You trade your pokemons in this RPG with other members here.

I've noticed a few things that people seem to keep doing in this Trade Forum, and I'd like to give a few pointers for getting trades done quickly and efficiently.

1. Only post Pokemon you are actually willing to trade.

If you want to show off, go to another forum. This is not the place to brag that you've got a Shiny Suicune unless you are actually, seriously willing to trade it away for something.

2. Post what you'd like in return.

It is so beyond pointless to just post the Pokemon you have up for trade. Anyone can see that easily by going to your Crater profile. If you actually want to trade, you need to post what you're willing to accept in return. If you're not sure, a level range will suffice. If you don't specify what you want, you're going to get a lot of dumb, unfair offers, and that just wastes everyone's time.

3. Don't double post.

Of course, this is a rule for the entire Crater forum, but it's especially important here. I know it gets frustrating when your boards get pushed down, but please, please, please resist the urge to bump your topic. Someone will see it eventually and hopefully post something so it'll get bumped up.

4. Be patient.

If someone doesn't respond or accept an offer right away, don't flip out and start spamming or retracting your offers. They might have just gone offline for a while. I would suggest waiting about a day or more on your outstanding offers, and if the person doesn't accept, then you can withdraw it.

Another thing in this category: It's not the end of the world if you don't complete a trade immediately. Pushing people to "hurry hurry hurry!" will just add stress to your trading experience and some people might even stop trading with you. If you're patient with everyone else, the chances are higher that you'll get the Pokemon you want.

5. Read all posts before offering on the boards.

If someone already listed what they're accepting for a Pokemon, what's the point of asking them again and again? Read all the posts first, and then you can make an educated guess about which Pokemon they're accepting.

6. Don't just copy and paste your trade list from Crater.

Pokemon always have the same moves -- we don't need to see them again, and it just takes up space. Unless someone's very interested in the amount of exp your Pokemon have, there's no point in copying and pasting. Just listing the Pokemon's name and level will do, thank you very much.

7. Don't make a whole new topic for one specific trade.

In fact, before you make a topic asking to trade at all, you should go on Crater and use the handy dandy trade search function. Say you're looking for a Dark Poochyena -- instead of making a whole new topic asking if anyone has one, check the trade search first. If someone has one (and I guarantee someone will), either make an offer or PM them on Crater asking what they want for it.

8. Try and keep the "I've offered" posts to a minimum.

If you're sealing a deal with someone, chances are they'll be checking their trades either at that moment, or in a few minutes, so there's really no need to say "Okay, I've offered" every single time you offer on a Pokemon. If the person hasn't responded or accepted for quite some time and you're sure they're online, then go ahead and post, but keep in mind that they might just be busy, so don't spam.

9. Don't quote an entire, giant post.

Unless you're replying about every single Pokemon in the other user's post, there's really no need to waste space by quoting the entire list. Click on quote and then take out the Pokemon you're not interested in, so that the person knows what you're referring to. If you're just responding and asking what they'll accept for any of their Pokemon, don't even quote at all. Just use their username and say something like "Hey Foo, what will you accept for any of those Pokemon?"

10. Don't harass people about trading.

If someone says they're not trading a Pokemon, they're not trading that Pokemon. Nagging and harassing them is not going to get you anywhere, and it will just annoy the other person and they probably won't trade with you again. So don't do it.

11. Please try and use proper spelling/grammar/punctuation.

It's really not that much extra effort, but it makes you look a whole lot better. Not only that, but people will pay more attention to you, and want to trade with you when they can clearly understand what you're saying. As hobojobo pointed out, saying things like "PLZZZZZ" numerous times not only makes people think you're annoying, but it also makes you look less sincere about your trades when you don't even take the time to spell the word right.

13. Do not invade other people's threads.

Do not go on someone else's thread and post your trade list and ask if anyone wants to trade. Make your own thread for that. If someone other than the thread-starter has a Pokemon you're interested in, don't post about it in that thread. PM the person instead. There's nothing more annoying than people spamming up your thread with trades that have nothing to do with you.


That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll be adding more as I notice them. Please keep them in mind when posting here!

-Credits to dr_foofoo