I currently merchnated quite a bit of money and am wondering if it is wise to invest in a rare right now and if so which ones?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am mainly considering that there is no holiday near for each of these so price won't fluctuate that much. Jagex might release a new skill that makes people sell all their rares for money at which it would be a good time to buy, but would they really release a skill on such short notice without hinting at it for a while first?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now that we've considered if it is wise to buy rares at the current price we have to consider which one. All of them have a different base value at the moment (current price eg: santa 21, green mask 19, blue mask 26).

 

 

 

But which one is more profitable. I am not looking at how much more one rare costs over the other as that is just the initial expense., but how much each will profit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Masks have a very generalized theme in price to them. They are more expensive than Green Masks, and cheaper than Red Masks. Santa's are in a class of their own and are not chained to such thing. However, I have seen people compare them to Green Masks a lot which worries me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we assume that Santas are linked in price aproximately equivalent to a Green Mask then we must consider if the money rise (which we're assuming is about the same) will be bigger or smaller than the money that the Blue Mask will rise. Now since we generalized that the Blue Mask will always cost more than a Green Mask we have to think how much more. Will the extra 5 mil spent now on buying the Blue Mask over the Santa actualy create MORE PROFIT than the Santa gains or is it just an item that has more gold stuck in it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of my points may seem like a discussion, but I would really like to keep this in Help and Advice as I want advice on which to buy as well as a few reasons why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW for those wondering I already have the money for either and just need to know which one as wel as if now is even a good time to buy them. Seeing as how many of you advanced users watch the rises and falls of rares and made graphs accordingly stating the high and low seasons (Tip it Times a few months ago) I trust your "data" more than my instinct.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all who post, and mean glares to all those who read and don't post. 8-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Well I'm seeing some views,but no posts (maybe your typing something really long :pray: ) Even if you don't have anything to back up your opinion just state which you think I should get (base it on looks or w/e I don't care)

Well, based on your edit (I don't know about merchanting/rares) I would go for the santa. It looks better, and in december prices usually go up since lots of people want one since it's the holiday season.

But so do mask prices during Haloween.

 

 

 

So are you aruging that people will pay more during Christmas than Haloween?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding, not gonna argue, we all know that christmas has a farther outreaching influence than Haloween in the fact that it's setup even a month before the actual holiday (buildup as you could say) and that it is more recognized as an actual festive holiday. Not sure if my argument actualy sounds correct how I want it too, but you should understand just by thinking about the "preparation time" for each.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone besides the guy who posted get mean glares.

 

 

 

Guy above me gets props for posting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I like the santa better in looks as well so the only thing to consider is will prices go up by themselves at random [bleep]e points or do the holidays really have that much of an impact on their prices. If the holidays do have a lasting impact what do you think will that affect the prices before and the prices after that holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(example: will ppl sell before holiday cheap or will prices rise before the holiday as people stockpile up?)

No idea myself lolz, but basic logic may be correct in that masks rise around halloween while santas rise around Christmas. So why not invest in a mask for now, sell after Halloween and buy a santa for Christmas. Don't take this idea without solid statistical or professional backup :D lol, i have no idea, just logic. Good luck with future merchanting may your time spent bring many profits FTW :P

id say invest in a santa, for 2 reasons...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) santas didnt rise much last year and is supposed to "make up" for last years lack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) as you said their in their own league, and thus shouldnt be same price as a green mask. and as their on thier own, they wont have constaint varible prices like those pathetic phats (soz to any1 who owns 1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

personally, i think rares are usless items that shouldnt have been invented if they knew this would happen

just try to buy everyting from rare as you can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wait 2 years and sell it for big profit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lol if you've got the time for it.

I say buy the Green Halloween...most rares will probably rise in time and if you work more (seeing that the diference between a blue and a green is 7 mill and you say you can buy those rares i'm assuming you have 26 M) so you make 12 M more and buy 2 greens :P

Frankly I'm not really impressed with the performance nor the looks (which I might think is why) of the Green Masks so if anything I would mercant for a second santa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As one guy stated, it just reinforces my point on santa's not being constrained since it's in a class of its own, but on the other hand even the simple reasoning of buying a Haloween Mask now since Haloween comes first and selling it at its peak and then buying a Santa for the near-coming christmas is so "perfect" and simple that I never would have thought of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anymore Ideas? So far I'm going to see how much I can merchant in a week and base it on if I have enough money to buy 2 santas or if I can just buy a Blue and spend the rest on some range gear.

No idea myself lolz, but basic logic may be correct in that masks rise around halloween while santas rise around Christmas. So why not invest in a mask for now, sell after Halloween and buy a santa for Christmas. Don't take this idea without solid statistical or professional backup :D lol, i have no idea, just logic. Good luck with future merchanting may your time spent bring many profits FTW :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, of cause that seems to be the smartest thing to do. But like DegenerateX said, we prepare for Christmas about 1 month before its december. And as far as i know Halloween is in November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That means if u buy a Mask now the price will (maybe) go up in the Halloween-time, so you will of cause sell it. The downside is just that the price of the Santa is at this time prob pretty high, since, as many people says, its going to be ekstremly high this year. On the other hand if santa dosnt go up in November it would be a gd idea. Unless all people then want to buy a Santa since its cheap and then start selling their mask, and then the price of a mask will fall giving you a loss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personaly i dont think the Santa hat is going to have a "good" year. Cause many wants to buy it now, so they can earn money in the Christmas time by selling it again.

 

 

 

On the other hand i dont think masks is going to raise show much since its only 1 day, and its mostly only Americans who uses this Tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And at last there is the thing you also metioned about if Jagex makes a new skill then the price might fall. BUt i dont think its going to have a serius influence on the price of the Rare Items unless its going to be a skill like con where its all about "buying xp".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So basiclly its like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa: Is the safe choise, there is a gd chance the price will be higher -. even thought i dont believe it. And if not its not going to fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mask: This one is not as safe as Santa but still has a gd chance to get a higher price, and then you might be able to do the idea I quoted above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally i think it would be a great idea to buy an Easter Egg, it dosnt cost so much and will in the upcoming future cost the same as Santa. Mask etc. Which would make it the best item to buy at this moment since it then would raise in price with about 100% makeing it a VERY gd deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well thats my opinion, most of the things did you metion yourself but i still wanted to make a comment:)

Santa. Definitely. It looks a LOT better than the masks, and has a higher market.

you should just pick the one you like better

I say santa, many rich people buy around Christmas as "presents" for their friends. Not to mention, I never liked the looks of Halloween masks...

Someone told me that rares have stopped rising, mainly because of the introduction of skillcapes. Idk though, I don't really pay any particular interest in the rares market.

Blue Mask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Higher priced items rise faster than lower priced ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) If you said people will link Santas to Green Masks, green masks won't rise as fast as Blues according to 1, right? So Mask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But if you really only care about money, not how they look, get 2-3 easters/pumpkins. You'll make the most off those I think.

I actualy disagree with Easters, Pumpkins, and Disks of Returning being profitable in the fact that the high pricing rares are the ones that you can wear and show off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it is in fact battle of the Hats/Masks.

 

 

 

For the one guy who commented on buying a Mask now to sell during Haloween and a Santa after Haloween to sell during Christmas, I might have to remind you that Haloween is on October 31st. So it's a day away from November. However merchants plan things of mass buying and selling for profit months in advance so I don't think that would be economicaly feasible in such a short time period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I might just buy one santa and have enough cash to buy another. This way if santas do take a dip, although the one I have banked loses value, I can buy another (or two depending on price drop) when they are at their lows. The same goes for the Mask. You brought up an interesting point saying Haloween is one day and its only recognized here in America, while Christmas is almost universally recognized (face it even countries with other religions have "Christmas Themes" during December[[don't start a discussion on this, if you want to take it farther most players are from either Europe or America which celebrate either the Catholic or Atheist version of Christmas]]. The time and nature of giving during Christmas also leads me to think that Santa Hats might be the more viable option. Having two of a rare gives me potentially "safer" profit than having one big expensive item.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to disagree with people saying "santa's will have a good year because last year was bad." The outcome of the last year has no influence over what will happen this year. They are completely seperate. Ultimately it is the nature of the merchants. How many they hoard, how much or many of them they will sell the rares for. How big the demand is during and outside of their respective holidays. All money matter concerning the game that Jagex adds, Merchanter bannings, as well as false/true rumours (*points to Robin Hood hat being discontinued*).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll wait to see a few more ideas, but I think what I'll do is buy Santa Hat now to have one rare secured. And then merchant more money from now until the summer. This way I can take a look at the market, and if one rare does happen to fall in price I can buy it up while it is at its low.

I looked through some of the old tip it times as I remember reading about some rares that included charts the editor had compiled over the growth rate of rares. While these are certainly not a complete way to measure growth or peaks of rares I tried searching for trends between them. (Seasons,new skills,other updated,rumours,holiday,spring break,summer break ect.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some things I observed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Sets of Rares like Party Hats or Mask or "Rare Food" (pumpkin, easter egg) rose as a set almost always in heirarchical order except for very few temporary [bleep]es or drops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Phats had 400% increase from 2005-2006. Inflation will just raise this more, we all saw blue phats hit 750 mil, and now dropped back down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Smaller Rares had up to a 900% increase (averaging around 600).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. All rares charts had a trend of massive fluctuation of prices, be it up or down during the Summer as well as Winter Months.

 

 

 

(Summer=May to September) (Winter=November to March)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I have probably not analyzed the events during those time periods that may have caused the price fluctuations I would like to conclude with my limited knowledge that buying rares in mass will be more profitable than larger more expensive rares in lesser quantities. In addition, the price point of rares are limited by the heirarchical order in the set they're contained in. Therefore since a Santa is in a class of its own it will not be limited nor helped by Mask Prices. Also rares in general will have a massive price drop right after they reach their peak in which it will be a good idea to buy them and wait until the Summer or Winter Season when Santa's (or even rares in general) will have the most action in the difference of prices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying to predict the future from past charts that may have been influenced by outside forces out of our control is never a sure bet. But looking at it I'm thinking that rares will slowly climb up until around June or July and then drop like a rock at which point I will buy up the rares I will sell at the peak time. The rares will then be stored until around Christmas Time where the price fluctuations (notice I did not say increase or decrease, just fluctuations) will take place.

Someone told me that rares have stopped rising, mainly because of the introduction of skillcapes. Idk though, I don't really pay any particular interest in the rares market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rares will almost always rise by nature since their discontinued and as long as someone in rs is greedy for money (there will always be someone, capitalism at it's finest). Skill Capes or other Jagex updates will only provide minor setbacks in that the rares are money compiled into a single object. If a skill or update comes out that requires "buying xp or objects in mass" then people will sell their rares in order to get money. Other than that the steady decline of the #'s of rares a day, or even just the thought of people thinking "I have to get a rare before they cost *insane amount here*" will always raise the price eventualy. I'm sure everyone in a while somone quits who has a rare(s) and maybe every once in a while someone dies with one on with no one near. Even if these weren't to happen that is the thought people have embedded in their mind, and as long as they think that rares will gain value (if they're not overrun by inflation but that's another topic completely).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa. Definitely. It looks a LOT better than the masks, and has a higher market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is also why I'm leaning towards santas because this is the common idea embedded in most users I've met in runescape when questioned about rares. MOst had no idea what a phat was nor ever seen one. Many didn't know masks either, and those who did still said they liked the Santa together. By looking at the, pardon my use of this word, newbies today I can profit from those grown-up newbies in a year or two. The youth are our future market.