User blog:Exitmenu/Some Things You Should Consider While AJ Trading

There are many things you should consider while trading in Animal Jam.

As far as I have experienced, here are the things I have noted and follow as much as I can.

1) People always want overtrades, no matter how small. After all every AJ collector is looking for profit, not a loss! So to convice someone to accept a trade, you should overtrade with a small item that has no massive value or is not of use to you. Masterpieces are a common addition for overtrades, but avoid overtrading using masterpieces with a lot of likes or if it is good.

2) Promo items have a tendency to go down in value. Always note this and trade away your promo items while they are at their prime to avoid losses unless you are a collector. People who earned the items buying toys and such will most likely want to keep them and this is completely okay. Of course some items have risen in value instead (the Snow Leopard Slippers).

3) It is also mentioned in this wiki and is very important. In fact it is a common misconception. The den beta values of spikes ONLY matter when you are trading a spike for den betas! If this was not true then three bad longs would equal a black long, which is clearly unfair. Please note this and not make any mistakes.

4) Some of the famous spots for trading and to find items with a lot of value (items that are above black longs in the trading systems) is WootMoo's den or Brady's lab (In Temple of Zios) in Aldan. WootMoo's den is almost always full, and Brady's lab at a certain time of the day. You are most likely to find Magenta items in Brady's lab.

5) Some items are very popular but is extremely difficult to get like Headdresses. This is why the lower HDs like RIM HD and DP HD is rising because they are easier to get. The higher HDs like LP HD is falling. It was worth 32 Black Longs at it's prime!

6) When you fall for scams, it's almost always your fault. Never trust anyone with your rares, even your friends! Don't expect people to sympathize and donate good items to you just because you got scammed, because it's your own fault.

7) Avoid going first in trades that  involve 20+ items or cross trading. If this is necessary, then there are possible other ways to do it without getting scammed.

8) Research! Research is extremely important in trading. If you see my profile, you will see I did some pretty ridiculously bad trades. This is because of my lack of research. Always be well informed about the values of items and keep track of which items are rising or falling!

9) Demand of an item matter. There are many items worth a lot but low demand ruins it all. For example the ten million banner is a low demand item worth a short collar. But it's hard to even get a long wrist for it! (Don't undertrade though, you never know someone might want it and may give a short collar).

10) You will always want a profit, never a loss. In other words, you will want an overtrade or a variety trade. Don't be a spike hoarder, as you will find out that spike hoarders sometimes have difficulty trading for items higher than a black long in the trading system.

11) RIMs may seem worthless, but this is not always the case. They may rise in value massively.

That's all the basic things you need to know if you are going to go out there for trading. Keep these in mind while trading at all times!