Getting Started

Written by Chameleon
Are you new to trading online? It may be a bit overwhelming at first, so I have written this brief guide, designed to help you get started with online trading. For more in depth advice, you can visit our Tips & Advice page.

First off, if you haven't yet, you'll need to go to our Welcome page and sign up for an account.. Once your account is verified and you log in, you will be able to access 'Your Account' from the menu bar at the top of the screen. Before you do anything else, I would recommend taking time out to fill in some information. Trading online is all about trust, and giving people some basic information about yourself is one way to gain some trust.

The next important step is to list some items that you have available for trade, as well as some things in particular that you're looking for.. People who are looking for specific things will find you (or not) based on these listings, so try to be thorough. Your listings can be merely the item name on each line, or the item name and system, seperated by a semicolon, or even more details, should you choose to enter them. Doing things this way may be a little awkward at first, but we believe that it'll be faster than any alternatives once you get used to it.

Now to trade.. You can use the search to find other users to trade, or talk with other traders in our Forums or IRC Chat channel, both located in the Chat Center. If you're new to the site, the odds are that whoever you're trading with will ask you to send first. It is recommended that you check a person's bio and their feedback in order to decide whether or not you feel you can trust them. Scamming and theft does occur in trading, whether you're dealing online or buying a game at your local store, so there's sadly nothing we can do to truly prevent it.. We do, however, investigate all claims of fraud thoroughly, and I have prosecuted people in court in the past for online scams.. In other words, trust your instincts, be safe, and let me know if you have any problems by using the Contact Us field.

Once you have found someone to trade with, you will need to contact them via email or some other means and talk to them to work out all of the trading details. Try to be as thorough as possible and ask any questions that you want to know. Once two trading partners have agreed on a trade, one of them will need to Post it to our system. Doing this is easy, and is done in the Trading Center.. This action allows us to keep record of the trade, and once you have gotten your end of the trade, it will allow you to leave feedback for the person you traded with.

I hope this guide helps somewhat.. I will consider adding more later, should I feel a need. Happy trading!