This is a guide to help people trade. This is not about gaining money with games or Quizzy's Corner, or anything else. I will explain those in later guides
Webkinz Economy
The Webkinz Economy is unpredictable, and can be hard to understand at times. Here I will explain EVERYTHING you need to know about the way the Webkinz Economy works, and how to be one step ahead and horde all of that KinzCash and treasured rares, retireds, exclusives and more.


An Economy of Everchanging Items- Demand Changes

Have you ever wondered why one of your treasured items was extremely costly, but then weeks later the demand dropped and your item's value went down, resulting in loss of money or items for you. This is because Ganz is CONSTANTLY releasing new items, especially rares or exclusives into the game. This is why we must be careful in our trade patterns and be up to date with the item demand. More new items means a higher demand for those items, thus bringing more attention to the new items rather than the previous high demand items. This means if you want the most you can get out of a newly released item, you should trade it while it is at it's peak in demand. For example, right now the Pet of The Month items are close to their peak, especially the newly released ones. They have been in the market for a few months, but they are harder to get as a "freebee" than alot of items. Another thing that makes them higher in demand is their looks and functions. My newly received Snow Machine not only looks great, but it also makes a nice wintery noise and it blows snow flakes out. That is what many of us Webkinz player's want, very cool and exciting items. Here are some things to noticed when trying to find or anticipate the current or future demand of items.

Is the Item easily accessible? (Can I simply buy it from the W-Shop or Curio-Shop, or is it only obtainded by a code or adoption gift, in which you only have a small chance of getting the certain item you are looking for)

Does the item seem to be attractive or does it perform special functions?

How Common is the item?

After you've asked yourself some of these staple questions, now it is time to go and find the current demand of items. The best way to do this is to visit Webkinz trade forums and chatrooms and see what people want, and what they are offering. Then you will have a much better idea of how the economy is working. 

Demand vs. Value
Now we have a pretty good idea of demand. But is demand different than value? Yes, it is... Although demand usually indicates value, they are two different things. The higher demand an item gets, the more it will be worth. As I said before, Ganz is and will be constantly adding new items that people will love. For example, new Pet PSIs and new Pet of The Month items are in higher demand than the older ones because they are newly released, this will slightly decrease the value of the older items because the Economy is more focused on the new. If you really want an item for your house, then wait for the item to be in the market for a while and wait for the price to settle. The price for newer items are much more expensive than they are acually worth, that is because they are much more rare at release. After the items begin to become more common, the prices will settle into a "general" value for the item, and the value will slighty decrease, but it will stay about the same for a while so you do not have to worry about losing money or items from a trade. What I'm really saying is, if your going to trade off an item, trade when the value is HIGH. If you want to get an item, wait until the value is lower and settled before you trade for it. This is not true for retired items though, once the item is not availible in Webkinz World anymore than the price will always be rising. If you have retired holiday items, wait till the certain holiday to trade them if you are going to trade them. The value of retired holiday items go up ALOT during that holiday. An item may also go up in value but stay the same in demand, this is mostly true of retired items. The opposite of this is the demand going up but the value staying the same, mostly of code shop items or curio shop items.

Trading
Now you know about item demand and value, now it's time to trade. Before I start this section I want to remind everyone to trade safely, anyone can scam you. Before trading first to someone, check trusted traders and scammers lists on some webkinz sites. Never trade first with an untrusted trader.

Well, now were are done with finding out all that boring stuff with item value and demand, and now it's time for the real action. The most effective way to trade is to join webkinz sites which offer trading. Two of these great sites are http://www.webkinzinsider.com/ and http://www.everythingwebkinz.com/. Are you ready to trade yet? Nope, first read these elements of a successful trader before you start. Following these guidelines will give you a good name in the trading business.

Elements of a Successful Trader

1. Always talk professionaly and friendly, you will gain respect.

2. Don't be too picky, but set limits, afterall, you don't want to lose items but you want to keep other people happy.

3. Don't be afraid to nicely walk away from a trade, but also do not promise to make trades that you are not willing to pursue.

4. Send your items quickly, also trade first to trusted traders to gain trust. (Nobody likes to wait for their items)

5. Make sure you read the trade agreements throughly and send the correct items.


If you follow these guidelines you should gain respect throughout the trading community, you will also become a successful trader. You might also want to ask yourself these questions..




Is the item really worth what I'm trading for ? (When you are recieving an item through trade, consider what you had to do to get the item you are trading for it, also notice the demand and try to anticipate the future demand of the item you are trading. Also, If you really like and want the item mainly to keep and enjoy, then you may want to think differently.) 

Will the item I'm trading really benefit me overall? (Will the trade be good for you overall, and more importantly, will you be happy you made the trade in the future?)

Am I really ready to give up one of my items? (Before you trade, make sure that you are 100% ready to trade the item you chose. Consider it's current and future values, and obviously how much the item means to you)




Congratulations, you are now a Webkinz Trade Economy master!






This guide still has some flaws, and I will continue to update them as time goes by. Thank you.