tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64445226611653150522024-02-18T23:39:39.929-05:00Kammler's KornerMusings about World of WarcraftUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-81552918492406426712011-09-03T11:00:00.000-04:002011-09-03T11:00:43.437-04:0020 Minute JP Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGFWYFObh08tthsBm97fnfgcywOFDAA-GtPsn8er6h2pbCR-AOG0dEHfF7KNWI39hH2TH2FNOpi8ntQHxYpLwgvxDZLgL3vuABpqgIIlc_f86Pk_yh_t7NQP-_dd1KIutz0A7IEqHXVc/s1600/20+Minute+Run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGFWYFObh08tthsBm97fnfgcywOFDAA-GtPsn8er6h2pbCR-AOG0dEHfF7KNWI39hH2TH2FNOpi8ntQHxYpLwgvxDZLgL3vuABpqgIIlc_f86Pk_yh_t7NQP-_dd1KIutz0A7IEqHXVc/s320/20+Minute+Run.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Since I'm farming Justice Points for my toons now (none of whom have really been made Raid Ready yet), getting a fast run here and there has been my goal.<br />
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One of my tank buddies was free so my son grabbed his healer (pushing hard to get to 85 before he leaves for college Sunday) and we queued RDF.<br />
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Vortex Pinnacle is not one of my favorite dungeons but when it popped our tank said "let's try to knock this out quick". I grabbed the stopwatch, hit start and said "go".<br />
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We were off and running--literally. The tank went on a dead sprint. He chain pulled every group. Before we could burn down one set of trash he was off to the next set. We stopped only twice in the whole instance--both times to rez a fallen comrade. Never once did Chavon have to stop for mana. Pro heals from my boy!<br />
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Result? A 20:37 run.<br />
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You might have had a faster run. Please tell us about it if you have. Definitely, this was a record for me. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-83747471127350516902011-08-22T16:04:00.000-04:002011-08-22T16:04:43.226-04:00About Damn Time: Gold Capped At Last<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ml04Zt4BC_Q-1MSueNToeIdfs64YuAwBISwNoGOIvU0ECf6n33dBVo0sfzIVu1dSQHmlRa5gNhoNUCFTOYsm6O6Znj3c1UFb8grcn3mR2BjzH4SAWPPK2eveQW2HxfGNzuiSKW3YltI/s1600/gold+capped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ml04Zt4BC_Q-1MSueNToeIdfs64YuAwBISwNoGOIvU0ECf6n33dBVo0sfzIVu1dSQHmlRa5gNhoNUCFTOYsm6O6Znj3c1UFb8grcn3mR2BjzH4SAWPPK2eveQW2HxfGNzuiSKW3YltI/s640/gold+capped.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfqK0zICC54tnT3ACjcqHF7W1Q87iZYf6cLcU104XUW5CPRAzB4p3vH9TsSdToBUWzupunqOVA-CXkjRck3bCi5DBtarAFaoAra6w2exLOFPIfM1E4B8KVT27wzSI7xtyLDHBoJv4TKo/s1600/gold+capped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All I can say is "woot" and "thank god". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was chasing the final 75k gold or so since Thursday. Finally Sunday I just said "screw it" and decided to camp the AH all day. Result was a 40K gold day and this final tally when I opened my mail one last time around 1:10 am server time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Many Thanks</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I want to pay a debt of gratitude to the many bloggers and readers who have provided inspiration, ideas and support the last 9 months.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This journey began when Cataclysm launched on 12/6/10. I had 85k gold and three 80s. 5 maxed profs or so. My main income was flipping trade goods and enchanting mats. A big AH day was 3k.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It started with Just My Two Copper. Using the blog roll provided there I discovered Cold's Gold Factory, Alto's Gold"ish" Advice, and Stokpile. From there I soon found Nerf Faids, the Gnomish Coin and others. By the end of March 2011 I was over 250k net worth. My stable of 85s had grown and I managed to max more profs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ideas discussed in gold blogs are seldom revolutionary. Some blogger may be "first out" with a strategy but soon everyone else figures it out and reports on it. No blogger, in my experience, has consistently been "first out" more than any other. The main competitors in this niche seem about the same in terms of hit rate on good ideas and time to market. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><b>From 250k to 750k: A Grind</b></u> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the next 3 months I went from 250k to around 750k. During that time I maxed all my profs and really perfected the Ore shuffle, JC cutting and Enchanting grind. Most of my income has been from JC and Enchanting, but Tailoring has been a surprising performer. Engineering was my last max prof but has been very good with Pets. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Soon after reaching 750k I needed a break. In June I decided to roll a Horde Mage and leveled her to 85 before transferring back to my main server. During the time I played her I seldom logged my gold making toons, maybe a couple times a week or so--just enough to see what was going on in the markets, who the competition was. I listed a few auctions but really sort of dropped off the map.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the occasions when I did log onto my main server it was to level and alt or work on a profession--rep grind for some pattern I didn't have, that sort of thing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><b>The Final Push</b></u> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In July I returned to the gold game with new intensity. I had been away long enough that the vacuum from my absence was filled with new blood, new competition to battle. By now I had all max profs and seven L85s. I also had found a few guilds to try out. I wanted to balance my gold play with some game play (go figure, right?). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ironically, playing the game actually hurt my gold making. Who knew running dungeons was so expensive? (/sarcasm)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Buying new gear was expensive and I wasn't always patient enough to wait on a certain drop. I also am not a fan of running a Heroic in PvP gear just to get the Item Level requirement. Sorta noobish in my view. But that's just me. Many people do it and that's fine for them--hell, they are probably the ones buying all my Bloodthirsty gear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I slowly edged up to 850k and then to 900k. At that point I decided to put away the dungeon running and work on getting capped. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These last two weeks have been a real hoot. I finally tried some cross faction trading. This was made much easier since my son joined via Refer A Friend and we could level our toons together. He has character slots for new toons so I had something to do with my Horde placeholder toon, and by standing side by side at the Booty Bay AH we could move goods very efficiently between factions with little chance of getting sniped. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I earned about 35k in cross faction trades this way during the last week, netting about 20k.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also wanted to try my hand at the Glyph market (ugh, I'm over it, trust me). The people who play the Glyph market, hats off to you. /salute. Really, this is tough, tough business. Just the mechanic of cancel/reposting 900 auctions is so time consuming that I seriously doubt whether it is a good use of my gold making time. The opportunity cost of earning 5k in Glyphs seems much greater than the time it would take me to earn 5k from Gems or even Trade Goods. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Still, I banked 32k in Glyphs on gross sales of 115k. I used this income to buy new herbs for milling--thus making my Glyph toon self sufficient--but also used this income to fund some gear purchases and other expenses.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><b>Lessons Learned</b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are quite a few lessons I've learned about me, the game and other players during this time. Here are a few.</div><br />
<b><i>Diversification is a dual edged blade</i></b>. Having a variety of markets does give flexibility to focus on one when another is less profitable. However, the challenge with this strategy is when you are active in many markets you will encounter stiff competition from several single-market (or limited-market) players.<br />
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For example, I had a main competitor in Gems, a different one in Bloodthirsty Plate, a different one in Bloodthirsty Cloth and bags, a different one in Pets and a different one in Scrolls. When I logged on to re-post my auctions in one area, say Gems, any of the other competitors who had me flagged (friended) would soon log on and re-post their auctions too. This led to a huge time suck where I was essentially being "attacked" on 5 or 6 different fronts at the same time.<br />
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There are different strategies to effectively post in this environment but I'm not addressing them here. The risk is that you will face more competition as you diversify, which might mean more time spent in the AH overall. You have to determine whether the time/reward curve is beneficial.<br />
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<i><b>TSM is a valuable tool</b></i>. Even though it is a pain in the ass to set up and maintain, investing the time to learn TSM is worth the effort. Nothing is more effective than running a scan for "cancellations", holding down "ctrl" and scrolling mouse wheel to cancel, running to mailbox to get cancelled goods, running back to run "post" scan, and then holding "ctrl" and mouse wheel to re-post at your targeted prices.<br />
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The other features of TSM have a range of benefits from "very little value" to "great value". If you are a Glyph maker the whole section on queuing your Glyphs and buying the herbs and inks used for production is simply amazing. I have found it to be less useful for Tailoring and Prospecting, but even then the the "watch list" function is really handy.<br />
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<i><b>Maintaining AH toon anonymity is important.</b></i> There is some debate over whether to make your AH toon "invisible" or not. Faid over at Nerf Faids has a public posture and it works for her. Others prefer the private approach.<br />
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I'm a fan of the private approach for a few different reasons, many of which may apply to you in your situation.<br />
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First, the AH game of post, cancel when undercut then re-post is often viewed as hostile behavior. If I'm listing Gems, Scrolls, Cloth and Plate Armor and Bags, I may be UC on one set of those items fairly often--say Gems (tend to be most competitive on my server). When I log my AH toon every couple hours to check my Gems I will run a TSM scan and cancel anything that is UC. Then I re-list everything. My competitors in the Gem market are the targets but my competitors in Bags and Armor get caught in the wake of this competition. It means all my competitors end up being upset instead of just my Gem competitor.<br />
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Second, sometimes I have to camp the AH to deal with multiple competitors or high volume sales days. I seldom post more than 3 of any item but if sales are brisk I may restock my wares several times during the day. As I camp, other players get upset and will act hostilely. An anonymous AH toon means this hostility is directed at the right toon and not all my playing toons.<br />
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Last, sometimes guild mates get caught in the wake of this activity. I have playing toons in several guilds. I sometimes see comments in /gchat about AH frustrations--which I know are sometimes caused by my AH toon. Avoiding the fallout directed at my playing toons is a welcome relief. Further, using my playing toons for intelligence can be really helpful--when my competitors are on, who their alts are, etc. can be immensely valuable.<br />
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<i><b>Cross faction trading is worth the effort</b></i>. If you don't have a real life friend who can help, it is worth the time to find an in-game friend. The profits from cross faction trading are just huge. Bloodthirsty cloth armor that sells for 800g in the Alliance AH is going for twice that--or more--on the Horde side. Volatile Water that my Alliance toons pay 30g and up for sell all the time for 18g or so on the Horde side. Cross faction pets are a big money maker too. Spend the time you need to spend and develop a cross faction strategy.<br />
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<i><b>Stupid players will always play stupidly</b></i>. I will give you two examples.<br />
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I think it is a failed strategy to sell Truegold transmutes. The buyer expects to get the proc for a low fee, usually 50g to 150g depending on day and server. If you have a good snatch list with all the Volatiles on it you can find materials cheaply enough that the Truegold itself is profitable--but if you proc one or more those become pure profit. Hell, I buy other players' TG CDs and then list the TG and procs on the AH. I make good bank on this strategy. Why they would sell the service is beyond me but selling the proc? That's just pissing away gold.<br />
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There are players who consistently UC by a significant margin even when the strategy doesn't work. The result is a collapse of the overall price in that segment of the market. The best example I can provide for this has to do with Glyphs.<br />
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I'm not going to do a whole, detailed post here but let me just say this: deep UC works by trading VOLUME for PRICE and TIME. Theorists who support Deep UC (DUC) say that if something is selling at 129g and they can sell at 65g, by selling more volume they make up the difference in price. I basically agree with this premise. However, there are times when DUC is a waste of time and lowers the overall market.<br />
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Again, DUCs will say, "ok, by depressing the market below the burn rate for other sellers, even if I make fewer sales at a low price BUT drive out the competition I will make up the profit over time because there are fewer (or no) competitors". I think this part is bullshit but it does serve to rationalize for the DUCs after they shit on the market.<br />
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Say I'm listing a Glyph at 129g. I have 5 units on the board and no other Glyphs of that type are listed. Donna DUC comes along and lists ONE Glyph at 60g. If she sells her Glyph it is a win for her--but the essence of DUC says she makes up in VOLUME what she misses in PROFIT. She would need to sell two or more Glyphs to make up that margin. Or, say she lists 4 Glyphs at 60g. She needs multiple sales to consider this a win.<br />
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I am willing to cancel/re-post my 5 Glyphs at 59g 90s. If I make one sale she now needs to make 3 or 4 to balance the DUC. She cuts me to 30g. I go to 29g 90s. And so on.<br />
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See, the strategy falls apart when the other sellers are willing to sell at the DUC's price. The result is that the market as a whole goes in the toilet. Truth is, had Donna DUC just listed one Glyph at 128g 90s or something like that I might not re-post my 5 below her price.<br />
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Let's just say that I see this same behavior in multiple markets from multiple sellers. I think DUC can be effective strategy but not under these circumstances. I'll write a more comprehensive post about this later.<br />
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<i><b>Use all of TUJ's various features</b></i><br />
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Whether you are buying goods for crafting or interested in what your competition is doing, TUJ (The Undermine Journal) has reporting tools that will notify you when certain events occur. You get these alerts in your out of game email. Alerts can let you know that an item was listed in the AH below a certain price (say, Abyss Crystals below 35g). Or you can get an alert that your auctions were undercut--which auctions and by how much is in the email. Finally, you can get a message when a certain player lists new auctions--say your main competition.<br />
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Used in conjunction with other tools TUJ features become even more powerful. Cross faction trading becomes much more effective by looking at certain goods in both AHs. Yesterday I saw that Khorium Bars were selling for 20g on the Alliance side and 38g on the Horde side. Buying a couple hundred to re-list cross faction was a huge win for me.<br />
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Knowing that my main Gem competition was listing her auctions at around 11pm and again at 1am local time (consistently during the week) meant I could safely log on at midnight and 2am to cancel/re-post. Looking at what she listed meant I could further decide that my cancel/re-post wouldn't be worth it--and by not logging my AH toon I didn't set off the friend flag that would make HER come back on and re-post again.<br />
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<i><b>Mobile Auction House FTW</b></i><br />
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Knowing the name of your competition's AH toon is easy enough to figure out. They show up as who you are UC'ing all the time, and you get to know very quickly how persistent they will be. The "friend flag" is the easiest way to track these competitors. When I see Gina Gem log on I know I'm in for a long afternoon of cancel/re-post because she is tenacious and aggressive. When Tommy Tailor pops on I know that my bags are about to be undercut.<br />
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<i><b> </b></i>I maintain the same friends list on each of my toons. There is an addon that does this for me. This means if I'm on my L85 Druid, running some dungeon, I can see that Gina Gem and Tommy Tailor just came on line. They don't know my Druid's name so they consider the AH open for business--they didn't see my AH toon on their friend's list.<br />
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In the old days, after my dungeon, I would log my AH toon and soon thereafter the competitors would see me pop on-line and my friends list grew--2 friends, then 5, then 9, then 14, etc. Each of them usually is protecting one or two markets but because I'm active all over the place I have to defend several fronts at the same time. The exercise becomes a bloodbath.<br />
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Enter the Mobile AH. Now, after my dungeon, I exit the game and go watch TV. My iPhone gets an email about which auctions are undercut, which competitors have posted new entries. I can leisurely hop onto the application and cancel/re-post at my leisure--and never set off the friend flag. If the competition is really most concerned about me they tend to leave their auctions alone unless my friend alert tells them "danger, danger". This means I get to re-post and they are none the wiser.<br />
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It does cost a monthly fee and there are limits to how many auctions you can post in a day. However, my Gem income went up almost exactly 25% over the two weeks since I began using the Mobile AH. And I was able to catch up on past DVR episodes of Trueblood, Suits and Rescue Me. There is nothing more disconcerting than re-posting your auctions to make sure you beat out XXX competitor, never seeing him log on, and then finding out you were UC by XXX while you were on-line. If they figure out it was MAH more power to them--but most are profoundly confused.<br />
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<u><b>Parting Thoughts</b></u><br />
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My son is playing with me now via RAF. I've spent about 10k on him just for basic equipment, flying, etc. He will hit 80 soon and will want new equipment so I'm sure I'll buy him some.<br />
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I want a Chopper and a Vial of the Sands. I'm sure I will buy some other gear too.<br />
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But overall I don't plan to play the AH any less aggressively--just less often and with less work. Smarter use of TUJ and MAH are two vital components.<br />
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I also plan to revise this blog to more of a "new player resource". We will see how that goes.<br />
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Now that 1M is in my rear view mirror, I'm back at it tomorrow. Hope the competition enjoys my day off. <br />
<i><b></b></i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-61577957033914854752011-08-13T07:47:00.001-04:002011-08-13T07:47:00.190-04:00Please Don't Abuse Your Guildies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhlkD0qV3iMnsE4n0tr7HenovtyFomIgC6yn3cdsRnguQUgrUQJgmJjzx0V49GCgtul_-H7uq78xXNMPT1cnkIbyYxsH_FDQDxiI3oBnYwkcWaite9AF9N9CG4IKlkfbQE1ztNhs5kaM/s1600/tabard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhlkD0qV3iMnsE4n0tr7HenovtyFomIgC6yn3cdsRnguQUgrUQJgmJjzx0V49GCgtul_-H7uq78xXNMPT1cnkIbyYxsH_FDQDxiI3oBnYwkcWaite9AF9N9CG4IKlkfbQE1ztNhs5kaM/s1600/tabard.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't have a great computer. It was pretty awesome about 3 or 4 years ago but now it is barely able to keep up. For WoW this means low FPS and long load times. I don't do 25 mans because the video lag is so bad. Hell, some 10 mans are unplayable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Occasionally when I log on, as soon as the load screen disappears and I can see my character, I will notice other players attempting to interact with me. Might be a group invite, or a wsp, or some guild chat comment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Such was the case last Saturday afternoon when I logged my Warlock, Teimsar. He is a max Scribe/Tailor, and it was time to restock some Spellthread and bag options. </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW3ys7hfoFKFJHiXsviw5KMWkpHrtKOx5rES4pV0S6QUCUh532Mp_IHmYj-WJQ2C5m0MJhshXw4tA25CQu3fOCPtKlRH4Jklf3AJ7KQG9mOhJXpg2G-ijxLL75RdxZezKE9WuEE_oYsM/s1600/Guild+Chat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW3ys7hfoFKFJHiXsviw5KMWkpHrtKOx5rES4pV0S6QUCUh532Mp_IHmYj-WJQ2C5m0MJhshXw4tA25CQu3fOCPtKlRH4Jklf3AJ7KQG9mOhJXpg2G-ijxLL75RdxZezKE9WuEE_oYsM/s1600/Guild+Chat.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, as soon as I can see my player, there is a wsp directed at me. Went something like this:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Other player: Teimsar?!? You there?</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: sorry, just logged on. what's up?</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Other Player: will you help me or not?</i></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently before my load screen disappeared this player had been requesting some help. I checked the player's name. I didn't recognize it, so shift+click on the name, and sure enough, it was a guildie. I had never talked with this guy. Maybe an alt? <i> </i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: not sure, lol--what do you need?</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Other Player: milling. i need you to mill some stuff for me--lots of herbs</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: sorry, i'm only on for a few--check mail, make some bags--then i have to log</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Other Player: crap, thought guildies were supposed to help each other, nvm</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was a bit miffed. I don't know why--demanding rather than requesting help, the private tell instead of using guild chat, the urgency implied in the message, or maybe the disapproving tone at the end. Sure, guildies are supposed to help each other out, but not at the drop of a hat. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When helping is inconvenient or otherwise unreasonable guildies should say so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This request seemed to be both inconvenient and unreasonable. Milling takes longer than just about anything. Since it requires a single click per action you have to sit at the keyboard and spam a macro. No AFK milling like say, AFK ink production or bag crafting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I still didn't know how this player knew I was a Scribe. However, looking at the Guild Roster, I suddenly realized that he must have used the "Professions" tab. I did the same, looking at his profs. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do you know? He was a Scribe too.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: Aren't you a Scribe? Can't you mill?</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Other Player: yeah, but these herbs are too high level for me and i don't have time to level it</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let me get this straight: you are a Scribe but can't mill the herbs you have on hand. Rather than take the time to become self sufficient, you want to ask a guild mate to do your dirty work? Not only that, but you don't even ask--you assume that everyone in the guild is just sitting around waiting for you to need some help?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I really wanted to examine the scope of this Other Player's request. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: oh, maybe you should just level it up so you don't have to ask for help. What herbs do you have and how many?</i></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJxTdhcqnGk5QmJqm6tUDVxp8FWf1alr8g_TSAYdi1-LK0lshUK1nJSKf9ObbQ_H8mIC0aaoXfAijsjy6KKgb-13PlKxJM15YGoJMvAijAnUTwPMe51xOq4X8t0L8-g_u7tyv2jA9BHA/s1600/what+not+to+ask.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJxTdhcqnGk5QmJqm6tUDVxp8FWf1alr8g_TSAYdi1-LK0lshUK1nJSKf9ObbQ_H8mIC0aaoXfAijsjy6KKgb-13PlKxJM15YGoJMvAijAnUTwPMe51xOq4X8t0L8-g_u7tyv2jA9BHA/s320/what+not+to+ask.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">72 stacks of Whiptail? Plus, apparently too many stacks of Cinderbloom to count?? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He was nowhere near high enough to visit areas where this could be gathered. That meant it was either an alt or these herbs had been purchased. Either way the request really set me off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My reply basically went something like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Teimsar: dude, suck it up, level your profession and mill your own damn herbs. expecting a guildie to spend a shitload of time doing it for you is unreasonable. not only that, but you are fucking rude. learn how to ASK if someone will help you. idk if I would have helped if you had asked but at least i wouldn't be pissed off.</i></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't get a reply and logged soon after. I haven't heard anything from guild leadership but I did report this incident via in-game mail to the GM just to make sure he got my side of the story. Better safe than sorry I figured.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i><b>Readers might think "this was some isolated issue, you over-reacted". </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't think so. There is a lesson here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First, there have been a ton of inappropriate guild requests lately. Players asking in guild chat for loans and even for gear. Our policy has always been to disallow begging in guild chat. Other guildies have told me that when an officer enforces the 'don't ask for gold' rule, the requests just go underground, straight into private tells.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have had guildies ask for gem cuts--which I will do, no question. Send me the gem and I'll cut it and mail it back. We have instant mail for our guild level so its faster than trading. On more than a few occasions the guildie has said he doesn't have the raw gem--do I have any extras?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No, I'm not giving away free gems today. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second, this guildie abuse has happened elsewhere, also with some frequency. My non-guildie friends have shared similar situations in their guilds. In fact, it was only after a robust discussion among 4 of us--all in different guilds--that I decided to post this at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A friend told me about a guildie who sent him a bunch of cloth via mail with a note, please make me bags. I guess no need to really ASK for help in that instance, though I still think a note first would have been better--"hey, mind if I send you some cloth for bags? Whenever you get to it is fine." Or even, "sorry you are never on when I am. I really need bags. Here is some cloth, if you don't mind".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, he wanted Frostweave bags. He sent enough cloth for 2 bags, but didn't include the Infinite Dust needed for the Imbued Frostweave. When my friend returned the mail and said "you need 24 Infinite Dust", he got the same cloth sent back with a note that said "thought you were an Enchanter? Don't you have any?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last, if your guild has a policy in place about guildies helping each other and/or guidelines on how they should ask, I'm interested in hearing from you. If you are a guild officer and don't have a set of rules for this, I strongly encourage you to draft a new set of guidelines.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-74931278371119714142011-08-12T08:00:00.001-04:002011-08-12T08:00:02.226-04:00PUG Loot Solution<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2kaeEq7upsY2Nwb3I118jhfe84GGLzo0K5ezlr7pUz9E5FcIgJmDihVTeEvxVRjh7S2NhN1AD_qNZQoy00_sM7WdE-zuvvCVYw1hRRvqnXoFNnVR9eizt4AxgBKGRO7q0fvOCX1qZZQ/s1600/RDF+Assembling+Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2kaeEq7upsY2Nwb3I118jhfe84GGLzo0K5ezlr7pUz9E5FcIgJmDihVTeEvxVRjh7S2NhN1AD_qNZQoy00_sM7WdE-zuvvCVYw1hRRvqnXoFNnVR9eizt4AxgBKGRO7q0fvOCX1qZZQ/s1600/RDF+Assembling+Group.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the biggest frustrations I have faced in the last month has been the Random Dungeon Finder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took the last month off from the AH to work on my alts. I rolled an Orc Mage and leveled her to 85. I have been working on my main server alts, gearing them, running dungeons. Then I focused on my Druid (now 85) and my Shaman (also 85 now).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all know the RDF system is fucked up. Blizzard knows it too, bribing tanks to get them to run more randoms. The Satchel of Medoicre Goods is not enough to help this situation a lot. Bottom line: tanks get insta-queue, healers (like my Shaman) get fairly good times, and DPS get screwed. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though I began to see demonstrably longer queue times the closer my mage got to 85, suddenly at 85 *ZOMG* queue times went down to sub 10 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought this improvement was super. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then the other shoe fell. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tanks queue for a certain piece of loot from a given boss. When they get to that boss they drop group whether they happily loot that Tanking Trinket of Superior Awesomeness or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>What to do?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are a DPS (or even healer) looking for a group. You patiently wait for up to 45 minutes to find a group, running dailies or working on your AH auctions. When that dungeon pops, you are like "Yea! Let's rock". Then one boss in, the tank drops. Now the rest of the group waits another 15 minutes or more to fill that spot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heroics are the worst. Instead of every fourth dungeon or so, now we lose the tank about 1/3 of the time before the run is over. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe this has always been a problem but I think it has gotten worse recently. Now that more players are familiar with addons (or even the new Dungeon Journal) to see what loot drops in each instance the players who need a certain drop to fill out their gear will just drop group when that boss goes by and the desired item remains elusive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The Solution</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an easy fix. Whether Blizz has the balls to fix it remains to be seen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't award any loot until after the last boss is defeated. Put it all in a big chest and when the final boss goes down the players click on the chest and get to roll on all the accumulated drops. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this system players would be able to earn experience and even rep for partial runs. Even the gold drops would be immediate. However, all the greens, blues and purples would accumulate to the end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Say the run is over, you just nuked High Priestess Azil in Stonecore on Heroic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A window pops up that all players can see, showing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all the items that have accumulated in the chest for that run. There is a scroll bar on the right side where you could arrow up or down. Mouse over the item icon for stats just like now. Beside each item name is a roll need, roll greed, disenchant (if applicable) and pass option. Players would then select the radial button for each item in the list, hit "submit" at the bottom of the screen and then wait for everyone to complete his selections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The actual rolling would happen based on the selected choice for each player, results appear in the chat window and items you win appear in your bags. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Contingencies</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This system would create a few (manageable) objections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Incomplete run, player dropped group before the run finished.</strong> Whether due to PC error, wife aggro or some other unforseen circumstance there are sometimes valid reasons why someone drops out of a PUG before the run is over. It would be easy for the dungeon loot system to note which players were present for the defeat of which boss. When the run is finished the loot system would roll greed for anyone who was present for a boss fight but dropped group prior to the end of the dungeon. We have all gotten those messages from Blizz before with some item "out of the twisting nether". This would be no different.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The "this is unfair--Blizz is making us finish the run" objection. </strong>Really? Do I even need to provide an answer to this? Yes, Blizz is making all players finish the run to see what loot the bosses dropped. This is the fairest way to ensure all players have an opportunity to finish the instance in a timely fashion.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The "I don't have time for a complete run, I just want to see loot from the first boss objection". </strong>Too fucking bad. Then queue when you have time to run the whole thing asshole.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The "this will make queue times longer because tanks will be less likely to run RDF if they know they have to finish the whole thing" objection. </strong>I would rather wait an extra 5 or 10 minutes upfront if I knew there would be a complete run coming. I don't consider this a valid objection because it is <em>invalid</em> to suggest that it is ok for tanks to run a partial dungeon. The expectation should be to finish it all. Period.</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Arial;">I have floated this idea in PUGs recently. Not a single player has said they think it is a bad idea. Granted, that's a small sample size. Ask your guildies and other players in PUGs what they think. Post a suggestion on MMO or the Blizz forums. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I would love to see this idea become reality.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-6220308541597000252011-08-11T08:20:00.104-04:002011-08-11T08:20:01.497-04:00Saving Time With Trade Skill Master<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxsNmu5trnrT9EQuGICf8nNBb5ADaAKgA2ysve4LvRgC5rBNr8iKcrK9wnHKwnrq1R1FiEyHOpkSRt-K6zXRh9VTeM0KlbkR7deWqGs7oHlwmsPenXnlUFeduaf4vfAG-CjxVcZi6Xyg/s1600/TSM+Sales+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjlTksTb2V-KRvRvyr8CJlwpawRrJwIEnkvtQd6Zgm7DizD4CWaShPzqmsV6Kb-tc0GzUFcqfxo-0WpfD8LhNNaIu611jX9c3Iu3G_uG6MPhiMuLH55JXx7-856de_bu-ZgKPnSr3y-U/s1600/save+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjlTksTb2V-KRvRvyr8CJlwpawRrJwIEnkvtQd6Zgm7DizD4CWaShPzqmsV6Kb-tc0GzUFcqfxo-0WpfD8LhNNaIu611jX9c3Iu3G_uG6MPhiMuLH55JXx7-856de_bu-ZgKPnSr3y-U/s1600/save+time.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I have never been a big fan of Trade Skill Master. My original perception was that it was hard to learn, offered limited flexibility and was geared primarily to Glyph production and maintenance of Glyph auctions. Since I wasn't active in Glyph sales I shied away from TSM.<br />
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My opinion hasn't changed that much. However, I did decide to try my hand at Glyphs since I know all but 4 of the patterns. So far, TSM has proven very useful in both producing Glyphs and maintaining their auctions. It was fairly cumbersome to learn but has proven surprisingly nimble in managing Glyph auctions as well as my other regular postings.<br />
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Today I stumbled upon an application for TSM that proved a huge time savings for me. It may also help you make more gold by reducing needless AH searches.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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In yesterday's post, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_238277463"> </a><a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/shopping-for-value.html">Shopping For Value</a>, I discussed how the recent spike in Greater Celestial Essence and Heavenly Shard prices could create an opportunity for players who were able to purchase cheap Greens or Blues and DE them, then relist the materials.<br />
<br />
This has been a great strategy for quite a while--Infinite Dust, Illusion Dust, Arcane Dust, Abyss Crystals have all been profitable sellers in this same vein.<br />
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However, a reader pointed out that he didn't have time to shop for the armor and weapons to DE. It takes a lot of time to search for and find the right item for a targeted Enchanting material. Even then, if you are able to find the right item type, you may have that nagging question in the back of your head--am I paying the best price for this item? Could there be others out there that are cheaper?<br />
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<i><b>TSM Offers A Solution</b></i><br />
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When you open TSM from your Auctioneer window (or from Auctionator, but I use Auctioneer), the interface on the right side has several icons on the extreme right border. The only two I have been using were the "List" and "Cancel" buttons--the top two.<br />
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The 7th one down is called "Shopping: Milling/Disenchanting/Prospecting/Transforming". This is where you can save some time buying <i><b>targeted</b></i> items to Disenchant.<br />
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<i><b>Easy As 1-2-3</b></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRke0ZNlmzsku106ot-e9H8ZARz60sJVZy2fLWiCBGl0r-ZrRNzFCEe_7lwdmlbcJvuKh639XCZaVoft2B4olYptRPGZi6JzNdGG5wmpk93l4TMZdqwfTNNmj_Iy3vV1MoaHS4YYrZNMQ/s1600/TSM+Illusion+Dust.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRke0ZNlmzsku106ot-e9H8ZARz60sJVZy2fLWiCBGl0r-ZrRNzFCEe_7lwdmlbcJvuKh639XCZaVoft2B4olYptRPGZi6JzNdGG5wmpk93l4TMZdqwfTNNmj_Iy3vV1MoaHS4YYrZNMQ/s320/TSM+Illusion+Dust.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The icon (#1 on the picture) opens the correct window for Shopping. Across the top, select the second icon for Disenchanting (#2 in the picture). The drop down window lets you select what type of Dust you want to be the product of your DE effort (#3 in the picture). Then simply click "Go" immediately beside the dust drop down.<br />
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I selected Illusion Dust first.<br />
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As you can see in the output window, there were quite a few Illusion Dust auctions for 100% market value and up. The output from the search showed me there were not any items to DE that would result in a lower per dust cost than what I could buy them for in the AH. Therefore, high supply at good value and no obvious way to profit from lower production costs. That took 15 seconds.<br />
<br />
Ok, that was fast.<br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>Next I selected Arcane Dust.</b></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pzKtO2qHV2m4dVvXeBVPab3w51G_wCTXC8uUhDRlCoPWZt5UB0jb2OaDskyL_XQO4zEwvIzN9BBvoyn-pOXW1vv4N4LsS7kfwhJAQESBuVOQMx18HrQmm6mlZJnWareRinISKp04QH4/s1600/TSM+Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pzKtO2qHV2m4dVvXeBVPab3w51G_wCTXC8uUhDRlCoPWZt5UB0jb2OaDskyL_XQO4zEwvIzN9BBvoyn-pOXW1vv4N4LsS7kfwhJAQESBuVOQMx18HrQmm6mlZJnWareRinISKp04QH4/s320/TSM+Sales.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The image above doesn't show it but there were no auctions at that time for Arcane Dust. The search results highlighted in the red box show me the items I can buy that will DE into Arcane Dust. It also tracks how much I spend during that buying session, how many dusts I should get from DE'ing these items, and my average cost per dust.<br />
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As you can see, the Consortium Robe of the Eagle popped up. I can buy it for 4.22g. The resultant Arcane Dust output comes to 2.25g per dust. I bought this and several other items in a matter of about 2 minutes. My goal was to spend 100g and see how effective it was to buy, DE and relist the materials.<br />
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After buying my 100g worth of Greens (102.55g actually), I got 13 Greater Planar Essence and 50 Arcane Dust. The Greater Planar Essence were going for just under 11g each. I listed them all at market value, 141.44g worth of auctions.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-8_0aEjwLOxlBakBIiYKdly_mOxc-UXXUncNvZoR3ttxZvvxBV5brsYNsj_uHdsPER-2Sl1vkPgsFNd0cHMCE16SAZflqXKVhg5nSDjztiLxEyE2HmF0dtTIeAiQ4Ji7FzDRzrJ6O4c/s1600/TSM+Sales+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-8_0aEjwLOxlBakBIiYKdly_mOxc-UXXUncNvZoR3ttxZvvxBV5brsYNsj_uHdsPER-2Sl1vkPgsFNd0cHMCE16SAZflqXKVhg5nSDjztiLxEyE2HmF0dtTIeAiQ4Ji7FzDRzrJ6O4c/s320/TSM+Sales+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The Arcane Dust had a market value of 2.11g each. However, I decided to list them at a higher price since I would have all the auctions available at that time. 2.49g each seemed like a reasonable enough markup to sell quickly. Maybe I could have listed them for more. I didn't want to make them so incredibly pricey that someone else would be inclined to do the same DE shuffle that I did. Instead, I want to make them just barely more affordable to buy than to produce.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxsNmu5trnrT9EQuGICf8nNBb5ADaAKgA2ysve4LvRgC5rBNr8iKcrK9wnHKwnrq1R1FiEyHOpkSRt-K6zXRh9VTeM0KlbkR7deWqGs7oHlwmsPenXnlUFeduaf4vfAG-CjxVcZi6Xyg/s1600/TSM+Sales+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxsNmu5trnrT9EQuGICf8nNBb5ADaAKgA2ysve4LvRgC5rBNr8iKcrK9wnHKwnrq1R1FiEyHOpkSRt-K6zXRh9VTeM0KlbkR7deWqGs7oHlwmsPenXnlUFeduaf4vfAG-CjxVcZi6Xyg/s320/TSM+Sales+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Listing in stacks of 5 seemed like a good idea, and I created 148g worth of auctions. Add to that my 141g for the Greater Planar Essence and that's 290g in auctions for a 100g investment. Not a great return but depending on your expectations and relative wealth level this might be a great source of income. After all, you don't need max profs to get these items DE'd.<br />
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Oh, and the time it took? From soup to nuts a total of 7 minutes.<br />
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Compare that to the time you spend without TSM. Even if you are close to the same time expenditure (and I find that very hard to believe) there is no way you can have the peace of mind I got from using TSM, knowing that I was getting the best value per dust available in the AH.<br />
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<i><b>Conclusion</b></i><br />
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In the end, TSM still offers some challenges for me--namely, setting up groups to manage for automated posting and canceling is a huge, cumbersome pain in the ass.<br />
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That said, the Glyph function is great.<br />
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Most importantly, this "new" way to buy DE'ing fodder really opened my eyes to the other utilities that TSM can provide. I may just become a full fledged fan before long.<br />
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Comments? Your thoughts are appreciated.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-89543343740627982322011-08-10T09:54:00.001-04:002011-08-10T09:55:06.010-04:00Shopping For Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HUf3Qx1PeKEMI-wpczeXUAB0TaxpPIVaEhbphRmymevTPcEKYhKQIumrYBs20KFDUfB5GpGb4KTgAYRuXnR1eAO0ZnPcS1FnPQASXybwRhiM4j99d3n-APFdkeykRAAXKtW50QLjH7w/s1600/quick+profit.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HUf3Qx1PeKEMI-wpczeXUAB0TaxpPIVaEhbphRmymevTPcEKYhKQIumrYBs20KFDUfB5GpGb4KTgAYRuXnR1eAO0ZnPcS1FnPQASXybwRhiM4j99d3n-APFdkeykRAAXKtW50QLjH7w/s1600/quick+profit.bmp" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether you are an Enchanter looking to craft scrolls or you are a goblin looking to turn a quick profit, buying gear to Disenchant for materials has always been a good way to generate Enchanting materials for resale or personal use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Don't overlook the recent price spikes in Greater Celestial Essences and Heavenly Shards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A quick search of the AH for Jasper Rings today resulted in me finding some great deals. There were 14 Jasper Rings selling for under 14g each. I bought them all for a total of 178g.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Disenchanting them gave me 24 Hypnotic Dust and 11 Lesser Celestial Essences. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I kept these materials for use in crafting Scrolls and Embersilk Bags. However, if I wanted to resell them in the AH the Hypnotic Dust could have been listed at 3.5g each, or 84g. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Lesser Celestial Essences converted into 3 Greater Celestial Essences with 2 left over. GCEs are selling for ~65g each and the LCEs are going for ~22g each. That's 195g for the GCEs and 44g for the LCEs on resale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For literally 5 minutes work, my investment of 178g returned 323g in materials, or a 145g profit if I chose to resell them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There were several Blue quality rings and necklaces too but the minimum prices were around 95g. Since Heavenly Shards are going for roughly 105g I didn't want to risk the investment for a potential 10g profit. Besides, I have a few hundred Heavenly Shards on hand now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This return may or may not be worth your time, but please be on the lookout for good deals like this. Higer prices on Enchanting mats often means there is an opportunity for profit in other places.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-41585643991154518152011-08-08T21:06:00.004-04:002011-08-08T21:21:19.993-04:00Gold Advice for a New Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKIPK_on8G419JdK9X1DpL_MCeB-QmrxETqnTBUWo-7GW25aBSFAUIXd8f0g6r29d8CJgvxKUs3bg5DdEPBexX-GvPdWJEimgGKkgY4dBaJKDQkwsm-BWlRBha51r5LseI1waDT8XLCc/s1600/Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKIPK_on8G419JdK9X1DpL_MCeB-QmrxETqnTBUWo-7GW25aBSFAUIXd8f0g6r29d8CJgvxKUs3bg5DdEPBexX-GvPdWJEimgGKkgY4dBaJKDQkwsm-BWlRBha51r5LseI1waDT8XLCc/s1600/Gold.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all know how horribly disappointing it can be to run PUGs. You never know if you will get the guild group with 4/5 on vent and running at top speed or the noob group with the tank that just specc'd and (like I had last week) has a mixture of DPS and PvP gear--without a single piece of tank gear at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I was fortunate to find a super cool group with solid DPS, a great Tank and almost pro Heals. (I was healer btw, lol). The group got along so well that we all exchanged REAL IDs and have friended each other for future runs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During one bout of down time between runs, Fenrisulfr (Vashj) and I struck up a conversation about gold. This post is dedicated to Fenri with tips for him--but it applies to so many players today that I hope all my readers will enjoy it. (Or should I say both of my readers? lol)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Background</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fenri has about 1,200g to his name. He has a single 85 with no professions. Not "low professions" or "medium professions" but really, 0, nada, zilch for professions. For many reasons, Fenri needs gold. He would like to make enough to support his need for pre-raid gear and buying enchants and gems when he needs them. He is able to play about 5 hours a day (huzzah! for the students!!!) and plays his toon very well--good DPS and solid knowledge of the dungeons we ran. His guild offers little help, often charging for mundane crafting assistance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let's all say "boo" to his guild together, shall we? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With this basic understanding of Fenri's situation I will offer short, medium and long term gold tips. As is my style, I invite readers to comment with better ideas, flaws in my logic or tweaks to my suggestions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The goal for him is to earn 2,500g this week (Tuesday through Monday). Let's see if we can hit the mark. Our budget is 150g investment, roughly 10% of his net worth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Foundation: Framework for Success</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibudF0wIFQ6cyviGKDfzyFGuLWBf_UvEb56WjXQg_pxreUpeml2Lz31RAoJYLDR5VqlzqJ7ttjBZdBZy1CItkwVYu7SK22hQWWy7eZtrxfY5Q_qdRE0eYSsicLACYICtTDDCw5QSGCS_Q/s1600/foundation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibudF0wIFQ6cyviGKDfzyFGuLWBf_UvEb56WjXQg_pxreUpeml2Lz31RAoJYLDR5VqlzqJ7ttjBZdBZy1CItkwVYu7SK22hQWWy7eZtrxfY5Q_qdRE0eYSsicLACYICtTDDCw5QSGCS_Q/s1600/foundation.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>First and foremost roll up an AH mule.</u></b> It doesn't matter what class or race, but I found Humans are the easiest to use for this purpose. This is a toon designed to stay in SW and handle all the auctions for all your toons. Ideally, roll a human warrior and run him from the Human starting area in Northshire to Stormwind. He will probably die a few times. Just rez and keep going. I suggest planting this toon in the Dwarven AH since it tends to be less populated and thus less laggy. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_Q7lMHEDjVLPayT9s1wq8tq1cKtqNHKZkVVlVuw_lquZ7j2J7vUDpIvF_KtluoVPt1H-TlTYKY7WOnyw6WAVahsoaSckIVrvD8aiTGRXjHqlznfzBrOo2z347KNImxi0yvPQSqbnzFc/s1600/Elwyn+Forest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_Q7lMHEDjVLPayT9s1wq8tq1cKtqNHKZkVVlVuw_lquZ7j2J7vUDpIvF_KtluoVPt1H-TlTYKY7WOnyw6WAVahsoaSckIVrvD8aiTGRXjHqlznfzBrOo2z347KNImxi0yvPQSqbnzFc/s320/Elwyn+Forest1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Next, equip your mule</b></u>. Bags are the most important basic tool any of your toons can have. The more bag space the less wasted time running to mailboxes or back to the city to store and sell items. Plus, as you begin to work the AH you will have more sales, more cancels, and more traffic from the mailbox to the bank to the AH. Bigger bags = fewer trips = more gold earning time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Netherweave bags are usually the best value. According to <a href="http://theunderminejournal.com/">The Undermine Journal</a>, on Fenri's server these bags are selling for 19.93g right now. This is higher than we want to pay. If our budget is 150g total we don't want to spend ~80g on four bags if we don't have to. Netherweave cloth is selling for 65s each, or 13g per stack. Still higher than we want but much better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Purchase 4 stacks of Netherweave for 13g each (or less). Visit the Tailoring vendor (Mage District) or any of the other vendors who sell Trade Goods. Buy 4 Rune Thread for 50s each. Now hire a Tailor. My first suggestion here is to see if a guildy will make these bags for free. If not, don't spend more than 1g each to craft, whether you hire a Tailor via /trade chat or in the guild. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Total investment so far should be 58g. We have 92g remaining in our budget.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Next, I suggest training our AH mule in JC and Enchanting.</b></u> Normally I say leave the profs off this toon but since Fenri has no profs whatsoever these two profs can help us make gold--especially in the early stages of gold earning. This cost is minimal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Next, find the site The Undermine Journal (TUJ) and set up a login/password.</b></u> Learn how to use this site. It is the single best source of AH intelligence available. I even have an email alert set up so I get a message in my personal email when one of my auctions have been undercut. Super handy to have for that reason alone--but knowing what the hot sellers are on your server is the real value here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Finally, there are a few addons that need to be downloaded.</b></u> I suggest <a href="http://www.curse.com/">Curse</a> as the source for these but there are others that have the same addons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The addons that should be downloaded are Auctioneer Suite (for tracking the AH marketplace); MySales (keeping track of the items you sell every day); Gatherer (or similar site to find the places where herbs and ore exists that can be farmed). I use Carbonite for this purpose because I like the map and quest tracker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For tips using Auctioneer I suggest visiting the home site first, <a href="http://auctioneeraddon.com/">Auctioneer Suite</a>. There is also a good guide at <a href="http://www.justmytwocopper.org/">Just My Two Copper</a> called <a href="http://www.justmytwocopper.org/2009/02/22-steps-to-using-auctioneer-correctly.html">22 Steps to Using Auctioneer Correctly</a>. Lol, it isn't as intimidating as it sounds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that we have an AH mule with bags and Jewelcrafting and Enchanting, and our addons are installed, we are ready to look at short term, medium and long term gold tips.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Short Term Tips</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_nOw2UuS_jev69hoYXILXZACwGJh_2NjIuoTlgZxFjr6tRa_9AHiBg1wNNuQKsiJgBZzVE-Dt2k3Upg-WHwdiroXmiIBrPyG7MfYbgVNhuM37R9N8suEutIm76tfeXilin9jj-2tY5I/s1600/short+term.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_nOw2UuS_jev69hoYXILXZACwGJh_2NjIuoTlgZxFjr6tRa_9AHiBg1wNNuQKsiJgBZzVE-Dt2k3Upg-WHwdiroXmiIBrPyG7MfYbgVNhuM37R9N8suEutIm76tfeXilin9jj-2tY5I/s1600/short+term.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>First, let's make some gold right away to prime the pump.</b></u> I normally don't encourage farming but for Fenri it makes sense. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You need to acquire a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=58488/potion-of-treasure-finding">Potion of Treasure Finding</a>. Either buy one in the AH or ask in /g chat if anyone has one they will sell you (cheaper) or even give away. According to TUJ these sell for around 110g on Vashj. You might be able to get one on bid cheaper, or if not, you will end up being a bit over budget. Don't worry, you will make it up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.justmytwocopper.org/#uds-search-results">Here</a> is a video on using the Potion of Treasure Finding in Deepholm, farming Troggs. However, the best guide I have found on a blog regarding PoTF is over at <a href="http://nerffaids.blogspot.com/">Nerf Faids</a>, located <a href="http://nerffaids.blogspot.com/2011/04/potion-of-treasure-finding-experiment.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">According to Faid she was able to accumulate 142 Embersilk Cloth, 7 Green items, 19 Tiny Treasure Chests and various vendor goods. According to TUJ the Embersilk is worth roughly 76g per stack on Vashj. Thus, just on the cloth you could earn about 450g farming. The vendor stuff is worth another 10-15 gold and the Greens should be held until you can Disenchant (DE) them. You want the dusts and essences you can get from them, for both resale and for making other items. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The real value here is the 19 <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=67539/tiny-treasure-chest">Tiny Treasure Chests</a>. These have (according to Wowhead) a 78% chance to drop another 4-11 Embersilk Cloth and a 10% chance for 1-5 Volatiles, Elementium or Pyrite Ore. Using the average number for each (right in the middle) and then average item drop rate, each Tiny Treasure Chest should be valued at roughly 35g according to the prices on your server. If you were able to get 19 in an hour that's another 680g just from the chests. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Added all together (450 + 10 + 680) and reduced by 1/3 for the "your results may vary" precaution and an hour of farming in Deepholm (use Faid's map) should give you approximately 750g--for a 110g investment in a potion. Net profit is 650g/hr. Not a super duper total but still fairly decent, and conservative enough that you will most likely exceed that mark. Hell, if your net worth right now is 1,200g and you can increase it by 50% in an hour you might consider that a FANTASTIC result....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>A second short term tip requires Disenchanting (DE).</b></u> Fenri runs dungeons quite a bit. Any time he has the ability to select DE for a drop, Green or Blue, select it--except on a BoE Blue item. Those might sell ok in the AH but the BoE Greens usually don't. The BoP Blues should be DE'd into Heavenly Shards, and the Greens into Celestial Essence, Hypnotic Dust or Shards. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Listing the Greens in the AH is usually a crap shoot--plus the listing fee is substantial in most cases. They might sell, they might not. On the other hand, Hypnotic Dust is selling for 4.2g each, Heavenly Shards are 110g each, Small Heavenly Shards are 54g each and Celestial Essences are 80g or 18g for the Lesser ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These Enchanting materials sell faster than Greens and the listing fee is small. Or, keep them and turn them into scrolls for sale or enchants for yourself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Here is a final short term tip.</b></u> Using Auctioneer's search function, do a "Vendor Sales" search. This will identify all the items for sale in the AH that are listed there BELOW the amount for which you could sell the same item to a vendor. Yes, people really do that. If you find Relic of Ulduar (for example) selling for 1s each (and sometimes you do find them for this cheap) buy them and vendor them for 2s each--double your cost. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes a "vendor sales" search returns no items, and that's fine--it took you a few seconds to look. If you find something that can earn you a profit then jump on it. No speculation here--it is pure profit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medium Range Tips</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmUUYkjhqPdu2vZTT50ASEqKrD_1vSBQeciPIXbJZWwDx9iRf2wIGZ8b1lSwd_nRaq-MI5GYCFbyNKAooNkYoOAUktM-LisITpqqJa7E9_EvJEnuEyBc5-nl4I88qYMuQE1P6FshhRGw/s1600/medium+range.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmUUYkjhqPdu2vZTT50ASEqKrD_1vSBQeciPIXbJZWwDx9iRf2wIGZ8b1lSwd_nRaq-MI5GYCFbyNKAooNkYoOAUktM-LisITpqqJa7E9_EvJEnuEyBc5-nl4I88qYMuQE1P6FshhRGw/s1600/medium+range.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now we will talk about professions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The AH mule already has JC and Enchanting. For your main, Fenrisulfr, I suggest getting Herbalism and Mining. Skinning has value but based on the prices on Vashj, it appears Herb and Mining are superior to Skinning. Also, you can set your minimap to locate both types of nodes, thus hunting for them is more precise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Now go level these profs. </b></u>Yes, it sucks to tick up those skills one point at a time. Yes, there are lowbies who are farming these nodes too. Yes, it totally gets frustrating to keep looking and looking. The reward, however, is worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To effectively level these professions you will use your gathering addon (Gatherer or Carbonite, for example) and the <a href="http://www.wow-professions.com/profession-leveling-guides">Wow Professions</a> website. The website will give you complete maps with paths to follow for the various types of Ore and Herbs. The addon will keep track of where you found previous nodes and plot them on your map so you will eventually be able to dispense with the guide maps and just use your own map and its history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By and large the lower the Herb or Ore the lower its cost. However, there are some real "gems" of a deal to be found. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mageroyal is going for 1.4g each (29g per stack). Blindweed is 40g per stack. Sungrass is going for 56g per stack and Briarthorn (a level 15 Herb) is going for 120g per stack. By the time you get to Outland, Ragveil is 100g/stack and Terocone is 200g/stack. Northrend Herbs like Fire Leaf and Talandra's Rose are also going for 100g to 150g per stack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ore is no different. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gold (72g/stack) and Truesilver (65g/stack) show good profit potential. Outland Ore is pricey too--Fel Iron (55g/stack) and Khorium (500g/stack). Northrend Ore like Cobalt (95g/stack) and Titanium (180g/stack) are the big winners. </span><br />
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are two factors driving the prices of these items. </span></b></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First, they are used by many professions to make other things. Herbs are used by Alchemists for Potions and Elixers or by Scribes to mill and make inks for Glyphs. Ore is used by Blacksmiths to make bars, used to make Armor or used by Engineers for their toys and stuff. Ore is also prospected by JCs for gems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Demand varies according to things like how many new characters are leveling professions or what night of the week it is--raid nights mean Potions and Elixirs go up in price. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second, because the new Cataclysm zones are so popular fewer and fewer players are actually leveling in WoLK and TBC zones. Fewer are farming mats there too. That means lower supplyl</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Steady demand + lower supply = higher AH prices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I suggest selling the Herbs in the AH. The Ore, however, may be more valuable if you prospect it for the gems it produces. You will need to check the Ore type and what it Prospects into so you can tell if the gems have more value than the Ore. According to TUJ Thorium Ore, for example, is worth 23g per stack as Ore but the DE value is ~43g/stack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You will have to work a bit to get the JC level high enough to prospect this Ore but if you follow the advice over at Wow-Professions you can slowly level this tradeskill as you are farming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Another Medium tip involves playing the AH for deals.</b></u> After you have done database searches for a few days (per the instructions) you can look for underpriced items relative to their real value, buy them and relist them for a profit. Usually, raw goods like Medium Leather or Thick Leather can be found cheap, especially on the weekend, and relisted at a profit, usually mid week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Long Term Tips</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OFtrSHW6G-B0ikfCBmb3gV8nVh7zgTxH_21-z_M2LjYMcoJ9ugpQEYcDO1QtQHz8OdoNkWG_lf77_J5VmcdApbn-ZINRDyB4NUlrXjPC6svq21cftMD48yMdoRM3qb5w4_RAAaRhtlY/s1600/long+term.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OFtrSHW6G-B0ikfCBmb3gV8nVh7zgTxH_21-z_M2LjYMcoJ9ugpQEYcDO1QtQHz8OdoNkWG_lf77_J5VmcdApbn-ZINRDyB4NUlrXjPC6svq21cftMD48yMdoRM3qb5w4_RAAaRhtlY/s1600/long+term.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For longer term gold making strategies you need to consider several things like time, access to professions and needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How long you want to spend pursuing gold is an important factor. If you spend an hour a day on gold and you only have two hours to play you might find it untenable to continue down that path. Or if you have 5 hours per day and spend 1 hour on gold that might be an effective balance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your needs are important too. With only one character at 85 Fenri's need for gear, repairs and potions is literally 1/7 mine--to get all 7 of my L85s up to raid levels is a very expensive prospect both in terms of time and actual cost of upgrades.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Access to professions is the most important factor.</b></u> If you have a guild where you can count on "using" someone else's profs--even for a fee--then your options on what to sell are greatly enhanced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll give you an example from my stable of toons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>My AH mule buys 100 stacks of Elementium Ore for ~60g/stack, or about 6,000g.</i></b> I mail 80 stacks to my JC and 20 to my Blacksmith.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Blacksmith makes bars and combines them with Volatiles (from storage, usually not purchased) to make Bloodthirsty armor. From 20 stacks of Ore he can make 200 bars. He crafts Bloodthirsty Chest (15 bars), Helm (15 bars) and Shoulders (12 bars) (also Vol Fire but he has 1000s of them). These 200 bars will be used to make 5 Chest, 5 Helm and 4 Shoulders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At 60g per stack, the bars are 6g each. The Vol Fire were about 10g when I bought them. The Chest and Helm are therefore 240g materials cost per unit and the Shoulders are 192g materials cost. My minimum sales price for the Chest is 325g (85g profit); for the Helm is 395g (150g profit); and for the Shoulders is 275g (35g profit). Over the course of a week I will sell all these items. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My minimum profit from my Blacksmith on the Bloodthirsty gear is (425g + 750g + 140g) 1,315g. Often, it is double that. The time it took to buy the Ore, make the bars and then make the gear is usually about 15 minutes. Gross sales for Blacksmithing are 4,700g.</span><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My JC prospects the 80 stacks of Ore and gets gems. </span></b></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">JC becomes my second profession used.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52192">Dream Emerald</a>:3</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52191">Ocean Sapphire</a>:7</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52190">Inferno Ruby</a>:5</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52194">Demonseye</a>:3</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52195">Amber Jewel</a>:2</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52193">Ember Topaz</a>: 7</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52182">Jasper</a>:81</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52178">Zephyrite</a>: 88</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52177">Carnelian</a>: 91</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52180">Nightstone</a>: 77</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52179">Alicite</a>:76</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52181">Hessonite</a>:90<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><b><i>Now I use my third profession</i></b> and send 60 Carnelian to my Alchemist who Transmutes them into Inferno Rubies. (60 Carnelian + 60 Heartblossom). The yeild is 29 Inferno Rubies. I also send 30 of each gem in the bottom section to my Alchemist who uses them to make Shadowspirit Diamonds. The yield is 14 Shadowspirit Diamonds. That makes my total gem take:<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52192">Dream Emerald</a>:3</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52191">Ocean Sapphire</a>:7</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52190">Inferno Ruby</a>:<strike>5 </strike>34</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52194">Demonseye</a>: 3</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52195">Amber Jewel</a>:2</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52193">Ember Topaz</a>: 7</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52182">Jasper</a>: <strike>81</strike> 51</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52178">Zephyrite</a>: <strike>88</strike> 58</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52177">Carnelian</a>: <strike>91</strike> 1</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52180">Nightstone</a>: <strike>77</strike> 47</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52179">Alicite</a>: <strike>76</strike> 46</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52181">Hessonite</a>:<strike>90</strike> 60</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">Shadowspirit Diamond 14</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
<b><i>I now use my JC to cut gems for resale. </i></b>I cut all the gems above into the most lucrative ones I have available. These vary week to week based on TUJ and what people are buying. In general, I sell Dream Emeralds for 35g each (above, x3 is 105g), Ocean Sapphire for 30g ea (210g), Inferno Ruby for 140g ea (4,760g), Demonseye for 50g ea (150g), Amberjewel for 35g ea (70g) and Ember Topaz for 75g ea (525g). I also cut Shadowspirit Diamonds for an average of 175g each (2,450g).<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">My income for gems on this set of 80 stacks of Ore is 8,270g. I had to use two professions to earn the income--JC (both Prospecting the Ore and cutting the gems) and Alchemy (Transmute).</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><i><b>The leftover gems are now made into Jewelry</b></i> using my Jewelcrafting profession. I create 51 Jasper Rings, 23 Nightstone Chokers, 23 Alacite Pendents and 30 Hessonite Rings. The few odd gems are stored in the bank. The Zephyrite gems are sold to a vendor for nominal cash.<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">The Jewelry produced will randomly proc a Blue quality item every so often. Of the 128 items produced there were 21 Blues. Those go into the AH for varying prices. Let's say an average is 100g. That's 2,100 more gold.</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><i><b>I now use my fourth profession, Enchanting.</b></i> The remaining 107 Green items are Disenchanted for Hypnotic Dust and Lesser Celestial Essence. The total yield from DE'ing creates 219 Hypnotic Dust and 27 Lesser Celestial Essence. These items are not sold in the AH but instead used for other crafting. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><i><b>The Hypnotic Dust is sent to my Tailor (fifth profession)</b></i> to combine with Embersilk Cloth to make Embersilk Bags. Each bag takes 15 bolts of cloth (usually 10g per bolt, or 150g) and 15 Hypnotic Dust. I can make 14 Embersilk Bags at a cost of 150g each in Embersilk (2,100g investment). Each bag sells for a minimum of 275g (sometimes as much as 325g). Embersilk Bags will therefore give me 1,750 additional profit (3,850g sales - 2,100g materials). </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">The Lesser Celestial Essences are combined 3 at a time to make Greater Celestial Essences. These GCEs are used by my Enchanter to make scrolls that sell in the AH. Twenty-seven LCEs make 9 GCEs at a value of 75g each if I had to buy the GCEs in the AH. That's another 675g worth of materials. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><i><b>So, I bought 100 stacks of Elementium Ore for ~60g/stack.</b></i> My 6,000g investment resulted in 16,820 in total sales (4,700g Blacksmithing, 8,270g Jewelcrafting, 3,850g Tailoring). Less my expenses (6,000g for Ore + 2,100g for Cloth) of 8,100, my net profit is 8,720g. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><i><b>The 8,720g is a MINIMUM profit.</b></i> I don't sell below the minimums listed above. If the market goes down, I pull my items off the AH until the market recovers. Many times I sell for much more than the minimum. Also, if I'm running dungeons I accumulate Embersilk Cloth as a byproduct of looting. That reduces the expense of bags. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><b><i>Generally speaking, for a 6,000g investment in Ore I would expect an 11k to 12k gold profit. </i></b>That's using 5 maxed professions--Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Tailoring, Jewelcrafting and Enchanting. Also, these figures do not include the Scrolls my Enchanter makes and sells--the formulas become more challenging because he has to buy other materials not listed above. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why All The Detail?</b></span></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">The long term goals you set are based on not only how to make gold but also how you want to play the game. I have all max profs and can use them all to make gold. My expenses are much higher than Fenri's too--7 L85 toons are costly to equip, run and repair. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">If I had only one L85 with, say, max Mining and Herbalism, I would build a stockpile of gold and then drop at least one of those profs (Mining first) and add Enchanting--power level it to 525 and begin selling Scrolls and using the DE skill to sell materials. I would also consider dropping Herbalism in favor of Alchemy. Power level it and select Transmutation Master to get the bonus procs from making gems--very lucrative. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">The detail is to show how the professions can be used to compliment each other. Any one of them alone can make gold but when combined, well, the profits are just amazing. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">For Fenri and anyone in his position I would say build a stockpile of gold to a reasonable level, say around 75k total gold. At that point use TUJ to research whether Alchemy or Enchanting or some other profession is most valuable. Use gold blogs to find the good tips and then power level a specific profession and use it. By keeping the most lucrative gathering profession (Herbalism or Mining) there is still a familiar income generating profession "in your pocket" in case the new one isn't as good as you hoped.<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><u><b><span id="goog_1228442459"></span>Another long term goal has to do with storage space.</b> <span id="goog_1228442460"></span></u>Somewhere in the Medium goals you will run into trouble keeping everything you need to store. A key principle in the AH game is to sell when you can make the most profit--not when you get the item you want to sell. This means if you have Bloodthirsty gear (for example) and the AH is flooded with Chest and Helms, you need to store yours until the conditions are more favorable.<br />
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</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">To some extent you can use the mail system as storage--up to 50 mails can be stored (with 12 stacks each) for up to 30 days. However, this is a bit cumbersome to manage. At some point you will want to buy all the available bank tabs you have and equip them with larger bags. Netherweave is a good suggestion but so is Mooncloth--they don't bind on equip so you can use them on other characters later. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">You may find that your bank storage gets too full. What to do at that point?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdP_1cpBk9YG9rk8bTkIUtWxqA2k1la6OTTQcTERb58l88AW69j-5AcZ5feKkgqLaKR0u-bnoPsIS-kjrI1S28KrclXBGa-XQsQzqevb0mOvxMPU3P69tH7j9KtdlCKK8DZDoMldYLv94/s1600/guild+bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdP_1cpBk9YG9rk8bTkIUtWxqA2k1la6OTTQcTERb58l88AW69j-5AcZ5feKkgqLaKR0u-bnoPsIS-kjrI1S28KrclXBGa-XQsQzqevb0mOvxMPU3P69tH7j9KtdlCKK8DZDoMldYLv94/s1600/guild+bank.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><u><b>Start your own guild just for the storage space.</b></u> Imagine a whole guild bank to store all your inventory. Each tab has 96 slots of storage and the first two you can buy are fairly cheap. Personally, I have three guilds with 5 tabs each. That means three toons that do not belong to real guilds but instead just run inventory for my AH business.</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">You may decide that leveling other toons for their professions is too much trouble. That's totally up to you. Your long term goals have more to do with HOW you play than with anything else. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Closing Thoughts</b></span></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">No matter how you choose to start earning gold keep a sheet of paper near the computer. Use MySales to illustrate each day what your gross sales were and note the gold on hand before you log off. Write this all down so you can see on paper how fast you are earning gold. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">You may find spending more is actually a necessary catalyst to earning more--or you may find yourself wasting gold on unneeded items. </div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">Regardless, having a written record helps you see very graphically how much you are earning. Watching that total go from 1,250 to 2,500 to 5,000 to 25,000 and more is very exciting. You will get to the point where you can't wait to open your mail and see how much you have coming in.</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;"><br />
</div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: medium;">Good luck, hope this helped. Please feel free to comment on anything you find worthwhile, a waste of time or even just interesting.<br />
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These are all just starter tips. As Fenri advances in the gold game he may need more specific ideas. Hopefully by then he will be firmly entrenched in the Goblin community and will thus find great tips on various blogs devoted to this cause.<br />
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Interested in comments and thoughts from all. Mostly, I'm interested in Fenri keeping us posted on his progress. My estimation is that by farming an hour a day he should earn net 5,000g the first week. After that, who knows? 75k gold in a month? Very doable. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-45332157870122729502011-05-28T18:32:00.000-04:002011-05-28T18:32:34.229-04:00Geruk (Velun US) Steps Up: For The Horde!!!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yesterday I needed a break from the gold grind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went to a random server (almost random, anyway) and rolled up a Female Orc Mage. Why? Several reasons: never played an Orc, very little Horde experience at all, and mages really rock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I met a totally cool player who reinforced my bias that awesome people are everywhere in WoW.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quick Background</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back pre-Cataclysm I rolled a bunch of DKs on various servers to farm the Black Tabby. It was a failed experiment--I managed to gather only a few despite lots of farming efforts. One such DK was on Velun (US). When Nesingwary was down for extended maintenance one day I went to Velun and rolled a Shaman and an AH toon just to play through the wait time.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even though I deleted my DK, the AH toon remained with about 15g in his purse. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I decided yesterday to jump on a new toon, Velun was the natural selection for me. Sort of a pre-paid vacation. A time share, if you will.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And Akartiki was born. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not What It Looks Like</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite the above appearance, I'm really just logging out. No, really, Gar'Thok didn't demand a "favor" for a few silver.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As soon as Akar could get to Orgrimmar she checked out the AH. She had a 4g stake from my AH toon. Akar did a quick AH scan and found that for low level gathering Leather was the best value. Low level Ore was way oversupplied and Herbs looked to be in the middle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After training Skinning and Leatheworking (to make those scraps into serviceable Leather), Akar checked the scrap prices in the AH. None were good values but in what must have been a mistake, she did find 3 stacks of Heavy Leather for 20s per stack. The going rate for Heavy Leather was 2g 85s each--56g per stack. She snapped these up and relisted for 2g 50s each in stacks of 10. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They sold in about three hours. 150g+ profit for 5 minutes work.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Need Some Bags for My Gold</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I found a few bags here and there for 15s or 20s, some 8 slots and 10 slots. With my newly found wealth (now up to 300g in just a couple hours) I figured some Netherweave bags would be the best option. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I found some cloth at 21s per cloth, sold in singles. There were three total stacks. I bought them all and went to /trade to find a tailor for my bags.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoAcSRRyOxPhwKIxsKEvmO6OamZBoRvKSOweRRkeTXPX9aQUYGRluT_sVOIQecPj0xmBxLHDVFkkVD_JpdrR4j4BtpldeMLGztrD1I1NJ3G6RlTi1flL4fQnd5l2L8RGy_qm5h60PARY/s1600/Geruk+Steps+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoAcSRRyOxPhwKIxsKEvmO6OamZBoRvKSOweRRkeTXPX9aQUYGRluT_sVOIQecPj0xmBxLHDVFkkVD_JpdrR4j4BtpldeMLGztrD1I1NJ3G6RlTi1flL4fQnd5l2L8RGy_qm5h60PARY/s320/Geruk+Steps+Up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Within a few seconds I had a tailor hit me up for the work. She wanted 5g per bag with my cloth. OK, that included the thread too, but 5g? Even to retail the bags instead of using them I would have invested 9g per bag--hard to make a profit if I resold them. I asked her if she would take 9g for all three.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the meantime, totally unsolicited, Garuk wsp'd that he was sending me bags for free in the mail--Imbued Netherweave bags, mind you.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could have just bailed on the Netherweave bags I was making but decided to go through with that transaction since it could end up making a profit in the AH. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Garuk and I struck up a conversation. I applauded his generosity. For that effort he decided to send me a Winterspring Cub for my trouble.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnzSDygrym6Sik4vLOXk98wFTLi2cWsBOVLX2egRDVive9d_25U7I0sgKLo4xm79QD1nrXClBZyAIbBJsLHB6wadgbVo1kQO08_6C4A8WdhjREIed7LeIz7nFnBKlSAaY7osHzA_mAc4/s1600/And+a+Cub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnzSDygrym6Sik4vLOXk98wFTLi2cWsBOVLX2egRDVive9d_25U7I0sgKLo4xm79QD1nrXClBZyAIbBJsLHB6wadgbVo1kQO08_6C4A8WdhjREIed7LeIz7nFnBKlSAaY7osHzA_mAc4/s320/And+a+Cub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For The Horde!</span></b><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I read all the time about douche-bags who rip off unsuspecting players, who flame noobs in trade, who gank lowbies in PvP zones--you name it, all sorts of abuse is reported all the time.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have maintained for a long time that most players are NOT asswipes--just the vocal minority. It is easy to believe that all players are horrible, mean people if that is all we ever read about.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I go out of my way to 'donate' bags to lowbies, buy up Copper Ore, Silverleaf and other starter zone materials to 'prime the pump' for new players, and to offer advice whenever I see it can help. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just the other day on my main server I purchased some Silver Ore that was priced at 1% of market value. I sent it back to the seller with a note: "hey, if you mistakenly listed this so cheap here's your ore back--its worth 4g per rock. If not, I'll buy it again."</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The reply? None from the seller. But today, I met this cool player......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Karma rocks.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-80566849751508521022011-05-26T08:47:00.001-04:002011-05-26T08:47:00.370-04:00750k Gold: New Milestone, New Observations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQPmA5OfZ_nTOeucPGUTRONWd-e4tjGH4CSwpdTlXUYJX5DDDU1uc9XLjd_K2U5Db_PV1BMcmLfMmQ26pcod42B2ZhNsmGLlPa76Oapt1Bwhyphenhyphen3-DvL7PeS0hf9QgSYOFdZih6AuPrpBY/s1600/750k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQPmA5OfZ_nTOeucPGUTRONWd-e4tjGH4CSwpdTlXUYJX5DDDU1uc9XLjd_K2U5Db_PV1BMcmLfMmQ26pcod42B2ZhNsmGLlPa76Oapt1Bwhyphenhyphen3-DvL7PeS0hf9QgSYOFdZih6AuPrpBY/s1600/750k.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm a few days delinquent in publishing this post. I hit 750k on May 20 just before bed, during my last mail sweep of the evening. I meant to get this post out for Tuesday but life intervened. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some interesting trends have recently become obvious to me, and hopefully these observations will help you in your gold acquisition efforts.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Economy of Scale</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As my gold base has grown my tolerance for risk has grown as well. I'm a cautious goblin, never risking more than I can comfortably lose. That means I take smaller risks and focus on highest rewards. Since my purse is heavier I have been able to make gentle forays into new markets and gradually take bigger risks. Thus, my gross earnings per day has increased.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Cataclysm launched I had around 80k gold. I earned 250k on Valentine's Day, roughly 65 days post-Cataclysm, or 170k gold net in 60 days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I earned 500k on April 15, 61 days later, or 250k net in 61 days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To hit 750k in 35 days means I roughly doubled my net gold per day. Also, I had about 5 days in that time period with virtually no gold activity--I logged and did my JC daily but that was it. I attribute this increase in net gold to several factors:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Launch of 4.1 content driving demand for PvP gear, Belt Buckles and gems</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beginning to use TSM for posting and canceling my auctions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Identifying and exploiting the most profitable items to sell</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll touch on these factors a bit below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A "Holy Shit" Moment</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I review "My Sales" data just about every day. Doing so lets me see sales trends, item demands, etc. and helps me determine what to craft for the upcoming week. I purposefully do not look at the monthly view. Instead, the weekly view gives me a better look. What took place 3 weeks ago is not as important for tomorrow as what happened three days ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After I hit 750k I did a monthly view to see what my sales activity was for the month. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In what can only be called a "holy shit" moment I was amazed at over 670k in sales for the month. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Given that I buy all my materials from the AH (instead of farming) I should not have been surprised in the gross sales numbers. But I was. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">672k in gross sales with 250k in profit is a 37% profit margin. That may seem rather high to some folks but I shoot for 50% profit on everything I list. Looking further into the numbers I was able to identify some key factors that may have depressed my actual results.</span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I began building a storehouse of materials for 4.2, including Volatiles, Savage Leather, Blackened Dragonscales and Truegold</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I purchased a number of items that didn't contribute to my net profit--a few pets, Engineering leveling materials, Leatherworking patterns and gear upgrades</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, playing in the JC market actually cuts my profit margin somewhat as the competition is so fierce I have to be willing to sell cheaper than I would like just to make volume</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I estimate that my stockpiling, gear and other expenditures ran me about 75k total. If you consider this an investment on future returns then this 10% or so of my gross sales would put my margins up near my 50% goal. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interesting Notes From My Sales</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Looking at the total unit sales reveals some interesting tidbits.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgZCPU3sMvlYkklP2p-WfBJb7Fp4rhrNEIFfuWdrAlVjmmueKBUo5zE2CVETzJ6bJUshTuhaZOyWVifEAoa3rOhJr0meyav1EugERkjtLhZuUsmOr4PxvgZ7sKnEvr3skEznQReqbnvc/s1600/30+day+top+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgZCPU3sMvlYkklP2p-WfBJb7Fp4rhrNEIFfuWdrAlVjmmueKBUo5zE2CVETzJ6bJUshTuhaZOyWVifEAoa3rOhJr0meyav1EugERkjtLhZuUsmOr4PxvgZ7sKnEvr3skEznQReqbnvc/s320/30+day+top+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgZCPU3sMvlYkklP2p-WfBJb7Fp4rhrNEIFfuWdrAlVjmmueKBUo5zE2CVETzJ6bJUshTuhaZOyWVifEAoa3rOhJr0meyav1EugERkjtLhZuUsmOr4PxvgZ7sKnEvr3skEznQReqbnvc/s1600/30+day+top+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Netherweave Bags were my biggest seller overall at 652 units. Over a month that's about 20 per day. Medium and Rugged Leather were surprising to me in total units; not very profitable overall but they do help to bring in some daily revenue. Wool Cloth also surprised me by being so close to the top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Embersilk Bags have been a great seller for me for a long time so I was not surprised in seeing 48k in total sales here, or seeing 178 units sold. The average sales price of 270g did surprise me. I target 325g but this market has become more competitive of late, driving prices down. I can create a bag for around 150g in cloth plus the Hypnotic Dust byproduct of my prospecting shuffle. If I sell for a minimum of 225g then I should make around 50g to 74g per bag. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was very surprised at the Ebonsteel Belt Buckles. I only started selling these a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to watch this activity for the next few days--I may have to ramp up production.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best Seller List</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUjJCdkBKluKL4kYNHQz8_iZFo0rZ_FNxtaISu4n21cP3FivgdQ6z1tCcS0dd2FD9AKf29KpLu4rPlyktxSkEU8T4PiKGBvg24iqSY5VBpl6dV9asMYhuA_XeJ-MF-qT4_lTnlsqZ7FA/s1600/30+day+top+revenue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUjJCdkBKluKL4kYNHQz8_iZFo0rZ_FNxtaISu4n21cP3FivgdQ6z1tCcS0dd2FD9AKf29KpLu4rPlyktxSkEU8T4PiKGBvg24iqSY5VBpl6dV9asMYhuA_XeJ-MF-qT4_lTnlsqZ7FA/s320/30+day+top+revenue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatKl8xGsM2vp6O4vWIS1G-x_Nqf3SgObxFJe8iTBWV2z5X4mw1iKG8CP5hSFs2t0PSWnaFumWIfPV7gOT8GlDqrgH8UrKucRMeJ4WIqUG8s0xkf7r-U5BXF8mlCgyw1f5Byenohz8qp8/s1600/30+day+next+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was floored by seeing that 3 of the top 5 gross sales leaders were gems. I have been spending so much time canceling and reposting gems that I must have lost sight of how profitable these sales can be. The Hurricane enchant being in the top 10 also surprised me. I expected to see Bloodied gear in the top 20 overall but Obsidium Executioner was a shocker. Two of the top 20 being Meta Gems was also expected--making the patterns I had to purchase a few weeks ago worth their price. I think I paid 5k apiece for them back in March.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Conclusions and Trend Analysis</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are a number of missing items from my list. No high end enchants like Power Torrent or Lavawalker, no DMF cards or trinkets and no BoE epics populate my list. There are no glyphs or Engineering items. It is more of a blue collar list--nothing fancy, just hard work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that Maelstroms are down around 350g on most days I may try my hand with a few higher end chants here and there. I'm not sure how aggressive I will be with material costs of over 2k per chant, but if I can sell a 2k scroll for 2.5k, and do so consistently, the 500g profit would be worthwhile.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PvP gear is becoming very competitive. Diversity in markets only leads to turf wars on more fronts. I have three AH campers for gems, four campers for Enchants, two campers for BS items and two others for Tailoring items. The only way I have found to combat them is to just out post and out camp them. It is very time consuming and mentally numbing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interestingly enough however, I have noticed at least two campers have deleted and re-rolled their AH toons, trying to get off my friends list I suppose. Another has changed his name to include alt characters but I snapped his new name up right away thanks to a handy addon. Another camper began posting only with the mobile AH utility so I couldn't tell when she was reposting. That was the trickiest one to deal with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Many of the competitors have faded away. Making it harder for them I guess made them find other markets. The ones that are left are the ones I think will be around for a while. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Regardless of how long it takes me to get to 1M, I think I'm pretty well positioned for 4.2. I have a few hundred Blackened Dragonscales, a crap ton of Savage Leather, a few thousand Volatiles and I craft my Truegold and Dreamcloth every cooldown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the meantime, Embersilk Bags, Belt Buckles and Gems seem to be the best moneymakers for a while. As the cost of Ore goes down so too does the buy point for Bloodied and Ornate gear so I'll be reducing my sell price on those, hopefully to move more inventory. I will also begin posting some glyphs this month to further diversify my income. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See ya soon with a 1M Celebration post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-46996816221647558022011-05-12T11:50:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:40:43.075-04:00Remember to Blog Responsibly!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRfguZ5kelaHAjmVVPMF85JKFAyLVU7IXhAypjqHPPtBXRYYy8tpT0WlYBVjFKEwLYfMCpYzzR3UY4zpgISLqNgEp3e4ixKaTgDJAxEDQRnwKuxhUSuXXxsmwdtKAplzVE0nc-gCSdkA/s1600/Protection.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRfguZ5kelaHAjmVVPMF85JKFAyLVU7IXhAypjqHPPtBXRYYy8tpT0WlYBVjFKEwLYfMCpYzzR3UY4zpgISLqNgEp3e4ixKaTgDJAxEDQRnwKuxhUSuXXxsmwdtKAplzVE0nc-gCSdkA/s1600/Protection.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, I admit it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm old.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You young whippersnappers with your Tweets and your Internets and You Tube and such.....you just confuse me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't Tweet because I don't think anything I'm doing RIGHT NOW is just so damn interesting that you or anyone else would need or want to know about it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't Facebook because everyone I want to talk to is either living in the same house with me or available via telephone or email when I need to communicate. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It mystifies me as to why anyone would want to publish private info like a birthday, likes and relationship status on the Internet. Anyone can see it. Forever. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Forget the stories about employers not hiring people because of what was on their Facebook page. Forget the stories about employers firing people because of pictures on Facebook.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Whatever you put out there in the cyberworld is there forever. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR-tQH6TVnIBKrYhtAHzwJ4QeE5XsceBqJjYoYkLmzO2GWU92QvXoL2fuXcB4d1N7mRKzt1FTSc5bqg1dtJDjdOd5Fs7g63ddXm34XdoSgqaySIR7sWz9AYqWDYkrJFNgQZPUM72rJs0/s1600/user+manual.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR-tQH6TVnIBKrYhtAHzwJ4QeE5XsceBqJjYoYkLmzO2GWU92QvXoL2fuXcB4d1N7mRKzt1FTSc5bqg1dtJDjdOd5Fs7g63ddXm34XdoSgqaySIR7sWz9AYqWDYkrJFNgQZPUM72rJs0/s1600/user+manual.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I vividly recall when email became the new "IN" thing in the business world. My employer actually published guidelines on how to write and send an email. I wish I had saved the booklet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It contained priceless stuff like "write your email formally as if you were writing a business letter" and "never send an angry email; instead, save it and come back the next day to make sure it still makes sense". Oh, and the very important "facial expression and voice tone do not translate well in an email. You might mean to be funny but the recipient might be offended." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I guess no one had invented "lol" yet.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Anyway, there have been some very public disputes lately in the gold blog community. I'm not going to re-hash them or link them here. If you are reading this email I'm sure you linked here at some point from one of these sites. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One blogger is miffed about a program another blogger started that seemed to flame out or fail somehow. Another blogger jumps in to defend one party or the other. Soon after, yet another blog pipes in defending the first one. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The reason I don't get Facebook and Twitter is the very same reason these disputes are so depressing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Privacy.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkWlHjGFGVS_HUnpZI9dGhyy6lBuAZsGsf-FQyoL9q-UpdRXeyCWn0lN2mgXeMRA7AzcoGuI0HPnfb67Un4msziaUBFu1xZwLCaeONabrmMnx5DB7axqhOqfIpL32x9jZydsi_ZgzI3E/s1600/imagesCASYP1XN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkWlHjGFGVS_HUnpZI9dGhyy6lBuAZsGsf-FQyoL9q-UpdRXeyCWn0lN2mgXeMRA7AzcoGuI0HPnfb67Un4msziaUBFu1xZwLCaeONabrmMnx5DB7axqhOqfIpL32x9jZydsi_ZgzI3E/s1600/imagesCASYP1XN.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My generation believed in discussing things "man to man" (or "face to face" if the masculine image is somehow not PC here). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Have a problem with your boss? Don't email him. Knock on the door, go inside and talk it out. Have trouble with your gf or bf? Don't break up on Twitter--go out, discuss it and if you have to end the relationship, do so with some dignity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Some things should just be said privately. If I have a problem with a blogger's topic, I really think about the comment process. I still don't "email mad". (Most of the time) If my comment looks like it is going to rile someone up then I hit "cancel" and send an email. Or, I don't comment at all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Today I broke that rule and made a public comment on a blog. I thought I was defending a fellow blogger who I perceived had been disparaged by name. I felt a public slight should be called out publicly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">That was wrong of me. I should have handled it privately. I let my emotions get the best of me and only made things worse. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BavS_x-4gmKvrBD-iqh5J8fbEPSKbt8a0MC0ynT9muJUPo8dj7xfh5jxblMzi8XmaqVnB-XmogTe_h5FRuO-pEhBWqjQbq82jBb6DHVhfYgmh-GK4XjjGVxjdWib__3g4Mtqlq-SDRw/s1600/light+sabre.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BavS_x-4gmKvrBD-iqh5J8fbEPSKbt8a0MC0ynT9muJUPo8dj7xfh5jxblMzi8XmaqVnB-XmogTe_h5FRuO-pEhBWqjQbq82jBb6DHVhfYgmh-GK4XjjGVxjdWib__3g4Mtqlq-SDRw/s1600/light+sabre.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you are reading this and you know who you are, please accept my apologies. I have already sent emails but wanted to address this topic, well, on a bigger scale.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, next time you get ready to Tweet or Facebook or whatever you young folks do give it a second. Wait. See if your comment really advances the discussion or only becomes a diversion into a new, unintended and horribly wrong direction. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Had I taken my own advice I don't think this whole issue would have blown up.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-31768333077549760242011-05-04T08:18:00.002-04:002011-05-04T08:18:00.172-04:00Demand Side Economics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINLzVfoyqqlz-o6b5HcXkmlnWShrfqcmaueRszQ5HDEWp4SmOWhTkG5t2bZ3RiOfK-DzPFMHqtL2YetIiif49YeoF9GTgA2OT-nneUWC1tepkFyFvW7e9pZpgalk0OP6WMKv1jNr8ItU/s1600/SupplyDemand.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINLzVfoyqqlz-o6b5HcXkmlnWShrfqcmaueRszQ5HDEWp4SmOWhTkG5t2bZ3RiOfK-DzPFMHqtL2YetIiif49YeoF9GTgA2OT-nneUWC1tepkFyFvW7e9pZpgalk0OP6WMKv1jNr8ItU/s320/SupplyDemand.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Goblins require that someone "need" our items. We can supply all we want but if no one is buying what we list, we don't make any gold.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We often look at gold earning through this lens--"what can I supply that will sell for a profit?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> We might even ask, "Of all the things I can possibly sell that will earn a profit, what can I list that will make the best profit in the shortest time?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These questions frame the analysis from a supply standpoint. Let's quickly look at this picture with the demand lens to see if additional ideas are discovered, and if so, if they are helpful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the picture above Raul correctly anticipates that 21' ladders will be useful. He read the patch notes I suppose. Selling the old 15' ladders is no longer viable. Sure, some people might buy the 15' ladders but 21' ladders are soon going to be needed by anyone wanting to get to the next level. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will Raul be reselling pre-made ladders? Or will he be manufacturing them in his shop?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If he is reselling, the demand for ladder making materials gets pushed downstream to whomever is manufacturing them. If he is making them in his shop then the demand for materials becomes his to manage. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If Raul pays too much for wood, nails, or paint then his ladder may not be affordable, or desirable. Paying too little may mean the lumber yard, nail maker and paint mixer could go out of business if they can't meet their obligations. Raul may also have expenses for labor--he may not have the requisite skill to produce ladders so he may have to hire someone to make them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Like Raul, many goblins look at the economy in this fashion--how much am I paying for materials and labor (or completed product), and for how much and how quickly can I sell the finished product? Of course, there are other goblins who are in the materials supply business--they make (i.e., farm) the wood, nails and paint that goblins use in manufacturing. Others are labor specialists--they will "manufacture" scrolls or bars for a fee.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><i>((Note: in the following discussion, "Class" references are not intended to disparage anyone. This is just a simple term that everyone can understand and it flows within the extended metaphor.)) </i></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYT8h7h28rvOE4EiwrAgsz8InGeRf0TC-_9b_dUH1W9SxRHm0-fFb8PWgKa0X0YzVYILdo-t8PYboM-tgz11qj1nuGnsMjc6k3cvt1CR1kzUw-4s-OTvIKM3WrG_vzGkSDC5S7BR_-oM/s1600/my+job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYT8h7h28rvOE4EiwrAgsz8InGeRf0TC-_9b_dUH1W9SxRHm0-fFb8PWgKa0X0YzVYILdo-t8PYboM-tgz11qj1nuGnsMjc6k3cvt1CR1kzUw-4s-OTvIKM3WrG_vzGkSDC5S7BR_-oM/s1600/my+job.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What is your job in WoW?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the WoW economy, players have different jobs. These jobs pay very different wages. Minimum wage jobs are like players whose only income is from questing. Lower middle class jobs might be those who quest for income and also do dailies. Middle class jobs might be those who quest, do dailies and some dungeons. Upper middle class might be those who quest, do dailies, do some dungeons and raid. Upper class may focus on raiding and dungeons but also earn significant investment income (aka, AH sales). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At each different class level players may take second jobs to make ends meet. The most popular second job is gathering and selling stuff in the AH, followed by those players who build investment income (read: flipping). Then comes door to door sales and telemarketing--aka, hawking skills in trade chat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Players' second jobs are very often limited by progression level. For example, Level 25 Skinners are not able to farm Borean Leather because they can't get into Northrend--and would get splattered on the lawn by the mobs there if they COULD get in. If they were able to get in and could avoid the mobs, they can't train Skinning high enough at L25 to actually skin anything. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PvP is like eating out, skiing or owning art. It is a luxury that doesn't generate any income but can be a costly habit to support. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Level 25 characters can, however, flip goods in the AH and can telemarket the lower level skills they have available. They can support a L25 PvP habit since the cost to support that habit is often reasonable enough to allow them a chance to succeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you notice in the above examples player level has little to do with overall income level. There are a lot of Minimum Wage workers who have attained L85. There are Middle Class workers who are only L40, or lower. There are Upper Class players who have all professions maxed and can afford to hire an investment banker (aka, Auction House Mule)--and other Upper Class players who built their empires on farming, flipping and smart investing (self-made millionaires).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A player's stable of characters is like a family. If the family has lots of money it is shared among the family members. We see that all the time--L30 players with BoA gear or the best twink armor and enchants available. Similarly, poor families often perpetuate more poverty--a new toon born into a Lower Middle Class family starts off with no silver spoon and is more likely to continue the family business--questing for income and perhaps telemarketing.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let's now look at this economic picture from the demand standpoint.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Minimum wage and lower middle class jobs don't generally earn enough income to afford PvP. They are also more likely to make their own gear. For these players, materials are end-use in nature. Copper ore is used to skill up and then is re-used for a weapon or some armor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These players will often farm materials for personal use and sell the excess in the AH. Prices are usually under the market rate for speed of sale. A quick sale for 50s is more desirable than waiting two days for 1g. Why? Because the player has immediate expenses that cannot otherwise be met. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From a demand standpoint these players are more likely to buy only what they need, and they will buy only when they can afford it. For example, if this player needs a Star Ruby to make a new ring, he might be more willing to pay 1g for a single ruby than to pay 10g for a stack of 20. Even though the per unit price is lower on the stack, it is untenable financially for him to invest 10g and wait a few days to sell the surplus gems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Middle class players may also farm for personal use but also farm for re-sale. They are usually willing to wait a bit longer to sell something since immediacy of expense is not as great. This player has an income stream that is fairly predictable and will usually spend within those parameters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even though he needs only one Star Ruby this player is more likely to buy the stack for 10g and resell the remaining 19 gems for 75s each. With a slightly more distant urgency horizon he is willing and able to recoup his investment over a few days, and expects to turn a decent ROI. Selling all 19 Rubies at 75s will earn him 14.25g, a profit of 4.25 gold AND his crafted item.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upper Middle Class and Upper Class players probably don't need the Star Rubies for anything at all. They see these gems at 50s and buy all of them at that price <i>simply because they are undervalued</i>. They will turn around and resell at 1g each or more. If it takes a week to sell them that doesn't bother this player. He has lots of other investments too. This income stream is marginal, and the income over time effect of many small investments will add up for nice profits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upper Middle Class and Upper Class players are much more likely to have demands for finished goods and luxury items than for raw materials--but even this scales. These players may have businesses that supply high end gems or armor, so their demand is for high end raw materials like Elementium Ore and Volatiles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For goblins, knowing how other players fit into the economy is very important. Understanding the demand part of the supply and demand equation is just as important as predicting when to sell 21' ladders instead of 15' ladders. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Similarly, it is in the best interests of the goblin to promote economic growth among the lower classes. If Minimum Wage players suddenly had 2x the disposable income they would be more likely to spend it than to save it. They would probably buy goods that (hopefully) we supply. This would in turn increase our income. Whether we stockpile our wealth or buy expensive toys, having more gold allows us to do more within the game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By promoting economic growth in the players at the bottom of the income scale, goblins help promote growth of the whole economy. By and large the spending habits of these players do not change--they still buy new armor, weapons and enchants. Now they can just buy more frequently and higher quality goods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are several things goblins can do to help promote economic growth for these players. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FSAGlXQXsxkymviNcZPTTvpTHHp9IkMlKKKPIeGQLCuGR_1ZcIOGAOElhJs66xd2rwRwdKRsMS_EF-rlfrKIlk-l3Uu5Nungx5VL2eBrC5iPXqfnvAl-hxVHXO8l9IxpIbuWSIel5kU/s1600/netherweave-bags-cataclysmheader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FSAGlXQXsxkymviNcZPTTvpTHHp9IkMlKKKPIeGQLCuGR_1ZcIOGAOElhJs66xd2rwRwdKRsMS_EF-rlfrKIlk-l3Uu5Nungx5VL2eBrC5iPXqfnvAl-hxVHXO8l9IxpIbuWSIel5kU/s320/netherweave-bags-cataclysmheader.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Keep the cost of bags down.</b> Bag space is directly proportional to income. More space means more items I can carry, whether for vendor sales or AH sales or personal use. It also means fewer trips to the mailbox, meaning there is more time to quest or run dungeons thus earning more gold per hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For example, I buy Netherweave at 10g per stack and below. I craft 30, 50, 100 bags at a time. AFK crafting during dinner, at the end of the night instead of logging off, during a bio break doesn't cost me any real game time. I give bags to guildies for free. "Anyone need 16 slot bags? Speak now". I mail 1 to 4 bags to anyone who asks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The remaining bags I sell in the AH for 10g each. I put up 40 to 100 at a time. Sure, some sell to other players who then try to relist them at 15g or more but by and large when they see wall after wall of cheap bags they move to something else. I get notes in the mail "why are you ruining the bag market?" and I simply say "sell yours cheaper or find something else to sell." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Result? I see more guildies buying my goods in the AH all the time. My AH toon is anonymous so they aren't motivated to return a good deed. Losing a few gold here and there on bags is a good thing. More bag space for lower income toons means they earn more, and thus they buy more.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq9zKHklpIyi1wgFsR0JpS-wl_1vu0AePPKH3_NbmPMhmvgiVb_kiPdMR6DhDPGXiDzXOxz15DWKcbFCVjG59GohYIsJ9-vourMg3uEKbLpve6CBuMTxTICq7IYv5UkgsBsgXadbc7g0/s1600/telemarketing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq9zKHklpIyi1wgFsR0JpS-wl_1vu0AePPKH3_NbmPMhmvgiVb_kiPdMR6DhDPGXiDzXOxz15DWKcbFCVjG59GohYIsJ9-vourMg3uEKbLpve6CBuMTxTICq7IYv5UkgsBsgXadbc7g0/s320/telemarketing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Engage door to door salesmen and telemarketers.</b> There are two ways to help the economy by helping players with these part time jobs. First, buy from them. You can resell the scroll or gem even if only at break even pricing. More importantly you can learn more about the player. It gives you a great way to begin a dialogue. You may discover they don't know any other way to earn gold, or they can't afford to buy enough materials to make and resell their goods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Whether you buy from them or just ask them via whisper, find out if they need gold help. If so, it is a great opportunity to direct them to any of the gold blogs for tips. You may not see immediate results and it may not work all the time, but if they are able to change their behavior and move up the economic ladder the overall economy will prosper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other way you can help these players is to hire them full time. Ask them if they want to become your production toon for XXX item. You send the mats and a small fee for the tip and they send you the scrolls or gems or whatever. It might not change their behavior long term but if they have the coin in pocket and supply your goods for you, then they aren't selling to the general public anymore--so more people are inclined to buy in the AH instead of /trade. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You might also realize a time savings, which would therefore let you spend your time on other profitable ventures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You may discover these players don't want to make items for your resale purposes. That's fine. If you can get them to a gold blog that is a start. If not, c'est la vie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I currently have a scroll maker who makes BC and WoLK scrolls for me at a set price per scroll. It varies by type, but with my materials the production cost is almost as low as if I made them myself. The upside is, while my margins are down a bit, he doesn't sell in /trade anymore. Another player I engaged also doesn't sell in /trade but now is an aspiring goblin. I see his auctions for gems and some cloth items pretty much every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fewer players selling in /trade doesn't drive down demand--but it does help manage supply. Without these direct to consumer sales the buyers have to go elsewhere. Sure, it might just be to a different salesman but it might also be the AH.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Recognize "demand" opportunities and seize the moment.</b> Over the weekend, to gear up my toons, I bought two <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=69637">Gurubashi Destroyer</a>s, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=69801/amani-armguards">Amani Armguards</a> (for my DK) and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=69797">Charmbinder Grips</a> for my Warlock. I bought all of these from players selling them in /trade and I used the same strategy for every purchase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I operate under the assumption that people selling in /trade are either unwilling to fight the competition and/or pay the AH fees, or need a quick sale to finance some other activity. Sometimes both are true, and I'm sure sometimes neither is true. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, when I see someone barking "WTS Gurubashi Punisher, 10k", I immediately think this is someone who wants a quick sale. There are few purple 353 items available for purchase BoE. As all goblins know these items usually take a few days to sell. When I see a Cataclysm purple in /trade this way I immediately think "this could be a deal". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After he had barked about 4 times, I wsp'd "2k, firm offer". He replied, "way too low--not in same ballpark". I replied "ok, np--my offer stands until I log off." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I continued my AH activities and he continued barking. The price came down to 8k and then to 6k. I was done and ready to log off so I sent one final wsp, "kk, i'm about to log--last chance, 2k."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"3k is as low as I can go" came the reply. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"oh, sorry then. not willing to pay more than 2k. good luck!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to count to 10 and then log off. 1, 2, 3, 4, BAM! "fine, its yours" was the answer. We met and made the trade. He had a distinctive name, XXXhunter (xxx appeared to be initials). He made a couple of comments about how I was taking advantage of him, which I ignored. I just said "thanks, my DK will love it" and let it go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Funny thing is later that day, XXXpally bought a full set of Bloodied Pyrium gear. Did I just get my money back? Maybe. I did get a great deal on the Punisher. TUJ shows it selling for 2.5k to 6k. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other items were similar deals. One more Punisher for 2k. The Amani Armguards I got for 1.5k (TUJ says 3.7k to 6k), and the Charmbinder Grips for 1.5k (TUJ says 2.8k to 5.2k).That these players had to or were willing to sell for so much less than market prices is more a function of their demand needs than it is of anything else. If they had the capital to buy NOW whatever it was they wanted they could afford to list these in the AH and wait a few days for the sale--making more gold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The point is that these players all needed quick sales for capital. They more than likely bought goods in the AH, mine or someone else's. Being able to recognize their need (demand) and meeting it with good negotiation skills enabled me to capture very good deals for my toons. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before anyone suggests otherwise, I don't believe I took advantage of anyone's desperation. At least not unfairly so. These players all could have said "no sale" and moved on. Some may have found other buyers, others may have listed the items in the AH. In any event, my offer represented the amount I was willing to pay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is no different than seeing an item in the AH listed at a lower than normal value. Do we pass on it, saying "gee, too bad I want to pay more for that nice purple weapon"? No, we just buy it and giggle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When someone barks in /trade for an item, don't just ignore him. Make an offer. Worst case, he says no. Best case? You get a nice shiny thing for cheap and he gets some gold.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXK6CtHcQTr7Lr5yaXlDYZbg34K4J2mHrr0tOdo4LDAXPTe4xbWNdifzy20rNNKX8Jhp_bcVrwdvWJWC6p9v276VkYKnONJ3QYZlnb1vXrE4RmQNjKiVQWlOyYJ3dYXgzlWotQ1miI2EE/s1600/discussion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXK6CtHcQTr7Lr5yaXlDYZbg34K4J2mHrr0tOdo4LDAXPTe4xbWNdifzy20rNNKX8Jhp_bcVrwdvWJWC6p9v276VkYKnONJ3QYZlnb1vXrE4RmQNjKiVQWlOyYJ3dYXgzlWotQ1miI2EE/s1600/discussion.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Don't shy away from gold discussions.</b> This is an area where I can improve. My desire for anonymity keeps me fairly mute when these discussions occur in /guild chat. My AH toon is anonymous for a reason. I don't want people asking for loans or otherwise giving me a hard time. Plus, I don't want anyone in the guild to feel like I'm bragging or anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recently, I have begun to engage some players via private tell with fairly passive notes. This has been much easier to manage and has led to better results.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For example, the other day some dude in /g chat said "my friend on XXX server is the richest person in WoW. He has over 600k gold". This led to all sorts of discussion. I stayed away from the general back and forth. Hell, I was staring at 585k in the bank. Others were more than willing to point out the error in this person's example.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">((Interestingly enough, one of them was <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/03/phugglys-phinancial-dilemma-gold-making.html">Phuggley's alt</a>)).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the guildies seemed fairly even tempered and more mature, just given the comments and vocabulary. She commented things like "I never have enough gold for my repairs" and "If I could just afford to buy gear good enough for Heroics I'd be happy". I sent a private tell, mentioning that I didn't want to get involved in the public discussion but I might be able to help with the gold earning issue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had a nice discussion, I offered some tips, including blogs to check out. A few days later she sent me a note in the mail saying she tried the tips and read the blogs. Said most of it worked for her and not only did she have enough for her new gear, she was sitting on over 3k gold in the bank. She wrote "I've never had this much gold with nothing to buy--what do I do?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I replied, "you just took a step up the Economic Ladder--invest wisely, and turn your 3k into 6k and then 12k--you will need it later for something and be happy you have it then."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Buy from players who aren't already goblins.</b> This one is tougher--both to implement and to manage. AH players seem to gravitate to names like "Buymycrap" and "Bαñk". I will usually not buy from these toons if I can avoid it. They are the competition. Players usually have more in-game sounding names. I will buy from them if I have a choice and the prices are close.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another thing I do is buy lower end goods just to add a boost to the economy. If I see Copper Ore in large quantities for say 75% value, I will buy a bunch and resell at the same price or a bit lower. I figure the player from whom I buy will use the money for something he needs--like maybe my armor and weapons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also buy and sell large quantities of linen, wool, medium leather and low end herbs. Most of these I just package in different quantities and resell but the herbs I use for Enchanting Vellum, which I sell in the AH for 2g per unit or more. A stack of Silverleaf for 50s turns into 4 Vellum at 2g each. Very good ROI.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Conclusions and Summary</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recognizing that demand is a market force in and of itself can help goblins earn more gold. It is very hard to find a direct causal relationship between any of these concepts and a tangible result. Anecdotal evidence suggests that in at least one instance, when I bought from a player he used that gold to buy my armor sales--but I can't prove it was the same player. Reasonable to assume so, but not necessarily a fact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite the lack of firm evidence, a basic understanding of human nature (player nature?) suggests these are all good ways to stimulate growth. The more income players have the more stuff they will buy. Usually players tailor their gold making activities according to what they need to buy--need a new Sword, run more dungeons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b>Having a new way to earn gold won't make the average player suddenly become a goblin against whom we have to compete on a daily basis. More likely they will use this skill to buy their desired item sooner than they would have otherwise, which means they can run higher dungeons and will soon need better gear. The cycle repeats.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It just seems to make sense. In non-WoW life, studies suggest that the <a href="http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2009/jun/20/experts-say-food-stamp-use-helps-stimulate-economy-ar-89482/">fastest way to stimulate the economy is to give poor people food stamps</a>. Why? Because when they buy food at the local market this money gets turned over several more times up the chain into the economy. The store owner buys more inventory, wholesalers have to buy more from suppliers, etc. This is why <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/29/news/economy/stimulus_analysis/index.htm">studies suggest that for every dollar spent on food stamps $1.73 is generated into the economy</a>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not going to turn this into a debate about real life economic principles. However, the underlying premise does translate to WoW. Players who live "paycheck to paycheck", or from quest to quest, will buy more goods when they have more gold. They can get more gold if they have bigger bags, if they can sell door to door or via telemarketing, if their sudden demand opportunities are successful, if they learn new skills, etc.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All in all these are good things for the WoW economy. Tracking your sale today back to a subsidized bag listing last week is nigh impossible. It does make sense though. The stronger the economy gets overall the better it is for goblins. Goblins live on top of the highest waves--more water in the ocean makes the waves crest at new heights.</span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-7608540249218223632011-05-02T10:46:00.001-04:002011-05-02T10:47:43.385-04:00Best. Week. Ever. ((4.1, Oh How I Love Thee, Let Me Count the 77,000 Ways))<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL-dByl_mJ3WTIgMndMJHx3QQRB-JEueCE1_fdcfkHGW3vZq4ZCy65V2c52g1AknTOVKKM9DhN-H68AIvnIAMl6_OR64wQghJgzhHlzQWprUrn8-P6KVQboi3yrOWFfUrJxYazWkiCmw/s1600/4_1+Patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL-dByl_mJ3WTIgMndMJHx3QQRB-JEueCE1_fdcfkHGW3vZq4ZCy65V2c52g1AknTOVKKM9DhN-H68AIvnIAMl6_OR64wQghJgzhHlzQWprUrn8-P6KVQboi3yrOWFfUrJxYazWkiCmw/s320/4_1+Patch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Prior to 4.1's drop I prepared to move away from gold earning and return more to game playing. The mindset is different. Go cold turkey? Nah, that's a recipe for disaster. Gradually wean off the golden teat? Seemed more realistic but requires more willpower--something I have been known to lack in the past. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Somewhere in the middle....gradual reduction in AH time coupled with more dungeons and questing....that should do it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Seems like a plan.....then by Saturday the whole thing went to hell. I was back to full-on AH activity. The result?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best. Week. Ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Help! My Addons are Broken!!</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tuesday came and went, the patch downloaded, but I didn't log on until Wednesday. Life intervened, ya know?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The patch disrupted everyone's addons. The AH went from the usual 22k auctions down to about 12k by late Wednesday. I figured out how to adjust Auctioneer so I must have been one of the only people on the server using it at that point. There were some ridiculous deals out there.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcpUbFv6KVNYxmFJEcAP3IsUV8j05sljt4RS03rju-1ywu0EtvADraEIZ9A6u_PBc3InT_CBkHJoQPsTpQv8vp-X52WSOtfn0f0mXQc9rlveAXX5hrgB5X8JQFUbL59M3Vjq1Aw91U7k/s1600/restocked+inventory.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcpUbFv6KVNYxmFJEcAP3IsUV8j05sljt4RS03rju-1ywu0EtvADraEIZ9A6u_PBc3InT_CBkHJoQPsTpQv8vp-X52WSOtfn0f0mXQc9rlveAXX5hrgB5X8JQFUbL59M3Vjq1Aw91U7k/s320/restocked+inventory.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I began to rebuild my inventory. I crafted a bunch of PvP gear, both Plate and Cloth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was able to get a huge supply of Elementium Ore very cheap--around 40g per stack. I don't know if someone listed it wrong or if it was just a good deal. Usually there are tons of people vying for cheap ore but the broken addons may have limited other players more than me.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Auction House Surprise</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wednesday I pushed on towards my guild rep goal of Honored. That BoA gear is just too tempting. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfElCbdbbaMeJEWzdO-LYGi90LgZluoTQX0mqMVK0sXwGKd_GA41uLN66dU4cvSCPVYLQjnQv71pXqjLuKTUEFXsIZmfP5vaadAuOjxdyoRkjDILHIP9ere9NjV_E0uqM30XleuVJ6Bk/s1600/how+did+i+do+that.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfElCbdbbaMeJEWzdO-LYGi90LgZluoTQX0mqMVK0sXwGKd_GA41uLN66dU4cvSCPVYLQjnQv71pXqjLuKTUEFXsIZmfP5vaadAuOjxdyoRkjDILHIP9ere9NjV_E0uqM30XleuVJ6Bk/s1600/how+did+i+do+that.bmp" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soon after this I hit Honored. Like 10 seconds later since I just turned in another quest. Because I had to return to Stormwind to buy the Rep Gear I figured I would check on my AH action before I logged for the night. Not a bad haul, but I've had many days with 10k+ in my inbox--3k was frankly a bit disappointing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday night I completed the Elementium Shuffle for my newly acquired 124 stacks of Ore. With my handy dandy macro in place it is easy to spam the keybound command while watching TV. Yawn.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then I got a nice surprise. Since my AH messages appear in my regular chat frame I often don't see the little notices--"a buyer has been found for your XXX". When I finished listing my wares, a simple check of auctions provided this little gem.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi324l1-V3IlRPUe8pqDYalte-pLWaw_yOOXCfbidj6FqEf8x4r9twrDNC5UsDMTeEVgm303Xs9cSunGsEV2O3wsI2nDZoLu2wmnFL7w95438kBg-MbPpv3g38rYisp3oPOw8-TI-FNuQc/s1600/nice+to+see.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi324l1-V3IlRPUe8pqDYalte-pLWaw_yOOXCfbidj6FqEf8x4r9twrDNC5UsDMTeEVgm303Xs9cSunGsEV2O3wsI2nDZoLu2wmnFL7w95438kBg-MbPpv3g38rYisp3oPOw8-TI-FNuQc/s320/nice+to+see.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having had very spotty results in the past with PvP gear I was leery of investing too many valuable materials in a perhaps hard to sell commodity. However, selling almost a whole set of gear at once was encouraging!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sales in general were trending up, no doubt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I began crafting more and more of this gear. Sales continued slowly but steadily through Friday.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Weekend Fire Sale</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Saturday morning every PvP item I had listed was gone. In fact, my gems had all sold, as had almost every ring, necklace and leather leg armor. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I jumped on resupply of materials before the weekend rush hit. Most of what I needed was still priced well but there were some things like Volatile Fire and Illusion Dust that were just not available, or were beginning to creep up. I spent 25k on new materials. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday was spent re-crafting and re-supplying sales. My strategy has always been to keep only one item of any type listed at a time. I craft two or three but keep the inventory so I can re-list if I get undercut. It is easier (for me) that way, rather than list 3 and cancel/re-list in reaction to an undercutter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By late Saturday night I was out of materials. I had to scramble to find what I needed. I resorted to barking in /trade to buy quantities of Volatile Fire, Embersilk Cloth, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday was more of the same--low supply, high demand. My weekend totals for crafted Plate gear looked like this:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cPODNgLXNQZADTWRpjJKuBUzZFlduafYQgqkbeU5SuSSa9HMNxRymR6wbx-rzQkFr4eKI3Nv3N3ipWsYONRsC-xCClhQ9qKZqYTwEjzOZqYFejKjudItW-XGqjrPR3BULhpByuld-Xg/s1600/sales+gear.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cPODNgLXNQZADTWRpjJKuBUzZFlduafYQgqkbeU5SuSSa9HMNxRymR6wbx-rzQkFr4eKI3Nv3N3ipWsYONRsC-xCClhQ9qKZqYTwEjzOZqYFejKjudItW-XGqjrPR3BULhpByuld-Xg/s320/sales+gear.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5HT_Bl0OUsZGAysMcdMMy-hQk-NxrS3jaS_5Ib7bYfwNbuBq1u4uiHBSVI8ryX4xtJjI5lRuDfLFMxbxB_wDlC8_jWsqfOLlkPKTJ3jBISBVESv-zcG5shn7H-khyphenhyphenC-ZBLHemT4ItTc/s1600/sales+items.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Crafted Cloth gear looked the same. Somehow I missed the screenshot. Weekend sales for product, by total gold earned, were equally impressive.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5HT_Bl0OUsZGAysMcdMMy-hQk-NxrS3jaS_5Ib7bYfwNbuBq1u4uiHBSVI8ryX4xtJjI5lRuDfLFMxbxB_wDlC8_jWsqfOLlkPKTJ3jBISBVESv-zcG5shn7H-khyphenhyphenC-ZBLHemT4ItTc/s1600/sales+items.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5HT_Bl0OUsZGAysMcdMMy-hQk-NxrS3jaS_5Ib7bYfwNbuBq1u4uiHBSVI8ryX4xtJjI5lRuDfLFMxbxB_wDlC8_jWsqfOLlkPKTJ3jBISBVESv-zcG5shn7H-khyphenhyphenC-ZBLHemT4ItTc/s320/sales+items.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best part? Well, here are the 7 day sales results. Keep in mind that I had almost no activity Monday, Tuesday was patch day and Wednesday was slow. Thursday and Friday were spent making inventory, but sales were up somewhat. Late Friday and Saturday/Sunday were the biggest days I have ever had.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqAGkSo1NbUBwlfbLUn4rVt4mkUe96Y4u_Px3Vtpx_NtANZBTjqqWhHEfLvc_OPESd4nk4CMZjLmayKs-LZdhoIMVIFkjs32s5aDXlE7fZCNrziV1DF3Tt3XwmwDI1dyEwJaLqe5wFRY/s1600/weekly+sales.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqAGkSo1NbUBwlfbLUn4rVt4mkUe96Y4u_Px3Vtpx_NtANZBTjqqWhHEfLvc_OPESd4nk4CMZjLmayKs-LZdhoIMVIFkjs32s5aDXlE7fZCNrziV1DF3Tt3XwmwDI1dyEwJaLqe5wFRY/s320/weekly+sales.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That translates into 77k net profit for a week. My gold on hand went up by 15% in just the last week. I still have a good supply of inventory out of the roughly 50k in materials investment. My scrolls are all full at 3x per unit plus the AH listing--4 of just about all the best ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are some goblins out there that may have this experience all the time. Hell, some readers may have had much better results--please share if you did. For me, a day of 25k gold earned is usually tempered with 10k or more for materials. Most of my big days are 10k or a bit more in profit. There are many days I have net profit below 5k. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For me, 4.1 has been the best week ever.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-77401511647983087612011-04-24T09:02:00.070-04:002011-04-24T09:02:00.356-04:00Quick Tip: WoLK Enchanting Materials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRidO0pqSmVyGtXg5hvcZ70bwdJz9gjjR8hRQwxvw5cdY5XBW6KvdwMaAtUtulGODjpaRJ_5ATHb_uyF1Eg78dn_JN6Th5mZIdkfHVRWZlR2cdcMfF_6tpno9K-UTJYEP1IWt4cXF9TdU/s1600/WoLK+Mats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRidO0pqSmVyGtXg5hvcZ70bwdJz9gjjR8hRQwxvw5cdY5XBW6KvdwMaAtUtulGODjpaRJ_5ATHb_uyF1Eg78dn_JN6Th5mZIdkfHVRWZlR2cdcMfF_6tpno9K-UTJYEP1IWt4cXF9TdU/s1600/WoLK+Mats.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If your server is like mine, finding Infinite Dust and Greater Cosmic Essence can be a real pain. The AH prices of Infinite Dust are 6g-8g each and GCEs are going for 15g and up. Sometimes one can find WoLK greens for cheap enough to buy and DE for your own materials but just about everyone is onto this tip, so it is hit or miss. Mainly miss for me lately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I found that the most economical way to make something to "farm" and DE for my own Infinite Dust and GCE is <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=43249#disenchanting">Shadowmight Ring</a>. It is a L162 ring that DEs into 4-10 Dust (75%) or 1-3 GCE (20%). There is a 5% chance for a Dream Shard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9-fuGY3_MbhABN-DXmFp-fG9ioEUhMuCYasyQfdaS2r8yzQZ1IUl8omNVN1rcWXcvm5UOoasVaqDyQ-4zhKX50yRSOyBIvbfbsLZ2XUHiVRbepaLLYJedcM77CRy79khyphenhyphenG6qJw7zfZg/s1600/Inv_elemental_eternal_shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9-fuGY3_MbhABN-DXmFp-fG9ioEUhMuCYasyQfdaS2r8yzQZ1IUl8omNVN1rcWXcvm5UOoasVaqDyQ-4zhKX50yRSOyBIvbfbsLZ2XUHiVRbepaLLYJedcM77CRy79khyphenhyphenG6qJw7zfZg/s1600/Inv_elemental_eternal_shadow.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5GJOBh8Tsx8pCiZPuvc2inDUGXQAV1a904ie7u3P_HPUiYHie28wpj-GpxTs8v3yj2vEvkpJ0tHY6mZmaqqo6ST-Cb0F4KVHxDt8pQ3gSvl8-GwmUDgmks0Fz8ReEhxClm1Ygd0urLc/s1600/INV_Elemental_Eternal_Earth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5GJOBh8Tsx8pCiZPuvc2inDUGXQAV1a904ie7u3P_HPUiYHie28wpj-GpxTs8v3yj2vEvkpJ0tHY6mZmaqqo6ST-Cb0F4KVHxDt8pQ3gSvl8-GwmUDgmks0Fz8ReEhxClm1Ygd0urLc/s1600/INV_Elemental_Eternal_Earth.png" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Materials are 1 each <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=35624">Eternal Earth</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=35627">Eternal Shadow</a>. The recipe is taught by any JC trainer at skill level 390. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On my server, the Eternal Earth go for about 9g and the Shadow for about 17g. If you buy them at these prices the margins are close to break even, but can be a fall back method for making your own mats if the AH is either sold out or too expensive. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, I still came out ahead. I buy Earths and Shadows any time I see them at a good price. I bought 45 Earth today for 3g each and 80 Shadow for 7g-9g each. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I made and DE'd 45 Shadowmight Rings and received: 238 Infinite Dust, 18 GCE and 1 Dream Shard.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From an availability standpoint this option worked great. I couldn't find any GCE in the AH and I needed 15 for crafting scrolls for resale. The Infinite Dust in the AH was very pricey at the time, and limited--only 5 stacks at 140g per stack. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From a pure gold earning standpoint this would be a very profitable effort as well. My initial investment was 495g (45 Earth at 3g each--135g--and 45 Shadow at 8g each--360g). At market price of 6g, the 238 Infinite Dust would be worth 1,428g. The GCE would be worth 234g at the usual price of 13g each. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That would have been 1,167g profit for about 5 minutes work. [((1,428+234)-495) = 1,167].</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So whether you need a way to generate Infinite Dust and GCE for your WoLK recipes, or you need a good way to earn some gold by making and re-listing these materials, the Shadowmight Ring might be a good option for you. Buy the materials for the right price and the profits are decent. Even at market rates you can keep your business going if the WoLK mats are in short supply.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-620617232412626702011-04-23T12:58:00.000-04:002011-04-23T12:58:18.151-04:00500k Gold Milestone and General Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2uAukig6o4DJH8N_eweRCgZvmMjv2mrc82-qaUID9zNPxgd7TK37zbLVbbEk_gvyuXX8wx4-GAq9oaImgqKyv9irBenuzo_yYytIpemYZ-hrRie41IDMaKGb8otO25tSh0VrVRyT72M/s1600/500k+milestone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2uAukig6o4DJH8N_eweRCgZvmMjv2mrc82-qaUID9zNPxgd7TK37zbLVbbEk_gvyuXX8wx4-GAq9oaImgqKyv9irBenuzo_yYytIpemYZ-hrRie41IDMaKGb8otO25tSh0VrVRyT72M/s320/500k+milestone.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Woot!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hit 500,000g on April 15 after flirting with it for a week. I could have banked 500k a lot sooner but kept getting distracted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I got to 490k then decided to train Engineering for my Shaman. That took a few thousand gold. I crept back up to 490k-ish and began playing Rift more and more, leaving my AH toon with hundreds of expired auctions mid-week. Soon thereafter I got to 495k but spent a few thousand to get all the Blacksmithing recipes. Finally, on when my Warlock hit 85 and I needed to upgrade his gear to do heroics so there went another few thousand for Dreamcloth and other gear.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Eventually, I just said "screw it" and pushed on through. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Reflection</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When Cataclysm launched my total gold was in the 65k range. On December 15 I reached 100k. Then I got to 250k around Valentine's Day. Now, time to pay taxes and I'm at 500k. Since this post was originally written (I've procrastinated for over a week in posting it) I'm up to 515k. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There is no doubt that I could reach the 1,000,000 mark in the next couple of months. In fact, my goal was 1M by July 4th.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm just not sure I want to push for it that hard anymore.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to anything and it isn't burnout. This decision is really based on pursuing some non-gold milestones.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Over the past 5 months I have spent the majority of my time in the AH and crafting stuff to sell in the AH. The little bit of actual playing I have done has been to level an alt to get his skill high enough to use in earning gold. I don't feel like I really have anything else to prove to myself about earning gold. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On the other hand, I haven't done any raids. I have done a grand total of 5 Cataclysm dungeons. Not on every character, mind you. That's in total--5 runs: one on my DK, one on my Pally and 3 on my Warlock. Not a single one was a heroic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Very soon 4.1 will launch and I'm still dicking around with the original Cataclysm content. I just feel like I'm missing out on some of the fun parts of the game. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I can afford to buy what I want. My AH skills will always be there if I need to jump back in, but I don't want to be in the third tier of players still running Cat basic dungeons when the tier one players are doing the newest raids. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What I Enjoy Most About Being A Goblin</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">From a gold making perspective I really like working with new-ish players who don't have any idea how or why to make gold. Yeah, I said players who don't know WHY to make gold. It is very surprising to me that many players have hit very high levels and have virtually no gold to their names. I talk to players every week who have hit L70, L75, L80 and have less than 1,000g in the bank. Hell, some have less than 50g. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">No Epic Flying, no new gear--running dailies just to make repair money.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">These are the players I enjoy helping. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm interested in transitioning my website to more of a 'get help now' resource than a report of what I've done to earn gold. I think this is where I will end up taking the site.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Why Diversification Isn't A Panacea</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As goblins we preach diversity. Being active in many markets helps us remain in the green when one market tanks. If we are able to shift priority to a different market, we can ride out the dip and return to the depressed market when times are better. This is the smart posture to take in the WoW economy. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">However, the unanticipated consequence of being diversified is that one must do battle in various markets against players who are not similarly well-balanced. There are many players who live in only a market or two. Because I'm active in 8 different markets I encounter 8-12 players who will fight tooth and nail to keep their position well-staked. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I have a player who camps my Cataclysm rings and necklaces and will cancel/post as soon as I log off. There is a totally different player who does the same with my gem auctions. Same for leather and cloth, same for bags, same for armor, same for bars and ore, etc. So instead of fighting a player in a market I'm fighting several players, each of whom has a very strong interest in keeping me out of that market. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm spending more time canceling and re-posting than I am actually crafting and listing new auctions. Sure, I have my 25,000g days here and there but I'm seeing many more days of 3,000g to 5,000g profits. It is just too time consuming to continue with any zeal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm running my current auctions but now I'm only interested in break even to cover my daily expenses. I'm not really worried about gold growth. Treading water will be good enough for now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>The Old Ways Still Work</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Maybe my market frustrations are a function of teaching other players, but I doubt it. I can name my main competitors in each market--they have not changed in months. In fact, I look at MS data and see my 'students' buying my auctions quite a bit--I tend to focus on low, medium and high tier crafting goods so when new goblins are making bags, they are usually buying my cloth. When they are making mid level armor, they will buy my ore and bars.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Because new players will always need certain staple goods there is almost always a way to earn a little gold selling Wool Cloth, Netherweave Cloth and Bags, Medium and Rugged Leather, and Adamantite Ore. Because so few new players are actually Goblins there are hundreds of auctions every day that I can buy and flip for profit. This is my foundation in gold earning. It is where I started, and most likely, where I will return now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, I hope I am able to contribute more by gearing my site to the new players and those who need some basic help. There are so many great blogs with super daily content that if I'm able to help provide some fundamentals, I'm sure readers will benefit even more from other sites out there.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-88125704863472363972011-04-15T09:45:00.000-04:002011-04-15T09:45:42.847-04:00Nesingwary Success Story: From Beggar to Goblin in a Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE6vwy5auTVXNrJUDW4TMQ8bBnRJ1FKiY7eAm3g6c7ZKSNdYL7TCR0lC-NDgO2Pu7vjr3L1rf4Mgj7R9Mo9TPa_Jn7WMzQroIHIw6sS_-0qpm4S8ezzEwJhz3aj01zQ9BNShgLFL0Dwc/s1600/Beggar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE6vwy5auTVXNrJUDW4TMQ8bBnRJ1FKiY7eAm3g6c7ZKSNdYL7TCR0lC-NDgO2Pu7vjr3L1rf4Mgj7R9Mo9TPa_Jn7WMzQroIHIw6sS_-0qpm4S8ezzEwJhz3aj01zQ9BNShgLFL0Dwc/s320/Beggar.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was monitoring trade chat the other day looking for good deals when I noticed a player (who I shall call 'beggar') yelling "Can someone please give me 25g? I really need it."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I watched as the usual trolling occurred. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Get a job." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Go quest somewhere like I did." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"If you can find me in Twilight Highlands I'll give you 50g." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were some 'more colorful' replies as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I sent a private tell, however. "I'm not going to give you any gold but I can teach you how to make your own." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Really," he replied, "how much will that cost me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Nothing", I answered. "All for free." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Kk. I'm all ears."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Funny how an offer to help someone is always viewed with skepticism. Maybe it is a function of our society, or maybe just a reaction to the state of the WoW game itself. Seems like everyone is trying to make a buck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I made Beggar an offer I hoped he would accept. He was a L59 Paladin. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Foundation</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: If I can teach you how to make your own gold in the next few minutes you have to promise not to beg anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: Yes, if it works.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: Has begging ever worked?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: No, but I don't know what else to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: Ok, no matter what, this will work better. And less flaming in trade. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: Lol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: I need to ask a few questions--this toon is L59. Is this your highest level toon?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: Yes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: Where are you questing? Outland? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: No, Burning Steps.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me: </u>KK, what are your professions and what levels?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: I never really leveled them. I have 54 Mining and 62 Leatherworking. Is that bad?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Me</u>: Not really. What is your gold goal? Don't say 'I just need a lot of gold'. Give me a number.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Beggar</u>: I need flying and training, maybe some equipment, so 600g or so.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This went on for a while (I'll spare you the chat format discussion). He had 12 slot bags and one 14 slot on his main. He had just over 40g on him at the time. He usually just earned enough gold in quests and drops to buy a gear upgrade in the AH. If he got a green BoE drop, he would throw it up in the AH. He had no real addons installed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Suggestions</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Based on what he told me about his situation, I told him he should be able to earn 600g in eight hours. He thought I was lying, and again asked what I was selling. I ROFL'd a bit at that. I told him he needed to do some groundwork first to set the foundation--which would be the most time investment--he could move to Outland. Once there, he would find it a short time to meeting his goal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My suggestions were:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Make an AH toon. Run him to SW. Mail 20g to the AH toon from Beggar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Invest in 12 slot or 14 slot bags for the AH toon. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Install Auctioneer, do a scan.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Invest in 16 slot Netherweave bags for Beggar. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drop Leatherworking, learn Herbalism.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Go to <a href="http://www.wow-professions.com/">Wow-professions</a> and download the guides for Mining and Herbalism.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Level Mining and Herbalism to Outland levels--300 for Mining, 330 for Herbalism.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Send gathered Ore and Herbs to AH toon when bags are full--list those in AH for best price.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Travel to Outland, run the quests in Hellfire--mine all the Fel Iron, Felweed and Dreaming Glory that you come across. Send to AH toon for listing when you get full stacks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Keep BoE greens for later.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Keep running through zone for more Ore and Herbs to list--farm some.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read some gold blogs (and I named 3 or 4 to start with). </span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Notice that I avoided a lot of more advanced strategies. No flipping, no specialized crafting. This was just basic AH 101 to get him off and running.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
We friended each other and he set off to begin his journey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Every few minutes for the next hour I got updates. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Hey, this is Beggar's AH toon, just saying hi."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Found cheap Netherweave in AH. Had some in my bank too. I hired a Tailor to make bags. I spent a total of 19g, got 3 Netherweave and 3 Runecloth."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Had a bunch of crap in my bank--put it up on the AH. Auctioneer is great!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><br />
</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Progress</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since I had some other stuff to do on my alts, I monitored Beggar with my different toons for the next couple of hours. His AH toon definitely had some auctions up--I saw quite a few actually. I was also able to follow via /who to watch as he moved through lower zones leveling his professions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before I logged for the night I jumped back on my main to check his progress 'officially'. It had been almost 4 hours since our first conversation in chat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By this time he told me he had leveled his professions enough to visit Outland. Had just begun the quests there. He said nothing had sold in the AH so he was disappointed. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I reminded him that he was pretty much done with the foundation--he had an AH toon now and more bag space. He had leveled his professions and was in the best zone to begin his gold making efforts. He had a bunch of auctions ready to go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I explained it might take some time to sell stuff but it would. He also said his guild mate had Enchanting and had DE'd all these greens. He had listed a bunch of Dusts and Essences too. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beggar said he had a full bar to go for L60 and he wanted to knock that out before he logged for the night. I said good luck, and went to bed.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>...The Next Day</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had a couple of work related things crop up the next day, and some family stuff in the evening. I ended up not getting back on until very late that night. Truth told, the only reason I logged at all was to do my JC daily and to check on Beggar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As soon as my load screen popped, I had a private tell from Beggar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He was pumped! He said almost all of his auctions sold overnight, and he earned over 300g from just his low level Ore and Herbs from leveling and the DE mats from the greens he cleaned out of his bank. He also had a bunch of Fel Iron Ore and Felweed posted as well. He said he followed my posting strategy--listing stacks of 5s and 10s to satisfy Prospecting and making bars. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He had live auctions for 80 Fel Iron Ore (small stacks) worth 225g and 40 Felweed for 150g. He said, "if all this sells I will be over my goal today. That's about 8 1/2 hours. Never thought it would work but damn, this was so easy."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Wish I had met you before. I would have been so much better off. Why don't more people do this?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We chatted for a bit more and then his RDF popped. I finished my dailies, updated my auctions, and logged for the night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Epilogue</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the days since, Beggar and I have remained in contact. He did sell those first few auctions and hit his 600g goal in about 10 hours. Ok, a little over my estimate but I didn't really consider the time it took him to quest. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the end of the night last night he had over 2,500g on hand and about 100 auctions going on. Beggar has told me numerous times how much he appreciated the tips. In fact, most of the Fel Iron Ore I saw posted today was his. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was great to take a beggar and turn him into a goblin. The best part, however, is that he has taken to telling other people. He told me last night that he has a guild mate "in training" now. Not only has Beggar become a goblin but he has begun spreading the word. I find that very satisfying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All the comments on my original and follow up posts about the April 15 Challenge have left me thinking. Why do I do this? What do I enjoy about blogging? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hands down, this is what I enjoy. I like helping other players--by and large not noobs either--with their first steps down the gold earning road. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm going to take some time off for the next couple weeks to redesign my site and message. I will most likely launch by May 1 with a new message, format and style. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks to everyone who took time to comment. See you all back here soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-19478446282400424222011-04-12T11:17:00.000-04:002011-04-12T11:17:13.439-04:00April 15 Blogger Challenge--Don't Forget<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don't forget--the <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-15-gold-blogger-challenge-server.html">April 15 Blogger Challenge</a> is coming up. If you write a blog and want to participate just publish your "Server Success Story" on 4/15. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Based on the comments from the original post this may be a non-event. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-91677636491905808812011-04-11T08:10:00.039-04:002011-04-11T09:08:07.698-04:00Gemmageddon and the 4.1 Horsemen of the Jewel-pocalypse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqud-bQ0KXEmU7NePyg5ZItKpZCvcNKrvqWwXSWAgptZr0AqaEdYuZZvwli9z10Gt7Kl-rBvNcYvxYoC8dOF8rPuEgLtH06yP3Ssvuxn-Mn98PgdiIYyjw256E0iBjOx4r7rGD1HN5qU/s1600/FOURHORSEMEN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqud-bQ0KXEmU7NePyg5ZItKpZCvcNKrvqWwXSWAgptZr0AqaEdYuZZvwli9z10Gt7Kl-rBvNcYvxYoC8dOF8rPuEgLtH06yP3Ssvuxn-Mn98PgdiIYyjw256E0iBjOx4r7rGD1HN5qU/s320/FOURHORSEMEN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Warning! This post contains imagery that may offend some people. If your religious views are so strong that you may become upset at a humorous view of God, WoW and Blizzard please do not read any further.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________________________________</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Blizzard looked down on Azeroth from on high, He said unto Himself, “This is good”. In Azeroth, his chosen--the Player--found plants and animals, elements in abundance, scores of sentient races and a vast world full of wonder. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, Blizzard was concerned. He watched with a furrowed brow as the evil Bots continually plundered the raw elements and prevented His Chosen from achieving greatness. Often, the Chosen complained in the Prayer Forums. They pleaded with Blizzard to make the Bots go away.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet despite Blizzard’s new Natural Laws the Bots continued to thrive. The Ban Hand of Blizzard, usually very effective, was rendered impotent by the pervasive Bots and their masters, the Gold Farmers. The Bots threatened the Player race by attacking the cherished elements of Ore. Without free access to its Ore the Players found their enjoyment and livelihood to be in jeopardy.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus Blizzard felt compelled to bestow a gift upon the Realm of Players.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike any other book, this tome was sealed with 4.1 locks. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXgTrVa9IDR2ptHT9Sv7ngI3L8K6Sdu9ZpBN9md1up-JM4ouXJuTFzg6Ltjnfryl9oQPcT0IVKjmjbdg86uxv_zov0DuLBsuqLAXTvslaUIULCtcDVsLBx4Zip66tD-z0oRDSAHSiXhg/s1600/FirstHorseman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXgTrVa9IDR2ptHT9Sv7ngI3L8K6Sdu9ZpBN9md1up-JM4ouXJuTFzg6Ltjnfryl9oQPcT0IVKjmjbdg86uxv_zov0DuLBsuqLAXTvslaUIULCtcDVsLBx4Zip66tD-z0oRDSAHSiXhg/s320/FirstHorseman.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I watched as the Hand of Blizzard opened the first of the seals.... I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.</i></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By releasing the White Horse Blizzard sent forth unto the Internet Realm the rumor of a dramatic devaluation of the Ores’ value. Blizzard knew that the Gold Farmers imposed firm daily quotas upon the Bots. Blizzard realized that when the value of the Ore is reduced the Bots will have to look elsewhere for their gold. According to the Rumor, this Plan is intended to preserve the elements of Ore so that only the Players will profit.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The power of the Internet Realm is truly awesome. Blizzard watched as the Rumor took form in the PTR, grew flesh as it was Datamined, crawled forward from the ooze onto MMO Champion, and then ran rampant throughout the Blogosphere.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players began to panic.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Blizzard smiled.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b3YAGayLyQ6ideSVZ9g7X6a8D9HxTOdZ7f4EoUy16uy2pdZoTEvyN4OeJlt2uJbF2wPuH3SOSqrdVGQCy-Z8Wh4D-b9FvyivyDIwAs-ibhDjtcpQ-ZN6ryqtkCHKmcdvWh6r7B9eV9w/s1600/1191150-redrider_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b3YAGayLyQ6ideSVZ9g7X6a8D9HxTOdZ7f4EoUy16uy2pdZoTEvyN4OeJlt2uJbF2wPuH3SOSqrdVGQCy-Z8Wh4D-b9FvyivyDIwAs-ibhDjtcpQ-ZN6ryqtkCHKmcdvWh6r7B9eV9w/s1600/1191150-redrider_thumb.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>When the Hand of Blizzard opened the second seal...another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Red Horse caused additional panic among the Chosen. The War of Ore Undercutting erupted across all the Server Lands of Players as the Chosen sought to dump their stockpiles of Ore lest they soon become worthless rocks.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Players lamented the actions of Blizzard. They turned their attention to the Prayer Forums and beat their chests. “Why, oh why have you forsaken us, great Blizzard?” they cried. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why do you threaten our livelihood? Our income depends on stable Ore prices and the resultant profitability of selling cut gems for 9g each to a vendor”. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard looked down upon His Chosen, and said nothing. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard’s silence permeated the Blogosphere just as all sound is absent in a vacuum. Truly, nature abhors a vacuum. Into this void the voices of Players began to chant “The End is nigh” and “Sell your Ore now!”</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blind with rage and angered at their beloved Blizzard, Players fell deeper and deeper into AH PvP. The War of Ore Undercutting was bloody. It was intense. Players died thousands of times as their profits were cut to nothing. Selling at a loss is the AH equivalent of Hari Kari. Many were forced to take the sword upon themselves just to recoup something. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The streets of Stormwind and Orgrimmar ran red with the blood of the Goblins.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Blizzard smiled.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerdfrWkKjSoM6s-qpXnT8bnJBixglXv3A3GrrKyHB9P8IG-lrGK05dJ69qbIK_SNKcBzsWyqM6EQP2AMiQbXbLyuKU_YII1pMYzEAJiIV5sULWT-K4hYN_x90fSaXD73kCC2ipnDMq2A/s1600/third+horseman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerdfrWkKjSoM6s-qpXnT8bnJBixglXv3A3GrrKyHB9P8IG-lrGK05dJ69qbIK_SNKcBzsWyqM6EQP2AMiQbXbLyuKU_YII1pMYzEAJiIV5sULWT-K4hYN_x90fSaXD73kCC2ipnDMq2A/s320/third+horseman.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>When the Hand of Blizzard opened the third seal...I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shelves in the AH were barren in the aftermath of the War of Ore Undercutting. Once over brimming with the fruits of Prospecting, the Goblins were hard pressed to find a single raw gem. Scores of Hypnotic Dust that had been available for very little were now meted out using the Black Horseman’s scales. Any such small measure of materials came at a high price. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet still there was no Ore. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The War of Ore Undercutting had left the Goblin stockpiles depleted. Faced with diminished profits, the Bots found that continuing to mine Ore and list for radically reduced prices left them far short of their daily quotas. The Gold Farmers did not understand--or did not care. They simply told their Bot minions to find other ways to fill their quotas.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players soon ventured from the dimly lit AH into the light. The Players slowly rode, flew and ported to the shores of Twilight Highlands, the hills of Deepholm and the dunes of Uldum. Amazed at how bright was the sun, how grand was the landscape and how plentiful was the Ore that the Players began to mine Ore for themselves. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Blizzard was pleased.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The once barren shelves of the AH began to fill. Slowly at first, but soon at a steadier pace, the Players noticed that Enchanters, Tailors, Blacksmiths and Leatherworkers still required Dusts and Essences. They also found that as more players leveled up, they required cheap but powerful Rings and Necklaces. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players turned their faces towards the sky and cried "Blizzard, we are sorry to have doubted your wisdom. Thank you for this Great Gift." </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goblins took note as well. Buying the Ore for a higher price meant only that the resulting products could be sold at greater profit. What was once viewed as the Jewel-pocalypse was now seen as the beginning of a new era: the Time of True Supply and Demand.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Blizzard was worried. Something was still amiss in Azeroth.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTkPtCw8aPf4QEFhcVILW5LLqJm9tM8d13bgTczEUAC1ribBMlXrIN6p4LowKXbXTTz05l3sZj0xFM6o_rBvczFkpXI4NwqKc9YScKoMCjRDRjYWyk9dv1Y_yh_I_QqhYmIcno9PEwWw/s1600/fourth+horseman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTkPtCw8aPf4QEFhcVILW5LLqJm9tM8d13bgTczEUAC1ribBMlXrIN6p4LowKXbXTTz05l3sZj0xFM6o_rBvczFkpXI4NwqKc9YScKoMCjRDRjYWyk9dv1Y_yh_I_QqhYmIcno9PEwWw/s1600/fourth+horseman.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>When the Hand of Blizzard opened the fourth seal…I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hell was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what of the Bots and their masters, the Gold Farmers? Had Blizzard found a more effective Ban Hand to send them scurrying back to the depths of their origin?</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, the Bots had simply moved on. Now Players found Herbs and Skins abundantly available in the AH. Yet there were none to be found in the wild. The Hand of Blizzard had effectively removed the incentive for Bots to steal the Ore of Azeroth but had not removed their desire to farm. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By using the Ban Hand, Blizzard had only made the Bots more resilient, able to withstand firmer action against them. By manipulating the economy to eliminate the benefit of Bot farming, Blizzard had only made the Gold Farmers create more Bots and send them to new areas for other income producing activities.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gold Farmers knew that which Blizzard did not: if their income is cut in half due to the War of Ore Undercutting, then they will create double the Bots to maintain equilibrium. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once again the Players turned to the Prayer Forums. "Oh Blizzard," they cried, "Why have you misled us yet again? We want you to provide stability in all markets! Please give us a sign!" </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard believed that in all things Balance is important. He hoped that Players now understood there is no One Single Way to produce gold in His Realm. The true victims of the War of Ore Undercutting were not the Bots. True Goblins were not left as carrion on the battlefield.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The true victims were the Players who sought only One True Way to earn gold. Those Players who were not diversified among many markets soon found their skeletons baking in the Sun.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortune most certainly favors the bold. The agile Goblin is better able to remain bold.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Blizzard frowned.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxtjWmFaELIpopg6WS6G6YoVKmoQwVu6eQpD7gw6upemIw9XXPKUaa34QDkfoeBeGrJwBnSxrON9MsS5GgzlZPthEA_HpbfzlRO4PeSg6E8DL4pzOLAzAuWDUEi7cyRwy5QfHQZuE9X0/s1600/sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxtjWmFaELIpopg6WS6G6YoVKmoQwVu6eQpD7gw6upemIw9XXPKUaa34QDkfoeBeGrJwBnSxrON9MsS5GgzlZPthEA_HpbfzlRO4PeSg6E8DL4pzOLAzAuWDUEi7cyRwy5QfHQZuE9X0/s1600/sky.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the Bank. Outside the Auction House are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard looked down again upon His Realm. He saw that Bots were part of His design, intended or not. They exist anywhere a profit can be made and where the Chosen can perform simple tasks. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard always knew that Bots were a necessary evil in His Realm. He hoped that the Chosen now knew this as well. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alas, the Players once again clamored to the Prayer Forum. They cried “Oh Blizzard, what have you done? My income is down, my materials cost more, and my guild cannot attain certain achievements. There are more Bots than ever! Bots have moved from Ore to Herbs and Skins. Now they are returning to Ore”.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blizzard spoke not unto the Players; instead, Blizzard smiled. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Epilogue</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>I have obviously taken a great deal of license in this post. I know I have misquoted the Bible, and that the image of Blizzard as God may be offensive to some people. </b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>If you find this post offensive, please accept my apologies. It is just a post. It is not intended to make light of religion.</b></i> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully by now we have seen the last “The Sky is Falling” post about anticipated changes to the vendored gem prices that may or may not come when 4.1 arrives.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at it this way:</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stable ore prices give bots a predictable return on their farming time. The oversupply of ore kept many players from being able to get their own supply of ore. They had to buy the bot ore. This made the bots more pervasive as they could depend on demand for their supply. In fact, the more they farmed the less was available for players to farm, and thus they sold more ore since it had to come from somewhere.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What drives demand of ore is not that ore is inherently valuable.<i> <u>What drives demand of ore is that it is used to create Enchanting materials and jewelry.</u></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the safety net associated with the “cut and vendor gems” strategy is removed some of the buyers of ore will not buy it. Specifically, the players who depend on the 9g/gem rate to make the effort profitable will now have to find other ways to make gold. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ore prices will fall initially because the aforementioned buyers will no longer buy. The only buyers will be those who cut and craft/disenchant or craft/sell rings and necklaces. During this time farmers will find ore less profitable than other tactics. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The overall reduction in ore supply will soon result in a shortage as the “oh crap I better sell my stockpile” shock passes and that oversupply is depleted; it will quickly be purchased by Goblins who know the value of Dusts, Essences and jewelry will be going up. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why?</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because lower supplies of ore do not affect demand for enchanting materials and jewelry. This demand will drive up prices of (the now more limited supply) of materials and jewelry. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players who farm for income will now find better return on their time. They will find less competition for ore nodes and better AH prices. They will profit. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goblins who have Enchanting as well as Jewelcrafting will be able to capitalize on material prices going up. They will prosper. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you doubt that the Dusts, Essences and jewelry drives the price of ore, and not the other way around, then ask yourself this: if Dust, Essences and jewelry were all suddenly only worth ½ what they are selling for today would you still pay today’s rate for the ore?</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the answer is yes then it is because of the 9g/gem rate for vendored gems. Remove the net. Now would you pay today’s ore rate for ½ value byproducts? </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually the bots will come back, which will start the cycle all over again. However, the lower cut gem prices will still prohibit some players from using the “cut and sell” strategy. This will help manage demand to some degree. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At that point Blizzard will probably have to implement other strategies. Panic will ensue again.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hakuna Matata. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason we are Goblins is not because we are able to accurately predict changes in the economy. If that were true then a wrong decision would cripple us. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>No, we are Goblins because we can profit even when we cannot accurately predict the variations in the economy. We are nimble. We adapt to changing conditions and survive while others become extinct.</i></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vendored gem prices will either stay the same, go down to 75s or go to some other price. We should be able to profit in any of these scenarios. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-49203514238363289822011-04-04T08:25:00.002-04:002011-04-04T08:25:00.433-04:00April 15 Gold Blogger Challenge: Server Success Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VaTJrGXzaoGNmcdxjk-m92Aoc6IG959AeSo3Xhk0WAol3oGxsETopftPz_baRyOOJQJONwpj_T8PA0wikFuHSxysR8aalCqLDeK-VLiam6MEJGRCWdvO0W-8eTRHxVtECvTam7QbYiE/s1600/Duel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VaTJrGXzaoGNmcdxjk-m92Aoc6IG959AeSo3Xhk0WAol3oGxsETopftPz_baRyOOJQJONwpj_T8PA0wikFuHSxysR8aalCqLDeK-VLiam6MEJGRCWdvO0W-8eTRHxVtECvTam7QbYiE/s1600/Duel.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First things first: this is not a Carnival. <a href="http://www.justmytwocopper.org/">JMTC</a> and <a href="http://coldsgoldfactory.blogspot.com/">Cold's Gold Factory</a> both do a super job with monthly theme-related posts. Instead, this challenge is designed to illustrate via real in-game examples how our gold tips can help a total stranger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Interested? Read on......</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Background</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Recently I have had several in-game conversations with players of all levels and experience who share the same frustration: not knowing how to effectively earn gold has made the game less enjoyable. A couple of these conversations have led to posts. Both <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/03/phugglys-phinancial-dilemma-gold-making.html">Phuggly</a> and <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/04/leatherworking-can-be-profitable.html">Garahadar</a> had specific issues that were conducive to creating a post. Other conversations have been much less specific and may not make good reading for the general public.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Or so I thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I read gold blogs I consider the tips and whether they would work on my server; I generally find that the tips that are being circulated are not relevant for me at my level of Goblin-ness. That's not always the case, but I find fewer solid tips now than I did a couple months ago. Part of this has to do with the game changing, like nerfing the Savage Leather skinning spots or Whiptail nodes. But part of it also has to do with experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By the time a Goblin has accumulated a significant amount of gold the odds are he has exploited most of the useful tips; he has most likely tried many more and discarded them for any variety of reasons--not relevant on that server, not as lucrative as other methods, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">During a conversation today with a brand new WoW player I had an epiphany. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The Lightbulb Explained</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8LrRD9-hWJ7aYCmJaX-JudgE58rzA2d3UA-QiI-d_TzLTP-7w4I5A_zNS6H1-kH361VtAt5-o_5mTwRGxGkR0V9zsVg6H11M5-N-1_yIIN09lmuwLrBP3h9y1M4a0Yz2L-1uH-TpCUw/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8LrRD9-hWJ7aYCmJaX-JudgE58rzA2d3UA-QiI-d_TzLTP-7w4I5A_zNS6H1-kH361VtAt5-o_5mTwRGxGkR0V9zsVg6H11M5-N-1_yIIN09lmuwLrBP3h9y1M4a0Yz2L-1uH-TpCUw/s1600/untitled.bmp" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This new player (whose name I am not using b/c I didn't ask permission) had a long conversation with me about a variety of game topics. She didn't know, for example, how to use a talent tree when she hit L10. She didn't know what greens are or what stats were best for her hunter. She also hadn't trained any new skills since L4 b/c she didn't have the gold (actually, silver) to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We discussed several topics for about half an hour. I answered a bunch of questions and hopefully gave her enough useful information to make her gaming experience more enjoyable. One tip I gave her was an endorsement of a few gold blogs. I encouraged her to read up and learn more about the gold situation within the game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And that is when it hit me: so many of the blog topics we construct are very specific. Many are not very helpful to the newbie player, though some are useful for mid level players. Sometimes I read the comments on a blog and find 7-10 posts from other bloggers--and very few from general readers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We sometimes write about topics that seem more designed to help each other, the advanced player, rather than the casual or new player. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The Challenge</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On April 15, any blogger who chooses to accept the challenge should publish a <u>brand new post</u> in the following format:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial;">Title: Success Story: (Server) (Faction)--(Tip Name); </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">The post should only go up on April 15, not before; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">The post should be about a real in-game situation, personally addressed by the author;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">The post can be of any length but should adequately describe the circumstances, the problem being addressed and the solution;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your tip can be recycled--but should be specific to a given player's situation in-game;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bonus points: the player who inspired the post gives permission to be named in the post.</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial;">For example, a post I would write might be called <em>Success Story: Nesingwary US Alliance Low Level Skinning for Profit.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This post would then describe my interaction with a L20-ish player who faced some gold challenges and had Skinning as a profession. I would give some background on the player and describe the areas I pointed out to him as ripe for leather farming. Perhaps I would also explain to him how to make sure the Scraps were not sold for too low a price, how to combine to make Light Leather, how to farm the AH for additional scraps, how to post different stack sizes, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the bonus, hopefully the player will have agreed to be named, and I would encourage him to include a quote or a comment explaining his experience with the tip. Best case scenario would be the player posting real results--ekg, "I tried this tip and earned 18g in one day! I had never owned more than 1 gold at any time before so this is huge for me!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Yeah, But What's In It For Me (asks the blogger)?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The ultimate goal of this challenge is to ask bloggers to become more involved with newer players in game, to give useful tips that address specific situations, and to drive blog readership. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I realize you will have to find a player to use as your subject. Trade chat is full of opportunities. Players asking very basic questions may be trolls--or they may just be new. You may have to look around to find someone but I am certain they are out there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ask the player about whom you are posting to read gold blogs. Endorse the ones you think are worth his time, and tell him to check your site on April 15. Ask him to tell his friends to do the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We all have blog rolls posted on our sites--on April 15, ideally they will be full of posts entitled "Success Story: XXXX". What better way to get new readers than to provide a surge of tips that they can read right away? What better way to get server specific readers than to have a super tip about a player who has his name published? Think he will tell his friends to 'read about my gold story on this great blog'?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Will You Accept The April 15 Challenge?</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHapWUj2eFjWPedY-FunbzQTGaLqEbOzmFRv5L3Z0qSoKXklQsAgLpX1BZ7NKSGzIGnSLWsQlxJJixUe_t-VmHgzLAVYnpR6kXNeWbSAB_Ukc9hB_XNtIPtwh5Mq3IMrqlbyGlmtoR4Q/s1600/slap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHapWUj2eFjWPedY-FunbzQTGaLqEbOzmFRv5L3Z0qSoKXklQsAgLpX1BZ7NKSGzIGnSLWsQlxJJixUe_t-VmHgzLAVYnpR6kXNeWbSAB_Ukc9hB_XNtIPtwh5Mq3IMrqlbyGlmtoR4Q/s1600/slap.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This may be a great idea, or it could really suck. Fellow bloggers, you hold the key--if you think this is worth a shot then talk this up and embrace the April 15 Challenge. If not, no harm done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am hopeful that the Community will engage this topic and create some really awesome, new tips that will generate some excitement and new readers. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-23310990901944105512011-04-01T12:09:00.001-04:002011-04-01T12:13:32.214-04:00Leatherworking Can Be Profitable<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I met a guy in trade chat the other day, Garahadar, who was looking for someone to Enchant a weapon. His materials, small tip. I think it was <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52747">Mending</a> but I don't remember now. We struck up a conversation. Seems his situation is very similar to <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/03/phugglys-phinancial-dilemma-gold-making.html">Phuggly's</a>: needs to earn gold and has little working capital now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I gave Garahadar some basic tips--quick hits, if you will. Then I offered to construct this post to help him with ideas about how Leatherworking might be an income generator. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The more I worked on this last night, the more I began to question whether this profession has any serious gold making potential. I decided that Leatherworking can be profitale but the old strategies may not work today.Moreover, the application might be more appropriate for non-Goblins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a><b>Background</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Garahadar is actually the alt but his main's name escapes me. I didn't write it down. (Sorry!) He is a two night a week Rogue raider with max Leatherworking and max Skinning as his profs. Total liquid capital right now is under 200g for all toons. Earning gold has become a distraction--he wants to raid (and quest) but finds it expensive for repairs and consumables, let alone Enchants and gear upgrades. He has limited access to other profs--his highest alt is Alchemy at about 210.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Step One: Basics--Building the Foundation</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I mentioned previously (as well as in the <a href="http://kammlerskorner.blogspot.com/2011/03/phugglys-phinancial-dilemma-gold-making.html">Phuggly</a> post), there are some very basic principles that any aspiring goblin should understand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Goal</u>--Gara has a goal but it wasn't disclosed to me. He said he needs enough to support his weekly raiding habit. I'm guessing two nights per week for consumables and repairs he is looking at 500-650g per week. Raiders out there may be able to fill in the blanks here with a better number.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Gold Earning Mindset</u>--He is on the way here, almost able to check this off the list. One of the things I told him in our brief discussion was to roll an AH toon and plant it in SW. We talked about how to use the mule to make travel more efficient and AH posting faster. Gara actually logged off, rolled his AH toon, put it in SW, and logged back on to say "done--that was easy". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Otherwise, I would advise him to turn on autoloot and make sure to DE surplus greens and sell other 'vendor fodder' from his dungeon or raid runs. ((more on this later))</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Bags</u>--Shouldn't be an issue here. As a raider, I'm sure Gara has sufficient bag space on his main. My suggestion would be to make sure to have at least 16 slot bags on all alts, including his AH mule. Bag space = money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Skill Assessment</u>--We know he has max LW and Skinning, and that's about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Access to other Profs</u>--Within his guild, Gara needs to identify whether he has access to max Enchanting, Jewelcrafting and Alchemy. If so, and if his guild requires or suggests that guildies help other guildies at no cost, then he is a step ahead. Just set up a protocol for that player helping out--can be as simple as <i>'I'll mail you stuff once a week (or after each raid, whatever) and if you could DE/Prospect/Mill it and return that would be great'</i>. The goal is to ask for and get help and not become a burden to the other player. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If he doesn't have access to one or more of these via guild then it gets a bit more complicated. Gara will need to find someone in the general population who will perform these functions for him at a reasonable cost. Using strangers for this can be tricky--mail and return usually doesn't work so he will have to be on at the same time as the service provider. Fees can be expensive so work that out before opening the trade window.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Access to these profs are very important for a couple of reasons. Being able to DE the surplus BoE greens and blues from dungeon runs and raids will give him access to raw materials for enchants or for resale. By and large the raw mats will sell more often and at a better return than the item itself. Also, the listing fees for the armor or weapon is usually high--but for enchanting mats it is virtually non-existent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Access to JC and Alchemy helps provide mats for gemming gear and making consumables. This cost containment measure will help minimize expenses. He can also use these relationships to help earn gold. If he buys raw materials and has an Alchemist make 10 potions but only uses 4, the other 6 can be re-sold in the AH to help cover his expenses. Or a JC can Prospect ore he purchases in the AH, keeping for personal use the gems he needs and re-selling the surplus raw gems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Install and Use Addons</u>--This isn't going to be an issue for Gara. He uses Auctioneer already and has Postal and others installed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Step Two: Business Planning--Building the Framework</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When starting out with very limited capital (in this case, around 200g) a player must make sure he minimizes risk. For example, buying 4 stacks of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52185/elementium-ore">Elementium Ore</a> for 45g each might be a great deal if you can prospect, craft & DE it yourself--and if you have time to let your investment pay off. In general, the burn rate on this ore is 54g per stack--so worst case, you can Prospect it and make gems that vendor for 9g each. At an average of 6 gems per stack, you are guaranteed to earn a small profit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Gara's case I think such a purchase would be too risky. Why? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not being sure about the JC access and having 90% of his liquid capital tied up in one transaction could make it impossible for repairs or other necessary purchases. Also, this type of shuffle really scales to the large investor. Buying 100 stacks at 45g each will average out to 6 gems per stack. For 4 stacks it might only be 4.5 or 5 gems per stack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The large volume player in this market can wait a week for his DE and gems to sell--earning maybe 6,000g on a 4,500g investment. The smaller investor has little room for long term planning like this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Don't Make Silly Mistakes</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gara mentioned that he had recently sold an <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=56562">Assassin's Chestplate</a>. With access to some <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52078">Chaos Orb</a> and high level patterns there is a temptation to earn money in trade by selling Orbs. Those ads "400g per Orb, LW LFW" may sound like the best way to quickly infuse gold into your purse, but I say resist the temptation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, avoid buying consumables if the materials cost is below the finished product cost. More on that below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Skinning was recently one of the top gathering professions. Now? The <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=52976">Savage Leather</a> market has just about tanked. This is also a good time to introduce <a href="http://theunderminejournal.com/">The Undermine Journal</a></span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Research the Marketplace</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Selling blindly is sort of like driving blindly. You don't know where you are, can't tell where you are going, and it is only a matter of time until you crash. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Using Auctioneer and its scan feature is very helpful in knowing what is available right now, and how much those items are relative to their value over time. However, there is no intuitive feature for trending--anticipating where the fluctuations in the marketplace occur. This is helpful in predicting what to sell (or buy) next. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's where TUJ comes in. By warehousing the data for all the transactions on the server over time, one can determine what has been selling--and when. The latter is very important in some markets, including Leather. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><i>Skinning</i></u> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">TUJ shows that Savage Leather Scraps are going for 20g per stack, Savage Leather is around 42g per stack and Heavy Savage is around 18g each. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is what I call <i>"market equilibrium"</i>. The cost of each of the components is roughly valued at the expected sale price if combined into the next product up the chain. There is not a distinct income advantage to combining Scraps and selling Leather, or combining Leather and selling Heavy. This condition has resulted from over supply--there are 1,000s of each item listed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Using TUJ's market overview feature (the black bar under the date and title, select "consumables" and then "skinning") we see that Arctic Fur and Icy Dragonscale are both selling profitably right now. Unfortunately the Arctic Fur price is below the value of 60 Borean Leather--so flipping Borean for Arctic Fur for resale isn't an option. But farming Borean and trading for Arctic could work, or just selling the Borean itself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If farming Borean Leather in NR, might as well farm some Frostweave Cloth too. The humanoid mobs are usually close to the skinnable ones. TUJ market overview (black bar, "enhancements", "tailoring") shows Frostweave selling for 55g/stack and 0 units listed currently. Embersilk on the other hand? 41g/stack and 1,585 units (about 80 stacks) listed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Leatherworking</u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u> </u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u> </u></i>There are actually several options for profitable higher end gear, especially PvP gear. TUJ shows decent profits in just about all areas: Armor (Twilight Leg Armor, Scorched Leg Armor); Bags (Mammoth Mining Bag, Pack of Endless Pockets); as well as various Epic Armor, Rare Cloaks and both Leather and Mail PvP items. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Step Three: Executing the Plan</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There seem to be three immediate challenges facing Gara: low working capital, access to other professions and long term vs short term gain. With only a couple hundred gold to work with and guaranteed expenses every week for raids there isn't any surplus left over for "investing". <b> </b>Sounds a lot like my household, btw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Based on what I know and making very few assumptions, I would suggest the following for Gara:</span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Auction House mule</u>--helps reduce travel time and maximize selling opportunities <b>(done)</b>;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Set a Gold Goal</u>--personally, I would set 5,000g in my bank as the first threshold; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Find an Enchanter</u>--probably in his guild, but if not, then look in /trade when needed;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Farm Borean Leather and Frostweave in NR</u>--maybe only an hour, maybe two or three, but the yield of Borean and Frostweave should be listed in the AH for some immediate income;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Turn on Autoloot</u>--those vendor-able items add up;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Run (insert your favorite) Dailies</u>--easy income, building rep, must do;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Farm Components for & Craft Twilight Leg Armor and Scorched Leg Armor</u>--since I don't know if his Fishing skill is sufficient, this might entail an investment for Volatile Water and Volatile Fire. The goal should be to craft 3 or 4 of each. Mail to the AH mule and list one or two at a time. This first little inventory will begin to generate some income flow;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Craft Mammoth Mining Bag (if Hodir rep is sufficient)</u>--this bag is the best mining bag in the game right now, maybe only a short term niche as rumors are by 4.1 there may be a new bag. If Hodir rep isn't where it needs to be for this pattern then running the quests necessary will help with the above goal of farming Borean and Frostweave. Again, I would make 3-4 and send to my mule--same strategy as above;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Epic Armor</u>--this one is tricky. Since I'm not sure what Epic patterns he has access to, I would set as a goal getting enough materials to craft another Assassin's Chestplate and listing it in the AH. Sales activity is slow, but at 13k to 15k each when the sale does happen Gara will have a nice bump in income. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Make an Alchemist Friend</u>--similar to the Enchanting friend above, see if the guild has one you can use. If not, find one via trade. The herb prices have really come down recently--buying the materials and asking an Alchemist to make you a few potions is probably more cost effective than buying them. Of course, if your guild is at the level where it is making raid potions for its members then this becomes a moot issue. An Alchemist would be handy in either case to help with Milling and making inks, or even selling the pigments. TBC and NR inks are selling well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Develop New Professions</u>--as a longer term goal Gara should develop Mining and Herbalism professions. The easiest way to do this is to roll a DK with those two professions. If he already has a DK then I would drop whatever profs his next highest alt has and take Mining and Herbalism. Getting these up to at least 450 as soon as possible should be a priority;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Reinvest and Set New Goals</u>--as income is realized and the first goal is reached it is important to reinvest in the business and set a new goal. Otherwise, the long term planning aspect becomes suspect; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Become a Goblin</u>--with all the above under his belt Gara will be on the way to becoming an AH master already. However, devoting time to this pursuit has to be a long term venture if he wants to elicit behavior change that will produce income over time. My suggestion is to utilize the blogging community sites to develop the skills he needs to produce good income for the long haul.</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When dealing with cash flow issues there are two primary concerns: income in and expenses out. The strategy I have outlined should help Gara with both sides of this equation. By using an AH toon we make time investment more efficient. We have generated some income via smart farming. We also control expenses by making sure we are getting our required consumables, enchants and gems at the best possible price. This should provide immediate returns for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Conclusions: Hope Gara is Happy With The Results</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My goal was to provide Gara with some usable tips to enhance his gold earning opportunities today, not tomorrow. Accomplishing his goals with minimal risk is a critical. I also did not want to simply say <i>"Drop LW and pick up another gathering profession"</i>. That is too easy to say and too hard to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In my opinion, Gara's situation is very similar to that of most players. With only one or two raid toons many players are realizing that the planning they did at the end of WoLK either wasn't sufficient or they have run through the gold stores they had at the time. The repair costs are higher now, dailies don't pay as well and gear & consumables have become even more expensive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recent <a href="http://theahpile.blogspot.com/2011/03/low-profit-professions-part-2.html">posts on other sites</a> have lamented that Leatherworking isn't viable for gold earning. This may be true for Goblins who have hit the gold cap or are otherwise serious AH players. For me, I don't spend much time on my LW since I have all the other profs, most of which earn me a much higher return. However, for the average player I just can't subscribe to the belief that LW is worthless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If someone has a L85 with maxed skills and is having gold issues, I think it is up to us in the blogging community to help them along rather than telling them to scrap their profs and start over with others we consider more profitable. Sometimes I think we may lose sight of our audience--the more casual player--and instead end up posting for the other gold bloggers.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, a hearty "Thank You" to Garahadar for the inspiration to create this post. I welcome comments from Gara or anyone else, supportive or not. If I missed something please fill in the blanks.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-74110325362329128732011-03-31T10:27:00.000-04:002011-03-31T10:27:23.257-04:00Auctioneer Help Anyone?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <em>/auc clearscan all .</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm looking for some answers which I can't seem to locate anywhere, including the Auctioneer site. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-21348072178090821792011-03-29T08:22:00.026-04:002011-03-29T10:14:01.120-04:00Keystone Enchanting Materials<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was in high school when I first read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Extiction-Causes-Consequenses-Disappearance-Species/dp/B003CVQRF6/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301366267&sr=1-11">Extinction: The Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species</a> 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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Large Brilliant Shard</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_I8pjUD4u4guN_AL1AtLdi_qtnIszKl6fAUTUR0lIbad2AXUjDfZL7g8ndCBLcUqXtOSlfIG5pdnBMQmz63Ale_bPgn-D9UI779OOVmZ4hx222YT7x2Fh8UAX59_1GHczAtK4QwvnBk/s1600/Large+Brilliant+Shard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_I8pjUD4u4guN_AL1AtLdi_qtnIszKl6fAUTUR0lIbad2AXUjDfZL7g8ndCBLcUqXtOSlfIG5pdnBMQmz63Ale_bPgn-D9UI779OOVmZ4hx222YT7x2Fh8UAX59_1GHczAtK4QwvnBk/s1600/Large+Brilliant+Shard.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Large Brilliant Shards are a 100% drop from certain blue items, level 56 to 65. Some blues below that level will give Small Brilliant Shard but unlike other Shards and Essences you cannot combine 3 Small to get one Large. Further increasing the rarity of the Large Brilliant Shard is the very small farming area: Blackrock Spire (Upper City). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b>Back in the day (it was a Wednesday) you could farm these from Dire Maul and Strat. Not any more. Post-Shattering the only place to farm them is UBS. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can craft certain greens that will give a 5% chance of dropping a Large Brilliant Shard but this is a roll of the dice. It also may not be cost effective. Look at Tailoring, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing patterns in the 52-59 range. You will find things like <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=12414#created-by">Thorium Leggings</a> (BS), <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=15086">Wicked Leather Headband</a> (LW), and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=13864#created-by">Runecloth Boots</a> (Tailor). As far as I could tell these three items have the lowest material requirements of any green items including the JC rings and necklaces. On other servers prices might make other greens more cost effective. Research yours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thorium Leggings (17g), Wicked Leather Headband (28g) and Runecloth Boots (11g) all have the same 5% chance to drop a shard when DE'd. The other materials that are more likely to drop are <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=16203">Greater Eternal Essence</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=16204">Illusion Dust</a>. Depending on your server, these may be profitable enough to consider mass-crafting and DE for the chance of grabbing a Large Brilliant Shard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To test this, I crafted 96 Runecloth Boots today and DE'd them all. I selected the Boots because I had hundreds of Runecloth Bolts and a ton of Rugged Leather stacks on hand. I got back 29 Greater Eternal Essence, 61 Illusion Dust and 4 Large Brilliant Shard. The Greater Eternals trade for 20g each (580g) and Illusion Dust go for 5g each (305g). If I had bought the mats I would have spent roughly 1,050g so this would have been break even at best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Large Brilliant Shards are used in some of the highest retail price Enchants being sold now. It takes 8 of them for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=27837">Enchant 2H Weapon - Agility</a> which sells for 750g. It takes 6 of them for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=23804">Enchant Weapon - Mighty Intellect</a> which is going for about 450g. It takes 4 to make <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=25079">Enchant Weapon - Healing Power</a> which is selling for 350g.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Undermine Journal lists selling price for Large Brilliant Shards at 39g each. I have seen them sell for upwards of 50g. They never last more than a few minutes when they are listed because the few Enchanters who are active in these key scrolls have alerts set up. Whoever gets there first usually buys them all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I usually don't endorse farming, but a run of UBS takes my Pally about 45 minutes and yields 10-12 shards. Add to that all the greens and cloth that drops and this run is easily worth the time. Remember, I never re-sell them and use them instead to craft scrolls. Farming UBS for an hour gives me an estimated 1,500gph, which is worth my time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you plan to become active in this market, set your alerts in TUJ and buy any that appear below your threshold. As a re-seller leak them out as singles for 125% to 150% of market value only listing 3-4 at a time. Don't worry about undercutters. These will sell as long as the buy price makes it only marginally more attractive to pay you than to go farm UBS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a crafter, you need to see which scrolls are selling best and only use your supply to craft for the best return. This may not be the highest list price. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Abyss Crystals</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pre-Shattering, Abyss Crystals were selling for 4g to 8g each. I missed the mark on Glyphmas. I didn't buy a lot of the predicted "sure things" as WoLK ran down. But I did stockpile as many Abyss Crystals as I could buy when folks emptied their banks. I had at one time a full bank tab and about half of another one just of Abyss Crystals, around 2,500 or so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">They were gone by the end of January. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I sold some, Shattered others for the Infinite Dust and Greater Cosmic Essences and used the majority on the scrolls that have sold so well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=59621">Berserking</a>, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=59619">Accuracy</a>, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=64441">Blade Ward</a>, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=62948">Greater Spellpower</a>, and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=60692">Powerful Stats</a> have all been very good sellers post-Shattering. Although these do not sell every day and the market is fairly unstable in terms of price consistency, I can count on selling 3-4 of each of these every week. For example, I have sold Berserking for as low as 450g a few days ago to 735g yesterday. Greater Spellpower went for 399g today and for 575g last week. Powerful Stats sold Saturday for 143g but sold for 105g a few days before that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I attribute some of the popularity of these Enchantments to the wildly overpriced Maelstrom Crystals. For the best Enchants in Cataclysm it takes 3-5 Maelstroms. At 1,800g each it is just not cost effective to pay 10k gold or more for an enchantment that will become obsolete in a few more dungeon runs. Thus, many players are using the WoLK chants--less flashy, but still better than nothing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Abyss Crystals are farmable in WoLK dungeons. They DE 100% from Epics and now from PvP gear as well. Abyss Crystals are not cost effective to "craft farm" by crafting an Epic just to DE it. However, as guilds are running more and more WoLK instances to earn achievements and even for nostalgia there has been a fairly stable supply in the AH.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The cycle I'm seeing is better availability Thursday/Friday with prices running about 15g each and then very low, spotty supply on the weekends and into Monday with prices running 25g to 30g each. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You may not be able to control this market due to the sheer volume of Crystals that come into play. Unless you are willing to spend 25k to 40k gold to buy up all the supply for a week or more and then slowly leak back the inventory my suggestion is to ride the waves. Go on a shopping spree late week and buy all you can for 15g-20g. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Use your TUJ alerts for your buying and selling indicators. Set all your auctions at 12 hours and don't worry about undercutters. For best sales results, list 75% of your auctions in stacks of 4 and 25% in stacks of 2. Almost all the recipes call for even numbers of Crystals--buyers will buy a 4 stack and a 2 stack or two 4 stacks at higher prices than they will buy 8 units at lower prices. I don't fully know why, but that has been my experience. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As a crafter, the lower your acquisition price the more flexibility you have for setting your retail price. There are lots of different philosophies on whether deep undercutting or setting a ceiling is the best way to go--and I'm not going to worry about that here. If you buy low you can craft and either sell low for quick gold or sell high and have more profit.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you are a re-seller instead of a crafter be on the lookout for fluctuations in the sister markets of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=34054">Infinite Dust</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=34055">Greater Cosmic Essence</a>. An Enchanter who uses <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=69412">Abyssal Shatter</a> will 'break' an Abyss Crystal into either of these two sister materials. There is a ton of debate about how many of each result from the Abyssal Shatter. I have seen from 5-15 Infinite Dust or 3-7 GCEs. ((you get either material per Shatter, not some of each)). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As a re-seller, consider Shattering some and reselling the Dust and GCE. At 5g per Infinite Dust or 18g per GCE (average prices on my server) a 17g Abyss Crystal could yeild 50g worth of Infinite Dust or 70g worth of GCE. Experiment and see what your results are--but usually, if you are buying Abyss Crystals for less than 40g each you will see good profits from Shattering them. Sometimes these profits will eclipse your flipping profit.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Essence of Air</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpxWfMK9GxzAWYAjBpneh7q405-dttfgIQ3fjH_hwNlRJH2zkwB-OgJEwW84mxhSvWyBmmbmW52vPYzU7pGyHrLkKs67LzOF-7D_pN4uDucLpM6POg90ibif22VgKlzAcgalJGF9m5ZE/s1600/essence+of+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpxWfMK9GxzAWYAjBpneh7q405-dttfgIQ3fjH_hwNlRJH2zkwB-OgJEwW84mxhSvWyBmmbmW52vPYzU7pGyHrLkKs67LzOF-7D_pN4uDucLpM6POg90ibif22VgKlzAcgalJGF9m5ZE/s1600/essence+of+air.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ah, the bane of my existence. No other crafting material causes me more frustration than Essence of Air. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Much like Large Brilliant Shards this material is used in specific, rare Enchantments. Unlike the other materials we have discussed there is no way to get Essence of Air other than to farm it or buy it on the AH. There is nothing you can DE to get it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The recipes it is used for are fairly rare. In fact, there are only 12 patterns that call for Essence of Air. The <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/search?q=stormshroud">Stormshroud Armor</a> set uses from 2-4 Essences for each piece. As a high end L55-59 Leather set, this armor gives +Agi and +Crit for Rogues. Each piece in the set sells for 125g to 200g. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There are some other armor and a couple weapons that call for Essence of Air. However, the big ticket items are the +Agi Enchants. One of them we covered above, Enchant 2H Weapon - Agility (selling for about 750g). The one-handed version, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=23800">Enchant Weapon - Agility</a> is a +15 Agility chant that is also going for 750g or more. Each of these enchants takes 4 Essence of Air to craft. The final Enchant, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20029">Icy Chill</a>, only takes one Essence and sells for under 100g.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also note that the one hand Agility chant is usable on heirloom weapons.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The only place to farm these Essences is in Silithus, in the northwest section where you find the wind elementals. The drop rate used to be about 15% but post-Shattering the drop rate is much lower. My estimate is around 3%. You can do your own research about what the drop rate actually is. I have farmed here for over an hour and gotten 2 Essences for my time. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I seldom see these in the AH but when they are there most of the listings are 125g and up. That is each, I might add. Occasionally someone will list for way under value because they don't know any better and I grab as many as I can when that happens. I can buy them for 50g each and make money on my Agility scrolls. For 125g it isn't worth the effort. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once upon a time, you could learn the spell <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=13485#comments">Transmute Water to Air</a> from the ghost quest giver in Scholomance. That would let an Alchemist transmute the much more readily available Essence of Water into an Essence of Air. However, Blizz has removed that questline post-Shattering and has no interest in reviving it. Of course, I never got that transmute on my Alchemist--one of only two or three he doesn't have.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My advice on Essence of Air is to buy them when you can but unless you have nothing better to do or are just really, really bored do not bother farming them. If you do, list them for whatever you can get. The sky is the limit.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Keystone Materials Finale</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hope this helps you in some way. There are other choke points (or Keystone Mats) in other professions. In my opinion, there is none so dependent on very specific, hard to gather materials as Enchanting. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Good luck, and happy hunting!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-70794275100225054012011-03-21T08:20:00.005-04:002011-03-21T08:20:00.873-04:00Phuggly's Phinancial Dilemma: Quick Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y59QyvQIe4Z5K6ezKUJgnWaikzMvYHLDaNBkycnuYknRzAy2EPte2GPG_DalLjk65sJGT-R3Sh9giy7Os82Rym_Sa5xxoA-2llFKPTX4LWTXyA0ph2QBePdhb3rYzwFgrj6ZeOMgjVE/s1600/Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y59QyvQIe4Z5K6ezKUJgnWaikzMvYHLDaNBkycnuYknRzAy2EPte2GPG_DalLjk65sJGT-R3Sh9giy7Os82Rym_Sa5xxoA-2llFKPTX4LWTXyA0ph2QBePdhb3rYzwFgrj6ZeOMgjVE/s320/Update.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About the only thing I can tell you is that he definitely used SOME of the suggestions but not all of them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More on this topic as conditions warrant. At this pace, he may be flying around Northrend by the end of the week!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gratz Phug! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-4049103750994714892011-03-18T08:15:00.002-04:002011-03-18T08:15:00.210-04:00Leveling is Fun Again<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, I was motivated by a pm from The Gold Queen over at <a href="http://www.goldcastles.com/">Goldcastles</a>. She linked my site to her blogroll so I figured some new content should follow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">/cracks knuckles....So here goes.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a>I have been leveling my Shaman lately since I noticed a hole in my professions. This past Monday I realized I had:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Inscription, Jewelcrafting, Tailoring at 525</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Leatherworking at 515</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Herbalism, Mining, Skinning at 525</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engineering 0</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My other characters are all maxed out with unique profs. I have 3 85s (Alch, BS, Ench, JC, Mining, Herbalism) and two 82s (Inscript & Tailoring, LW and Skinning). My next highest toon at that point was either a Shaman or Mage, each at L41. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hmmm.....to get Engineering I need to drop something or level a toon. I chose to level a toon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>New Leveling Experiences</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quick show of hands: how many of you have done some of the new mid level content since Cataclysm came out? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had not. Frankly, I dreaded leveling my Mage and Shaman since I had done the quests in Redridge, Wetlands, STV, Searing Gorge, Burning Steps and Blasted Lands so much that they were just a complete drag. Since I didn't begin playing WoW until WoLK all my character experience is post TBC--so Outlands is still pretty unique to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had heard that the new Cataclysm content was good. I did play a Worgen through the starting zone, but deleted it in favor of a Goblin. I have played it through the starting zone but haven't done anything else with him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Badlands Now Has Good Quests</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The zones actually go very quickly. I have +10% experience heirloom chest and shoulders so coupled with the 100% rested buff L40-L49 just flew by.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A notable Quest series is <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=27713/the-day-that-deathwing-came">The Day That Deathwing Came</a>. Three different guys give renditions of how they beat up on Deathwing when he laid waste to Azeroth. There are different cut scenes, great storylines and just flat awesome imagery. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqkM8hM58ThSi_ApCF0s0BrormLqrBsgP6TcA8EVLr0juvjcwCTl2Ns_LsvIBRUAlfLaubrJUS1w4mqHyRfVFDRSEloulzzUNzXhS9EHESDxEF1T1hxD6aSFou6QJDRn9FUc0V6Yhy5c/s1600/Blood+Rained+from+the+Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqkM8hM58ThSi_ApCF0s0BrormLqrBsgP6TcA8EVLr0juvjcwCTl2Ns_LsvIBRUAlfLaubrJUS1w4mqHyRfVFDRSEloulzzUNzXhS9EHESDxEF1T1hxD6aSFou6QJDRn9FUc0V6Yhy5c/s320/Blood+Rained+from+the+Sky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood Rained from the Sky</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We get to see Deathwing in his human form.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtpITg3NnOaBIHEMcg28AhctIMIU_VvJOGzhrkCnz3OuKzTQ5l_HSrv51-N86LmGRXm_1YpmnkHYzFmuuOCBd6MHXO37GBhAOKwxS8zVw5D20pBd8mx8z7v7jhr30F_LjKIkKcCqMKU8/s1600/Deathwing+Human+Aspect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtpITg3NnOaBIHEMcg28AhctIMIU_VvJOGzhrkCnz3OuKzTQ5l_HSrv51-N86LmGRXm_1YpmnkHYzFmuuOCBd6MHXO37GBhAOKwxS8zVw5D20pBd8mx8z7v7jhr30F_LjKIkKcCqMKU8/s320/Deathwing+Human+Aspect.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Human Aspect</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Dwarf's story includes typical bravado.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IybVG79ZkWCcvQopxOmy_yuKxFcTRSZP2tOeAHhW67fQqjT_w709qLrLMn_kU8ZvWPgmvSF3DdiENqA7yIQlrkro8gLT0aV2D5uNi2FvBOygBv2HjhW50MG6nedXmDdbFKwvo_o0H9o/s1600/Facepunch+Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IybVG79ZkWCcvQopxOmy_yuKxFcTRSZP2tOeAHhW67fQqjT_w709qLrLMn_kU8ZvWPgmvSF3DdiENqA7yIQlrkro8gLT0aV2D5uNi2FvBOygBv2HjhW50MG6nedXmDdbFKwvo_o0H9o/s320/Facepunch+Dream.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facepunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More great visuals in the other stories include a super "Deathwing in the clouds" image.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nH-0r-dCxmknxBbacHPx-bsjL4hP2XbegwA4XcOcvh22M4nswfrqRP62jJAucukv1w2wrjOjpB3AqSSMNasz58Cq5urHU7PQEUSoV-F_cV-YL4VD8Jmfn6RffuXcpA6ua4GxJvbAqpg/s1600/Deathwing+Flys+into+Clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nH-0r-dCxmknxBbacHPx-bsjL4hP2XbegwA4XcOcvh22M4nswfrqRP62jJAucukv1w2wrjOjpB3AqSSMNasz58Cq5urHU7PQEUSoV-F_cV-YL4VD8Jmfn6RffuXcpA6ua4GxJvbAqpg/s320/Deathwing+Flys+into+Clouds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaring in the Clouds</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other questline that was just incredible was <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=27832">The Hidden Clutch</a><b>. </b>It begins with three Dwarfs who accompany you through a few hard to kill mobs. You get utility bars that control their actions, like a ranged attack, a shout, a shield, etc. You kill a big boss and that takes you to a Gnome called Rhea. She sends you to collect some eggs and then you discover she is really Rheastrasza of the Red Dragonflight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The eggs are Black Dragon eggs and she is using them for experiments, trying to find a way to neutralize Deathwing and his spawn. In the end, she pays the price for her unethical behavior by sacrificing herself and her own egg--Deathwing appears and kills them both. You get a nice trinket though, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=63194">Rhea's Last Egg</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a very thoughtful and moving story line. Enjoyable to the end.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then for fun, you get to kick some Billy Goats off the side of the cliffs. Good clean fun I guess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqKd_eS4ZD51feFgG0ircn_pw-wC5qImLrs7crOPtB01ccOe9DcJzuIVPGj9ie_xIXkjExC2sPGMIz-j69MaOVE5TCSPXs-FFawIZynkCN6-OCfybcI_4Ya-hej7ZVKH_kCYitNxE-Rc/s1600/Billygoat+Nudging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqKd_eS4ZD51feFgG0ircn_pw-wC5qImLrs7crOPtB01ccOe9DcJzuIVPGj9ie_xIXkjExC2sPGMIz-j69MaOVE5TCSPXs-FFawIZynkCN6-OCfybcI_4Ya-hej7ZVKH_kCYitNxE-Rc/s320/Billygoat+Nudging.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye Bye Billy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Searing Gorge Doesn't Suck Anymore</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The only WoLK area that sucked more than Searing Gorge was Azshara. I hated that place because it was so hard to get around at level. Without flight, it was hard to get around at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Searing Gorge was almost as bad, especially having to descend into the mines, back to the top, back to the mines, etc. Thorium Brotherhood rep just wasn't worth the effort IMHO.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bolstered by a very positive Badlands experience I moved quickly into Searing Gorge. Once again, I was impressed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Thorium Brotherhood rep is completely upgraded. Now each quest gives tons of rep. There were at least three quests that gave 1,000 or more rep. I went from neutral to almost Revered just doing the quests in the zone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You still have to travel around the zone and burn towers, kill spiders and Ogres, and descend into the mines. However, the new "quest completion pop up window" mechanic prevents you from having to make several trips up and down those damn elevators. You can complete just about everything in one visit, which is handy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You also meet Lunk in the Thorium Brotherhood camp. He is a friendly Ogre who doesn't like to kill things. He would prefer you find non-lethal ways to vanquish your foes. He is fun loving, maybe even 'slow witted'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lunk will encourage you to let him surf the spiders. You can let him do so--it is funny to watch.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fydE4hGqBRmrXgZsd4zHNvTJ_EDGgmiLuhVH7k9oFivhY09JDauNXlulqrrtbeP_KKtw4AVWruL3k7Dsjc0Gba5K5pNgK-DSFVDBbiRLc-C1osn-MLR9CakablsaGPowWUCU3iR6bDc/s1600/Lunk+Surfs+Spiders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fydE4hGqBRmrXgZsd4zHNvTJ_EDGgmiLuhVH7k9oFivhY09JDauNXlulqrrtbeP_KKtw4AVWruL3k7Dsjc0Gba5K5pNgK-DSFVDBbiRLc-C1osn-MLR9CakablsaGPowWUCU3iR6bDc/s320/Lunk+Surfs+Spiders.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surf's Up Dude!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The quest item, venom, somehow adheres to his stomach when he gets off the spider.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgu2aDbljL-dCDGQduBBQAhIL2gI2N4BOAZoXNvc4ODey1EXWQoGENSdleEDyfrE7fK6ax9G8nkLN_s7fGAOJxvwLZnyLSbQaP8M2RGAilfQaedoe2damyyRhE-Mhv7LmjexJ81s33-iU/s1600/Venom+on+Tummy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgu2aDbljL-dCDGQduBBQAhIL2gI2N4BOAZoXNvc4ODey1EXWQoGENSdleEDyfrE7fK6ax9G8nkLN_s7fGAOJxvwLZnyLSbQaP8M2RGAilfQaedoe2damyyRhE-Mhv7LmjexJ81s33-iU/s320/Venom+on+Tummy.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum Yum Venom on My Tum</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, if you kill the spiders you get the venom too. Its just not as much fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then you also have to convince a particular Dwarf faction to stand with the Thorium Brotherhood and you against the Dark Iron Dwarfs. How do you do that? Well, by dancing of course!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAh1ibw0iz2DOwFPTAKmb5z6kOzn9gvlao1GI9SZ_VHhHEMhCsCITjpCmwq2eBHW_Xv5AwtkFGO8aOdW9pCmhW_Ctj0v9Ax8dMz6SJxXB0_J9sK-wV45bffEpBWXDpCYC4Mxvb3Fif70/s1600/Lunk+Dances.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAh1ibw0iz2DOwFPTAKmb5z6kOzn9gvlao1GI9SZ_VHhHEMhCsCITjpCmwq2eBHW_Xv5AwtkFGO8aOdW9pCmhW_Ctj0v9Ax8dMz6SJxXB0_J9sK-wV45bffEpBWXDpCYC4Mxvb3Fif70/s320/Lunk+Dances.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunk Dances (he really does)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Swamp of Sorrows & Blasted Lands</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Swamp of Sorrows used to be a mind numbing quest zone. The story line was confusing, sort of a pre-TBC thing with Forsaken and a weird PvP thing happening with roaming Horde dudes that ganked you without hesitation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, the zone is still pretty ugly but the quests are better. There is a new Worgen area to the south with some neat quests that play into the Worgen lore. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blasted Lands hasn't changed that much. Nethergarde Keep is revamped somewhat. You still have to go to the top of the strangely high tower to meet a quest giver but overall it is more cohesive and in line with the other revamped quests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I zoomed through both zones as fast as I could, working in a few dungeons here and there. As soon as I hit 58 it was off to the Dark Portal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Outlands quests haven't been all that stirring. There are some new features but overall they are very much like WoLK. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Good for Professions</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Engineering is up to 300 now. I'm in serious need of some Fel Iron bars. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b>I am really surprised at the new content. Hard to imagine saying that some 12+ weeks after Cataclysm rolled out but I haven't had any inclination to do mid level quests. I pursued the Worgen and Goblin starting zones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How about you? Anyone else avoid the mid level quests? If you have done some, what did you like or dislike?<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="goog_5118133"></span><span id="goog_5118134"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-63479240006388555912011-03-17T22:44:00.001-04:002011-03-28T21:59:28.930-04:00Phuggly's Phinancial Dilemma: A Gold Making Business Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5OtdqN4wxkZgzq9t6PTfH-SY_VYFRS9yND-LuA1u_ciK891f2q8H7htyXWEbWeSTFZv-eFKR7JzIw32GVC5d9dQS4GgIWHFK14Hr0wvWc2ysU1gw_OK4LZnBkkEQtuRZ9PS4McUzECw/s1600/business-plan-writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5OtdqN4wxkZgzq9t6PTfH-SY_VYFRS9yND-LuA1u_ciK891f2q8H7htyXWEbWeSTFZv-eFKR7JzIw32GVC5d9dQS4GgIWHFK14Hr0wvWc2ysU1gw_OK4LZnBkkEQtuRZ9PS4McUzECw/s320/business-plan-writer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I'm submitting this for JMTC's April Carnival......seems right on point for their topic. <br />
****************************************************************<br />
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. <br />
<br />
Phuggly and I began chatting. ((and he gave permission to use his screen name)). Seems he was trying to raise gold for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=54197/cold-weather-flying">Cold Weather Flying</a>. 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 <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=34091">Artisan Riding</a> 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The result is this post. <i>Read more below the fold</i><br />
<i><a name='more'></a></i>In some ways, Phug is better off than the beginning player when it comes to earning gold. He has a L68 character with two professions somewhat developed. He understands how to run instances, complete quests, and he can fly most everywhere. In other ways he may not be as well off as the starting player. His spending patterns are set, and he has developed habits (good or bad) that may need to be changed.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the following plan is designed to capitalize on Phug's strengths and avoid any possible shortfalls. Knowing the limitations is a great asset in this case.<br />
<br />
<b>Step One: Prepare for Success</b><br />
<br />
These are the same things I would advise a player at L1.<br />
<br />
<u>Set a goal</u>. You can't just say "I want to earn a lot of gold". You need a set goal so you can measure your success day by day. It might be 1,000g, 5,000g or 100,000g. In Phug's case this goal is established already: Artisan Riding is 5,000 base, reduced by faction rep to as low as 4,000g. Let's say for now the goal is 4,500g.<br />
<br />
<u>Develop a "gold earning" mindset</u>. For beginning players this might be easier than it is for someone in Phug's position. A gold earning mindset means making sure you don't spend anything unnecessary. Don't buy a new green in the AH or vanity pets or mounts until you reach your goal. Turn on auto loot. Keep selling everything you accumulate that doesn't have any other value--greys, useless whites, BOP quest greens, etc. Eliminate travel to and from SW or any other hub. Keep your farmers in the field, your playing toon in dungeons and use your AH mule as the mail recipient for all the inventory you collect.<br />
<br />
If a player's game habits are established already this may come as a major system shock. <br />
<br />
<u>Bags, bags and more bags</u>. The amount of gold you can earn at this level is directly proportional to the mobile and static bags space you have available. In talking with Phug, he has max bank slots already, which is good. He also has 14 slot bags for his playing toon and smaller ones in the bank. My advice here would be to collect the materials needed for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=21843/imbued-netherweave-bag">Imbued Netherweave Bags</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=41599">Frostweave Bags</a>. Since most of his immediate game play will be in Northrend and Outland, gathering the cloth for these bags should be fairly easy. The <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=21881">Netherweb Spider Silk</a> will be the only item presenting a challenge but using TUJ's alerts will help (more on that later). <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=34054">Infinite Dust</a> will be disenchantable from Northrend greens; same for the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=22446/greater-planar-essence">Greater Planar Essence</a> from Outland dungeon items.<br />
<br />
<u>Assess your skills</u>. In Phug's case we know what skills he has. Mining will be very valuable. The ore he can mine right now all sells well. Blacksmithing is fairly unreliable as a gold earning skill at this point. The cost to level it up may be more than it is worth. Again, more on this later.<br />
<br />
<u>Maximize access to professions</u>. This is one of the most important things an aspiring goblin can do. Phug told me he was in a very inactive guild. In fact, he was the highest level player in the guild and seldom was anyone else on line. I invited him to my guild. There are over 375 in my guild, and about eighty L85s. Most guilds will have either a formal policy or an unwritten rule that guildies do not get charged for services.<br />
<br />
Remember that ore Phug can mine? Having a guildie prospect it will be huge. Having a Tailor who can craft bags will be wonderful. Gathering up a bag or two full of greens and having an Enchanter DE them for the mats is a super asset. In short, belonging to the right guild, having friends who will help you from time to time--these can make access to professions a reality for a player like Phug.<br />
<br />
<u>Install and learn to use helpful addons</u>. Phug told me he uses <a href="http://auctioneeraddon.com/dl/">Auctioneer</a> already. I suggest adding <a href="http://www.carboniteaddon.com/">Carbonite</a>, <a href="http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info7017-LightHeaded.html">Lightheaded</a>, <a href="http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/skillet.aspx">Skillet</a> and <a href="http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/bagnon.aspx">Bagnon</a>. Also, make sure <a href="http://auctioneeraddon.com/dl/">Enchantrix</a> is loaded along with Auctioneer. I prefer Curse Client for updates but some of these are not available from this site.<br />
<br />
<b>Step Two: Develop a Business Plan</b><br />
<br />
Your gold earning strategy is nothing more than a business plan. You are starting a business. How you develop the market, use your assets, limit your liabilities and execute your marketing strategies will determine how successful you will be.<br />
<br />
<u>Make use of "the Commons"</u>. Radio and broadcast TV stations use public airways to distribute their signals. Airlines use domestic airspace for their routes. Rail providers use public domain tracks for their service. Almost without exception there is no charge to these providers when they use these public assets (also known as "the Commons"). The government sets rules of use to protect the public interests.<br />
<br />
Earning gold in WoW is very similar. Players have access to the whole of Azeroth and all its dungeons and raids. Players can use the AH, trade chat and the neutral AH to sell wares. Blizz sets the rules for these areas much like the government does for the Commons.<br />
<br />
Players have to use everything they can, within the rules, to help them in their pursuit of game play--including gold earning. For Phug, this means using an AH toon and rolling a DK. Since Phug already has a couple of lower level toons one needs to be his mule. Get it to Stormwind and park it by the mailbox in front of the Auction House. This will help eliminate unnecessary travel back and forth to SW.<br />
<br />
Rolling a DK is another way to make use of the Commons. Blizz gives us 10 toons and at L58 we are eligible to roll a Death Knight. Since the DK comes out of the starting zone with a full set of 12 slot bags, around 30g and great offensive skills, using one to gather raw materials is a great way to quickly launch a gold earning plan. I suggest Skinning and Herbalism for this DK.<br />
<br />
<u>Research the marketplace</u>. This is where <a href="http://theunderminejournal.com/">The Undermine Journal</a> becomes the goblin's best friend. For Phug and anyone else who doesn't know about TUJ, this site pulls all the sales data from each server in the WoW universe and catalogs the information for use by players. It is very easy to set up. You can also set alerts so that you get an email when some item becomes available in the AH. These alerts can be refined so that you only get notified when the item is available below a certain price. Note: set an alert for Netherweb Spider Silk that can be used in Imbued Netherweave.<br />
<br />
Using TUJ for our server, I quickly looked up the sales info for the Ore that Phug has available to mine. Here is what I discovered:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Cobalt Ore is trading at 5g ea, or 100g per stack. This price is artificially high according to the Std Deviation. A more realistic price long term is 50g/stack.</li>
<li>Khorium Ore is trading at 63g each--that's 1,260 per stack. The price is fairly stable according to the Std Deviation. Figure on sales around 60g each as a good target. (farm in Qul Danas)</li>
<li>Saronite Ore is trading at 20g/stack. The price is volatile. 15g/stack is the target here.</li>
<li>Fel Iron Ore is trading at 70g/stack. The price is volatile. 60g/stack is the target.</li>
<li>Adamantite Ore is trading at 54g/stack. The price is volatile. 45g/stack is the target.</li>
</ul>Also using TUJ I noted that the gem values for prospected Ore above are less than the per stack values. Now, let's check on the Enchanting materials from greens.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Infinite Dust (Northrend greens) is trading at about 40g/stack. This is very low. A good target is around 80g/stack.</li>
<li>Greater Cosmic Essence (Northrend greens) is trading at 16g each. This is high. A good target is 12g each.</li>
<li>Greater Planar Essence (Outland greens) is trading at 12g each. This is low. A good target is 18g each.</li>
</ul>Since our plan also includes rolling a DK with Skinning and Herbalism I also looked up the various leather and herbs up to Northrend. Without fail, the Outland materials were the most profitable.<br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u>Setting priorities in our business plan</u>. Seeing the values above, for Phug, it seems the most profitable ore will be Khorium, followed by Fel Iron, Cobalt, Adamantite and Saronite. Also, disenchanting greens for Enchanting materials would be most profitable for Infinite Dust, then Greater Planar Essence and finally Greater Cosmic Essence.<br />
<br />
Since our DK can go straight to Outland I suggest running him through a fast paced profession leveling regimen to get Skinning and Herbalism up to the point where he can maximize these skills in Outland.<br />
<br />
Finally, there is an interesting anomaly regarding cloth. Wool to some extent and Frostweave without exception are very high profit. Given the recent change that allows Tailors to get extra cloth drops from random humanoids, I suggest Phug drop Blacksmithing and learn Tailoring. The cost to level the latter is much more reasonable than the former, and will yield a better gold return--especially when leveling in Northrend and getting all that Frostweave. Plus, the added bonus of getting cloth and making his own bags pretty quickly will mean less dependence on guildies and also a new revenue stream.<br />
<br />
<u>Articulating the business plan</u>. Based on what we know at this point, our business plan would sound like the following:<br />
<br />
"Phug's goal of 4,500g can most quickly be realized by increasing his footprint in profitable professions, making the best use of the AH and eliminating non revenue-positive behavior. By joining a supportive guild, he will find new friends who can help with some crafting professions. By rolling a DK who can Skin and Herb, he will have access to all farming skills. By dropping Blacksmithing in favor of Tailoring he will not only receive additional cloth drops but will also develop Tailoring skills to craft bags for his own use and for sale. Implementing these strategies while also leveling and running dungeons will give Phug the best opportunity to realize his gold goal in less than 5 days of play".<br />
<br />
Essentially that is a little more than 400g/hour. But I think its very doable. Maybe even in half the time. <br />
<br />
<b>Step Three: Executing the Business Plan</b><br />
<br />
Some of the plan requires non-revenue activity. Other parts require investment upfront. Here is how the plan should be executed.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Move the AH mule into position. Equip him with whatever bag inventory is available now. If that is no new bags then so be it. Run a scan every few hours to develop a database of AH stats. This is revenue neutral but easy and quick.</li>
<li>Install the addons listed above and make sure Carbonite Nodes has been imported. Easy.</li>
<li>Roll a DK. Play the DK through the starting area quests. As soon as he emerges, send him to Ironforge to learn Skinning and Herbalism. After learning class skills and learning the two new profs, send 75% of his gold on-hand to the AH mule. This will take a couple hours or more to play through the quests but does generate a little capital. Not fast but fun and revenue positive.</li>
<li>Go to <a href="http://www.wow-professions.com/">Wow Profession Guides</a> and print the profession leveling guides for Skinning, Mining and Herbalism. This will give maps for where to farm. Fast. Good tool.</li>
<li>Follow the profession guides to level the DK's Skinning and Herbalism to current level max. Prolonged. Revenue expended here.</li>
<li>The mule should scan in the Trade Goods sections for any items severely undervalued that can be flipped. It might only be a few Primals or a couple stacks of Leather but any positive gold acquisition is beneficial at this point. Fast and free.</li>
<li>Either intermixed with leveling the DK profs or immediately after, Phug should send his Mining toon around Hellfire, Zangamarsh and Nagrand to gather all the ore he can find. Set aside a certain amount of time for this--say two hours. Send the acquired ore to the mule for listing in the AH. Developing inventory for sale. Good move.</li>
<li>Drop Blacksmithing and learn Tailoring. Quick.</li>
<li>By now there should be some additional revenue that has come in for leveling Tailoring to the current level max. If more cloth is needed, farm it in zones or instances. Wool is plentiful in Westfall or in The Stockades. Mageweave can be found in Eastern and Western Plaguelands and Scholomance. Netherweave is an Outland cloth. Long term goal, but worthwhile.</li>
<li>Move from Outland to Northrend and begin leveling Phug in that zone. Keep half the Frostweave that drops for personal use and send the rest to AH mule for sale. Keep the BOE greens and sell the BOP greens. Run instances with the guild to make sure you get better drops and gear up for free. Fun and more fun.</li>
<li>As DK levels Skinning and Herbalism, move to increasingly harder zones so that the skins and herbs are orange or yellow at worst. As soon as possible get him to Outlands for those herbs. Inventory. Profit.</li>
<li>Once you have DK ready to farm Outlands and Phug mining in Northrend, set aside a couple hours per day to pursue farming in those areas. It is a travel nightmare to get from Northrend to Outlands and back but it will be worth the trip if you can get a few stacks of Fel Iron on the trip. Fun and profitable. Gank a lower Hordie if he's flagged when you go by.</li>
<li>Rinse and repeat. Craft new bags as you can; sell the ones you don't need. Sell Frostweave cloth. Keep sending ore, skins and herbs for listing in AH. Get a guildie to DE the surplus greens you have and sell the enchanting materials.</li>
</ul><b>Realizing the Goal</b><br />
<br />
It is not unrealistic to expect 500g/hour farming these materials. It might take some down time to level the skills where they need to be. It will also take some investment to learn the new Tailoring patterns. However, check out these potential results:<br />
<ul><li><b> </b>One hour of farming Fel Iron in Outland yesterday produced 12 stacks of Ore for me. I kept the ore for personal use, but at 49g/stack in the AH it would have yielded 588g.</li>
<li>One hour of farming herbs in Outland today gave me 6 stacks of Felweed (at 44g/stack, 264g), 3 stacks of Dreaming Glory (at 59g/stack, 177g) and one stack of Terocone (at 110g/stack). That is over 550g. </li>
</ul>So yes, it is very possible to earn the 4,500g needed for Artisan Riding in a very short time.<br />
<br />
Add to this the incremental gold from greys and whites, from selling cloth, from AH flipping and well, Phug is well on his way to Goblin status.<br />
<br />
I'm sure this quick reference guide is missing some key elements. If any of you fellow bloggers note any errors of omission or areas for improvement please feel free to add them in comments. I'm excited to have the opportunity to help a new player--and I'm sure the blogging community will embrace Phuggly as well.<br />
<br />
Let's win this one for the home team.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6444522661165315052.post-6873636649397111892011-03-11T08:15:00.001-05:002011-03-11T08:15:00.349-05:00I'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!<br />
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http://www.warcraftecon.net/?p=3970Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8