Trading is a Mess

Hey Jammers!

So, for the past couple weeks, I've been trying to trade for one specific item, that item being the Alpha Trading Mat, which can only be originally acquired after buying 120 Adopt-a-Pet toys. 

So yeah... no way I'm buying that many. XD

At the beginning of my trading quest, I thought it would be a good idea to go to Aldan. That's where all those trading people go, right? Maybe they'll be more likely to trade me?

Nope.

Along with being too chaotic to even click anyone's username, barely anyone on Aldan wants to trade you unless you have a list full of spikes. 

And then there's stuff like this:

Now excuse me if I'm just an unrare n00b, but isn't that a bit excessive...?

Moral of the story: don't trade on Aldan unless you're looking for lag and psychological suffering. You'll have better luck on a full non-Aldan server.

And here's a pro-tip: This is the best location to be in a full Jamaa Township for trading. Even though your animal is covered by the tree, your message and nametag are clickable for the maximum amount of people. Plus, people coming into Jamaa Township won't completely cover your tag. 

My evidence is that I've gotten the most trades standing here out of any location in the Township. So if you like trading, or if you're like me and are being held hostage until you can get an Alpha Training Mat, maximize your trades by standing here!

Beyond the problem of getting trades at all is getting fair trades.

Now, I'm of the opinion that a fair trade is just what you and your trading partner can agree on. This is what AJHQ has said– value can not be assigned to any item.

Of course, when 60 den betas for 1 black long spiked collar is considered a fair trade... that's when I take issue.

This screenshot is from the AJ Item Worth Wiki, which is taken as a reliable guide for most traders. 

While being seen as the best and the rarest by most traders, I can't help but say that the most common spiked collar I've seen is Jamaa is a black long. 

My buddy thinks so too:

Whether or not black long spikes are statistically the most common, my experience in Jamaa has shown them to be very prevalent.

But regardless of how common they may be, the fact is that 40-60 den betas for a spiked collar is ridiculous, and I'll tell you why.

Right now, the only way to get a spiked collar without trading is through The Forgotten Desert.

This is the same case with most items popularly considered den betas.

In The Forgotten Desert, you have the same chance of winning a Spiked Collar as you do with any den beta. Therefore, any Spiked Collar shouldn't be worth more than a couple den betas.

Of course, most anyone with a Spiked Collar will tell you otherwise. 

I feel like deep down all of us know that spikes really aren't worth much. But we latch on to them as a way to simplify trading and give us a leg up.

Maybe a lot of us give in to the hype to further our own goals. For instance, before I trade for an Alpha Training Mat, I'm working towards a high-demand spiked collar because no matter how much I have for trade, literally no one will trade their Training Mat for anything less than a black long.

Overall, the obsession with Spiked Collars is really harming AJ's trading economy. It didn't always use to be like this. Sure, there were high demand items that people obsessed over, but it never got to the point of trading over 10 den betas for something until now.

I think I know what would happen if Spiked Collars, the original rare Spiked Collars, were released in stores and lost all rarity. 

A lot of people would get angry.

Some might quit AJ.

But the trading system would recover, and things would be back to normal in due time.

What do you think about all this?

Comment down below. See you in Jamaa!