Hi, I'm sorry that pixpet hasn't been great for you so far. I just want to say that I agree with you that the whole auction system needs an upgrade.

For some context, I've been on pixpet for a really long time: I started all the way back in December of last year. Back then, I thought the auction system was pretty good. Very few players had a ton of PC to spend, so prices were never outrageous. However, nowadays I 100% agree that it is way better for richer/older players. I'll admit that when I've been hunting for a certain item for a while, I'll drop a couple hundred PC on it right away, just cause I have the ability to do so.

(Also, snipeguard is the bane of my existence when I do bid on something, so I feel your pain there)

Now this is my own personal conspiracy theory, so take it with a grain of salt, but I noticed the auction house changed a lot when white dragon scales were introduced to the game. This was the first time that there was an item that everybody needed (to get a pixpet) and that you needed a LOT of them (298 scales!). The auctions for these scales were crazy. People were buying 1 scale for 500 PC each in some cases. Not only for white dragon scales, but all prices went up in general. It just caused a lot of pandemonium that I think was never resolved, and then jade beads came around and the whole process started again (although slightly less than the extent of the white dragon scales)

A common suggestion I see made is for a search function for user shops. I think is a great idea and I wish it was around exactly for this reason. Item for item or egg for egg trading is also something I think is long overdue, so hopefully, that feature will come out soon.

Sorry that this is a bunch of me rambling. I totally get your frustration, and I hope solutions will come soon that makes it easier to buy and trade items.