by Aristotle

Created on: October 01, 2009   Last Updated: October 02, 2011

Every player in Runescape has at one time or another dreamed about owning a party hat or an almighty Godsword. Of course, these items cost millions and sometimes billions of gold. How are some players able to afford these items then? The answer lies, like in the real world, with investments using items as “stocks”.

Method 1: Short-term merchanting using the Grand Exchange

The Grand Exchange, or G.E. as most players refer to it, is located in the north-west section of Varrock. Here, players can place offers to buy or sell items in an automated auction. Many players don’t think twice about the prices they pay for certain items as they are in a rush and need the supplies quickly. For example, sharks are necessary for both player killers and players trying to raise their combat level(s) through training. In both cases, the player is usually in a rush to continue player or monster killing. Because of this necessity, players usually buy sharks in bulk and above the normal Grand Exchange price.  

This is where you come in. Although the difference between the market price and the price the player is paying for the sharks is only around 5-10%, this difference is where huge amounts of money is made. The strategy, then, is as follows: place an offer for one shark around 20% higher than the normal, market price. The shark should sell instantly and you should receive some coins along with the shark. Now go to your G.E. market history and make note of the price that the shark was sold at. At this point, although it may seem counterintuitive, put the shark back in the G.E. and sell it for 20-30% less than its market price. Again, make note of the price that the shark sold for this time.

At this point, you are ready to start investing. The price that you sold the shark for will be your buying price and the price that you bought the shark for will be your selling price. Let’s assume that you bought a shark for around 20% greater than its suggested, or market price. The shark then sold for 696 gp with 50 coins that are returned to you. The selling price that you will be selling the sharks for is 646 gp.  The next step would be to sell the shark at a much lower price than its market price; in this case, you might sell the shark for 500 gp. This time, the shark sold for 600 gp. Now, put in an offer for however many sharks you can afford at 1 to 2 gp above 600 gp. The extra coins help eliminate any other competition among other merchants also investing

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