The Cross-Realm Podcast #5 - The Lighthouse Project!

"Standing in wonder, the scholars and the magi gathered around and laid a grand summoning before the masses.  There they stood, peasants and nobility as one, in awe of the spectacular sight before them.  A manifestation of wonderment...behold...the teachings..."  ~Profitz

Friends and fellow members of Azeroth, I wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the first of The Lighthouse Project segments (a segment that will be on my podcast leading people through the basics of gold making from the beginning to more advanced topics in a progressive format) on The Cross-Realm with podcast # 5!

The Lighthouse Project - Segment 1

This segment covers the fundamental basics of starting in ONE market (83-84 MOP greens), setting up Auctioneer group(s) to buy in that market, configuration of TSM for category/group(s) to support posting in that market, and general information/tips along the way.

In this first segment, I brought on a life-long friend named Cynful.  Her starting gold will be tracked along the way.  She's starting with 1,561 gold.  It should be noted that she has zero knowledge of gold making and is walked through the first steps.  I'll leave the rest to your listening ears.

I'm honored and pleased to already be on my 5th podcast.  Time flies by so fast and even though it's still in its infancy, the best thing is, I'm having fun and I'm sharing what I know.

I hope you enjoy this segment.


The Cross-Realm Podcast 5 - The Lighthouse Project (MP3) (Play directly with Yahoo's Player)


I'd love to hear from you as well on how you think it came out.  Please reach out and contact via email WowProfitz@gmail.com, Twitter @WowProfitz, or step into our IRC web chat.

Best regards,

~Profitz

Staying Profitable = Smiling Prettily

"The hourglass kept sifting through the narrow way until the last granule fell freely to the pile where its brothers laid.  Then, time seemed to stand still.  Even the breath of a thousand souls within went silent.  The air seemed to have died.  Was this the end?  Have the mighty gods themselves given up on the mortality of flesh?" ~Profitz

Good morning everyone!  There is nothing like breakfast with a side order of gold!  Over this past week, since my last Gold PvP'n post, things continue to become interesting.  The green market seemed to have split in half for me profit wise so knowing this was the case, I kept looking for alternative ways to continue to make gold and I have.  It's great to be able to lean on some folks and rub shoulders with people who have been doing this a long time.  In this tight knit gold-making community, everyone is always willing to offer advice, you just need to ask. (Yes, they do share their wisdom unlike people in the real-world where they're territorial and hold-close-to-the-vest their secrets for job security)

PINCH HERE = GROWTH THERE

Small Sales = Gold Love

Even though my green markets dipped a bit, I've made up for that with additional streams of venue from low raw gems, tailoring, and the increase of recent xmog sales.  I'm back up to averaging around 8-10k/day and have brought my total liquid gold to 562,232.  (Just think...only ~438k more to go...)  Take heed fellow beginner gold-makers, never forget a profit is a profit.  The journey to gold-cap doesn't have to be with large sales.  Every single piece of copper counts as long as it's a profit.  So don't wait for the large sales, making a lot of smaller sales adds up to a pretty pile too!

Since I'm aiming at gold cap for the first time, I'm straying away from any large purchases.  (maybe it's the first-time gold-cap sickness but I'm mesmerized by just starring at the numbers instead of something extravagant in material possession - I'm sure this might change somewhere down the rainbow) I'm sure this might change once I reach it for the first time but I will probably always never go below 900k.  This gives me about a 100k purchase window and yes, I don't plan on stopping after I gold cap.  It's just too much fun!  Have you tried making gold as a side hobby in the game?  You'll love it..trust this clown!

MANAGING THE MASSES
Even though I haven't gold capped on a single toon yet, I started breaking out items that I'm now selling across multiple toons.  Why am I doing this?  It's just easier to manage and simplifies re-posting a bit.  It was taking quite awhile to go through 600+ auctions and mailbox time on a single toon.  I figure if I space it out a bit and manage the posting times and designate which toons will sell what based upon their current professions, (I'm not spreading out too thin now, I'm just talking about 3-4 toons) it would be easier.  Well so far I'm liking it.  Plus it also gives you some more names to post under instead of that one.  (You know...the moment you logon you're getting whispers...spread the hate mail around shall we?)

One of my Brazilian friends Spooby reaches Level 90!

BATTLE CRIES (SHOUT-OUTS)
Spooby:  First, a battle cry shout-out to Spooby for reaching level 90!  He was close on my last live-stream but was kind enough to send in a picture of his achievement shortly thereafter.  Congratz my friend!  Also thanks for your continued support in the IRC channel.

My Gnome Warlock!  <3 Rawrcast!

Rawrcast:  A battle cry to Rawrcast for making this epic wallpaper!  If you haven't already done so folks and you have a smart-phone, head on over to their site and download their mobile app!  It's a great program and makes listening to their shows while on the road, at work, in school, or even grinding in game, easier.  Also, who wouldn't want a nice Gnome Warlock wallpaper??  *winks*


COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS (CC with Friends)
If you haven't stopped in our IRC channel yet to chat, please do so today!  We're slowing building up a steady user base and the people who are joining are contributing to the lively conversations.  Please note, this isn't just about gold making folks.  As my topic states in the channel: "Establishing a Strong World of Warcraft Community - Daily Chat: Economics, Podcasting, Raiding, Guilds, and everything WoW."  HELP US GROW this community connection and join in the fun today.  Bring your own expertise to the channel as well.

How do I join?
1.  Use the web-client:  Simply click here and select your own alias/nickname
2.  Using your favorite IRC client - here are the settings:
       Chat server:  irc.gamesurge.net
       Port: 6667 - 7000
       Channel:  #wowprofitz


EXPERIMENTAL FLASKS AND FIZZES (PROJECT UPDATES)
The Lighthouse Project will be heading into the studio for it's FIRST recording this week folks!!  Stay tuned for the first segment on The Cross-Realm podcast #5.  This is going to be awesome and one to help the beginner in a way that they can follow along with the show and set themselves up for making some coin.

World of Warcraft Gold Strategy Guide:  I've been asked to be a Technical Reviewer for a new gold making strategy guide and I'm really enjoying the experience.  The content of this guide seems spot on and covers a variety of topics.  I can't disclose further details but it should be a great buy when it becomes available.  Plus, I also get a plug in the book and a free copy.  Bonus!  To me, it wasn't about making $$ in real-life for my time but just the experience and honor to be a part of something like this.  I'm very honored.  Thanks to the person who decided to bring on the new-clown-on-the-block.

"For the present I will ask all of you what you see as the principle. Each one of you should state your own understanding." ~Bassui

Until we meet again...farewell.

~Profitz

Competitive Competition (Gold PvPing)

"The candle flickered just for a moment as the flame licked in the cold air from the opened door.  From the doorway, a chilled breeze flew in and captured the attention of all within.  Moments later, a shadowy figured emerged from the outside darkness, one adorned in fine garments and furs from afar.  The stranger took in the sights before him and slowly wandered his way to the tavern keeper.  Leaning forward, he whispered something in a tongue many didn't understand and with an exchange of smiles and a small pouch that clanged of jingling coins, a large tankard of brew surfaced and the itself only bore witness to what happened next..."  ~Profitz

GOLD PvPing

Know Your Realm's Market

Competitive Competition, eh?  Shall we call it Gold PvPing? (What a cool name for it huh? I like it.  A term that I first used when talking with Elvine about the JC markets).  I see how it's going to be...no more easy street for this clown, I mean guy.  *insert my clown avatar smirk here*  It's actually a kind of a cool twist on things and makes it more fun to score that sale now that more people are catching on or just diving into various markets (hell, maybe they've been here all along and our markets that we're working in have now crossed paths).  Regardless, I welcome everyone to try your hand and learn the art of gold making.  It's a great way to earn some coin, learn a new aspect of the game, and have that extra pile of gold to spend on that something-special item you've been always wanting.  (and no, I didn't expect it to be just me buying/flipping items solo on a high-pop realm, the important thing is, recognizing when and where you need to diversify or expand into new markets.  Being aware of when to make the jump and how much it's going to cost you is essential, never mind how to get started)

Entered a new JC market with simple gems

ENTERING NEW MARKETS
When I enter new markets (which I just entered the JC market - thanks to Elvine and Benjamin for your help/info!), there are several things that I like to have in order personally and to a certain level of simplistic detail (oxymoron?  who cares...it has to make sense in a way that makes sense to you personally, if not, find a way to make it make sense.  Now that's a lot of repetitive words...)

Here are the things that I like to know and hopefully by sharing them, it will help guide you in your endeavors into your first market, second, or simply your next market of choice:

1. Take It Slow:  There is no rush.  Take your time, baby steps. Don't ever rush into a market so fast that you don't know what you're doing or haven't done your homework.  Make sure you have the steps in the most fundamental way possible that's repeatable.  Ask yourself...does this make sense to me?  ONLY THEN proceed.
2. Look In The Mirror:  Look at what you can enter across your toons with the least amount of effort.  Whether you're entering with your professions, knowledge of an existing market, or simply want to spend some gold and jump into a new area.
3. Market Analysis:  Look at various sites/resources for YOUR realm and see if it's profitable BEFORE you jump in.  Don't be blind sided and know what to expect.  Now I'm not a financial genius in anyway, in fact I hate math - my mind just doesn't work in numbers but more so in pictures, but simply looking at basic numbers and charts, you can get an idea of what's what.
4. Know Your Competitors:  Searching the AH can tell you a lot about a market by itself.  Are the same people listing the same items and types of items consistently?  Perhaps that's a tell tale sign of a monopoly that you could break into.  What kinds of items are they selling?  What are they typically selling them for?  This will help give you a benchmark over time of price ranges.
5. Enjoy Competition:  Being harsh in-game toward people is never the right approach.  Some people will in fact message you, yell at you, make fun of you and more.  NONE of this affects your gold and it shouldn't affect you.  Learn to have tough skin and don't be afraid to /ignore.
6. Lean on Partnerships/Friends:  Yes, I said lean on those folks who maybe are already successful in that market on another realm.  The gold-making community is special and I haven't run into anyone yet that wouldn't share what they know.  Learn to be a great student of the game.  And don't' forget to reach back to that person to thank them, maybe even share a success that you had because of them.  This goes a long way and will help establish friendships AND mountains of gold.
   
7. Be A Great Student:  Learn from everyone and everything.  Learn from your successes and more importantly, your failures.  Learn to take advice, objective criticism.  Learn to adapt and become humble.  Avoid negativism like egos or showing too much pride/vanity.  Egos don't make you gold, following a simple process and routine does.  It's a methodical process orientated game.  Learn those processes and adapt them to YOUR realm.
8. Contribute/Share:  Receive free - give free.  If you know something that's working for you, then share it.  If you've modified and existing process that you've learned, then share it.  The community is always willing to embrace new faces (if they embraced me, they sure as hell are willing to embrace another knowledgeable person who has new ideas)
9. Work Smart - Not Hard:  Yes, it's quite possible to do all this gold making without using any addons to help you buy, sell/relist, and value items.  But it's also a lot easier if you do.  For one, you'll know that you're making gold, how much of it you've made in what areas, list items in a matter of seconds, buy items with the same speed, and more. (This is where addons are SO helpful - TSM, Auctioneer, Auctionator, bag/mailbox addons, etc).
10. Have Fun:  I always say, if we can't laugh, we're doing something wrong.  Listen guys, this is a game.  Nothing more than that and it's that simple.  Learn to enjoy yourselves.  This shouldn't be a second job, it shouldn't add more stress to your life, and it shouldn't make you an angry person.  If it does, then take some time and do something else in game and come back to it.  The most important thing is have fun.

I hope the above helps you somewhat.  It's basically a simple framework of questions, thoughts if you will, to keep in mind when you decide to enter those new waters.  Never be scared of competition.  It's bound to happen eventually if it's not happening now.  Embrace it...

I'm off to dabble in the JC market now...soon to be tailoring.

Enjoy the game.

~Profitz

Mr. Happily Half (1/2 Million Gold Club)

"Turning and gazing over the dark valleys traveled, the gloomy paths were held captive by fog and mystery for at each cross-road, there was much soul searching.  I traveled on through the hills and valleys questioning my journey day in and day out until finally, behold, the mountain of the gods.  Peering up at this monstrosity seemed only fit for a deity, for I felt insignificant and small.  From it, and the swirling winds which hissed around it, I've learned a thousand scholars worth.  Into a new era I was born to, one which is only half over but still tugging at my heart to go on..." ~Profitz

JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
Over the past thirty days, I've been tracking my progression externally in a spreadsheet.  I wanted to prove to myself that it is possible to reach a substantial amount of gold (honestly to me a 1,000 gold is still substantial never mind more than that) with following simple, proven processes and just repeating those over a period of time.  This has lead me to the 1/2 million gold (500,000 - I just had to type it out because it looks pretty.  Is there a half-million gold club somewhere?  If so, I want my pin or flare I can wear proudly while going to work... *chuckles*) marker.  I'm half way on my journey to gold cap and wanted to share a few numbers with you as well as my experiences thus far.

Since my first post, back on January 26th, I've come to realize there are some great people in this community and I've had the honor to make friends with many.  I've learned that you can learn from everyone and everything...the ups and the downs.  The positive people as well as the naysayers.  Never be discouraged and always keep your chin up knowing that you can make it to your goals (what ever your own goals are in gold-making, mine is gold-capped on one toon) if you take your time and have a lot of patience.  Become a student of many masters and learn as you go.

THIRTY DAYS = 363K

30 Days Tracking = 363K Profit

 Here is the spreadsheet that I track my daily numbers in.  As you can see I started tracking back on February 10th where I had 137,322 gold and just hit the half-way marker today, March 10th at 500,766 gold making a total of 363,444 gold in thirty days.  (To me, I'm pleased with that.  I know many have made it quicker, but being a beginner and taking my time, I'm satisfied with not only the gold amount but the actual experiences and friendships along the way.  Worth a lot more in gold if you ask me.)  Every night around 11PM I update that day's totals and continue to track.  Like my in-game process of buying/selling, it's a simple process and helps me stay positive and focused.  What's your process like?

With every spreadsheet comes a pretty chart if you like visuals (I'm a visual/artsy type guy so I learn more from pictures than reading).  In this chart, you can see my progression day-to-day through the entire 30 days right up to 1/2 million gold.

30 Days worth of Daily Gold Totals

GROWTH AND SHARING
On my quest to gold cap, I was inspired by a few people that have blogs, live-streams, podcasting, and thought to myself, the information that I'm learning from a beginner's perspective can probably help people just like it helped me.  They probably have the same questions that I had.  So why not get involved in these forms of communications and start contributing in your own way too?  Before long, I created my own blog, dived into podcasting, then live-streaming, and also started entering other areas of communications like chat channels, social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, music stream sites like iTunes, Stitcher, and more.  It's endless what you can do and I entered these areas when I thought I had something to contribute and could share.  Slowly expanding as needed to reach more and more people in their own travels.  I hope those who follow me appreciate the content and are learning from it just like I have and continue to do.

Thank you to all who have visited and supported me.  I'm approaching 9,000 visitors on my blog.  Have reached almost 100 followers on Twitter, have received a few viewers in my live-streams, and nice feedback on the podcasting.  Simply... thank you.  *bows respectfully and with honor*

THE JOURNEY NEVER ENDS
I know this journey doesn't end and that is what keeps me going day after day.  Knowing that this road, if you wanted it to, doesn't have to end at gold cap on one toon.  You can cap several toons or spend large amounts of gold on those special items (mounts perhaps?) that you always wanted to finish out your collections.  You can assist guildies or expand your army of alts with full BoAs.  The world is yours...just take it day by day and you'll be there soon enough.

May your paths be filled with riches and even more so, warm friendships.

Be well.

~Profitz

Transmog Treats = Gold Giddiness

"The morn awoke and sent its vibrance across the lands, reminding me of how gold smiled brightly and twinkled with its own smirk.  The waters were cold but soon gave birth to a new land...this new land where we anchored and set forth into exploration.  There were many of us, some from far lands, some with blood painted on their faces and the mark of beasts.  The lands were strange and dangerous with bones hugging the blood stained soil and foliage which grabbed at my very soul.  Even so, this land has proved fruitful in the couple days in its wake.  For only tomorrow knows..." ~Profitz

Greetings fellow adventurers!  I hope this post finds you well and settling in nicely to the 5.2 Patch, The Thunder King!  I've learned a few things already and wanted to take a minute to share them with you if you haven't already done so on your own.

TRANSMOG TREATS = GOLD GIDDINESS

Auctioneer Patch 5.2 i429 xMogs

Since the patch, the xmog market seems to be picking up slightly.  Probably for a couple reasons; first you can now xmog more freely (one handers into any one hander, two handers into any two hander, and staffs/polearms interchangeably) and second, there are some nice new xmog pieces introduced with this patch.  A couple days ago, I staged my TSM with a shopping list as well as created a new general query within Auctioneer to search for these new set of greens in hope that they sell well and I can catch the wave early enough to make some decent coin.  These are level 90, iLvl 429 items and they do come in sets.  Elvine has the sets listed over on his site if you want to create the TSM shopping list, or Auctionator shopping list, and you can follow my screenshot above if you wanted to configure within Auctioneer for general searches.

These are definitely worth setting up right away since sales are above 1500-2000 gold each!  I've sold so far four of these items the same day of the patch alone.  (I'm sure you know the xmog biz by now and know that even having one item sell is sweet...never mind four.  Hurry!  Set that list up and start buying and flipping) And yes, they're still being listed for (like the other green markets) under 50g!  Besides this, they look awesome too!

Example:  5.2 xmog armor and weapons selling!

SUNWELL RARES 
Besides the xmogs picking up, I've also been able to buy a few Sunwell rare recipes (another dealfinding list within TSM) for very cheap prices and flip them for huge amounts.  I have mine setup at Wowuction for notification purposes too as well as lists within the TSM application.  (Nothing like receiving a txt msg that a deal was found and using Mobile Armory to pick it up and make a profit)

d1@5487/6000000,16044/6000000,9367/6000000,6055/6000000,3737/6000000,7678/6000000,35194/6000000,35196/6000000,13308/6000000,33186/6000000,4624/6000000,35206/6000000,35210/6000000,35216/6000000,35218/6000000,28270/6000000,4597/6000000,4356/6000000,22540/6000000,16253/6000000,35201/6000000,35187/6000000,35189/6000000,12692/6000000,35193/6000000,35195/6000000,35197/6000000,35203/6000000,5482/6000000,12821/6000000,35202/6000000,35207/6000000,35191/6000000,35211/6000000,22558/6000000,12824/6000000,35217/6000000,35219/6000000,10463/6000000,12825/6000000,22557/6000000,35192/6000000,35190/6000000,12261/6000000,23637/6000000,35186/6000000,6046/6000000@

Sunwell Rare Recipes Selling Nice!

PODCAST HEAVEN
I've recently been on a personal outside-of-game quest (no, I didn't get all dressed up in my full battle plate and storm the local streets on my mechanical 4-wheeled steed) to listen to as many podcasts as possible that are on Rho's list over at Realm-Maintenance.  There are so many good ones out there I'm just glad they don't overlap and I can catch them all.  The Cross-Realm also got a plug from Rho's podcast on Realm-Maintenance - very nice to hear, thank you sir.  (Shout outs to (and this is by no means a complete list of all the great ones I've listened to this past week): SoCalWowGal, LowPopWow, Sheep Moon, Epic Podcast, Twizzcast, Legendary, The Instance, Out of Mana, Chaos Portal, Rawrcast, Tauren Think Tank), So hats off to those podcasters who are bringing tons of information to the World of Warcraft Community!

THE LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
Final preparations are on their way for my first segment of The Lighthouse Project!  I can't wait to share this with you all.  I'm sure you'll really enjoy it as a periodic segment on The Cross-Realm and one that's down to earth, casual and informative.  If you're new to gold making and want to start from step one, this will take you there.  This should be available with the first session over the next week.  Stay tuned!!!

COMMUNITY WEB CHAT
Recently, I've also started a web-based IRC chat channel.  I've created this specifically for establishing a strong World of Warcraft community and welcome daily chat on: Economics, Podcasting, Raiding, Guilds, and everything WoW.  I welcome you all to stop in and help make this our success together.  It's easy to get too and its open 24x7 (pending there are no server issues with the hosting company or raids by incoming orcs).

Be well and happy profits!

~Profitz

The Cross-Realm Podcast #4 - Special Guest: Elvine

"Before me in mid air, reflections and swirling ancient runes coveted my thoughts and took me a slave to higher visions.  For I didn't know the thoughts or actions of my next steps until, there stood the stranger, garbed in gold and welcoming travelers from realms untold.  It was this man, knowledgeable in the ways of the kings, who led me further and granted me access to the treasure room of riches."  ~Profitz

Fellow gold makers abroad, today on The Cross-Realm I had the privilege of interviewing Elvine.  A friend and a man of honor and trust in the gold-making community.  It was exciting to sit down with him and record this virtual session.  I've learned a ton from him and continue to learn on a daily basis.  Thanks for beging a part of the show and I look forward to establishing a strong gold-making partnership as friends and within the World of Warcraft community.

We covered the following topics:

• Origins and Beginnings
• Liquid Gold and Net-Worth
• Various Markets
• Starting Out As A Beginner
• Choosing Professions
• Give-aways and Raffles
• Blizzcon
• Patch 5.2
• Making Gold in Darkmoon Faire
• Cataclysm vs Pandaria Gold
• Gold-Making Saturation Possible
• Closing Comments
• Special Intro Music Contribution

Special Intro Music:  My podcast featured some custom music specifically created by my brother Will Gould for The Cross-Realm.  The track is called "Death's Door".  He's a studio musician with awesome talent (over 30+ years) in writing songs, introductions, leads, etc.  He's multi-talented and plays several instruments as well as records and mixes his own label.  His sample music can be heard over at his site on Reverbnation.com.  Thanks bro!!

LISTEN HERE:

The Cross-Realm Podcast 4 - Special Guest: Elvine (MP3)

Thanks for listening and please send in your comments!
I love hearing back from the community.

Twitter:  @WowProfitz
Email:     WowProfitz@Gmail.com

Be well.

~Profitz

Darkmoon Faire Booming! *Cha-Ching*

"And so it was, like a new breath that refreshes the soul, a new adventure blessed my path of gold.  I stood strong and strapped on my armor, weapon steadfast, looked up into the moonlight with a smile knowing the gods have blessed me this eve with the knowledge of kings.  Onward I went."  ~Profitz

Darkmoon Faire Quest Items

Greetings all.  I've recently jumped into the Darkmoon Faire quest-item market and started selling those on the AH. (yes, those quest items that you probably have so many of you either got rid of them, used them yourself, or simply gave them away!).  I learned this a couple days ago from one of the people I'm titling the King of Gold Making himself, Elvine.  Thanks my friend!

This adventure all started a couple days go when I started buying up DMF quest items and stockpiled them for the right time to start selling.  The eve of I started listing them and BOOM!!! I couldn't keep them listed fast enough.  It was so excited to see items selling so fast (it was like popcorn popping).  I made, no kidding aside, 10,000 gold in like 5 minutes after listing them.  I was weary of entering this market for the first time for I wasn't sure if they would sell or not but it was a small risk to take since I could use the items myself to build up rep, buy items from the faire, etc.  So why not, right?

DMF BOOMING! *cha-ching*

I jumped in, bought everything on the AH (all under 30g at the time listed so small investment)  and stock piled them in my bank waiting for the right time to post.  The best time to post these is the eve of or during the week of the DMF.  The prices will obviously go down as the week comes to an end but that's ok too!  This means you can buy all the items listed at cheap prices, stockpile them, and do this process again when it comes back around.

A nice dealfinding list can be found on Elvine's site (only 9 quest items so it's small).  Or you can copy/paste this from here.

Dealfinding List for TSM (currently set a 50g or less to list in the query)
d1@71952/500000,71638/500000,71715/500000,71716/500000,71637/500000,71951/500000,71635/500000,71636/500000,71953/500000@

Live-streaming on the DMF Boom and AH Fun.

I look forward to seeing where this ends at the end of the week.  It's exciting to learn new guys (at least new from my perspective, some folks have probably been doing this awhile) and see the returns come back so fast.

The recorded live-stream can be watched here.

Follow or join me at the following:
Twitter
Email Me
IRC Web Chat
Facebook
iTunes
Stitcher coming soon

Best regards to you all and I hope DMF is kind to you as it's been to me already on day-1.

Happy gold making!

~Profitz