Newbie learning how to trade?

[servetier]

Hello! Iʻm Ser! I’ve been playing for a couple of days now, and mostly relying on the ʻfree petsʻ to amass my collection (I wanna get one of every pet eventually!)
I wanted to begin trading properly (as in, I offer something in exchange for someone elseʻs things), so I was wondering if anyone had any advice for someone just starting to trade!
Additionally, I heard of paperclip trading, and wanted to know if there was any advice for someone wanting to try one! I know some users get annoyed with it, so is there an acceptable way to make it clear that Iʻm doing a paperclip trade?
Iʻve also checked the in-depth wiki and wanted to ask some questions on that.
Since Iʻm aiming for every pet, that would make me a ʻtrading for collectionʻ user, right? Should I put that somewhere on my trading post so people know my wishlist pets arenʻt necessarily my favorites?
Is the three-month rule applicable to newer pets? For example, 2021-2022 pets within three months of each other, or do people tend to not care as much about the three month rule with newer pets?
Finally, what is ʻfoedʻ? Iʻve seen it mentioned a couple times and I know itʻs bad, but what exactly is it?

TLDR:
1) Any advice for a newbie trader?
2) Any advice for paperclip traders, such as how to make it clear which trades are a paperclip trade?
3) Should I make it clear that Iʻm a trading for collection player, so people know that my wishlist may not represent my favorite pets?
4) Is the three-month rule mainly for older/rarer pets, or does it apply to newer ones too? Ex. A 2022 Rare Jan cat and a 2022 Rare May cat are outside the 3-month rule, would I expect to see issues trying to trade?
5) What is ʻgetting foedʻ?

[angeleyes.]

hiyaa im not an expert but ik some stuff

-ppl dont tend to trade unknown rarities
-theres a forum for asking if a trade is fair, i dunno where it is cuz i cant find anything ^^;
-ppl who paperclip trade usually say so in the message, unless theyre coppa. coppa ppl might have pets to communicate, they put mssges in the names
-you can put anything you want in trading rules, use them to your advantage. for example, ppl might say they dont trade rats, bc they dont like them. on that topic, some pets have less value than others bc not as many people want them. rats and horses might not be as popular as dogs or foxes.


i hope this helped!! <33

[CHINARIZING]

Hey! Welcome to Chicken Smoothie, enjoy your time here!

1) Right now, I'm also what you might call a less experienced trader, but since I joined as a kid who didn't know squat about rarities and just "oooh pretty pet" in 2014, I was forced into learning rarities so I can get fair offers for my old pets. So unfortunately I cannot advise much, at least from personal experience. But to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, the three month rule DOES apply to newer pets! You can also get current-litter swaps for earlier pets. This is a great way to build up your pet collection!
2) Those who are not open to paperclips will usually say so in their trading rules. But there are also people with DEDICATED paperclip folders. So in the former case simply abide by things like 3 month rule, demand, 2:1 or whatever rarity math your partner is using (if you are initiating, many times people follow their partner's rules instead of their own if they initiate) and don't paperclip. I am assuming you'll just leave "paperclip" in the trade message then? But please get a second opinion if needed.
3) Yes! This will be important, I think. It can help clear up for people on what exactly your priorities are, and gets everyone on the same page. Some use their WL for dreamies and must-haves. Others use it for hoards and collecting. In the end, it's helpful for everyone to realize what they use their wishlist for.
4) Already answered in 1, but for good measure, yes However, it sometimes doesn't need to be exactly 3 months. However, I've seen this mostly with older pets, so I recommend either asking your trade partner or editing if it's for recent pets. Though, this is mostly for "normal" rares with no special demand so YMMV.
5) Typically, blocked. The opposite of friended. That's the best way I can describe it lol

[servetier]

So in conclusion,
- Unknown rarities aren't usually traded, but some people are willing to do current-litter swaps
(My first proper trade was this type of swap!)
- This forum is helpful for if you aren't sure if a trade is fair
https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=4755315
- Paperclip traders usually say so in the message, and people who don't want to paperclip trade will usually say so in the trading rules.
- On that note, trading rules are important, since everyone has different preferences! Checking a trading rule tells you things like how that user defines a pet's value, what kinds of pets they like or don't want, etc!
- Some pets have less value because there's less demand, so pay attention to species when trading!
- COPPA players can't message, so they may have pets with messages in their names!
- People use wishlists for different things, so writing a message noting I'm a trading for collection player is a good idea!
(It also would help since I've seen people call themselves "wishlist bombers" since they randomly gift things on people's wishlists. I might need to note what my actual dreamies are somewhere, maybe in my trading thread once I finish it!)
- The three-month rule is relevant for newer pets! However, sometimes it's not exact math, so just ask your trading partner if you need to!
(I've actually seen things like the three-month rule in the past, since some of my other games had unofficial rules similar to the three-month rule to help users in the community define rarity, so I was curious how much it applied to this as well!)
- Foed is basically just blocked/unfriended/enemy.
(Makes sense with how I've heard it used!! A cuter way to say it, I think lol)

I'm going to check out some trading threads to see if there's any common things I can take note of! Thank you guys!