"Rare" item scam involves a scammer (who is the seller) selling items at very high prices. This scam is also called Arbitrage scam or fake rare item scam. This goes against the 'Scamming' rule under Honour, and players caught performing this scam.
The items the scammers use are seldom seen, used in members quest, or hardly found at all but are actually not rare items and are very cheap, usually worthless. The prices scammers will sell these fake rare items have a very wide range – from 5,000 to several hundred million coins
Items employed in the scam[]
Many more items are used in this scam but the following are some known to have been used
- Sliced bananas – can be made in any world using a banana with a knife or a weapon with a 'slash' option. Store price is about 1 to 2 coins
- Potion – this item can be asked for free from the apothecary for free. This has no use except being an optional item in a member’s quest. This item is considered completely worthless.
- Charcoal – this item can be acquired from charcoal trees or bought from certain stores for about 45 coins and is used in member’s quest. The true price of this item is less than 100 coins.
- Polished buttons – Used in the quest “animal magnetism”. Often sold in the free world for very high prices but is otherwise worthless. This item was made untradeable in November 2007.
- Spinach roll – an item which heals 2 hp, sold by Rasolo by the Baxtorian Falls. Previously, Spinach rolls were also given by the Mysterious Old Man or Rick Turpine (Note that these Random events are now removed, and Rasolo is the only source of Spinach Rolls. In response to the use of this scamming, this item is no longer tradable and cannot be dropped (it can be destroyed)
- Burnt bones – Same function as regular bones and is found within and inside Red Dragon island in the Wilderness.
- Cooking apples – can be farmed and respawn in the cooking guild. Used for cooking apple pies and summer pies, and not worth very much.
- Newspaper – can be sold from Benny in Varrock. Has no use other than for completing the Varrock Tasks, and is worth no more than 50 coins. If you buy it for more than 100 coins, then you are getting a bad deal. Benny sells papers for 50 coins.
- Weapons store key - given by Straven to any player who became members of the Phoenix Gang. This key used in opening a secret room containing an Iron dagger and 2 Phoenix crossbows (overall, the three items are not worth over 100 coins). Scammers sell these for as much as 10,000 coins, but it is actually worth no more than 2 coins at most.
Examples[]
Example 1:
Scammer: Selling charcoal, 350k very cheap.
Example 2:
Scammer: Selling rare items
Prevention[]
- Do not buy any item unless you know the price itself. Check the item's price in the trade window before you make the trade.
- Do not take the seller’s word that it is rare, the commerce of rare items has now died out and practically nobody sells real rare items (eg. party hats) regardless of the offer. If you ever get a rare item, chances are nobody would buy it due to its price or its practically useless effect (the party hats for example do not boost any stats and sells for only 1 coin or less in the general store)
- Do not accept unusual items as payment or collaterals (eg. If you are selling cowhides, do not accept if the buyer says he will pay using charcoal or any weird items).
- Know the danger signs such as the examples given above.