As makers of gold in World of Warcraft there is a risk that we become stuck in the rut of crafting only the latest of gear or trade in the latest of material. In this post I’ll explain how trading in gear and material across the expansions can make you easy wow gold and reduce Auction House competition to boot.

On Episode 4 of the Journal of Marcus Ty Podcast I was discussing some of the techniques I use to reduce competition in the Auction House. One technique which I use regularly is to trade Old World gear and material. Now, when I say ‘Old World’ I’m talking about gear and material from several expansions back, as opposed to a few patch levels. So I now consider Old World to be the expansions Classic, Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. Cataclysm is still fresh in the minds of many players to be considered ‘Old World’ but items of this expansion can still make a profit if you study demand carefully.

A good example of an item that can be traded for a great profit from Classic WoW is Arcanite. This metal can only be crafted by Alchemists, which helps reduce competition for even more. It’s relatively simple to craft:

Transmute Arcanite Bar

1 x Thorium Bar

1 x Arcane Crystal

I’ve posted about making gold from Arcanite before so won’t repeat myself, only to mention the one limitation to crafting this item which is sourcing Arcane Crystals. Unlike other gems, Arcane Crystal cannot be prospected, they can only be obtained from mining Thorium ore directly. The result is that they are not that abundant on the Auction House which limits my Arcanite production.

For those players that love to farm ore (and some folks do) there are a few locations in Azeroth where Rich Thorium nodes are particularly abundant and which give the highest chance of an Arcane Crystal:

Winterspring

On’Goro Crater

Silithus

I’ve been trading Arcanite for a few months on my server now with little to no competition and for a great profit.

Keeping with Alchemy, I have started to trade Potion of Invisibility on my server. Again, this is a simple item to craft:

Potion of Invisibilty

1 x Sungrass

1 x Ghost Mushroom

Like Arcanite, there is one item that is hard to find on the Auction House which is Ghost Mushroom. However, all ingredients are easily farmed from the On’Goro Crater with Ghost Mushroom found in the Cave known as Fungal Rock.

There is still a strong demand for Potion of Invisibility on my server; it tends to disappear fast (sorry) and commands a high price.

Another item I tend to trade on my server for a great profit is the metal of Titanium. Again, there are few players trading this material despite strong demand. With little competition on my server I tend to control the market and command a high price. Again, I utilize my Alchemist to good effect by buying up cheap Saronite ore and transmuting to expensive Titanium. If you farm the ore directly, then the profit margin is even greater.

I’ve so far given three examples of the items I trade on a regular basis on my server from past expansions, with the focus on alchemy as the profession. But there are numerous other examples that I could give across the three expansions mentioned and across all of the professions. By looking hard at your particular set of professions you should be able to identify niche material and gear from past expansions that you can trade with reduced competition and for a great profit.

Resources