok, or hoard... but I don't suggest that, at all.) Remember, though, you should give too! If it weren't for generous Neopians and characters, the shop probably wouldn't be running. So it's nice to take, but it's also nice to give as well!