Auctions - When to fold and vendor an item

[Concequence]

Hello Folks, I am looking for some auction house advice.

I find I spend a lot of money posting items, and some of them just don't seem to sell too well.

Is there a point when you simply vendor an item? Or are there types of things that you just don't bother selling?
I am trying to make a lot of gold, so when I have a day where I go backwards and lose gold, I know I must be doing
something wrong.

I use TSM. I am kind of new serious auctioning, I know some basics, I review Undermine Journal from time to time.

[Lizbot]

Hello Folks, I am looking for some auction house advice.

I find I spend a lot of money posting items, and some of them just don't seem to sell too well.

Is there a point when you simply vendor an item? Or are there types of things that you just don't bother selling?
I am trying to make a lot of gold, so when I have a day where I go backwards and lose gold, I know I must be doing
something wrong.

I use TSM. I am kind of new serious auctioning, I know some basics, I review Undermine Journal from time to time.

Honestly, it depends on the items and how valuable they are. Truth of the matter is, some rare transmog pieces aren't going to sell right away. Hell, you could be relisting the same item over and over for months, losing money every time, but if the item ultimately sells for 10k (earning you more money than you lost) it was worth the effort.

But if the vendor price and therefore the AH deposit is high (like Wrath+ gear) and it wasn't worth all that much to start with, it's probably time to start looking at how much the disenchanted mats would sell for.

EDIT: Oh, and one more thing.

There are going to be days when you lose gold. It's inevitable. Playing the Auction House, especially if you're moving slow-selling merchandise, is a long game. If you start cutting your prices just because stuff isn't selling right away, you're going to cheat yourself out of a lot of gold in the long run.

Research your purchases, be sure of your prices, relist your items and be patient. Trust me.

[Nobleshield]

The only things I usually vendor without trying are green-quality gems, gems with +PVP stats, or gems that nobody really desires uses (e.g. +320 Dodge yellow cuts).

Oh, or I vendor them if the price is a couple of gold, because usually the item vendors for around that much anyways. If it's not a significant amount of gold for selling it, chances are I won't bother.

[Halicia]

Generally I fold when the posting fee costs about half what I'd get from vendoring it.

Thats just for the stuff I think may sell though, like old patterns and mats. If its stuff I dont think will sell, I'll often just vendor it if the value of an auction sale isnt worth my time. (like, less then 20-50g give or take).

Depends how many items i currently have in my 'bouncing from auction' cycle, and how desperately the guildbank needs room.

Oh, and !@#$ gems. I'll let perfects and research-byproducts sit in the guildbank for a few, and then they're generally getting vendored. High posting fees, high competition, low sale price. Makes for a bad item all around.

[Forgettable]

Personally if something doesn't sell for me within a week, I vendor it. I get so much junk in my bags that it just isn't worth keeping something longer than that. Most of the stuff I sell is easy to get and moves quick. There comes a point where the time invested in constantly relisting an item is actually more valuable than the item itself. I consider my time more valuable than gold in many cases.

[Lizbot]

Personally if something doesn't sell for me within a week, I vendor it. I get so much junk in my bags that it just isn't worth keeping something longer than that. Most of the stuff I sell is easy to get and moves quick. There comes a point where the time invested in constantly relisting an item is actually more valuable than the item itself. I consider my time more valuable than gold in many cases.

God, I hope you're checking the prices of your transmog gear before doing that. I've been in groups when people have rolled "Disenchant" on BoE greens worth more than 1,000 g and it always makes my heart ache.

EDIT: Playing the Auction House is a profession? The more you know. o_o

[arcaneshot]

God, I hope you're checking the prices of your transmog gear before doing that. I've been in groups when people have rolled "Disenchant" on BoE greens worth more than 1,000 g and it always makes my heart ache.

It's only worth 1000g if someone buys it. The problem becomes, can you sell it before you lose gold on relisting it? Considering some of those green pieces cost a fortune to list, it doesn't take very long until its sell value is exceeded when you don't have a buyer.

[Deleted]

This is an interesting question and a refreshing change . some good advice above.
The answer is it depends on your server, ah and what it is.

1.If you understand the item then you will know its worth.
2. Understand your market and competition.

DO NOT CRAFT THINGS WHICH WONT SELL, means there is less chance of having to vendor stuff.

Items from leveling professions go on the guild trash tab.

I vendor two types of things besides profession leveling proceeds.
1. Low value items when I need space.
2. Things that i might try to sell once, but then decide its not worth the effort for the potential return. If the price of de mats is close to vendor price then I vendor.


I dont vendor much, although there was one time where there was a discrepacy and vendor price could be made to be profitable.

[mistahwilshire]

It's only worth 1000g if someone buys it. The problem becomes, can you sell it before you lose gold on relisting it? Considering some of those green pieces cost a fortune to list, it doesn't take very long until its sell value is exceeded when you don't have a buyer.

It honestly takes quite a long time before that situation becomes even remotely close to happening.

[chazus]

For me, if it's worth less than 5g, and I can't DE it, and I see it popping up again and again in my auction cycles of 50+ items... it's time to go.

If it's worth more than 5g, someone, somewhere wants it. Depending on the cost, it may be worth it to just relist it, since relisting takes no time or effort.

[Lizbot]

It's only worth 1000g if someone buys it. The problem becomes, can you sell it before you lose gold on relisting it? Considering some of those green pieces cost a fortune to list, it doesn't take very long until its sell value is exceeded when you don't have a buyer.

That's very true, but it honestly depends on the piece. Most of the BoE Greens worth anything from a transmog perspective are from Vanilla and BC, meaning that their list prices are negligible at best. I certainly wouldn't recommend relisting to the point where you're actually losing money (in my first post to the OP I covered that), but I've seen too many people who didn't appreciate the value of what they had and simply tossed their valuable greens aside for lack of interest.

It's understandable -- the amount of research necessary to price everything correctly can make your head hurt, and a lot of people just don't care that much about making gold -- but it makes my soul cry.

[Ziene]

ya, can be a little nerve wracking at times..

I have been trying to sell this formula for weeks... no bites..
http://www.wowhead.com/item=16253

[Tarazet]

ya, can be a little nerve wracking at times..

I have been trying to sell this formula for weeks... no bites..
http://www.wowhead.com/item=16253

The value of that is going to plummet when Glorious Stats can be put on BoA gear.

[Deleted]

Transmog is one of the most unpredictable and gamble'y way to make gold in this game.
It might sell for 2000g, but you can just as well get undercut by 90% by some lowbie who happened to find it. And relist it a hundred times, unable to sell it.
That's why i just sell high demand items like gems, flasks, potions, enchants. This is always selling at a rapid rate (on my server which is full of raiding guild - im 3/13 hc and rank 52 on my realm) and it's really hard to lose gold that way. I have 5,4 million acquired & 10.200 per day on stats page, total gold I spent on my mounts in this expansion is propably in 2 million-ish range. Sometimes I stumbled onto asshole players putting up a price blocks (500x potent vermilion onyx on 48h from same person, same thing with all other useful cuts) limiting possible profits but overall gold is always going up by 100-200k a week.

[Ziene]

The value of that is going to plummet when Glorious Stats can be put on BoA gear.

I know.. I'm just trying to get this liquidated so i don't deal with this thing anymore..

[xskarma]

I know.. I'm just trying to get this liquidated so i don't deal with this thing anymore..

There will still be some market from completionists, but yeah, not the top gold it once commanded.


I don't really have a system of any kind, but if I notice a certain item isn't selling I first look at my price, then if it's still not selling I'll probably vendor it. To be fair though, I don't deal in worthwhile stuff that will take a long time to sell normally. Things like recipes and such I will mostly just learn on teh profession toon I have, and I've not had the privilige to get anything like a rare transmog item or something that could take months but will fetch several k.

[Concequence]

I really appreciate the input from everyone. Ill mull over these comments and come up with a solid strategy of my own that makes sense.
I'm glad to see this was a good topic.