Is This A Fair Trade Guide
This guide was originally written by [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=28689]DaDwarf[/url]
[center][size=150]Is this a fair trade? – The Guide![/size][/center]
Hello c: The fair trade thread seems to get overrun by trades that could simply be solved by users themselves if they would know how to spot fairness in a trade! This guide will help you figure that out so that hopefully the FTT won’t get too flooded with these kinds of trades anymore!
[center][b][u]PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A GUIDE. NOT A SET RULE BOOK![/u][/b][/center]
[i]Disclaimer; The trades used in this topic are not all trades I've made. I've gotten some from friends as well. It doesn't matter whose they are so please don’t ask about it C:[/i]
Chapter 1: Read up on rarities!
Start by reading the understanding rarities guide! This guide will explain what exactly rarities are and what influences them! It’s a good guide to have read and one you can always hop back to should you forget! [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=784157]Click here to go to the 'Understanding rarities guide' written by Hekomi![/url]
After the Understanding rarities guide, it’s good to also read the rareslist guide! [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=112366]Click here to go to the rareslist guide![/url]
This guide shows the rarest pets on the site. The list includes both rarity AND demand! We don’t know real rarity as that is information that Tess and Nick will [u]not[/u] reveal to us ;D so it is impossible to create a list based on rarity alone!
Chapter 2: Rarity labels versus demand
[b]What is a Rarity label? [/b] A rarity label is the rarity given to the pet by the site. The website automatically calculates how many pets there are on the site versus how many active users there are and assigns different rarity labels to show how ‘rare’ or ‘not rare’ the pets are.
Most members who are new to trading assume that rarity labels automatically mean the trade is fair. Uncommon for uncommon, rare for rare. This is almost true, but there is always the dreaded..DEMAND!
[b]What is demand?[/b] Quote from the understanding rarities guide: [quote]Demand is probably one of the most important things to consider in rarities, besides their face values. Certain pets are just worth more in demand. The more people who want something, the more popular it is. Usually then supply is increased. Demand must be taken into account with all pets, as even certain commons are more in demand than others.[/quote] To put it a little simpler, Demand is basically how much the pet is wanted. For example, if 10 of your CS friends all want the same pet, you could say the pet is very in demand for them! Always try to use the search function and see how many people are looking for the pet you have before trading!
[center][size=135]There is a difference between pet demand and species demand.[/size][/center]
Some pets have more demand than others. This can differ from person to person and therefore I won’t create a list that shows which pets are in and not in demand. The general understanding is that dogs have more demand then for example rats and spiders. This is simply because more people like the dogs than they like the rats and spiders. However, someone who keeps rats at home and is afraid of dogs might actually want rats more than dogs. Always keep in mind that the way you view demand might not be the way your trade partner views demand!
That being said, if you feel like you could get a better trade for a pet because you think that your trade partner is underestimating the demand of your pet, simply cancel the trade!Chapter 3: A step by step process to accepting your trade!
[u][i]Step 1: [/i][/u] [b]Do you like the pet your trade partner is offering? [/b] [b]Yes?[/b] Good! [b]No?[/b] Time to edit or cancel!
[b]Do you like the pet your trade partner is wanting/offering on? [/b] [b]No?[/b] Good! Continue to [u]step 2.[/u] [b]Yes?[/b] Time to edit or cancel and put the pet in a locked group C:
This step is all about determining personal demand. If you don’t like the pet you are being offered OR don’t want it, you don’t value that pet important. There is no personal demand to the pet. Why accept a trade for a pet you don’t want?
[u][i]Step 2:[/i][/u] [b]Is the pet they are offering of the same rarity as the pet they are wanting? [/b] [b]Yes?[/b] Go to [u]step 3! [/u] [b]No?[/b]: [b]Are there more pets in the trade that could potentially make up the difference? [/b] [b]No?[/b] Cancel! [b]Yes?[/b] Go to [u]step 3![/u]
This step is about general fairness. If someone is offering you an uncommon for your rare, you can almost assume that the trade is unfair to your rare! Always check dates!
[u]Step 3: [/u] Now things start getting interesting! If this trade is a 1X1 trade, continue. If it’s a trade that includes an uneven number of pets with mixed rarities, go to [u]step 5[/u].
[b]Is the pet your trade partner is offering the same species as the pet they want? [/b] [b]Yes?[/b] Good, [u]step 4![/u] [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/trades/viewtrade.php?id=31419275&userid=28689&signature=gvuRuG3BnKA2gsml9lm5cw]Here's an Example of fairness, a litter swap![/url] [b]No? Is the species more in demand than yours?[/b] If it is more in demand, continue to [u]step 4[/u]! If it isn’t, time to edit or cancel! [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/trades/viewtrade.php?id=31431556&userid=28689&signature=bx-s5JNZ9dpyKIiKojYi-g]Example of unfairness, Malks have more demand than horses and the months don’t match up![/url]
[u]Step 4:[/u] The 3 month rule. Generally speaking, when the trade is same species same rarity, a 3 month date between the pets is still acceptable as fair. For example, a 2010 uncommon January dog would be fair for a 2010 uncommon March dog. Within 3 months = fair.
[b]Same species and same rarity and within the 3 month rule?[/b] That means it’s time to have a look at the demand. Check the outcomes thread and the monthly thread as well as the swaps thread and the trade forums! Are lots of people looking for this pet? Then you can say it’s ‘in demand’. Do both pets share the same demand? Then the trade is fair and you are ready to accept! If the pet doesn’t share the same demand it’s time to edit. Sometimes a missed outcome or a common from the same year is acceptable to cover the gap
[b]Same species and same rarity but not within the 3 months rule?[/b] Also check the demand. Is their pet in better demand? Accept the trade. Is their trade in worse demand than yours or the same? Edit and add a common or recently missed outcome!
[b]Can’t find the demand of a pet?[/b] Then it’s most likely not that in demand. That doesn't mean it has negative demand or isn't wanted at all, it just means that it’s not a pet that everybody is looking for right now!
[b]Are you getting A LOT of offers on the pet but you can't find information on it's demand?[/b] Ask someone! I usually assume that a pet is wanted if i get 4-5 trades for the same pet within a week lol
If after [u]step 4[/u] you still have trouble decide if the swap of these 2 pets would be fair, consider to post on the FTT for an extra opinion! [u]Always ask for a [size=130]second opinion![/size] Two answers! If both people say the same as you were thinking you can accept![/u]. If someone gives faulty/wrong advice and you didn't ask for a second opinion, you might accept a trade that wasn't fair at all!
[u]Step 5:[/u][b] A trade with more than 1 pet. Yay for complicatedness![/b]
[b][i]Try striking out pets.[/i][/b] For this one I’m gonna use an example because it’s hard to explain otherwise. Check out this trade:
[size=130][url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/trades/viewtrade.php?id=31477550&userid=232435&signature=byINuTG6E8EBgRbZWuHaQw]Click![/url][/size]
First thing first. The 18th December dog is a rerelease from 2009. Always check for rereleases! (More about rereleases can be found in chapter 7 or in the [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=784157]Understanding rarities guide[/url])
Time to [strike]strike![/strike] When this trade was made, the Halloween pets did not have their rarities yet so we count those as a fair swap. The 2013 uncommon cat would be a somewhat fair swap for one of the 2013 bunnies. The 2012 common+ the rat would be underpay to another bunny. Then there’s the rares. 2 2009 rares on one side and one 09 rare and one 2010 rare on the other. Do you see where I’m going? [i]This trade is unfair to the side with the rerelease![/i]
[b]Too complicated? Let’s do another![/b]
[size=130][url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/trades/viewtrade.php?id=31455196&userid=232435&signature=sQ1kq_ZmWXMakwK-yU7Ivg]Click![/url][/size] The butterfly wolf is from a month before the horse, so that’s within the 3month rule, right? Right! So those are a fair swap. The two commons and one very common are all 3 older than the uncommon pony. [i]Would I say this is fair? I’d actually say this is a little overpay to the 4 pet side, but overall it’s a good fair trade! [/i]
[b]One more, for the rareslist people ;D[/b]
[size=130][url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/trades/viewtrade.php?id=31394785&userid=232435&signature=PMWi8WUJDSF6zf-qeUdWAA]Click![/url][/size]
[b]Look at the rareslist. [/b]The winged wood angel is on the main list, sits together with a balloon dog. You can clearly see from this one that it’s not a fair trade, it’s not even anywhere near the WWA. One grinner is worth 2 mid-advents. If you search on the forums you can find this information. Together with the fact that a WWA/balloon dog is worth around 21 mid-advents! So this trade? Has about 5 mid-advents on the one side, and 21 on the other side. [i]Is this trade fair? I think you can answer this one yourself! [/i] [b][size=130]When unsure it’s always 100% oke to post on the FTT or pm someone from the 2nd post of the FTT! Always![/size][/b]
[b]If someone claims to have pm’d someone from the 2nd post of the FTT or claims to have posted on it, please RESEARCH! [size=150]Do NOT trust your trading partner.[/size][/b]. People do nasty things, especially to get what they want! It’s becoming more and more common for people to say “This user said it was fair” in order to get YOU to accept an UNFAIR trade! This is scamming and is a reportable offence. [b]ALWAYS VERIFY IF THE PERSON YOUR TRADE PARTNER GOT HIS INFORMATION FROM ACTUALLY DID GIVE THAT INFORMATION! DON’T LET YOURSELF BE SCAMMED![/b]Chapter 4: Different Ways of trading.
There are a few ways of trading!
[b]Trading up. Trading down. Trading for wishlist. Trading for collection. Trading for hoards. Trading via paperclips.[/b]
[b]Trading up.[/b] Trading up means that you are looking to go up in either rarity, demand or month/year. You pay fair for the gaps and do not rely on overpays!
[b]Trading down.[/b] The same as trading up, you trading your pet down in rarity, demand or month/year and are fairly helping others to trade up, basically xD
[b]Trading via paperclips.[/b] Read this thread to learn more about paperclips -> [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1567102&p=47262050&hilit=paperclip#p47262050]Read Tuike and DaDwarf's posts![/url] Paperclipping is exchanging something for something worth more. You are relying on the generosity of others to go forward with your trading. This is frowned upon by some people. I myself am not a big fan of this – I overpay when I want to overpay, and certainly not when I’m asked to xD
[b]Trading for wishlist.[/b] Pets on wishlist are often the most wanted pets. The pets people trade for. This can mean that they will pay better for wishlist pets! Always check if they have a wishlist posted somewhere or made somewhere because they can also have those pets added just for their collection!!
[b]Trading for collection.[/b] People who trade for collection have all pets on their wishlist. In their case, they might not actually want the pet for themselves but more for their collection. Odds are that these people will not pay better for the pets on their wishlist!!
[b]Trading for hoards.[/b] Hoarding is a sensitive subject on CS. Some people are really against it xD I’m a hoarder myself and I pride myself in owning so many of a certain pet C: I however refuse to overpay for my hoards and they are just any other pet. I don’t see why I should have to pay more just because I hoard them xD I pay fair and that’s that!
Some hoarders like to overpay for their hoards though. Some even auction really rare pets for a larger sum of their hoards so always stay on the look-out for hoarders! You might just get a really good deal 8DChapter 5: Threads that can help you!
[url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=34891&start=0]The guide index![/url] [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2053012]The "Is this a fair trade?" Thread.[/url] [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1602801]The "How much is this pet worth?" Thread[/url] [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=212787]The "How much is this item worth?" thread.[/url] [url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=341749&start=0]"How much is this worth in C$?" thread[/url]
[url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=784157&start=0]Understanding Rarities Guide[/url][url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=112366&start=0]Rareslist[/url]Chapter 6: Trade etiquette
[i]What is generally frowned upon and what is not.[/i]
Always try to see what kind of person you are trading with! Are they seriously trying to get a goal? Is trading their business? Are they just playing for fun? These kinds of things matter in the way you approach people!
[i]“Yo homie wanna trade?”[/i] is [u]NOT[/u] appropriate as a trade message to someone who is serious about trading! They probably take the message the wrong way and cancel!
[size=150][b]Do’s![/b][/size] - Be polite! Treat people the way you want to be treated! - Clear messages! Add what you want from the person! Nobody can read minds! - Read people’s trade rules! You want people to read yours, don’t you?
[size=150][b]Don’t’s![/b][/size] - Speak in chat speak! Keep in mind not everybody can read chat speak! Most find it annoying! - Spam! Try to not use 1000’s of smileys! Keep the message short and simple! - Break rules on purpose!”I know your rules said not to but..”, Don’t do this! One way ticket to get your - trade canceled and sometimes even get you foed as well! - Claim that your trade is fair! Fairness is in the eye of the beholder! You saying something is fair while your partner doesn’t think it’s fair is a bad start to trading! - [u]PM PEOPLE AFTER YOUR TRADE WAS CANCELED![/u] Cancel is clear. They don’t want to trade. There’s no need to bother them about it!
[b]If someone is rude to you, REPORT them! If someone harrasses you about a trade, REPORT them![/b]Chapter 7: Special event pets and monthly releases, the 18th and Store pets!
[b]Monthly adopts and Special event pets[/b] It’s normal for certain monthly release as well as special event pets to have more demand than others.
There is [b]NO need for you to overpay[/b] for a missed outcome! Wait a month until the demand settles and you should be able to get the pet for a simple swap! Demand always goes up when something pretty grows or comes out and dies down later when people realize that the pets aren't actually that hard to get!
A good example of this would be the banner pets we get during Halloween and the summer events! The burnt dog from 2011 went for SO much overpay after the first one was found! People were desperate to get their hands on them and overpay after overpay trades were made.
And nowadays – 2 years AFTER the event has ended ([url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/archive/2011/Medieval%20Faire/)]Click to see[/url] The dog is STILL uncommon! It’s not as rare as people thought it was! I myself ended up with over 10 of them by clicking the banner. [u]Don’t join into hyped and panicky demand! It will only cost you![/u]
Special event pets are usually a little more rare than monthly adopts. Keep in mind that special event pets are only adoptable for a few weeks while the monthly adopts are adoptable the whole month and require no effort! That being said, If you are an active CS member you should be able to get AT LEAST 2 complete sets of whatever the event is doing + extras to trade! So there are always plenty of pets/items around! Don’t overpay on the first day something new is released! You will probably have an easier time swapping for it a day or 2 after, when something new is released that others are missing and you did have double/extra!
[b]18th December 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and soon to come, 2013 and 24th of December 2011[/b]
[b]Always check what you have![/b] Every year, CS gives us the opportunity to adopt a really rare pet! On December the 18th every year we are allowed to adopt from a box which gives us a random newborn from previous years! Only in 2011 was there a rerelease on the 24th so memorize that date as well xD
[b]IF YOU HAVE A PET THAT HAS THE 18TH DECEMBER DATE (or 24th, 2011), ALWAYS CHECK THE ARCHIVES.[/b]
[b]Is is in the archives under December of the year you are in?[/b] Then it’s a normal release. [b]Is it under the advent section of the year you are in?[/b] Then it’s an advent release. [b]Is it in the special releases section of the year you are in[/b]? [u]Then it’s an UNRELEASED PET and worth at least something on the rareslist![/u] Check the list, we have tons of Ur’s already! [b]Is it NOT in the section? THEN IT’S A RERELEASE AND POTENTIALLY WORTH LOTS![/b]
[b]Do not trade it without checking! ReReleases are worth EXACTLY the same as true-dates![/b]
[b]Store pets[/b]
Store pets are rarer than your average pets! They are bought with C$ which is bought with real money! If you do not have C$ and do not want to spend cash on Chicken smoothie, you can either trade for the C$ or directly for the store pets! I suggest looking for hoarders! They often pay good C$ numbers for their hoards! (For example I pay 1C$ for a common hoard pet, some people pay up to 3C$!)
Store pets are never Rereleased! Their value only goes [b]UP UP UP[/b]. This means that in 2 months time, the store pet that was bought for 20C$ will now be worth 23C$. Store pets slowly move their way onto the rareslist as they are truly the rarest pets on the site, over time of course, not right now xD
A store pet is commonly worth what C$ would be worth on a pet. So, a very rare 2011 store pet is worth MORE than a regular release 2011! It’s worth at least a rare 2010, something around 20+C$! Store pets rarity can only increase so keep that in mind when you trade your store pets away!
[center][size=150]This guide is subject to change![/size]
I will edit when needed![/center]