The Item Battle

One of the best investments you can make on the site is in items. However, buying items is like buying stock: the prices will fluctuate. What you want to do is buy an item when it is affordable and sell when the price spikes in user shops. A good example of this theory would be Cheetah and Dalmatian dyes. Both of these dyes were one-time release, meaning they were sent to every account on the site. A lot of people used them frivolously, but some users bought them cheap in User Shops and let them sit in their inventories. Now, both dyes sell for several mil. That is quite a turnaround, more that 100% increase in most cases.

I'll share a little secret, since I doubt many people read this. The best times to buy items are when a new token is released, a new breed, something long-awaited, etc. Around Divine Day last year people were selling their Delicate and Gypsy adornment sets for less than 30 cwp. If I had been intelligent, I would have spent my cwp on items rather than tokens, but now I know. Also, there's something to be said for hoarding limited-release tokens. Bane tokens right now are worth more than Divines. Of course, this will only last until people realize that both breeds will be rereleased once a year, but take advantage of the craze while you can.

Whether you're buying items for the purpose of reselling, or whether its been one of your long-time goals to acquire a tutu, the biggest thing I can emphasize is patience. Some items are so rare they have no list price in Shop Search, or if they do, its because the owner wanted to show off said item without actually selling it. It is highly unlikely that a user actually expects to get 2000 cwp for a Rose or Top Hat. They're just advertising that they have it. If you're interested (and have the means to acquire) one of the rarer items, you need to PM people with those items in their shop, asking politely if they're interested in selling and if so, what they're hoping to get for it. You can also make a thread in the Item Sales/Sales/Wanted ads forums advertising that you're looking to purchase one of those items. It may take a long time to get a hit, so you must be patient. I know a user who has been looking to buy a Rose for over a year. I don't know if she's found one to purchase yet, but she was offering a Snowcollar in exchange.

In short, buying and dealing in items is a risky business, but one that can be far more rewarding than dealing solely in wajas. Stick to your guns, and save save save. Maybe someday you'll be able to get your hands on a Tutu, and there's nothing that can compare with that sense of accomplishment.