Junk trading

Junk trading is an action in which certain item(s) are used to exercise the freedom of trade. The Grand Exchange interface does not always match supply and demand. In order to trade freely, people often choose junk trading. A person will offer an item that is under-priced along with items that are over-priced to balance the trade.

This can also be done in the context of Item Lending.

Understanding junk items
Junk items are items which have prices usually above their actual value, often due to lack of demand for said item. Good examples of this are low-level unstrung bows. The logs from which the unstrung bows are made can be bought for much less than the value of the unstrung bow. Due to the lack of demand for these types of items they are generally only used in junk trading.

However, for merchants who junk trade with large amount, junk are not considered as "useless items to be throw away", but rather, "non-current asset".

Understanding junk trading
In an example, a trader wishes to sell an item for 100,000 coins, but the item's Grand Exchange value is only 50,000 coins. To accomplish this trade, the seller adds 50,000 coins worth of "junk". The trade is then equalised and completed. This type of trading may also be used when lending items. Because the 50,000 coins worth of junk is useless to the seller and/or impossible to sell, they will be more than happy to use it in a trade to equalise the price.

Jagex's opinion on junk trading
Jagex Moderators have posted on the forums many times that they are not against junk trading. However, they do not wish to resort to freedom of trade as they are afraid of auto-ers.

Posted in the Wilderness and Real-World Trading Q&amp;A on 17 February 2009:

Common junk items

 * Unstrung bows (u) (under Yew (u) )
 * Iron ore
 * Poisoned arrows/darts
 * Summoning pouches
 * Spirit shards
 * Summoning scrolls
 * Javelins (and their poisoned versions)
 * Coifs
 * Willow logs
 * Bronze to Adamant weapons/armour
 * Arrow shafts
 * Unfinished arrows/bolts
 * Broodoo shields
 * Swamp lizards
 * Low level Seeds and potions

Common under-priced items

 * All Gilded-type Construction flatpacks
 * Any newly released item
 * Raw pies and raw curry
 * Rare items