Trading tips that actually help
Most overpayments do not come from bad maths. They come from rushing, from comparing one plant in detail and the other side only roughly, and from changing a setting after you already saved a line. The tips below are boring on purpose — they are the boring steps that prevent expensive mistakes.
Check both sides the same way
Calculate both sides of a trade with the same method: exact weight, exact tier, exact mutations, same amount and boost rules. If one side is exact and the other is a guess, the comparison is already unfair, even if the calculator is correct.
Save line items, then review them
Save each plant as a line item, then review the list before you commit. Remember: each saved line stores the value at the moment you added it. Changing settings later does not rewrite old lines, so if you change a setting, re-add the affected lines instead of assuming the list updated itself.
Watch for three traps
- Reference-only modifiers: do not count them as guaranteed multipliers.
- Rounded weights: a small rounding error, multiplied by a large stack, becomes a large error.
- Game updates: values are estimates from bundled data. After a big patch, re-check values before a large trade.
Take your time on large trades
For a small trade, a quick check is enough. For a large trade, do the full workflow: calculate, save, review, compare, and then decide. If a deal looks too good, check weight, tier, and reference-only labels first — one of them is usually the explanation.
Start with the calculator, read Guides for the recommended order, and keep this post bookmarked for your next trade.