My first article - please review? ^_^

[Neo1234543212345]

Hey guys! I sent this article to the neopian times two weeks ago, and so far I have not seen it published, nor have I received a rejection or any type of e-mail at all about it...but maybe you guys can give it a read and see if you have and constructive critisim (sp?) --
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Inflation: can it get much worse?
By Neo1234543212345




If you have been here for four months to a year, you have most likely noticed the dramatic price increase in many, many of the items that were once dirt-cheap. ‘Why is this?’ you ask? The answer can be found through various causes, and many of the causes for this sudden onslaught of inflation, aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!



May I present to you,

Exhibit ‘A’: Crazes[/u]



It is a very often occurrence that an item (especially petpets) suddenly becomes insanely popular because a core group started singing that particular item’s graces. Soon everyone wants one of whatever the Craze Du ‘Jour may be. Some want it for a collection, some want it for their pet, and some just want it; either way, this can drive the prices of an item through the roof, until it is so insane that they are un-buyable five times over! I would advise anyone who wishes to avoid helping inflation of items to stop drooling over items that you never would have wanted a month ago, and let it be…eventually a new craze will begin and if you truly wanted one of that particular item, you will find it cheap.



Exhibit ‘B’: Quests[/u]



How many times has it happened to you where you find yourself being sent on a quest by the Snow Faerie, only to realize (with a quick look-up on the Shop Wizard) that the cost of this quest is way more than you could or would pay for such a risky venture? Probably very often, and unless you recently won the Neopian Lottery, you can’t afford to pay that much for some mint chocolate shaped like a Kyrii! And the Snow Faerie isn’t the only guilty party here, not by a long shot! One of the most heinous villains in this article, the Esophager, greatly contributes to inflation. He asks for incredibly expensive items, and these items are priced that way because as any good Neopian knows, the Esophager (or what have you) wants them, and in turn, people doing his quests will want them. This is one of the most ridiculous causes of inflation, but one of the biggest – and for the payouts you receive, it is just as well to leave the Esophager and Snow Faerie to buy their own chocolates!


CONTINUED--

[neo1234543212345]

Exhibit ‘C’: Wars[/u]



There is no better excuse to raise the prices of Codestones, Faeries (which used to sell for 300np way back in the day) and Batlledome items, then when a war is going on. Now, I must admit I am guilty of this sinister crime, just as recently as the Meridell war, I, like the rest of Neopia, was dying to get my hands on a Hand Painted Scarab, even if it only meant winning just one…more…battle. And of course, we envied those who had them, and pitied those who didn’t, but in the end, when the war was over, what happened to those Hand Painted Scarabs that everyone has to have? Their prices lowered so low, you felt sorry for anyone who was stuck with one! And now, even after the war, items like codestones, faeries and lab map pieces continue to rise and rise, and at some point training your pet will be so impossible to do, because all the resources needed to do so will be hoarded away in galleries belonging to only the richest Neopians, while the rest of us sit their and drool, envying the users who can afford to buy such an extravagancy.



Avoiding getting ‘caught’


Chances are once or twice in your Neopian life you will make some business decisions that did not completely prove profitable in the end – there are ways to avoid this, however! All hope is not lost yet!

First of all, never buy an item because it is the current craze (see exhibit ‘A’), those things usually pass, and then you are stuck with a bunch of an item that nobody wants, worth way less than what you paid for it – if you do somehow wind up with the current craze item, be sure to sell it almost immediately, because you never know when prices will drop again.

Second, despite my dislike for the idea, buying codestones and faeries before a war is scheduled to happen is a good neopoint maker, and is great if you want to do it that way.



Don’t throw that away!


Don’t throw anything away! If you are unsure if you still want it, hide it away in your safety deposit box – I have heard people who have left Neopets for a year, come back and all the junk they had when they left is now worth tons! Inflation works in funny ways, and if an old item manages to stay long enough, it will someday become unbuyable – imagine how silly you would feel if in a year from now you had thrown away all those Kiko squeeze toys and they had become unbuyable?



In closing, inflation can be your friend and your enemy (hopefully not at the same time!) and whether you embrace it or reject it is entirely up to you – but remember: always be careful what you get tricked into buying – unbuyable one day, in the trash bins the next!



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Any ideas for it?

[thenoveliststrikes]

I like it a lot. It's a very interesting article. Hopefully, it will be accepted. ;D

[starhamster]

This sounds really good! You made your points well and I don't see any glaring spelling or grammar errors. Good luck!

[teghan62]

It's pretty good, but it didn't really keep me focused on it. Try improving it a little... get it to be more attention gabbing.