The trade window is something that can only be accessed while in a station. It is a very useful mechanic in the game that can assist for many different scams. The reason why it's so beneficial to scamming is because the default settings of the trade window can be very confusing when trading things like ships. To open a trade, simply right click on any player in the same station, and click "Trade."
General functionality of the trade window:
When you place an object into the trade window (a ship, a module, etc), it cannot be removed without cancelling the trade. However, you can change the amount of ISK offered in a trade as much as you'd like. This is really crucial to making most scams work.
Say you have a Caracal, assembled, with the name, YourName's Caracal. Under default settings, if you were to place the Caracal into the trade window, you'd see the Caracal icon, with the text: "YourName's Caracal" under it. When used properly, this can be very misleading.
For example: Take that same Caracal, and now name it Caracal Navy Issue. If you were to put this into the trade window, any player with default settings would see the ship, see the ship name, and possibly mistake it for the faction version of the Caracal. If they take the time to view the details of the ship, they will see that it's a regular Caracal.
This kind of scam is very hit or miss. There is a high failure rate because it is becoming well-known that the trade window is generally used for scamming.
You can also scam players when buying things. For example, let's say that someone is selling a faction shield booster. First, contact them and express your interest in the module. Once you have their attention, find a price you can both agree on. Since you're not actually going to pay the full price, give them a generous offer to get their mind focused on how rich they're about to become. Note that this scam is only possible if you have the amount of ISK you agree on (You'll just need to flash the full amount in the trade--you won't actually pay them.)
The process is simple:
1. Agree on a price Come to a mutual agreement on how much you plan on paying for what they're selling. This way, when it comes time to trade, they'll clearly see you're offering the same amount of ISK in the trade window, and will not be focusing nearly as much energy toward avoiding being scammed.
2. Avoid them setting up a private contract
Take whatever steps necessary to avoid using a contract. If they set a contract up with you, it will not allow you to use the trade window to scam them. First, offer use of the trade window--simply open it and drop the ISK in right away. Many players will simply accept the fact that the trade is up, the ISK is there, and finalize the trade.
If they decline to use a trade window and insist on a contract, put as much effort as possible into avoiding it. For example: continue to insist that the contract is failing to load. If they want the sale badly enough, they will eventually use the trade window.
2. Get the trade window open
Once you have a trade window open with them, you need to quickly put the full amount of the agreed price into the trade. Speed is crucial--you want to have your ISK in the trade before they put their ship or module in. Remember: You're putting the full promised price in, but you will not pay the full price.
3. Wait for them to place their ships or modules in the trade
After you've put the ISK in, you wait. Once you see they have put their ship or module into the trade, it's time to change the amount of ISK you're offering. Click the button to adjust how much ISK you're offering, quickly change it to 1 ISK, and accept the trade.
4. Cross your fingers
The success of this scam is entirely based on timing. The hope is that they drop their module in, do one more look at the trade window, and then accept the trade. During that final review, you've changed the amount of ISK you're offering, and you both accept the trade at the same time. This is entirely based on chance, so the more you try it, the more likely you are to succeed.
The great thing about switching the ISK is that you can even scam players that are trying to sell mislabeled ships. For example, someone might be trying to sell a Caldari Navy Raven, which is actually a renamed Raven. When you show interest and offer them the ISK, they'll be thrilled that their scam is about to work, and you can easily catch them off guard by switching the ISK at the last moment.
There are plenty of other ways to use the trade window to scam players. These are just a few basic examples. You can use just about any tech 1 version of ships and pass them as faction or tech 2 versions, if you catch the right person off guard.
This page last updated: 2010.02.26
General functionality of the trade window:
When you place an object into the trade window (a ship, a module, etc), it cannot be removed without cancelling the trade. However, you can change the amount of ISK offered in a trade as much as you'd like. This is really crucial to making most scams work.
Say you have a Caracal, assembled, with the name, YourName's Caracal. Under default settings, if you were to place the Caracal into the trade window, you'd see the Caracal icon, with the text: "YourName's Caracal" under it. When used properly, this can be very misleading.
For example: Take that same Caracal, and now name it Caracal Navy Issue. If you were to put this into the trade window, any player with default settings would see the ship, see the ship name, and possibly mistake it for the faction version of the Caracal. If they take the time to view the details of the ship, they will see that it's a regular Caracal.
This kind of scam is very hit or miss. There is a high failure rate because it is becoming well-known that the trade window is generally used for scamming.
You can also scam players when buying things. For example, let's say that someone is selling a faction shield booster. First, contact them and express your interest in the module. Once you have their attention, find a price you can both agree on. Since you're not actually going to pay the full price, give them a generous offer to get their mind focused on how rich they're about to become. Note that this scam is only possible if you have the amount of ISK you agree on (You'll just need to flash the full amount in the trade--you won't actually pay them.)
The process is simple:
1. Agree on a price Come to a mutual agreement on how much you plan on paying for what they're selling. This way, when it comes time to trade, they'll clearly see you're offering the same amount of ISK in the trade window, and will not be focusing nearly as much energy toward avoiding being scammed.
2. Avoid them setting up a private contract
Take whatever steps necessary to avoid using a contract. If they set a contract up with you, it will not allow you to use the trade window to scam them. First, offer use of the trade window--simply open it and drop the ISK in right away. Many players will simply accept the fact that the trade is up, the ISK is there, and finalize the trade.
If they decline to use a trade window and insist on a contract, put as much effort as possible into avoiding it. For example: continue to insist that the contract is failing to load. If they want the sale badly enough, they will eventually use the trade window.
2. Get the trade window open
Once you have a trade window open with them, you need to quickly put the full amount of the agreed price into the trade. Speed is crucial--you want to have your ISK in the trade before they put their ship or module in. Remember: You're putting the full promised price in, but you will not pay the full price.
3. Wait for them to place their ships or modules in the trade
After you've put the ISK in, you wait. Once you see they have put their ship or module into the trade, it's time to change the amount of ISK you're offering. Click the button to adjust how much ISK you're offering, quickly change it to 1 ISK, and accept the trade.
4. Cross your fingers
The success of this scam is entirely based on timing. The hope is that they drop their module in, do one more look at the trade window, and then accept the trade. During that final review, you've changed the amount of ISK you're offering, and you both accept the trade at the same time. This is entirely based on chance, so the more you try it, the more likely you are to succeed.
The great thing about switching the ISK is that you can even scam players that are trying to sell mislabeled ships. For example, someone might be trying to sell a Caldari Navy Raven, which is actually a renamed Raven. When you show interest and offer them the ISK, they'll be thrilled that their scam is about to work, and you can easily catch them off guard by switching the ISK at the last moment.
There are plenty of other ways to use the trade window to scam players. These are just a few basic examples. You can use just about any tech 1 version of ships and pass them as faction or tech 2 versions, if you catch the right person off guard.
This page last updated: 2010.02.26