~Start~
Hey Whyvillians! This is GrriesYEA again! I'd like to shed some light on a scam that's been around for years now. It's happened to me, and it might have happened to you! I'll go back over a year ago and give you an example.
I remember there was a shirt I wanted on Whyville. I'd always wanted this shirt. I'd wanted it for months, but it'd always been sold out! I bought so many things to make up for this one shirt I never got. After a really long time, I decided to go into the Pool to ask if anyone had it. Sure enough, I got a few replies. About three girls had it and weren't willing to part with it. Finally, one girl, newish, with barely any clothes (I didn't let her appearance make any difference to me then) said she had the shirt, and was only willing to part with it for a total of 50 clams.
"50 clams?!" I asked. "50 clams is a lot for just one shirt!"
"So, do you want it or not?" she asked.
And I thought about it. Believe me. And I thought, "Oh well, I'll wear it a lot... sure, I'll buy it." She insisted I send the money ASAP, saying then she would send the shirt. After a long debate, I sent her the clams. 50 clams. That was a LOT of money for me back then. I waited and waited at my mail box, refreshing every few minutes.
Eventually, I ymailed her, "Where is the shirt?" and sure enough, she didn't reply. I thought that maybe her computer was just slow, so I went to wait in the pool. I saw her there. I asked, "Where's my shirt?" and she left right then! I was confused... but then again, she might have already been leaving then. So I waited, every few seconds glancing at my mail box, awaiting the little light that notified me if I had mail.
Half an hour later... no luck. No little flashing light. So I thought, okay, maybe it's not working. And I went to look. No shirt. I went back to the Pool, and there was the girl. New hair, new shirt... improved face a little.
I said, "Hello? My shirt? Where is it?" and she said, "I never got the money."
I say, "Yes, I got a mail that said I sent it..." and she says, "No... I never got it. Send another 50."
I was going out of my mind. 100 clams for one shirt? She must be joking. But no. She was persistent with this, too. It hit me then. I was being scammed! I couldn't believe it! I was dumb enough to send a girl a lot of money for a shirt I never got.
Let's just say I never made that mistake again! And you shouldn't either.
This brings me to my next point. If you like trading clothes with people in exchange for money, I have one idea for you: THE TRADING POST! If you have a lot of clothes you don't want, and you'd rather make money off of them than donate to poor little Grandma, then use the Whyville Trading Post. I've found it's a very useful place to get rid of items.
I suggest one thing: Don't try to get rid of, say, "girly eyes" in there. You'll find that most of the parts in the Trading Post are the "newbie parts", and they're rarely bought. Try selling some good items that you don't like or wear. It's basically like a Whyville E-bay. You put up your stuff, set a starting price, and people buy your stuff. You won't get scammed at all!
At the end of a few days, if your stuff isn't sold, I strongly suggest you donate it to Grandma. Think about it: most of the people on Whyville are opposed to seeing "newbies" around town. You'll be helping them out, and if you're like me, you'll feel you've accomplished something.
Wahoo!
GrriesYEA
~end of story~
