I made about two gold salvaging uneeded gear, and gathering crafting mats (you can gather after you have purchased then equipped the three gathering tools: axe, sickle, mining pick) and then selling on the auction house (Black Lion Trading Company). The money you get from auctions is collected at NPC Black Lion Trading Company vendors you'll find at cities, trading posts, villages. Figure this was starter level mats (collected in level 15 and below areas) and only about 7 hours of game time over multiple test characters. Hope this helps