Saturday, April 30, 2011

Consulting Launch!



You've got it right! With today's post I'm opening up the floor to all readers to take part in a fabulous new project I've been working on. Essentially, I'm offering a wide arrange of services to help you as a Gold Maker grow. Take time to check it out and see if you might find anything of value to you over there. Hopefully this will allow me to better interact with my audience and help my continued success of being a steward of the Gold Making community.

Capped By Cata Consulting

Contact me:
CappedByCata@Gmail.com
@CappedByCata on Twitter.


Keep on the look out for new great things here at Capped By Cata.

Friday, April 29, 2011

New Profits for Tailoring in 4.1



When it comes to professions in Cataclysm, tailoring is often one of the most overlooked and underrated. However, tailoring has received a nice blessing in Patch 4.1. No it's nothing new, but it's something that can you make you a consistent 1500g+ on a weekly basis. With a new push for players to get to item level 346 to enter the new ZG and ZA heroics, players will be checking the Auction House for anything that can make that road easier. The spotlight is on two BoE craftable items.

Belt of the Depths
Dreamless Belt

Now there are also two different craftable leg pieces, however, I feel that the belts leave the biggest room for potential profit to a tailor. Both of the Belts take 4 Dreamcloth. A tailor can craft up to 5 Dreamcloth a week without the need for Chaos Orbs. Listed below is the most efficient way put that tailoring to use.

Dream of Hyjal - Volatile Life - 3.50 - 105g
Dream of Deepholm - Volatile Earth - 6 - 180g
Dream of Azshara - Volatile Water - 6 - 180g
Dream of Ragnaros - Volatile Fire - 7 - 210g
Embersilk Cloth - 280g
(Dream of Skywall is also usable, but requires Volatile Air, which in my experience cut into profits.)

Total Crafted Price for either piece: 915g

(All numbers are an average of several High-Pop servers, courtesy of The Undermine Journal)

The belts on average, sell anywhere from 2500 - 3000g. This leaves a healthy profit for tailors to net simply for using their cool downs. So tailoring is not a waste. If you combine this, with a quality Netherweave bag business tailoring once again becomes a very viable option for lucrative professions.

I hope this helps, I'm trying to find new ways to utilize every profession to make them more accessible to quality gold making methods. Have a particular profession you would like to see a deeper dive into? Feel free to drop me an E-Mail at CappedByCata@Gmail.com or on twitter @CappedByCata.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

4.1: Why we do what we do!


Different blog post this evening. This evening I want to strive for motivation and inspiration to all aspiring Gold Makers, Bloggers, Podcasters, and other budding adventurers who engage with this community outside of their World Of Warcraft client.

You'll notice the picture. That's my guy ^_^. His name is BloodandRank, (Coheed and Cambria reference, anyone?) he resides on the Horde Server Scilla. You'll notice that he is a geared like a tank. Why? Because I decided that I wanted to tank. Tanking has not been my specialty since Vanilla. That was back when Main Tanking was serious business and Ragnaros was a serious badass.

Anyway, up until a few days ago, my guy(I like calling him my guy. It has a nice ring to it methinks), BloodandRank, didn't have one piece of tanking gear. After consulting with other bloggers and followers on Twitter (Hey, quick plug, if you're not following me, please do! @CappedByCata) they convinced me to spend a big junk of Gold and make a change in the way I play the game. So I went and dropped 50k. Then, I went from being a no tank at all, to instantly queing for the new 346 Heroics (Haven't gotten to complete one yet, I blame work). Why am I telling you this, and how is it going to help you make gold? Simple.

I'm not trying to brag, I'm not trying to boast. What I'm trying to explain is the reason I do what I do. And we, as a gold making community, do what we do. The one thing everyone who reads these pages shares is they have some sort of interest in making more money in this game that we all play. They have interest and breaking the chains of financial burden. Being able to go to the Auction House and buy whatever the hell they want. It's that dream that made me start doing what I did. I started by writing. I used writing as a tool to keep myself disciplined and motivated. It allowed me to share my journeys, or at least relish in the fond memories.

No, I'm not telling you starting a Gold Blog will make you a better Gold Maker. What I am telling you is that persistence pays off. If you're new to the site, welcome and I have a special message for you. I am you. I am you 8 months from the future. I have set there, I have sought knowledge and information. You have come to the right place.

I just wanted to share my story and in some way I hope it helps you advance your own. I again want to share that my door is always open and I'm always available to help in anyway that I can.

Quick Tip: Make 200g Right Now
Ok, in case you didn't want to read my story, here is a quick tip for you. Cold over at Cold's Gold Factory shared a great post today about Flipping Winterspring Cub Vanity pet. That's easy to capitalize on and he will tell you all about it. However, I don't care how many times you've heard this, but after you take a trip to Winterspring to pick up that fancy cub, pay a mage for a port to Dalaran and pick up all of the pets there too. With people once again excited about a new Pet in the game, I can guarantee they will pick up other ones on the Auction House tonight. This a great way to make some quick cash.

Interested in finding out more about the making money with pets? You're in luck, The Gold Queen also has a new Mini Guide out about making your own Pet Shop Business right in the WoW. Be sure to check that out as well.

Hope it helps, as always feel free to e-mail me at CappedByCata@Gmail.com or on twitter at @CappedByCata

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Jewelcrafting in 4.1: Continued Success with Elementium Moebius Band



One of the most common questions I have received over the past few weeks have been in regards to Jewelcrafting. So many people have bought into the skill for it's bread and butter money maker that is the Obsidium Shuffle. Well friends, it isn't what it use to be. However, don't fret, because I feel the Obsidium Shuffle will live on, just not in the same capacity in which it has been so prevalent.

So what I bring you today is a new way to make some serious bank with Jewelcrafting. A lot less time, a lot less effort, and I promise with the release of 4.1 and Call to Arms these will be massive sellers.

I present to you, Elementium Moebius Band.

"Why, what is this?" one may ask, simple. The best in slot pre-raid tanking ring available. (Don't theory craft me on best in slot, TankSpot said so, so I take that as good enough.

What's the great thing about this ring? You'll notice it has 3 amazing qualities that make it a must have to not only new found tanks, but crafty jewelcrafters looking to make some quick money in patch 4.1.

It's an amazing tanking piece, it holds a 346 item level (Minimum average required for new heroics? 346.), and IT'S NOT unique.

That's why this thing is 100% guaranteed to be an easy sell. Best of all, with current material prices and average sell price over all servers, their is still plenty of meat left on the bone.

The pattern to to create the band costs 5 Jewelcrafting tokens. I'm sure you've been hoarding them anyway, so invest some of them in this pattern, you will not regret it. The mats may seem a bit steep, but in the end they will be very much worth it.

4x Chimera's Eye - Average of 250g ea = 1000g
4x Dream Emerald - Average of 12g ea (or free for any shuffler) = 48g
4x Elementium Bar Average of 5g ea = 20g
75x Volatile Life Average of 2.60g ea (You have to buy in bulk = 195g

Grand Total: 1263g


Of course, all these are averages from data across my server and other prominent servers. I found this information where you should be finding yours at The Undermine Journal.

The average sell price on these rings is anywhere from 2500-3000g currently. However, you may be able to boost your sell rate if you drop the prices a bit depending on your current economy. For players who are not tanks that are going to be trying to take advantage of Call to Arms, they'll be looking for the easiest way to upgrade their gear to the necessary requirements. Being a supplier of these items is a fantastic way to do that.

You may also want to look into the Neck Piece Elementium Guardian as should also spike in demand. However, it doesn't have the ability to fill two gear slots so I would opt for the ring first.

I hope this helps, I encourage your comments and as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Find me at CappedByCata@Gmail.com or on Twitter at CappedByCata

Monday, April 25, 2011

Patch 4.1: Why aren't you fishing?




While it appears that the patch gods have once again shined downed upon us. There are a lot of great new things coming to us in Patch 4.1. Find all the patch notes here Official 4.1 Patch Notes

One of the things that made me the most excited is the new fishing daily that is going to be added in Undercity. "New Cooking and Fishing Dailies have been added to Darnassus, Ironforge, Thunder Bluff, and Undercity." And whatever the Alliance equivalent is. But hey, who's keeping count?

Anyway, if you haven't started fishing yet, you need too! Fishing is one of the most lucrative ways to make Gold. If you have some time on your hands and want a relaxing way to rake in the gold, then pick up fishing. The addition of this new daily quest will allow you to skill you fishing up even quicker when you combine it with the current fishing daily.

Moreover, with new Heroics being launched, and people finally getting into raiding content, the need for buff food and thus raw fish is going to increase. So if you already have great fishing skill, get out there and fish. If not, take advantage of the new daily so you can get in on the ground floor of this opportunity.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Auction House Junkies Episode 7 is Live!



That's right guys and gals. Auction House Junkies Episode Number 7 is finally live. If you've been waiting, let me be the first to apologize. We ran out of bandwidth because you guys actually listen to us. We had to upgrade our hosting service to bring you more content. Sorry it took me so long, but it does cost real money to do this and the hosting fees hit me between pay periods. But never the less, our hosting is finally squared away and episode 7 is ready for you to enjoy.

Find it at AuctionHouseJunkies.com! or Auction House Junkies Podbean for the fastest response.

Auction House Junkies Episode #7

Brought to you by Cold of www.ColdsGoldFactory.Blogspot.com and Wes of www.CappedByCata.com

The World Of Warcraft Gold Making Podcast!

Wes

Monday, April 11, 2011

Leveling an Alt? Break into a New Market!

If you’ve listened to any of the recent episodes of Auction House Junkies that I do with Cold over at Cold’s Gold Factory, you’ll know that during our Week In WoW segment, I’ve been spending the majority of my play time playing my Warlock.

I’m really enjoying it, and will probably play into the newest expansion just get the feeling from a different angle. One of the great things about the economic boom that things like the Obsidium Shuffle has provided for lots of new players is an abundance of disposable income. When people have disposable income, they need to something to spend it on. This is where you come in, and where I come in as well.

Everyday that I play my Warlock leads to a new level. With every new level I gain, I always hop on my main and browse to see if there are any cool items posted that I can now use to my benefit. This always leads me down path with very little success. I’m hardly ever able to find any blues, and even more rarely do I find beneficial greens. This isn’t because they aren’t out there, it’s because no one is posting them.

Traditionally, Green items and blue items are looked on as worth their weight in the in whatever disenchanted item they produce, but sometimes it’s beneficial to take a second look at those items and see if they might could you bring you in a hefty profit on the Auction House.

What to look for?
Personally, I look for anything that is DPS related. This is because you have the most chance at being able to successfully sell these items. It doesn’t matter what level bracket your Alt is leveling through, you’ll come in contact with these items if you’re running through the Dungeon Finder. So after every dungeon, take a look and see what is new in your bags. If you don’t need it for your own toon, and it looks like it could be profitable, give it a shot on the Auction House. For Cloth, look for things like Hit Rating, Crit Chance, Haste Rating etc. For Plate and Leather look for Crit Hit and Haste as well. You may come in contact with some Spirit or High Int pieces as well. These can also be profitable. As well as tanking pieces. The reason I lean toward the DPS pieces is because I feel like I’m casting a bigger net in regards to having the ability to move them at high prices.

Once you’ve ran a few dungeons and won a few greens, go list them. If they are quality pieces, for example a Cloth Leg Piece with a ton of hit or crit for the level, listed it sky high in comparison to the market that it’s in.

Here is an example for my Warlock. Currently at level 68, the average green level item sells anywhere from 20-30g. However, if I see something that I think is viable and will make my play experience a little more fun, I have no problem dropping 100g on nice green, or more if it’s a nice blue. It’s all about having the ability to gear up your alt.

So that’s my tip for you, if you find your Alt leveling in a bracket where items that can enhance your experience and make the game more fun aren’t listed, don’t be afraid to list them. You’ll obtain items for other classes, don’t rush to vendor or D/E them right away. Give them a few days on the Auction House. You could score big.

Hope it helps, as always, feel free to E-Mail me any questions, concerns, or comments you may have or post them here on the Blog. CappedByCata@Gmail.com. Can’t get enough? Check me out at www.AuctionHouseJunkies.com for more.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Cold's Gold Factory Blogging Carnival: What is your favorite cross-faction trading item?

This post is written in contribution to Cold's Gold Blogging Carnival. A monthly blogging Carnival hosted by Cold of Cold's Gold Factory. Be sure to check him out daily for gold making updates.

This one was a tough one at first. The reasoning behind this is because I haven't revisited Cross-Faction trading in awhile. Back in Wrath, I would cross faction trade tons of Primordial Saronite because it was so much cheaper on the Alliance Side. Bring them back to my side, and make a ton of money.

However, I didn't realize it, but I had been doing some Cross-Faction trading, but on a much grander scale. My favorite item to Cross Faction trade? Mounts! Trading Card Mounts, or even mounts that came from the Lich King. I love to move them from one side to the other. It's a little more expensive then some of you may be use to, however if you have the capital, it can be a very lucrative transaction.

One of the things you have to have for this scale of Cross Faction trading are two accounts. Because at anyone point in time you could be tying up anywhere from 50-100k. This ensures that no one else can snatch your goods at cheap prices.

One example here recently was the Mottled Drake. Their were several of these mounts sitting on Horde Side at 40-50k. I picked up one for myself to learn, but decided to look at the alliance side first. None listed. I took the chance and moved it over. Posted it for 75k and it sold 4 days later. Not a bad profit margin.

Be careful though. It's a VERY HIGH RISK move, but as you can tell it comes with high reward. This one isn't for the faint of heart, but if you've got the money, the time, and the guts you may be pleasantly surprised.

Auction House Junkies Recording Today: Call for Questions!


I wanted to put this out here quickly. Cold of Cold's Gold Factory and I are scheduled to record Auction House Junkies this afternoon. Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns for the show? What can we help you with this week?

Obviously one topic at hand will be the impending doom of Gemmeggedon, but hopefully we can dive into some other things. What are hot button issues for you?

Leave a comment, or throw me a message on twitter and I'll try my best to get it answered on the show.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Not Familiar with Auction House Junkies? Check us out!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Hypothetical Saturday: Would You Do It Again?

Hypothetical Saturday: Would you do it again?

With all the talk about Gemmegeddon and the impending doom of the Obsidium Apocalypse, I wanted to give you a little breathing room to ponder on something that is not so traditional. It often seems like a lot of us who blog are reporting on the same thing so I wanted to see how you guys would deal with this.

Look at your Gold, look at your stockpiles, look at everything you have accumulated from a wealth stand point in the game. If it was all gone tomorrow or if it never existed would you under take the battle to do it again?

I started this blog as a way of keeping a record of what I was doing while I was making gold. It evolved into something much more than that. Now, don’t get worried about me, I’m not going to give all my gold away and do it again, or anything nonsensical like that. I worked hard for it, and it is a way to show my dedication, but now if you weren’t in the seat where you are, could you see yourself doing it again?

I could. If I would have known then what I know now, I could have done it at a far more exponential pace. So this is my lesson to you, young readers. If you cannot even fathom “doing it again” because you haven’t done it yet don’t be afraid. The blogging community is a wealth of knowledge, advice, humor and if you follow the right people on twitter drama. However, all of the people that make up this community do so because we all share one common goal. A common aspiration. That is becoming financially sound. What we do with it from that point on will be different, but I feel like we all want to obtain that freedom.

TEASER ALERT
Now, this is where I reach out to you. If you’re a veteran gold maker, what is one thing you wish you could have told yourself from the start? What do you think would have made a paramount difference in the way you analyze now as compared to then? If you’re not a veteran gold maker and are here for tips, tricks, and strategies what is something you want help with? What are aspects of the game that you find yourself struggling with? How can I help point you in the right direction.

I want to do my best to open up a line of communication with all readers of this blog, and I feel this is the best way to do so. Send me something, comment on something or tweet on something and I will be sure to help in anyway I can, or pass on any advice you may have. So as you go about your Saturday, ponder the question “Would you do it again?”

Friday, April 8, 2011

Jewelcrafting Changes: Don't Buy in to the Hype

Hype. That's all I can say. It has recently been reported by tons of WoW blogs that the sky is falling and that the world will end in 17 days. No, not really but it has been reported that Blizzard is going to murder the Obsidium Shuffle.

What's "happening?"
MMO-Champion reported on PTR Build 13850 that " * Bold Carnelian, Solid Zephyrite, Subtle Alicite, Perfect Quick Alicite, Sovereign Nightstone, Regal Jasper, Resolute Hessonite, and any cut of uncommon gem now sells to NPC for 75 silver instead of 9 gold." based on that math, it brings the floor cost of a price of Obsidium Ore based on Gem Value down from a hefty 54g to a near non-existent 4.5g. This means that all of those great buys you've gotten recently on Obsidium Ore, could send you to the poor house.

However, I'm not buying into it. This is, at very best, speculation. MMO-Champion, in my mind, can oft times be viewed as the TMZ of the WoW world. Always first to break a story, but not really based on 100% fact sometimes. Who remembers Epic Gem Transmutes? You know, the one where their cool down was going to be removed from the game completely, and we were all going to be able to cash in on people looking to re-gem from Arm Pen to Strength? Then the patch went live and none of that happened?

I do. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Could it end up happening? Maybe. Is it plausible? I doubt it. Blizzard knows what they have in place, and I feel they have put it into place for a reason. My guess is this was a PTR oversight.

One of two things is going to happen. When this patch drops I'll be sitting here with my foot in my mouth, or I'll be saying I told you so. Either way, I'm not worried. I'll continue to shuffle until I can no longer go to the vendor and sell for 9g.

The truth is, the world is ending and you are dying. But aren't we all? I'm not trying to a pessimist, but it's fact. How does that correlate? Why worry about things you cannot change? Just be able to roll with the punches :)

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Proper Asset Management

Whether it is in WoW or in real life, whenever you are trying to build wealth there are many theories that can be applied that can you help you on your journey. As I have continued to blog and play WoW, I have become very much self sufficient within the game. I have no worries about Gold, and pretty much just do as I please and buy whatever I like.

Because of this, I find myself spending a lot more time focusing on theory then action. This is going to be one of those posts. One of the the things that plays a key role in your success is how you manage your assets. Just as in life, the way you manage your assets can ultimately shape your financial future.

In WoW, I feel that "Assets" can be broken down into three categories: Liquid Gold, Stockpiled Materials/Raw Goods, and Obtainable Points.

Liquid Gold:

In the Blogosphere, this is probably the most focused on aspect of the game. This is often how most players judge their success. My tip for managing your liquid supply is to never allow yourself to run out, or over invest. The time you will most need your liquid gold will be when you find a purchase that is either under priced or poorly represented. This leads to easy profit and a minimal risk flip. If you don't have enough liquid gold on hand to take the plunge, you will find yourself missing opportunities. Don't be afraid to spend your gold, but be aware of how much liquid you keep on hand.

Stockpiled Goods/Raw Materials:
This is another place that a lot of people look to to quantify the value of their toon. Stockpiled assets are great! Having bank tabs filled up and ready to go for market up swings are fantastic. Well, unless you're not paying attention to the markets for which you have stockpiled. One great example of this is Saronite Ore. Saronite Ore is one of the things that most bloggers suggested to stockpile before the end of WoTLK. I did. I stockpiled a five tab guild bank full of. You know how much of it I have left? 23 stacks. Do you know why? Because I watched the market and knew when it would best to liquidate my assets. There was close to a three month period where Saronite Ore was unobtainable on my server. Everyone was so busy with the new content and farming new Ore, people had forgotten Saronite still had a lot of uses. I bought all of that Ore at or below floor price, and sold it all for close to 30g a stack. I didn't over flood the market. I took it one day at a time, and listed what I knew I could sell in a day. I saw that I could double my money rather quickly, so I knew it was time to liquidate that asset, so that I could have the cash ready to dump into another asset.

So here is the question to ask yourself, are you keeping up with the markets for which your stockpiled consist of? Or are you so engulfed in new content markets that you have perhaps over looked valuable investing opportunities? Don't under sell your stockpiled items because you're saving them for a rainy day. The best time to get out from under them could be now.

Obtained Points:

This is another area of Opportunity for most players. A lot of people think that they can only use their aquired points to obtain item enhancements for their characters, however there are a lot of things you can do with them that can allow you to build the financial freedom of your toon. While new gear is nice, if you're not putting it to good use, it could, depending on your current wealth level be reasonable to for go that new piece of loot for something that could bring you in liquid gold that you can invest. If your well off, I would use the currency for my toon, if you're just starting this could be a great way to obtain initial capital.

If you have questions, please feel free to comment or e-mail me at CappedByCata@Gmail.com

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Reader Q and A: Blue Quality Gems

“I'm a new listener to your podcast, (good stuff, keep it up) and a recent AH Monkey playing the stocks.
I have emailed this question to your show, but thought that you might not have one coming out for a few weeks yet which by that time the problem will have exacerbated itself!

The 911 is this:
Playing with the ore shuffle at the moment, normally I use the elementium since the obsidium is still too expensive here to play with. From the prospecting I am getting a considerable amount of blue gems. my main problem is what to do with them. the server I’m on is a hugely populated alliance server, and the price of blue gems is normally around 5-10g(even the cut gems). Undercutting is rife as well, with the price of deposits for gems its expensive to put up gems if there being undercut and not cost efficient.

So my question, what can I do with them? The inferno rubies sell for around 30g so there ok to sell, but all the others are just stockpiling up and I cant think of any good way to make money from them.
What would you suggest?”

Jawa - Silvermoon EU.

Jawa,

First of all, thank you for listening to Auction House Junkies. Cold and I put a lot of effort into that show, so it’s good to know that new listeners are still coming on board and coming away with valuable information. I’ll be honest, receiving reader e-mail is probably on of my favorite things so it’s always nice to have a question to open up and ponder.

I wanted to answer your question publically because I can see that very easily a lot of others players could run into these same types of situations with ease. Especially as Ore Markets continue to be in an over supply around the board.

To start, the first thing that I see is your approach is different, at least from my efforts and the markets at which I attempt to find success in. I find Obsidium Ore much easier to be successful with because it eliminates that problem that you are having. So it is unique, at least to me that you find Elementium Ore an easier market to get into. So now to the meat of your question: What to do with all of these Blue Quality Gems!

Well, I have a couple of ideas that might work for you. I’ll give you some options, try them all and see which of them leads you to a high positive variance. Then you will know the best way to proceed.

Cut and Vendor:
Depending on just how much you have invested in this situation, this may be a great way to mass unload your blue qualities. Cut them and Vendor them. Like you pointed out, with undercutting taking precedent and listing fees eating into very very small profits, this could be a good way to liquidate your way back into the black sort of speak. While the vendor value is mediocre at best at being a cool 3.75g for cut gems, you could still liquidate your way into money that can be better invested elsewhere.

Keep Stocking Up:
Depending on where you liquid Gold currently stands, this is probably what I would do. And there is a reason why. My thought is that in time, with the release of Epic Gems, there will eventually be a growing daily need for these gems in there uncut form. And that is for Epic Gem Transmutes. This is all speculation, and of course I would imagine a 20 hour cool down, but it may be nice to be able to go to your bank every day and not have to worry about where your mats are going to come from. Especially if you’re acquiring them on the cheap like you are today.

The Perforator:
Depending on your server, this could also lend its self to being a fantastic way to use some of these raw gems and turn them into a more consistent source of revenue. These are fists weapons that hang out around the 150-250g mark on my server. Real easy to make if you have a stock of these Gems, and could lend themselves to being a fantastic liquidation asset. Here is an example of what they currently look like on my server via The Undermine Journal. Again, a simple resource that can make tough decisions a lot easier.
http://theunderminejournal.com/item.php?realm=H-Scilla&item=52493

Those would be my best suggestions at this current point in time. What you need to do from this point forward are weigh your options and find out which of these represent your best bet for liquidity and proper investment strategies going forward.

I hope that helps, other readers feel free to hop in if you have suggestions that can also help Jawa move his current over stock in a profitable fashion.

Hope it helps!

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