Animal Crossing: New Horizons: How to master the Stalk Market

Want to become the next Wolf on Animal Street? Follow this guide to selling turnips and master the Stalk Market in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is quite possibly one of the most relaxing games on the planet. Part of that reason is the simplicity of the game mechanics. You do things or you don’t. It doesn’t matter. A toddler, a senior, and everyone in between can understand and play this game.

One of the only parts that really seems to have any level of complications is the first Sunday after you build Nook’s Cranny, when you find Daisy Mae patrolling your town. She sells you turnips. You can’t make anything with them, you can’t sell them that day and it may cause you to ask yourself, “Turnip for what?” (I’m so sorry, I’m a dad.)

"Actual footage of my face when I wrote “Turnip for what?”"

What is the Stalk Market?

First off, the Stalk Market is one of the most pun heavy parts of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and for that I’m eternally grateful. For example, do you know why they use turnips for this? In the Japanese language both turnips and stalk are pronounced as “Kabu.” Solid word play.

Also, Daisy Mae is a play on American Financial Institution “Fannie Mae.” Daisy Mae is taking over in New Horizons for Joan who, as a boar, introduces herself as the “Sow Joan,” get it? Like Dow Jones. It’s amazing.

It’s also a great way to make money if you pay attention.

How to get turnips

Every Sunday, between 5AM and 12PM the adorable Daisy Mae will wonder through your town. She’s a little boar with a runny nose and a bunch of turnips on her head and is ready to sell.

She sells turnips in bundles of 10 and they can sell for prices that run all over the place. Normally though you want to buy when it’s under 100. It’s okay to buy them for a little more but the higher the price you buy turnips for the bigger the risk you’re going to take.

"That booger coming out of her nose makes her a social distancing nightmare"

Once you have them, that’s it for Sunday. You can’t do anything else with them. The stores won’t buy them, you cannot plant them (seriously, don’t) and they don’t go into your home’s storage. So you need to just plop them down so they’re not eating inventory space.

My recommendation is to make a room in your home for them. Traditionally I always turned my basement into turnip storage.

I don’t recommend leaving them lying around outside of the home, however, because a visitor to your town might get sticky fingers and pick some up. I’m not saying anything about your friends, or mine, I’m just saying.

How to sell turnips

Monday through Saturday, at Nook’s Cranny, the twins will buy your turnips. Here’s where you need to pay attention. Every morning they will pay a certain amount per turnip. This price, traditionally, can vary between 15 to 800 per turnip but commonly hovers between 50 and 200 per turnip. This is why you really shouldn’t buy for more than 100 per. The price the twins pay for changes every morning and every day at noon so make sure to double-check around then.

"Wow, way to lowball me for the article screenshot, kids."

Keep a note (real life whiteboards are a godsend for Animal Crossing players) of how much you spent so you can compare. If the prices aren’t good for that day you can try the next day. Just keep in mind that after Saturday, all your turnips are going to rot. After that you can only throw them away. The only good thing a rotted turnip is for is that they attract ants and flies to your home and it’s the easiest way to add them to the museum.

If you’re having terrible luck selling, remember the best tool at a New Horizons player’s disposal is your friends. If you get a good price in your town, post that. Make a Facebook post, screenshot that mess on Instagram, let your friends know and let them come over.

Likewise, if you can’t find a good price in your town, hit up your friends and ask them what they got going on their island. It’s not a worldwide price standard so you’ll all have different amounts. Put a little work in and you can make about 1-2 million in bells a week depending on how hard you want to go into it and how big your social net is.

Remember, it’s optional

One of the most important things to remember though, as with all things in Animal Crossing, this is completely optional. If it’s too much or takes you out of the game, by all means, just like the real life stock market, don’t do it.

Actually, right now, despite my past article, probably don’t play the real life stock market at the moment at all. Have fun, stay safe and if you decide to become the next Wolf of Animal Street, just don’t eat any of your sheep villagers.

Now, if you’re excuse me, I’m going to work on what’s TRULY the most valuable thing in Animal Crossing, Sable’s friendship.