Welcome to The Appraiser, a simulation game where you play as a professional pawnbroker-appraiser. Your mission: buy antique items from clients who walk through the door of your shop, evaluate their authenticity, negotiate the best price, then resell them at the right moment for maximum profit.
The game is inspired by the famous television shows about antique dealers and auctioneers, but adds a deep strategic dimension. With over 450 items spread across 12 categories (Watches, Jewelry, Fine Jewelry, Precious Metals, Art, Art & Painting, Numismatics, Vintage, Vinyl & Retro, Militaria, Antiques and Miscellaneous), 60 clients with distinct personalities and 39 collections to complete, every playthrough is a unique experience.
You'll need to manage your cash flow carefully, invest in upgrading your shop, develop your expert skills, and navigate market fluctuations — from sudden booms to unexpected crashes, as well as burglaries and tax inspections. Travel between 8 international cities, each with its specialties and unique price multipliers, and trade with other players on the online marketplace.
Tip: This guide covers all game mechanics in detail. Don't hesitate to come back to it regularly — even experienced players will find tips to optimize their strategy.
To begin your adventure, create an account with a username and an email address. Your progress is automatically saved to the cloud and locally, allowing you to pick up your game on any device.
As soon as you create your profile, you choose your city from the 8 available. This choice is strategic because each city applies different multipliers to selling prices depending on the item category. You can change cities later, but it's an investment — choose wisely based on your specialization strategy.
The game is organized into 7 tabs accessible from the main navigation bar:
Tip: Start by investing in your shop's lighting. The additional clues it reveals will help you better evaluate item authenticity from the very beginning of the game.
The Counter is the main hub of your activity. Each game day, several clients come in with an item they wish to sell. It's up to you to examine the item, evaluate its value, spot potential counterfeits and negotiate a favorable purchase price.
The game features 60 unique clients, each with a distinct personality that directly influences negotiation. Some are nostalgic and attached to their item, others are in a hurry and want to close quickly. Each client has two key characteristics:
Before negotiating, take the time to examine the item. The examination reveals several clues about the item's authenticity and quality. The number of visible clues depends on your lighting level (shop upgrade) and your Appraiser skill. Clues can confirm authenticity — 'Authentic Geneva hallmark', 'Characteristic smooth movement' — or raise doubt: 'The manufacturer's logo seems slightly off-center'.
Each item also has a backstory told by the client. These narratives add depth to the game, but keep a critical eye: a great story doesn't guarantee an item's authenticity.
Tip: Pay particular attention to counterfeit clues. A suspicious visual clue (text in a different color or blinking) is a strong warning sign. The more you upgrade your lighting and Expert Eye skill, the more reliable these clues become.
Pro tip: You can get a free appraisal by watching a short ad video (optional). This appraisal gives you reliable feedback on the item's authenticity before buying — particularly useful early in the game when your Expert skill is still low.
Negotiation is the core mechanic of The Appraiser. Once you've examined an item and decided to buy it, you enter a bargaining phase with the client. The goal is to buy at the lowest possible price to maximize your resale margin.
Each negotiation takes place over successive rounds. Each round, you propose a price and the client reacts. Three outcomes are possible each round:
Each client has a patience counter that decreases each round. When it reaches zero, the client loses patience and walks away, regardless of any subsequent offers. Initial patience ranges from 2 to 5 rounds depending on the client's personality. Certain skills and upgrades can increase effective patience.
The Charm skill tree is your best ally in negotiation. Its three levels offer progressive bonuses:
The ratio between your offer and the client's asking price determines their reaction. The closer your offer is to the asking price, the higher the probability of acceptance. The Charm skill artificially increases this ratio, allowing you to propose lower prices while maintaining good chances of acceptance.
Tip: Always start with a low but reasonable offer — about 40 to 60% of the asking price. Watch the client's reaction and adjust gradually. With a patient client and good Charm skill, you can get substantial discounts.
Not all items that come through your counter are authentic. Each item has a counterfeit probability (fakeChance) ranging from 5% for common items to over 50% for highly sought-after prestige pieces. Buying a fake is a dead loss — the resale value is virtually nil, and the police may even fine you if they find one in your inventory.
When an item is a counterfeit, the game generates a specific fake clue: 'The manufacturer's logo seems off-center', 'The second hand moves jerkily for an automatic movement', 'The crown cabochon appears to be plastic'. These clues appear among the normal clues during examination. Some items also display a suspicious visual indicator (a highlighted visual signal in the interface) that alerts you to a possible fake.
The Expert Eye skill tree improves your ability to detect counterfeits:
If you suspect a fake, you have several options: refuse the purchase (safest), try to buy at a very low price to limit losses, or call in an expert (if you have the Appraisal Room). Police inspections can also reveal fakes in your inventory — with financial and reputation consequences.
Tip: High-value items (prestige watches, rare jewelry) often have a high fakeChance. Only invest in these items if you have a good Expert Eye skill or if the clues are clearly positive. The anti-fake insurance (gem upgrade) reimburses 50% in case of a counterfeit purchase — a valuable safety net for risky buys.
Your inventory is the storage space for all items bought at the counter or on the player marketplace. Starting capacity is limited, but you can increase it by investing in the Warehouse (shop upgrade) or through the gem upgrade '+2 slots'. Managing your inventory efficiently is crucial for profitability.
Every purchased item must be registered to comply with the law. An unregistered item will be flagged during a police inspection, resulting in a fine of 200 euros per item and a reputation loss. Registration is done directly from the Inventory tab — remember to register each item on the day of purchase (items bought the same day benefit from a grace period).
Some items arrive in poor condition — worn, damaged, or even ruined. Restoration lets you improve an item's condition, which significantly increases its resale value. The restoration cost depends on the item's value and its current condition. Investing in the Restorer skill and the Restoration Workshop (prestige upgrade) considerably reduces these costs.
Each item has a condition that affects its price: an item in perfect condition sells at 100% of its value, while a damaged or ruined item sells at only a fraction of its real value. Restoring an item before selling is often a very profitable investment, especially for high-value items.
Tip: Don't let your inventory fill up. Regularly sell common items to free up space for rare and collection pieces. Prioritize restoring items where the value increase far outweighs the restoration cost.
Reselling is your main source of income. But an item's selling price isn't fixed — it fluctuates constantly based on market trends. Knowing when to sell is just as important as knowing what to buy.
Each item category has a trend multiplier that changes daily. This multiplier oscillates between 0.5x (category in crisis) and 1.8x (category booming). The Inventory tab displays the current trends for each category, helping you identify the best selling opportunities.
In addition to market trends, your city applies its own multipliers per category. For example, Monaco offers a 1.4x multiplier on Jewelry but only 0.7x on Militaria. The final selling price combines the trend multiplier, the city multiplier and your luxury display case bonuses.
The Luxury Display Case shop upgrade increases the selling price of all your items. At maximum level, it offers a +55% bonus on selling price — an investment that quickly pays for itself on high-value items.
Tip: Patience is key. If trends are low for a category, keep your items and wait for a market boom or a favorable event. The 'Trend Vision' gem upgrade lets you see the exact trend percentages, a considerable advantage for optimizing your sales.
The Appraiser offers 8 cities with uniquely characterized markets. Your city determines the price multipliers applied to each item category. Choosing your city is a major strategic decision that should align with your specialization.
Tip: If you want to specialize in luxury (watches, jewelry, fine jewelry), Monaco is the ideal city with its high multipliers. For vintage and antiques, Tokyo and Provence offer the best returns. Paris remains the safest choice for players who prefer a diversified approach without taking risks.
The Marketplace is an online trading platform where players can buy and sell collection items with each other. It's a strategic space for completing your collections, acquiring rare pieces unavailable at the counter, or monetizing items you no longer need.
To sell on the marketplace, go to the Market tab and select a collection item from your inventory. Set your selling price (between 1 euro and 1,000,000 euros) and publish the listing. The item is then removed from your inventory and made available to all players. If a buyer comes along, you receive the sale amount (minus any marketplace fees).
Browse other players' listings, filter by category or city, and buy items that interest you. Marketplace prices are influenced by the seller's city — an item listed from Monaco may have a different price than one listed from Lille. The purchase is instant and the item is added directly to your inventory.
The player marketplace is particularly useful for completing the final tiers of your collections. Grail-tier items are extremely rare at the counter — finding them on the marketplace may be the most efficient way to obtain them, even at a high price. Also watch for bargains: some players sell rare items at low prices to free up inventory space.
Tip: If you invest in the Network skill, you'll benefit from a 15% reduction on marketplace fees, making your transactions more profitable. Check the marketplace regularly — bargains go fast.
The collection system adds a long-term collecting and progression dimension to the game. There are 39 collections split into four types: category collections (8), thematic collections (17), prestige collections (7) and transcendent collections (7).
All collections unlock based on your level. The 25 base collections (category + thematic) unlock from level 1 to level 12. You start with 3 collections and unlock new ones with each level up. A toast notification appears at each unlock.
The 7 transcendent collections (ancient civilizations) then unlock from level 13 to level 19, one per level: Mesopotamia (13), Ancient Egypt (14), Classical Greece (15), Imperial Rome (16), Imperial China (17), Vikings & Norse (18), Inca Empire (19).
The 7 prestige collections are endgame content and unlock at milestone levels: Legendary Garage (15), On Two Wheels (20), Royal Runway (25), Exceptional Cellar (30), Seventh Art (35), Sports Hall of Fame (40), Science Cabinets (45).
Each collection has up to 4 progressive tiers:
Each tier is independent: you can claim a tier, sell the items used, then work on the next tier. You don't need to keep items from previous tiers.
The 7 transcendent collections (Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece, Imperial Rome, Imperial China, Vikings & Norse, Inca Empire) unlock at levels 13 to 19. They represent mid-game content and offer moderate gem rewards (15/25/40/60 per tier).
The 7 prestige collections (Legendary Garage, On Two Wheels, Royal Runway, Exceptional Cellar, Seventh Art, Sports Hall of Fame, Science Cabinets) are endgame content. They unlock at levels 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 and offer the highest gem rewards (25/40/60/100 per tier).
Each collection with a Grail tier contains one unique legendary item, the rarest and most valuable in the game. These items only start appearing from level 17 onward and remain extremely rare in client offerings.
Examples of Grails by collection type:
Tip: Transcendent Grails are worth between 450,000 euros and 800,000 euros. Always keep enough cash on hand to buy them when they appear — they are very rare!
XP earned depends on the rarity of the item. The rarer an item, the more XP it grants:
In addition, each sale grants a bonus XP proportional to your profit margin: +1 XP per 10% profit bracket, up to a maximum of +20 XP. For example, an item bought for 1,000 euros and resold for 2,000 euros (+100% margin) earns +10 bonus XP on top of the base XP.
Tip: To level up quickly, prioritize buying and reselling rare and legendary items with a good profit margin. The 'Permanent XP Boost' gem upgrade (+15%) multiplies these gains even further.
Gems are a special currency obtained exclusively through collections. They can be spent in the Gem Shop for 6 powerful permanent upgrades:
Tip: Prioritize buying the XP Boost (30 gems) as soon as possible — the +15% bonus compounds across all your future progression. The Anti-Fake Insurance (60 gems) is an excellent investment for players who frequently buy high-value items with a high counterfeit risk.
Your progression relies on two complementary systems: skills that improve your personal abilities, and shop upgrades that enhance your work environment.
The game offers 3 base skill trees, each with 3 levels. You earn skill points by leveling up:
Once all base trees are maxed out, 3 prestige trees unlock:
5 base upgrades are available, each with up to 6 levels:
Three additional upgrades unlock after maxing out all base upgrades:
Tip: Early in the game, invest primarily in Lighting (to spot fakes) and Warehouse (to store more items). Security System level 2 is a priority goal as it completely eliminates the risks of robbery and aggravated burglary.
Each game day, random events can occur and disrupt your progression. Some are beneficial, others can be devastating. Anticipating and preparing for these events is an integral part of the game's strategy.
Tip: Reputation is a key factor for events. Maintaining high reputation (70+) increases the frequency of positive events (VIP clients, tips, TV appearances) while reducing the likelihood of police inspections. Invest in the security system early in the game to neutralize the most serious thefts. Always register your items to be worry-free during police inspections.
At several points in the game, you'll have the opportunity to watch a short ad video (about 15 to 30 seconds) in exchange for a free bonus. These rewarded videos are entirely optional: you will never be forced to watch them. Additionally, short interstitial ads are displayed automatically every few game days — they are brief and infrequent.
Available rewards include:
Good to know: The number of rewarded videos is limited to 3 per game day. Save them for when you really need them — for example, a free appraisal before buying a very expensive item whose authenticity you doubt.
This guide is regularly updated to reflect the latest game mechanics. Good luck on your appraiser adventure, and remember: in this trade, patience and expertise are what separate an amateur dealer from a recognized expert.