There are many ways to shop. You need to find what works best for you and use it.

 

Shops:  Some of the Neopian shops are great. You MUST have a high speed connection to use the shops. If you're looking for a specific item, check the price on the shop wizard before you purchase it from a shop. Sometimes items are actually cheaper on the shop wizard than in the Neopian shops. You must be quick to use the shops but if you're lucky enough to have a high speed connection, make sure to take advantage of the 3rd day of every month. This is half price day which means that all Neopian shop items are sold at half price. That's just more profit for you!

 

Auctions: This is also a good way to pick up nice items at a good price. Again, it is helpful if you have a high speed connection so you can be the last to bid at the last second. Make sure to see the price of the item you're looking for on the shop wizard before you bid. Keep checking the auction genie so when the last few moments of the auction comes you can try to outbid. Most people wait until the last minute so they can win so be ready.

 

Shop wizard shopping: This is also a good method if you have a high speed connection but it is not always necessary. To use this method of shopping, you need to have a certain item in mind. Put that item into the shop wizard and continue to refresh until you see a great price. See, the shop wizard lists shops according to the first letter in your username. Some username's are generally lower priced than others so refreshing on the shop wizard could save you many NP.  I have found secret laboratory maps that normally sell for 45K and above on sell in the shop wiz for 1 NP. You just have to be quick to nab it. Try to look for various items at a cheaper price than normal and buy them quickly! You are only allowed a certain amount of refreshes per hour though so if you run out, you will have to wait until the start of the new hour to search again.

 

Trading post shopping: This is my favorite way to shop because I have a slow connection. I usually search for codestones, map pieces, neggs, faeries, codestones, petpets, and paint brushes because these are the easiest items for me to sell. I have looked up most of these items on the shop wizard so I know the going rate. I also keep an additional window minimized in case I run across a trade and need to see what it is selling for. That way I don't lose my trade while I'm pricing the item. Depending on the amount of the trade, I usually bid a bit under the normal selling price to ensure myself a profit. Sometimes I'm lucky and sometimes I'm not but I've come across some very interesting trades for really cheap prices. If you happen to run across a trade and they are asking a very cheap price, bid 100 or so over the asking price to try and ensure the highest bid. For example, codestones are currently selling from 4K to 6K or so but I have seen ppl asking for 2K for a codestone. I will bid 2100 so I have a better chance at bidding the highest. I'm still going to make a profit after all.

 

 

After creating a decent size shop with a great shopkeeper and welcome message, you need to stock it and begin making NP. Use the "quick stock" link to stock many items at once from your inventory. It may seem time consuming but look up each and every item on the shop wizard that you have stocked in your shop. Try to refresh until you come upon the page with usernames that start with the same letter as your own. See what that item is selling for and price it accordingly in your own shop.  Try to pay attention in the first few prices. If the lowest priced item on that page is say...3,000 NP and the next highest is 3,900 NP, then you can feel safe at selling the item for 3899 rather than 2,999. There is such a great price jump that you may just want to wait a lil longer to sell the item and keep the extra profit. Make sure to check your shop till every day and remove your profit. Keep your shop stocked as often as possible. Scratch cards are an easy item to sell. Race to riches are bought for 600 NP and you can easily sell them for 800 NP or more. The better the scratch card, the better the profit so don't forget to stay well stocked on those. Try to also remember that newly released items are always more expensive in the beginning. If you come across one, sell it quickly and if you want one to keep, try to wait a while until the prices go down. Stay up on the news so you know what's coming. If you know a war is coming, stock up on codestones and faeries and they will inevitably go up in price during the war. You can make a really nice profit if you can afford to wait.

 

Owning a shop can take up a decent amount of time but it is a very quick and easy way to make NP if you use your head. Happy shopping!