Selling raw herbs over pots worth it?

[Amali1232]

Hi,

I've never really paid any attention to professions, but I kinda needed to grind gold so I went for Herbalism/Alchemy. Super profitable right now, though my experience is rather low with the latter.

My question is the following:
Battle potion of Agility/Intellect currently sell for around 710 gold on my realm each. With Rank 3 recipes for both, I require 8x Riverbud + 10x Siren's Pollen. These cost 42g and 75g each, respectively. This comes at 1086g if I sell them all in raw form rather than turning them into potions. As most of you will know, however, there's a good chance when crafting potions to proc an extra (up to I don't know how many, anyone know?).

The question is, does anyone have concrete data or enough experience to decide whether the 376g extra selling raw mats is inferior or superior to going the crafting potions route and making up for the lower price through quantity?

[Biomega]

At those numbers, it doesn't seem worth the risk of crafting to me. You have to take into account AH cuts, market fluctuations, etc. Not a good investment.

[Raelyn]

This was the reason my 1st alt to level was a druid, with both herbing and mining. Levelled exclusively to 120 farming herbs/ore. It's always the same at the start of every expansion, but has been increased this time around due to the low rate of Arrow Weed spawns.

If you have the ability to do so, I would recommend farming the herbs, rather than buying off the AH. Personally, my main is alch/ench and I just check to see the most expensive potions/flasks each day and sell those. The proc chance on pots seems pretty decent, but flasks is more of a lottery as you can't craft as many.

My 2cents. Sorry no actual data for you.

[Pandragon]

This was the reason my 1st alt to level was a druid, with both herbing and mining. Levelled exclusively to 120 farming herbs/ore. It's always the same at the start of every expansion, but has been increased this time around due to the low rate of Arrow Weed spawns.

If you have the ability to do so, I would recommend farming the herbs, rather than buying off the AH. Personally, my main is alch/ench and I just check to see the most expensive potions/flasks each day and sell those. The proc chance on pots seems pretty decent, but flasks is more of a lottery as you can't craft as many.

My 2cents. Sorry no actual data for you.

Alch/Ench as well on my main. I've stopped trying to sell Flasks. I only ever broke even from buying the herbs. Potions have been a little better in profit but...I spent 150k and only made 13k profit on potions. Trying to figure out what to do to make gold for my sub is giving me a headache.

[Biomega]

If you have the ability to do so, I would recommend farming the herbs, rather than buying off the AH.

If you farm to craft because the AH is too expensive, all you're doing is lowering the value of your own time. You could just sell those herbs and make more money (i.e. get more value for your time).

If the ingredients are worth more than the product, it doesn't really matter where you go the ingredients from - not selling them is the mistake.

Of course, there's a high degree of volatility involved in the AH. Prices may fluctuate wildly from one hour to the next, and throw off your math.

[Amali1232]

I've been herbing quite a bit lately, so I am not buying anything off the AH.

A friend of mine claims he got 60 pots out of crafting 40, so 20 are extra. In this case, the value of the pots and raw materials is essentially identical. But, according to him, just 20 extra was actually unlucky, so it might be that the proc rate is high enough to represent a better return.

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm still undecided.

[NED funded]

I don't know about pots, but I do know that from legion flask procs the formula was something like:

Price of flasks*1.33 - crafting costs

Change that for TSM and it will tell you when its profitable or not.

- - - Updated - - -

If you farm to craft because the AH is too expensive, all you're doing is lowering the value of your own time. You could just sell those herbs and make more money (i.e. get more value for your time).

If the ingredients are worth more than the product, it doesn't really matter where you go the ingredients from - not selling them is the mistake.

Of course, there's a high degree of volatility involved in the AH. Prices may fluctuate wildly from one hour to the next, and throw off your math.

I mean, with the new 20% fine selling crafting mats its kinda eh. I usually post like stacks of 10 or 20 and it can take me at least a week for the herbs I farmed to sell, I can't blame people that prefer to make crafted items and sell those than sell the crafting mats raw.

[Twdft]

Depends how lucky you are. Very small sample but I got 47 pots from crafting 40, so I lost gold. A friend had a 20 proc. You'd have to craft thousands of pots for odds to even out. Selling herbs and buying pots is the safe way.

[Biomega]

I mean, with the new 20% fine selling crafting mats its kinda eh. I usually post like stacks of 10 or 20 and it can take me at least a week for the herbs I farmed to sell, I can't blame people that prefer to make crafted items and sell those than sell the crafting mats raw.

If you take a week to sell something, you're doing it wrong. Anytime you don't sell you lose the deposit and lower your profits. If you don't want to sell at current lowest market price, then sit on the goods without posting until the LMP is something you can live with.

[Crookers]

Alch/Ench as well on my main. I've stopped trying to sell Flasks. I only ever broke even from buying the herbs. Potions have been a little better in profit but...I spent 150k and only made 13k profit on potions. Trying to figure out what to do to make gold for my sub is giving me a headache.

Buy any and all anchor weed below 500g, repost at 600g. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

[Pandragon]

Buy any and all anchor weed below 500g, repost at 600g. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I've tried flipping. Lost a lot of gold that way. Within a day the price is back down to where I bought it from before any of it sells. Besides, the amount of Anchor Weed under 600g would take all of my gold and I still wouldn't be able to buy it all.

[probert]

Mats can be used for leveling crafting or production of consumables. Herbs are used by both inscription and alchemy, and occasionally for daily quest turn ins.

Flasks are only needed when raiding is at its peak, and depreciate as gear closes the gap between progression raiding versus farming raid content.

In short...mats almost always do better alone.

[quite an expert in wow]

On my realm I see flask prices rising right now. Don't underestimate the power of holding back for a bit. Unless you are in a huge need of gold, making flasks and selling them later might be an option too. Flasks will be required throughout the entire expansion. Not just now.

I am selling both by the way. If flask prices are profitable, I make flasks. If herbs are profitable, I sell herbs. I'm not looking into potions but the same goes for those.