An In-Depth Guide to Trading! [Fairness/Etiquette/Demand]

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An In-Depth Guide to Trading! [Fairness/Etiquette/Demand]

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:25 am

    Welcome to: An In-Depth Guide to Trading!


    This guide is here to help you understand the difference between a fair and an unfair trade, as well as learn about differences in demand and rarity, and even trade etiquette! We try to go more in-depth about all you want to learn, so feel free to ask any and all questions here!

    I'll address a few things in this guide and will add over time, so please do check back regularly! Here are some of the things i want to address.

    Fairness
    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 you can make your own educated guesses and won't have to rely on someone else's opinion.

    Demand and Rarity
    What difference do demand and rarity make? what about supply and availability? This will all be discussed.

    Trade Etiquette
    What is the best way to get what you want? How can you trade up and down efficiently? Trade rules, forms of trading and the like, all of this will be discussed in this chapter!


    Last updated: March 2019
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Chapter 1

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:25 am

    Chapter 1: Understanding rarities!


    What is rarity?
    Rarity is explained quite simply:
    The number of pets on CS divided by the number of active accounts on CS. The more pets per user, the more 'common' a pet is. These rarities are shown underneath the pet by these very colorful tags. As of right now, we have 7 rarity tags.

    These labels are often referred to as 'rarity labels' or 'rarity tags'
    ImageImageImageImage
    ImageImageImage

    The website automatically calculates this and assigns different rarity labels to show how ‘rare’ or ‘not rare’ the pets are.

    As you can imagine, an OMG so common pet means that there are more pets then active users. An OMG so rare pet means that there are less copies of this pet per active user. We don't know the exact values but nick did once give us an example (back in 2009, severely outdated):

    Nick wrote:Right now the rarities are:
    OMG so rare! (less than 1 pet per 1000 users)
    Very rare (less than 1 pet per 80 users)
    Rare (less than 1 pet per 25 users)
    Uncommon (less than 1 pet per 5.5 users)
    Common (less than 1 pet per 3 users)
    Very common (more than 1 pet per 3 users)
    OMG so common (???)


    This still can give us an indication. For omg so rare, it says 1 pet per 1000 users. That means that if all those 1000 users wanted to complete their collection, only 1 person would be able to. That is why there is value in these rarities.

    What are active accounts?
    Active accounts are considered people who log in. They don't have to post on the forum or send trades. All they have to do is log in.

    When is an account considered inactive?
    We don't actually know the exact cut off, but it's been speculated its between 6 to 12 months.

    How does rarity work?
    Each 1- 3 months, CS gets a small rarity update. Usually this means that pets become rarer, but it can also mean a pet becoming more common. For example, if a hoarder of 10.000 common pets goes inactive, that hoard pet might go up to be uncommon or even rare. If said hoarder then comes back online, that hoard pet will drop down in rarity again.

    Why does rarity have to change?
    When pets grow older, it's likely they go up in rarity. This happens because more and more people join CS daily. So, when a pet was adopted, it may have been more then 1 pet per 3 users (very common) While now the number of users has increased making it 1 pet per 3 users(common). It will thus move up in rarity.

    You can view the rarity changes archive here: Click!

    How come we don't know any real numbers and just use guesses and old information?
    We don’t know real rarity as that is information that Tess and Nick will not reveal to us.

    So any rare pet can be traded for another rare pet?
    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! Generally, pets within the same rarity are swap-able, but the older a pet is, the higher it could sit on its rarity scale.
    Small example of a rarity scale:
    2010 rare
    Image --l----------------------------------------- Image


    2018 rare
    Image ---------------------------------------l----- Image
    This is just an example of a rarity scale, please don't take it as fact.


    This is assuming that pets that got released early on are getting rarer then pets released recently. You can see that the 2010 rare is closer to becoming Very rare while the 2018 rare is just barely a rare to begin with. There's no way to tell is this is true, this is why we say 'dates matter - to an extend'.

    Dates Matter - What does that mean? It simply means that the date underneath a pet matters as well as it's rarity. The older a pet becomes, the rarer it becomes. This has to do with how many pets were adopted by the amount of members back when they were released.

    You can compare this statement to collecting stamps: An example would be if in 2005 a certain stamp was released 100 times because only 100 people were interested in that stamp, in 2015 that same stamp would've gone up in value because there are now only 100 stamps out there while there may be 10000's of people wanting that stamp. So, the older it gets, the more valuable!

    Does this mean re-releases are worth less then the originals?
    No, while re-release have a 'new' date, they are exact copies of the original and so are worth exactly the same! Some people may prefer true-dates but they aren't worth any more! It does mean that the overall worth of the pet goes down a bit because there are then more pets for the same amount of people. This change is not noticeable in most pets but some pets do go down in rarity because of it!


    Demand
    Demand fluctuates up and down. If a lot of users like a specific pet and seek it, you can say this pet is in demand. It works the other way around too, if a lot of users dislike a specific pet or there are a lot of them out there, you can say it has less demand.

    To put it a little simpler, Demand is basically how much the pet is wanted. It moves up and down, because outside world things influence demand as well. Small example: We've had pets that resemble specific fandom's (warrior cats, malk dragons, etc) That may be in big demand for the fans of that specific fandom, but not for those who don't follow/read/watch those works.

    Different kinds of demand explained:
    (these are types of demand used by users on CS, i'll just explain their meaning here)

    Pet demand - General demand given to an individual pet, this is generally influenced by what it's based on. For example, a dog that looks like a German Shepard might be very wanted by German Shepard owners, while a fresh new design dog might be more in demand by those who follow the artist who made it. Each pet and each user has their own preference points. Generally, when a pet is liked by a lot of people, you can say that its in demand.

    Species demand - Some species are inherently more in demand then others. For example, generally a lot of people like dogs, while not everybody likes spiders. You can argue that the dogs are thus more in demand then spiders. However, someone who keeps spiders at home and is afraid of dogs might actually want spiders more than dogs. Always keep in mind that the way you view demand might not be the way your trade partner views demand!

    Normal demand - When a pet is very wanted, it becomes 'in demand'. Lost of people are looking for it, lots of people are willing to pay a nice price for it. This is normal and happens all the time. Some pets just are naturally more liked then others.

    Greedy demand - Added/Greedy demand is sadly a thing happening on cs, where someone 'buys' a pet for overpay and then expect even more overpay when they trade it away. This isn't normal demand, it's driving up the price to make a profit and sometimes people forget that by overpaying crazy, they'll only make it harder to earn a profit.

    Special release demand - During special releases such as events, people always miss an outcome or 2. These pets always spike in demand right away, but that dies out soon after. There is no need for you to overpay 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 – 8 years AFTER the event has ended (now 2019)
    (Click to see The dog is STILL uncommon! It’s not as rare as people thought it was! Don’t join into hyped and panicky 'special' demand! It will only cost you!



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Chapter 2

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:26 am

    Chapter 2: Different Ways of trading.

    There are a few ways of trading!

    Trading up.
    Trading down.
    Trading for wish-list.
    Trading for collection.
    Trading for hoards.
    Trading via paperclips.
    Trading via the '3 month' rule.


    Trading up.
    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!

    Trading down.
    The same as trading up, you trading your pet down in rarity, demand or month/year and are fairly helping others to trade up.

    Trading for wish-list.
    Pets on wish-list are often the most wanted pets. The pets people trade for. This can mean that they will pay better for wish-list 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!

    Trading for collection.
    People who trade for collection have all pets on their wish-list. 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 wish-list!

    Trading for hoards.
    Hoarding is a sensitive subject on CS. Some hoarders like to overpay for their hoard. Some hoarders don't. It really depends on who you meet. But there are also hoarders that offer rare or higher rarity pets for large sums of their hoard pets, keep that in mind when trading with a hoarder!

    Trading via paperclips.
    Paperclipping is exchanging something for something worth more. You are relying on the generosity of others to go forward with your trading, because you don't add anything to make the trade fair.

    Tuike wrote:"Paperclip pets" are somewhat based on a story of a man and one paperclip - the man started with a paperclip, but by exchanging it for something a little better time and time again, he finally ended up with owning a house. :] Here you can find more about that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip

    Basically, people try to trade a pet/group of pets for something that's a little better (like, for something from month earlier than the paperclip pet, but with no drastic rarity difference). The pet you get becomes the new paperclip pet. Then you continue on trading the paperclip pet/pets always for something little better, until you find something you like. Some also have a set goal they're aiming for.


    DaDwarf wrote:Please also note that paperclipping is a matter of trading where you rely on the generosity of others. Paperclipping with normal pets such as uncommons shouldn't be a problem, but when you get to very rares or rares list pets, it's better not to paperclip as it's frowned upon ^.^ When it comes to very rares, people expect you to pay fair and paperclipping will be hard.


    Trading via 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.


    Trade etiquette

    What is generally frowned upon and what is not.

    Try to keep in mind whom you are trading with. Read their trade rules, are they trading for fun, or do they have a goal in mind?

    Do’s!
    - 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?

    Don’t’s!
    - Speak in chat speak or in a foreign language if you aren't sure the other user can understand this, it can be very frustrating for your trade partner to not being able to understand you.
    - 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..”, it's a one way ticket to get your trade canceled and sometimes even get you foed as well.

    Special event pets and monthly releases, the 18th and Store pets!

    Monthly adopts and Special event pets
    It’s normal for certain monthly release as well as special event pets to have more demand than others.

    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, there are always plenty of pets/items around to trade for, so 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!

    18th December 2008-2019 and 24th of December 2011

    Always check what you have! 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 re-release on the 24th, this has not happened again since.

    IF YOU HAVE A PET THAT HAS THE 18TH DECEMBER DATE (or 24th, 2011), ALWAYS CHECK THE ARCHIVES.

    Is is in the archives under December of the year you are in? Then it’s a normal release. Is it under the advent section of the year you are in? Then it’s an advent release. Is it in the special releases section of the year you are in? Then it’s an UNRELEASED PET and worth more then regular adopts.

    Store pets

    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!

    Store pets are never Re-released! Their value slowly rises with each year that passes. This means that eventually, store pets will be the rarest pets on the site. Just remember that this happens very slowly. Store pets are not considered to be part of the 'complete' collection by Tess herself - many users do consider them when going for a complete collection however.

    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.


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Chapter 3

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:26 am

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Chapter 4

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:26 am

    Chapter 4: A step by step process to accepting your trade!


    This is supposed to help you determine if the trade you've been sent is fair. Please note that no specific examples are used as both rarity and demand fluctuate and can change as days go by.


    When opening a trade, follow these steps:

    Step 1:
    Do you like the pet your trade partner is offering?

    AND
    Is the pet that your partner is offering on for trade?

    This step is important. If you don't like the pet that is offered to you and don't need/want it, an edit or cancel is needed. It's also 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.

    Pets in locked groups are inaccessible for your trade-partners. It's a good habit to lock groups and hide pets away from traders if you generally won't trade said pets. Some people like to show off their pets in groups, but generally people who look at your pets through trades don't want to look at pretty pets, they want to trade. Items on pets/dress-ups also don't show up in open-for-trade groups. Best to just lock your non-tradeable pet groups!

    Step 2:
    Is the pet they are offering of the same rarity as the pet they are wanting?
    Yes? - Then make a decision on which pet you'd rather have, the one on their side or the one on yours. If you'd rather have theirs, accept the trade. If not, edit away!
    No? - Are there more pets in the trade that could potentially make up the difference? If not, edit the trade or cancel it.

    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 for potential re-releases. Keep dates in mind, but also don't forget that any rare, regardless from which year, is rarer then an uncommon from older years.

    Step 3: Look up demand

    Use the search function, look at swaps threads and trade threads and try to find how many people are or aren't looking for the pets you are being offered and the pet that is being offered on.

    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 that gap. If you can't find any information on the pet, it's most likely just not in demand. It'll have normal value. Are you getting A LOT of offers on the pet but you can't find information on it's demand? you can safely assume that the pet holds some demand.

    With these 3 steps, you should give yourself a general idea of fairness. Read this list below for more info on trades.

    Same species trades: When looking at a same species trade, you already have 1 less demand that you have to keep in mind. This makes things a lot easier.
    Same rarity trades: When looking at a same rarity trade, you only really have to look at species demand. Usually, the demand of most pets is normal and swaps between species are easily made.
    Striking out pets: If you get a trade with mulitlple pets, try striking out and comparing 1 v 1.
    For example:

    Side 1:
    1 rare
    2 uncommons
    5 commons
    Side 2:
    2 rare
    5 commons



    .

    This trade, the 5 commons cancel each other out. Those trades are 'fair'(within same demand/same species). On one side, there's 2 rares, on the other 1 rare and 2 uncommon's. by striking out, you can easily see if you value those 2 uncommon as another rare and thus decide if you find the trade fair or not!
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Chapter 5

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:27 am

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Chapter 6

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:28 am

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Chapter 7

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:28 am

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The end

Postby DaDwarf » Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:29 am

    This guide is subject to change!


    I will edit when needed!
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