Auctioneer Help Anyone?

I am a longterm Auctioneer user. I have noticed that since Cataclysm release the data files seem to be more bloated. I need to perform the dreaded /auc clearscan all .

I'm looking for some answers which I can't seem to locate anywhere, including the Auctioneer site.

If I clear all the data, will my Skillet and MySales data go away too? Is there a way to preserve sales data that is used by these addons and still remove all the data Auctioneer has warehoused?

Skillet keeps very useful stats on how many of an item I have sold and for how much total revenue. This info is super useful in determining if I need to make some irregular item to sell.

Any thoughts out there? I love Auctioneer but losing all this valuable info every time I have to "clear the decks" seems like a very big sacrifice.

Keystone Enchanting Materials

I was in high school when I first read Extinction: The Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species by Paul and Anne Ehrlich. It was an epiphanous experience. One of the most stirring images described by the Ehrlichs was that of the Keystone Species. 

Within any ecosystem there are species that are so integral that their extinction would cause the entire ecosystem to crash. Removing Ochre Stars from the coastal California marine ecosystem would lead to an explosion of mussels, whose proliferation would crowd out all the fish, sea lions and eventually the coral beds. The Ochre Star is a Keystone Species for that ecosystem.

Within WoW there are certain Enchanting materials that similarly hold the key to ensuring the stability of their relative ecosystems. My purpose here is to identify three such materials and to give strategies for controlling those materials to maximize your gold earning opportunities.

Phuggly's Phinancial Dilemma: Quick Update

Phuggly gave me the head's up that he has earned about 1,500g in the last few days. Hell of a jump from 2g, eh? He didn't want to get into a lot of specifics (and also asked to keep his secrets....well, secret). I asked him to consider authoring a post with some thoughts on what has worked and what hasn't--he said he will consider it.

About the only thing I can tell you is that he definitely used SOME of the suggestions but not all of them. 

More on this topic as conditions warrant. At this pace, he may be flying around Northrend by the end of the week!

Gratz Phug! 

Leveling is Fun Again

Although this is a departure from the usual "here's how to make more gold in WoW" post, in the end it may proved to cover that topic as well. Given the infrequency of my posts I suppose one could say the word "departure" implies that I post a lot. OK, fair enough.

However, I was motivated by a pm from The Gold Queen over at Goldcastles. She linked my site to her blogroll so I figured some new content should follow. 

/cracks knuckles....So here goes.....

Phuggly's Phinancial Dilemma: A Gold Making Business Plan

I'm submitting this for JMTC's April Carnival......seems right on point for their topic.
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Met a player today via trade chat. Super nice guy. He was selling some Primals, which I buy whenever the price is right. They are great for flipping, can be useful in crafting and if nothing else can be turned into Primal Might which sells for around 325g per unit.

Phuggly and I began chatting. ((and he gave permission to use his screen name)). Seems he was trying to raise gold for Cold Weather Flying. He was very candid in describing the challenge he faced in raising enough gold for basic needs. Left with 2g to his name after Cold Weather Flying, his next goal is Artisan Riding for 4,500g. During our conversation I explained how earning gold could be made easier if he were to use some resources, i.e.--blogs, that could help him in this pursuit.

I learned that Phuggly is his highest level character. He has L400 Mining and L281 Blacksmithing. With these limitations I know it will be hard to raise the capital he needs. I couldn't really think of a post that addressed this specific situation--he's not brand new, but he doesn't have a lot of experience or access to professions. I decided that it would be helpful to Phug (and I'm sure other players) to have a guide for this situation.

The result is this post. Read more below the fold

I'm Famous Now!!

Since the time I hit my 250k gold threshold and wrote the interview below, I have now hit 350k.....500k on the way!

http://www.warcraftecon.net/?p=3970

How To Lose Money and Piss Off People With Jewelcrafting

I managed to get a bunch of Obsidium Ore the other day for 65g/stack. I hadn't had time to prospect it until tonight, partly because I've been leveling my Warlock and Druid and partly because the monotony of button mashing the macro 200+ times was just daunting enough a task to make me find something else to do. Actually, to find anything else to do.

I got home later than normal from work. I was in a bad mood because traffic sucked. The sleet and snow flurries persisted all day and made the whole day gray and gloomy. By the time we got dinner out of the way and other family issues addressed it was almost 8pm--and I had yet to run any of my daily quests. I knocked them out quickly and decided that spamming the macro was about all I wanted to tackle. No thought required, just press the button and watch TV. Boring. Depressing.

Thus my mood was sour for a number of reasons. Reading the banal trade banter just made it worse. About the only positive I could grasp at this point was the prospect of transmuting a bunch of Shadowspirit Diamonds and cutting some Burning and Reverberating gems. I sell 2-4 of each every day. Burning goes for about 325g and Reverberating for about 575g, up to 600g. I'm still missing Agile, but remain on the lookout.

So there I sat, in a funk, pressing the number "1" over and over, just waiting to get my gems so I could transmute, cut and list my Metas. I noticed a player asking in trade for a JC with Bold Inferno Ruby and Reverberating Shadowspirit cuts.

Oh boy! I can make some quick gold!!

Boy was I wrong.