Have an idea? Want a guest post?

I just wanted to put myself out there! I hope to meet a lot of folks from the blogging carnival hosted by JMTC. If anyone would like to write a guest post here, or needs a guest post written for their blog, I would be happy to oblige. Even if you don't run a strictly gold making blog, I would love to do some collaboration. I'll be reading all of the blogs from the Carnival, so you'll surely be hearing from me!

So, up for it? If so shoot me a message at CappedByCata@Gmail.com or on Twitter @CappedByCata

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It's Carnival!

That’s right! I’m branching out and participating in the blogging Carnival hosted by JMTC. I’m glad that I have this opportunity to interact with the community, and will hopefully learn a lot of new things and can share some of my tips with everyone.

The question proposed is: "How would you turn 1,000 gold in to 2,000 gold?"

There are a lot of ways to answer this question, and I participate in a lot of them. However, I wanted to write something that is a little bit different. If I was starting from scratch, or had the time to sit down and play, this is what I would be doing.

If I really only had a 1,000g on my account this is exactly what I would do. I would try to raise more capital so that I could buy in to the titanium ore market because right now, on my server, it's like the Saronite Shuffle on steroids.

To raise more capital to buy into other markets I would take myself to Mana Tombs.

My main is a Fury Warrior, so I have no problem taking out a lot of mobs quickly and take very little damage. The reason why I chose Mana Tombs is because it has the unique property of being made up of almost nothing but Humanoid mobs. This means lots of Netherweave cloth drops. Moreover, the instance drops a heap of greens that can be disenchanted and sold on the AH. Add this in with looted mobs, mineable ores, and vendor trash and you've really opened yourself up to bring in a lot of gold. And by a lot, I mean about 1000g for only an hour* of your time.

Don't believe me? Check out my numbers:

Looted Gold: 29.12g
Vendored Items: (Grays and Blue Boss BoP Loot): 33.25g
Green Items(Using Auctioneers baseline DE value): 66.95g
Netherweave Cloth (Valued to be made into bags): 52.5g
Gems from Mined boss: 21.87g
Adamantite ore: 70g

Repairs: -1.47

Grand Total: 272.22

Time Elapsed: 1:48-2:05 = 17 Minutes

GPH=960.78


*Numbers are based on Auction House prices saved by Auctioneer at the time of this experiment. Actual numbers may vary depending on your server.
(Note: This time includes running out of the instance, vendoring trash, resetting, and running back in. Does not account for time spent at the mailbox sending off greens to my enchanter.)

Sure, I'll be honest that's in a perfect world. However, if you did it at a leisurely pace you can still easily obtain 1000g worth of liquid and materials in under two hours.

There are a lot of things you can do to get to that next level in the gold ladder, but this is something almost anyone can do. At the very least you can run the instance. Even if you don't have an enchanter, tailor, or a miner, the vendorable items and items that can be sold on the Auction House should net you 1000 gold with a small amount of time invested. Coupling this instance with professions of course leads to bigger rewards, but this is true with pretty much anything you do in the game.

Moreover, this is something that could bring even more profit with the release of Cataclysm. More new toons to be leveled, more professions that need to be leveled up, and more Netherweave bags that need to be obtained for these toons. Outland goods are always going to be in demand, and may soon fetch higher prices then they do now. This instance is a winner both pre and post Cataclysm.

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Pro Tip: Sell "Forumula: Runed Adamantite Rod"

This is a quick and easy Pro Tip. This one should net you at least 40g in profit per item depending on your server. Formula: Runed Adamntite Rod is currenlty netting me 60g profit per item minus AH fees. These patterns can be bought form Rungor the Trade Goods vendor in Stonebreaker Hold if you're Horde or from Vodesiin if you play those guys I kill in the BGs.

I'm currently the only person selling these patterns on my server. They cost me 10g to buy and I've sold one a day for 3 days at 70g each. This adds 390 gold a week to my income minus AH fees if I only sell one formula a day. I'll take that!

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Stealing Wi-Fi and one thing you better be doing!

Well, if you've noticed posts have not came as quickly this week as they have been. That's because I've been working more and having less of an opportunity to write. This makes me sad :(. I've had to work early three days this week, so it's cut out the hour or two I was using to buy mats, craft, do some dailies and re-list in the mornings. So I'll be the first to admit that having less time is leading to less profits.

However, I'm getting a post out today! Because I'm stealing a local businesses Wi-Fi while sitting in the parking lot of another business during my lunch break.

But, I have to share this. I hit the jackpot last night. In one night I made 5k in profits. How? Flipping Primordial Saronites. If you noticed earlier, I mentioned the art of the deal. How reaching out to those who are selling things in trade can often lead to big rewards? Well, last night was the mother load, and would have been more had I had more gold at my expense.

Another person was saying "Selling Primordial Saronite 450g" in trade. Price on the AH was 498. I whispered him and let him know that I would buy all he had at 400g. About ten minutes later I was the proud owner of 47 Primordial Saronites!


It emptied me gold wise, and I figured it would take a couple days to make my money back. Nope! I posted 37 last night. 17 in singles and one 20 stack for kicks. I came back this morning and all of them have sold. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it.

So, if you're not doing it, you need to! There is gold to be made! What are you waiting for?

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Sunday Status Report: 20k!

Sunday evening is here once again. That means the burden of Monday will soon be upon me. Getting up early and getting back to the grind of the working world. However, a small celebration is in order. I have surpassed the 20k gold mark! It may not sound like a lot to some of you, but to me, it's nothing to sneeze at! I'm now almost 1/10 of the way to my goal number. That's awesome.

This just goes to show that anyone can sit down, make a plan and reap the rewards the auction house world offers. I can only hope this amount of capital will expedite my process.

Needless to say, I'm very happy with where I am at.

Oh, also. I'm updating the layout and adding some things to the Blog. Trying to provide more information. More updates will be happening!

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The Art of the Offer

No matter where you are on the gold making ladder, there are some things that always work. Whether you have 100g, 500g, 50,000g, or 1,000,000g, some methods will always continue to bring you in more then you have invested.

One of the things I have been doing recently is flipping Primordial Saronite. On my server, they go anywhere from 475-600g. This all depends on the time of day and the day of the week.

The majority of the stock of Primordial Saronites on my server tend to come from about 5 people. People like me who are buying from the player base, marking up, and reselling. Almost every time I log on, someone is Trade Chat is saying "WTS: Primordial Saronite PST". The first thing I do is look at the price. Anything under 500g, and I offer 400. Anything over for 500 and I offer 450. At these prices, no matter what happens in the market, I know I'm going to make a profit. I have had very few people turn me down. It all goes back to instant gratification. People have no problem taking a lose if they can get their money instantly. Especially when they have very low income to begin with. (Basic premise of a Pawn shop.)

Now, all of that may seem like general knowledge and like something anyone can pull off. However, there is a little bit of art associated with the deal.

First off, my auction toon doesn't look like an auction toon. I use a 73 priest, so if people shift click me, they don't automatically assume they are getting taken advantage of. Moreover, I'm usually very polite and friendly. Overly using things such as ":)" and ":p". For some reason, I feel these make me seem more personable. Lastly, play dumb. Act like you have no idea of the price the materials go for. Seems to work for me when I act like I only have X amount of gold in my pocket.

Here is an example of a made up conversation that seems to play out over and over again.

Seller: WTS Primordial Saronite PST
Me: I'll buy it! 400 gold! :D
Seller: I have 3, and no. They go for 500 on the AH
Me: Oh, sorry I didn't know that. Well, I only have 1207 gold...would you take that if I bought them all? :)
Seller: Org bank
Me: On my way! :)

Sure, it may seem stupid, but it works. It works almost every time. Especially when you're dealing with a player who just turned in some frost emblems to obtain the item. The only time I've had this backfire on me is when I've been whispering other auctioneers, and usually they will call me on it straight away.

Remember, the worst anyone can say is no. So don't be afraid to reach out to people, interact and try to get the most out of your money.

More soon!

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Pro Tip

Ok, I'm far from a pro, but here is a great way to make a couple extra gold. Go to netherstorm, buy a couple Mana Wyrmlings. Go to Dalaran, buy a couple obsidian hatchlings. Go to the auction house. Post them for double what you paid. Reap the benefits :P

A real post tomorrow!

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Of Ethics and Gold Making?

Well, this question has been brewing in my mind for awhile now. I wanted to put it out there and share with the community and see how you feel about it.

How do you feel about the Ethics of your Gold Making business?

I guess to qualify that question, I need to explain a little bit more about myself. Outside of WoW and this gold making adventure of mine, I also have a wonderful fiancee and real life. To support my real life I have a job, like most of you. However, my job is one in which ethical situations often arise and I have to question my actions. My profession, by nature, is often one of the most undervalued and for the most part is viewed as a very "low brow" form of service. I sell cars. Used cars. Yea, try not to chuckle when you hear the words "Used car salesmen". Anyway, in a job like that you often have to question the ethics of your moral character, the person you are working with, and your financial situation at the time.

Car sales is a very commissioned based business. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Although the "80 20" rule still applies (80% percent of your results come from 20% of your effort), it sometimes seems as if there are days when the "0 100" rule comes into play. But I digress.

Anyway, I'm confronted on a daily basis with ethical decisions in which I have to weigh and do my best to deal with. Upon recent endeavors in my Gold making business I have came across some pretty ethical questions there as well.

Mainly, hacked players. Yes, even with the authenticator, it still happens. Numerous mornings I have logged in and seen spamming characters in nothing but their unvendorable items running around Orgimmar selling all of their acquired goods for well under market value.

Of course, as a business man my natural solution to this problem is to buy all of their inventory and re-list it on the AH and reap big profits from the player base. However, it kind of gives me a sinking feeling. I'm profiting off a person whose hard work has just been wiped away by someone who can only say "You buy?!?!" and "Dont".

Now, part of me knows that Blizzard will swoop in, save the day for that player, and I'll get to keep my big returns. But, is that ethical? Is it OK to buy stolen goods and resale them for a profit even if they're virtual? Is it OK to exploit another persons misfortune even if it is in an online virtual world? Is it OK to continue to feed the people who cause this harm in the first place?

Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it just made me stop and think.

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18k and counting

Well, I have a little update. Titanium is working out pretty well for me! I'm up to about 16k liquid with another 2-3k on the AH. Last night was fantastic, as I nearly sold out and brought home 3k gold. I can't ask for much more then that.

One thing I find really funny is how hard it is for me to part with my gold, even when I'm just reinvesting to turn it into more gold. I like looking at the big numbers :P.

Anyway, I want to start branching out a little more, but I'm not too sure how to do it without taking on more professions. Netherweave bags and pets are doing good on top of my Jewelcrafting adventures, but I'd really like to raise my Gold per hour. Guess it's time to do some more research on that.

If you have any thoughts or advice, feel free to share!

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Random's and more gold making!

I love Thursday.

Thursday is my day off from real life work, which means I get to go headfirst into my WoW business. I'm doing pretty well this week. Well, I think. My Saronite market is kind of falling apart. Stacks of ore are well over priced on the AH, and it seems my farmers may have kicked the bucket. That or warden 2 got them. Either way, my supply of Saronite has dried up. Thus slowing down my Saronite shuffle to a crawl.

However, I've started to diversify a little more to keep income going up. I got my feet wet into the pet market this week, and am I actually doing pretty good. The laziness of people is just amazing. I can pay fifty silver for a pet, and sell it for 10g on the Auction House. That's all kinds of crazy mark up. I dig it.

Moreover, with the lack of Saronite, I decided to step up my game. I've made a couple good buys on Titanium Ore. A couple people have been posting stacks from 150-165g and I've been buying them all and prospecting. It's paying off pretty well, for every 2000g I spend, I'm making about 800-1000g back on top of it. With that being said, I know I'm not getting the most out of it as I can though. I don't have very many epic cuts. I could fix that, but I really like my 100g a day Dragon's eye. (Noob move? Probably, but I don't care :P)

Anyway, back to Thursday. My auctioneer is a level 73 priest, and I know I'm going to need to level her up pretty soon so I can be ready for Cataclysm. So I went and got some BoA gear today. While doing that I may have found myself another fantastic way to up my Gold per hour. Random's!

Ok, I'll be honest. My main is a Warrior, but I really, I mean really hate tanking. I much rather run around with my two sticks and beat stuff 'til it's dead. However, I'm not a big fan of the 15 minute que. So, I went and grabbed my garbage tank set that I had pieced together from Naxx to ICC, hoping I would never have to use it. I que up, and BAM! Instant que! This went on for the next few hours. I was not only making gold from the quest and the drops, I had some DPS players offering anywhere from 25-75 gold per que.

I'm going to try this out during peak hours and see if I can find a group willing to pay for instant ques. If so, I may have just found another source of income.

Well, that's all for now. I'm going to try and get a lot more active with this. Going to take a laptop to work so that during my lunch hour I can try and get out a few updates.

Thanks for stopping by!

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10k in the dust

I'm about two weeks into this adventure now. Or should I say two weeks of focused effort on this adventure. I stared with 600g between my characters and have well surpassed the 10k gold mark. Currently, I'm sitting at 15k, and a pretty well stocked guild bank.

My aim is 20k by the weekend. So, how am I doing it? Well, a lot of ways.

If you browse the internet looking for gold making blogs and information, you will find billions of ways to make gold. Ok, well maybe not billions, but enough to get you started. For me, I'm doing a little bit of everything. I'm running four professions, Mining, Jewelcrafting, Tailoring, and Enchanting. I'm still saronite shuffling, (It's not dead!), making Netherweave bags (quite a hotbutton issue in the past week, mind you), and spellthreads, cutting gems, prospecting ores, making bars, disenchanting anything I can get ahold of, and making a few (very few) enchanting scrolls.

Moreover, I'm also doing some things a lot of people aren't doing. Farming! A farming spot recently fell into my lap where I can make about 900g per hour if I had the time to sit down and do it. Pretty easily as well. I'll be sharing this in a later post. Probably in regards to the Blogging Carnival over at Just My Two Copper. Hopefully that post will enable me to entice a readership over here.

Oh oh! Before I forget. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at CappedByCata. I'll be posting some stuff over there as well. More soon!

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First!

Welcome!

I finally decided to put something into writing again. I have been in and out of the blogging community in World Of Warcraft for a while. However, after taking an extended break from the game, I’m back and I’m playing the game in a whole new light. One of the most interesting things about WoW for me has always been gold making. Whether it was farming Winterspring for hours in Vanilla, or doing the Saronite shuffle in Wrath, gold always gave you one thing in the game. Freedom.

For the majority of my time in WoW, I was never a rich player. I always made enough gold to get by. However, with the launch of the Achievement system, I started to play the game a little bit differently. I focused in on the Mountain O’Mounts achievement. My quest became to obtain 100 mounts. With the expansion came a large number of gold sinks. A large majority of these were mounts. This is when I made a shift in my game play style. I had to find a way to bring in more gold. This lead me to playing the auction house just enough to make all the gold for those gold sinks.

However, once I obtained those mounts, my desire to keep making gold went down hill. Soon, I quit playing the game and went on without it.

Fast forward to now. I’m beginning to prepare for Cataclysm and all of the new things it has to offer. So my goal now is to take my account from 0 to gold cap before the release of Cataclysm.

More soon!

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