In November 2008, Neopets released NC-related “gift boxes” that (finally!) made it possible to send NC wearables to other users and side accounts. Gift boxes have now become a means of currency in NC trading.
A classic Basic Gift Box.
WHAT ARE GIFT BOXES AND GIFT BOX CAPSULES?
- Gift boxes are the single, plain boxes (like the one pictured above) that you need to move items. You use these to send NC items from one account to another.
- Super Gift Boxes are special gift boxes that were released in Winter 2010. Users could receive them from the holiday GBC and use them to send 4 items at once. They have not since been released.
- Gift box capsules (GBCs) are items that can be opened to reveal one NC item and 2 – 5 Basic Gift Boxes.
HOW TO GET GIFT BOXES
There are currently quite a few ways in which you can find or purchase gift boxes!
- When you redeem a physical Neocash card, you will receive a certain amount of gift boxes depending on how much the card is worth. For every $5 that you redeem, you will receive one gift box. This means that if you redeem a $10 card, you will receive two gift boxes; if you redeem a $25 card, you will receive five gift boxes. These cards can be found at specific WalMart and Target locations, among other places.
NOTE: You will not receive gift boxes when purchasing Neocash online through the NC Mall — only when redeeming a physical Neocash card. - For one week every month (generally the last week), you can find gift box capsules in the NC Mall for 200 NC each. Gift box capsules, very commonly referred to as GBCs, contain one buyable Neocash item (meaning the item inside is available for purchase separately) and between two to five gift boxes. The number of boxes inside is completely random, but receiving two is the most common. You can choose to open the GBC in order to receive the item and boxes, or you can leave it closed as a collectable, an item to trade, or just something pretty to look at!
Look at all that sparkle.
- One of TNT’s most recent projects has been a daily called Trudy’s Surprise, which is a slot machine that appears at the top of users’ screen every 24 hours. You have the chance to randomly win one Basic Gift Box every day when you play. Whether or not any icons match is not a factor; receiving a gift box is completely random.
GIFT WRAP
Sometimes you will see something being sold in the NC Mall that looks like a very pretty gift box. Be careful! Gift boxes are not ever sold individually. What you are looking at is a set of gift wrap with which to dress up your Basic Gift Boxes.
Wouldn’t you be happy to receive this?!
You’ll need a Basic Gift Box in your inventory or Safety Deposit Box in order to purchase gift wrap. Once you buy it, one of your gift boxes will automatically be wrapped, so you don’t need to activate the item. If the box that is wrapped is in your SDB, it will be moved to your inventory after being wrapped.
Gift wrap is generally season or related to an event, meaning it cannot be found year-round in the NC Mall. It can rarely be awarded when opening a Gift Box Capsule.
SENDING & RECEIVING ITEMS WITH GIFT BOXES
Sending items
Sending items with gift boxes is relatively easy.
- First, you need to make sure you have the gift box and the item that you would like to send in your inventory.
- Next, select the gift box.
- The scroll down menu will only show the NC items in your inventory. Select the one that you would like to send to another account.
- You will then be asked to type in the name of the account you would like to send the item to. It is very important that you spell the username correctly. You will be asked to verify if the account you entered, but you still want to be very careful since this is real money on the line!
- You can select a message to send along with the item, such as “Hope you like it!” and “Congratulations!” This part is optional.
- Finally, you will be taken to the last screen in which you will type in your account password and verify that you would like to send the item to the account that you entered. This is your chance to double check the item you are sending and your spelling of the account’s name.
- Send your item!
NOTE: The receiving and sending of NC items is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, and German. If you are using another language, you will not be able to accept/decline an NC item when it is sent to you, and you will need to change the site’s language (at the bottom of the page) to do so.
Items that cannot be sent
Certain items cannot be sent with gift boxes, including:
- Individual gift boxes
- Elite Boutique items
- Golden Lulu Medallion
Mis-typing usernames, M.I.A. users, etc: Getting your item back
Sometimes gifting or trading doesn’t go quite as planned. Whether the person you want to send an item to is not accepting the item you’ve sent them or you accidentally sent an item to an inactive/non-existent account, don’t fret! Your item is not lost forever! After 48 hours of your item sitting in limbo, it will be returned to your inventory. The same goes for when someone sends back an item you have sent them. In both cases, you will also receive back the gift box you used to send the item.
You will always receive a neomail within 48 hours from TNT letting you know whether a user had accepted your item, sent it back, or done neither (in which the item has been returned to your inventory).
TRADING NC WITH GBCs
It is completely “legal” to trade NC items for other NC items between users. This is generally done on the NC Mall neoboard. The “currency” for NC trading is Gift Box Capsules, which are valued at 200 NC (because this is what they sell for in the NC Mall). Other items also have NC value, but these values are based on popularity, rarity, availability, among other things.
So, for example, when an item is valued at roughly 800 NC, someone might say that it is worth 4 “caps,” since 200 NC x 4 = 800 NC. Therefore someone with an NC item valued at 800 NC who is seeking Gift Box Capsules would likely be interested in receiving four GBCs in exchange for their item, in a fair trade. Yes, it is okay to trade multiple NC items for a single NC item and vice-versa.
There are many guides and value guides, this being the (by far) most popular and circulated. Remember, value guides are suggested and based on limited collected data — they are not law! As long as a trader and tradee are aware of the supposed values of the items and agree to a trade, it is legal. Attempting to trade with someone who does not understand values with the intent of “getting a good deal” on an item is considered scamming, and this is a freezable offense.
If you do not know the value of your retired Gift Box Capsule or item, you can also do a price check on the NC Mall chat.
NOTES
- You can not ever trade NC items for neopoint items, pets, or anything else that is not also an NC item. Do not use gift boxes to send NC items to users in exchange for anything besides other NC items.
- You are allowed to purchase or redeem NC on a side account, and you may buy GBCs on your side accounts. Moving NC between your accounts to dress up your pets is completely legal — and you need gift boxes to do it!
- You can PIN protect the use of gift boxes in your PIN Preferences.
- Gift boxes, like other NC items, do not expire.
- Very, very occasionally, Basic Gift Boxes will be given out in the NC Mall for free. They will simply appear on the homepage with the word “FREE” underneath and you can redeem one on your main and side accounts.
- Sometimes, Basic Gift Boxes will be given out in association with events such as Stocking Stufftacular and 13 Days of Trick or Treat.
