The True Value of Black Market Items

A Horn of Plenty and a Black Orchid are both worth 1 pass, so people won't mind swapping them in the exchange?

Wrong.

Although items may have the same monetary value they may not have the same impact value which is dependent on their use, demand and ability to access. Items like a Black Orchid are easily obtained in promotions and in horns of plenty, however you are less likely to obtain, for example, a Hera Pack.

I have separated tradeable BMIs into categories based on what I feel is appropriate and a good baseline for others.

Category 1: "Muckheap" BMI, sell for up to 50,000 equus
More common than a Pidgey on Pokemon Go, these items are all 1 pass but not ones you'd choose to spend your pass on unless you were desperate.
Black Orchid
Pandora's Box
Water of Youth
Fertility Wand
Helios' Ray
Ploutos' Parchment
Croesus Fortune
All Bonuses (Spurs, Lunge, Whip and Bell Boots)

Category 2: "Haynet" BMI, sell for up to 200,000 equus
Some are common but have more use in training etc, and some are tradeable but unavailable for passes.
Apollo's Lyre
Philotes' Stroke
Piece of Cloud
Hynos' Blanket
Medusa's Blood
Zeus' Lightning Bolt
Bonus Pack
Artemis' Arrow
Aphrodite's Tears
Achilles' Heel
Chronos Timer

Category 3: "Red Rum" BMI, sell for up to 300,000
Essentially the best BMI going. Based not only on their monetary value but how rare it is to find them in the exchange
Golden Apple
Harmony Pack
Morpheus' Arms
Nyx Pack
Hera's Pack
Titan's Challenge
Horn of Plenty
5th Element
Seal of the Apocalypse
Bewitched Pumpkin
High Kingdom Splint Boot
Philosopher's Stone
Hermes Winged Staff

At this point I was planning on making a huge table saying what you swap for what, but it was wayyyy too big and complex. But essentially you can swap items within a category easily (sometimes offering 2 for 1 or 1 for 2), and you can offer an item from a higher category for an item in a lower category.

As with many things on Howrse, there is no right answer as to what you should and shouldn't trade. Before putting up a trade, check current offers to see if you can get what you want or what other people are offering for that BMI. Also, consider if you would accept your own offer. If not, nobody else will. It is also worth noting that there is no other way to secure your item transactions apart from through the official exchanges, and donating an item to someone and then reserving them a "trade nag" for large amounts of equus to overcome the 300,000 equus limit on trades is Item Trafficking and goes against the Terms of Use.

Happy Howrseing

Fx

Staying Safe on Howrse

Even though on Howrse, we all share a common love of horses, not everybody may be as kind as you think. It is important to remember, especially on a game where a vast percentage of players are children, that you must still keep yourself safe.

Here is what Howrse has to say on staying safe:

You must follow some basic rules to play in the best of conditions:

• Never give out your password,
• do not register on sites that pretext to offer you passes so as to steal your account,
• choose a password that is difficult to guess

It is also recommended that you do not post any personal information on your presentation, and that you have an anonymous avatar so you cannot be identified.

Why stay anonymous?

Not giving out personal information prevents you from being targeted - people may choose to bully you if they know you are a child. It also prevents people from searching for you on social media such as Instagram and Facebook, and if you are one of those who posts their entire lives on social media then this is letting a complete stranger know every detail of your life and your family's - compromising their safety too. Posting a lot of information can also lead to people trying to guess your password if your password is something to do with a pet's name or a hobby - this is why you should have a longer, complex password, as it makes your account safer.

How can I be in harm on Howrse?

Unfortunately there are many ways people can hurt and upset you through what appears to just be a browser game, and sadly there are people who spend their time thinking of ways to scam and bully players in an online community for no apparent reason. Here are some of the things you should look out for and how to stay protected to carry on enjoying Howrse.

Bullying and Harassment: Some people just want to send you nasty messages regardless of whether they have a reason or if they know you personally. Some will even go as far as to create new accounts just to bully you. You should never respond to nasty messages as it just makes it worse as they have a reason to reply and send more nastiness. You can report messages for bullying and harassment and blacklist accounts so they can no longer message you. I personally do not recommend taking the matter to the Game Play forum and asking people what to do, as then the bully will know they're upsetting you. If it all gets out of hand take the issue discretely straight to a Moderator, it is their job to help keep players feeling safe on Howrse, and they will help you out.

Scams: There are several different ways of being scammed on Howrse:

"Free Pass Sites": Just give us your username and password and we'll put passes on your account....these sites will simply steal your account. NEVER use these sites, there are plenty of ways to get passes for free through official channels.

"Unofficial Trades": These include trading horses for items or selling horses for more than possible in the direct sales by selling several horses or items to people. These trades have been banned because of the amount of scams as players were being scammed out of equus and items and not receiving the goods. To put it simply. DO NOT use unofficial means of paying for horses, regardless of how desperate you are or how trustworthy you think someone is, there is no guarantee of your asset safety.

"Co-Management Scamming": When you allow someone co-management, they have access to all your BMIs, your best team horses and your passes - and all of these can be used. They can use all of your saved up items and APs, ruin your EC prestige by not rotating fields etc, sell your items and use up all your equus, use all of your passes and send coverings from your best horses to their horses without your permission. They cannot sell your horses but they can kill them off or place them in the Safe Haven. Remember you cannot pay somebody for AP Hunting and you should always choose carefully when entrusting your account with somebody - imagine you are handing them your entire account instead of limited features; who would you trust? Mods recommend only choosing people who you know, or as a last resort just leave your account unchecked whilst you cannot log on or AP Hunt yourself, at least this way any problems can be resolved. 

Account and Identity Theft: Accounts can be hacked. Regardless of your password safety. If you suspect your account has been compromised, you should Contact Howrse immediately, and change the password of your account AND the email address it has been connected to. Change your password every now and then if you are worried about safety.

People can also steal any information you give out about yourself, including pictures. Avoid posting photos where possible and you can put your username in the corner using Paint etc. as a watermark so the image cannot be stolen. You can report identity theft to moderators, and it is always best to go discretely to a mod instead of confronting somebody over the issues.

Remember to remain courteous and polite at all times to all people. Acknowledge your mistakes and respect the rules. Most importantly have fun - spread the love of horses and Howrse instead of disrespect and hate.

Happy Howrseing and stay safe,

F x