Previously, on Dugi’s Guides

Click here to Download Dailies & Events Guide

With that being said….

Azeroth’s Farmer’s Almanac

Vendor Farming

Vendor farming is a different type of farming. This type is is great for slow cash during fast times. It can be done a nearly any level and you don’t need a profession to complete it.

First thing is first. Dugi’s Guide now has a new Dailies and Events guide that includes a Vendor Run for Azeroth and Outland. Take note that there is no Northrend. This guide takes you a on route throughout all the lands in search of vendors that sell scrolls, patterns, schematics, recipes, and even materials. Just follow the TomTom arrow in the guide and you’ll get to where you need to go without any problems.

The object of Vendor Farming is to collect as much as you can, that you know will sell, and put it up on the AH. This is where a mule is your best friend and, if you are an engineer, a portable mailbox might be helpful. In fact, if you are an enchanter as well, there’s quite a few green items on the way that are great for disenchanting and selling for mats.

Since everything is already laid out for you in the guide itself, the best I can do is lay down a couple tips and trick for MAXIMIZING your run.

You don’t have to be on the run to run the run.

Yes, you read that right. Let’s come to a few facts. You got the Leveling Guide to begin with because you want to get to level 80 as quickly as possible and earn lots of gold on the way. So, every time you start a new zone, refer to your guide as you get there. Find all the vendors worth hitting and come back often. Nearly every vendor is near a mailbox, so it is easy to unload. If you know you are going to pass through an area, check the vendor guide and see who’s around.

It takes money to make money.

For a complete Vendor Run, it will cost you about 100 GP per continent. That includes air fare and vendor costs. If that is out of your price range, look ahead in the guide and choose that which are for sure sellers. Cooking Recipes and high level Engineering Schematics usually do the trick. However, if you been doing your other farming duties well, for most of you, price should not be an issue.

TIP: Hey, you human noobs! Wanna make 50 GP as soon as you start the game? Just outside of the beginning area is the Cat Lady’s Shack. There you can buy 4 pet cats at 40 SP each. They normally sell for an average 10 GP each on the AH on a good day! Not bad, newbie!

Understand what you are buying.

When you buy something, understand how much that item is going to sell for and if you can move it. Not everything will sell, but those that do by far make up for the things that did not. Potions and Stat Scrolls are easy to pick up and easy to sell. Be sure to sell them is sets of 5, 10, or 20. Maxing out the stack number is sure way to sell any consumable (mats are a different story). Have your Mule save up until you have a full set. Same goes for disenchanted spell components.

What ever green items you are selling should be sold at x5 the value you bought it at for a buyout. The starting bid should be at about x3. Cooking recipes are usually preset by other players, so just try to remain competive. don’t worry too much about it, though; you’ll still probably get at least x4 the price you paid for the item. If a item is a rare sell (as in it is rarely posted) don’t be afraid to go 100+ GP. Some serious gamers will pay it out. If it don’t sell, slowly lower the price until you get a bite. That bite will set the norm.

Engineering Materials you come across should always be picked up. Tubes, powders, and even frames are always sellable. Sure, the engineers could make these things themselves, but it is very costly. They prefer to buy the petty things over sacrificing more gold just to make them. Again, these items can be sold for up to X6 or x7.

TIP: Every alliance player knows they have to pick up a bronze tube for a quest eventually. A gyrochronatom is another must pick up for a certain quest. They can sell well, if not often. Currently a bronze tube is selling for 5 GP each and Gyrochronatom sells for 7 GP average.*

Even Vendors need to time to respawn.

There is only 1 item to go around at any given time. If a vendor you come across don’t have what you were looking for, don’t get too upset; it will come back. Potions and materials usually take up to an hour to respawn. Other recipes/patterns/schematics can take up two 3 hours.** Here’s how this works. Blizzard sets a random timer that does not max out a certain amount of time. So a respawn can be 20 minutes or 2 hours. There is no real science to this and no one has taken the time to figure this out. I can only give you what I’ve experienced.

TIP: DKs are great vendor runners since they have all the flight points (in Azeroth) right off the bat. If Death Knight is not your style, then just use him for your weekly run. If you come to a spot where you have to wait for a repawn, log him out and play a character you really wanted to play. Come back and check up on him from time to time until what you were waiting for shows up.***

There is a reason why it is called Slow Money.

Don’t be surprised if alot of what you are selling is coming back. It happens. It will sell, you just have to be persistent. What does sell will more than pay off for the reposts. Try not to make too many vendor runs in the same week, or you’ll start to decrease your profits. To reach the maximum amount of profit, you’ll need to be patient and wait a couple of days through various reposts. But don’t let that discourage you. The profits are well worth the wait.

NOTE: On my server, I can sell 1 Gnomish Cloaking Device Schematics for 170 GP. That alone covers the cost of the items, all my travel expenses in that guide, all the other items I bought, and all the posting costs to get them on the AH. AND, I was still able to nab some profit on top of that! It took 3 days before it sold.*

There is no fighting involved, unless you want to…

If you are a high level, or have a gathering profession, keep note on the other chapters of the Azeroth’s Farmer’s Almanac, because you can grind some nice AH items along the way. Meat, cloth and scales are a bonus, and you  may come across plenty of nodes to gather from. Remember, when you are on a run, opportunities are everywhere.

…but try to have an exit strategy.

If you are no a very high level, you might come across some rough mobs. Keep an idea where all the exits are and don’t get in over your head. A level 40 has no business mixing it in with level 60 dragonkin. If you absolutely have to get a certain item, find a friend to help you out. Teammates are essential; it gives the enemy someone else to kill. Otherwise, being invisable and having the ability to stun are great weapons of choice. If all else fails, run!

TIP: Blimo Gadgetspring and Jubie Gadgetspring live out in BFE, Azshara, which can be quite a pain to get to. Elites are everywhere and so is a spirit dragon (if you’re really lucky). Instead, head to Durotar and swim from the Northeast corner along the coast line to their hut. It’s faster and safer than weaving in and out of trouble!

Limited time only!

With Cataclysm on the way, the face of Azeroth will be changed forever. You never know who will survive and who won’t . As the day approaches, do more runs and gather up the more hard to get items to sell after the release. Items that become scarce are worth more, and even more so if you can’t even buy them anymore.

Tip: Find what sells best and set a toon to camp there. Log the toon in from time to time and horde up the items needed.Do this especially in places that you know won’t exist post-Cataclysm.

*Servers will vary.
** Based upon personal experiences. Yours might be different.
*** Any class may be used for this. DKs are just more convenient.