Stockpiling For MoP: Is It Time To Start Stocking Up?



Time To Stock Up For Mists of Pandaria?



Mists of Pandaria Stockpiling Tips

Is It Time To Start Stockpiling For Mists Of Pandaria?


Yes & No

I have already begun to start stockpiling items for Mists of Pandaria, but only a few specific items.  I have given some ideas on what to stockpile for Mists of Pandaria and so have others in the MoP Stockpiling carnival entries.  Those posts are geared to get you thinking about what you will be stockpiling, but aren't designed to be direct warnings to start stockpiling immediately.  Right now the main things I have been stockpiling are the harder to obtain and rarer items: mainly Mounts, Companion Pets, and profession chokepoint items.  Any items that are rare and hard to get should be given priority at this point in the Cata expansion.  Of course, don't pass up any dirt cheap priced items.  Those should be snatched up immediately.

Why not get started stockpiling everything right now? 

There are 2 main reasons not to start mass buying raw materials and other common items just yet.

1. The Cataclysm expansion is far from over. 
2. Summer is coming.

Even though the MoP Beta is progressing along and we have already hit the expansion lull that happens after the last major content patch, there is still a ways to go until the end of Cataclysm and the release of Mists of Pandaria.  Leaked reports have the next WoW expansion placed as a launch in quarter two of 2012, with many speculating a late June MoP launch.  So we still have at least a couple of months left.  The closer we get to the expansion, then more players will start to liquidate their old stock in preparation for the new expansion.  Prices will continue to drop in many markets as useage will continue to decline.  This drop in demand will also be paired with market flooding as players dump their goods, so prices should be better than they currently are.

In addition to the decline in demand and the market flooding there is another major contributor that cripples many markets.  That dreaded time of year, when many markets see a major increase in competition is the summer break.  College students should have more play time starting in late May / early June and high schools will start letting out for summer break in early to mid June.  This is the first time we have seen a new WoW expansion release during the summer break.  Even more players will be invading auction house markets and further crashing items down to cheaper levels.

So start picking up rock bottom priced goods and the harder to find items now, while waiting closer to launch for the raw materials prices to bottom out.

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Choking Your WoW Auction House Competition

Competition Got You In A Choke Hold?

Warcraft Auction House Competition

So you have been plugging along making nice profits in the World of Warcraft auction house selling profession crafted goods.  Then one day some other player comes along and starts to undercut your auction house listings.  You think to yourself, "Damnit!  Where did this new competitor come from?"  An undercutting war may start, which forces the prices down further and further, and this new competitor is eating into your previously more profitable market.  Or worse yet, every time you list or relist your acutions there is an auctio house camper that is constantly undercutting you.  Now you scream to yourself, "When will these damn school kids be back to school!"  Argh!  Not for another 3 months! 

Yes, it's that dreaded time of year, where competition is going to give you a headache.  If you can't compete with the unlimited playtime of the school kids that are out for summer break, then you need to look into new ways to protect your market.  It isn't time to roll over and give up your market.  It's time to choke your competition out of your markets!

Tips For Choking Competition Out Of Your Niche Market

Limiting Crafting Materials - Most crafting auctioneers tend to purchase their materials from the auction house as opposed to farming their own raw materials.  Most of your niche market craftables have 1 or 2 items required in the crafting recipe that are either more rare or less abundant on the aution house.  By simple buying all of those materials that show up on the auction house you are limiting your competitions ability to purchase from the auction house.  If you deny them the hard to get resources, then they won't have a complete materials set to craft and compete within your market.  You may be buying these materials already for you own crafting, but make sure to buy them all out also.

Here are a few examples of niche market items and what materials you can buy up to deny your competition. 

• Tranquil Mechanical Yeti - Globe of Water & Elemental Earth
• Lil Smoky - Core of Earth
• Deviate Scale Belt - Perfect Deviate Scales
• Barbaric Bracers - Large Fangs & Heavy Hides
• Spidersilk Boots - Spider's Silk 

Protecting Your Rare Patterns - If you are in a niche market that requires learning the recipe from a rare pattern, then you should also be on the lookout for when that same pattern comes up for sale on the auction house.  If you are watching the auction house, be sure to snatch up other copies that appear of the same rare pattern for your market.  If you find another pattern, you can either transfer it cross faction to keep the pattern away from your same faction competition or you can re-list it and price it so expensive that only a completionist collector would buy it. 

As many of you great readers already know, I am the sole provider of Rich Purple Silk Shirts on my server's auction house.  This is a great niche market because the pattern is super rare and the material cost is very low compared to the final sale prices of my Rich Purple Silk Shirts.  Even though I already have this pattern, I am constantly searching for it on the auction house.  Why?  You got it!  If no one else can buy the pattern, then they can't compete with me.  Keeping those rare patterns away from other players is a great way to limit your auction house competition. 


Craft It Cheaper - Some auctioneers make the mistake of buying pre-crafted intermediate items off of the auction house in addition to raw materials.  Why?  Not everyone has access to all of the professions.  When an item requires multiple professions to craft a final product, some players are stuck buying those crafted materials on the auction house.  You want to always break down every component of the required materials because often times you can craft it way cheaper yourself.  Always see if you can get a cheaper route to the same end product.  Maybe it is cheaper to buy ores and smelt yourself.  Maybe it is cheaper to buy the ores already smelted.  Don't forget to look at all your options to cut costs where possible.
 
Example:  The engineering crafted Pet Bombling takes Fused Wiring to craft.  If you don't have a jewelcrafter, then you are stuck buying the completed Fused Wiring off the auction house as opposed to making them yourself.  If you have the jewlcrafter, then you can make your Pet Bomblings for much cheaper.
 
Anyone else have any good tips for limiting your competition?

That Dreaded Time Of Year Again

Schools Out For The Summer

School's Out - Cons

Yes it's that dreaded time of year again when high schools and colleges have recessed for the summer session.  Most schools are either already out or will be wrapping up their school year soon.  The high schools and grade schools here in St. Louis have just let out.  Why do I say "that dreaded time of year" again? 

Well, if you don't already know that there is an increase in players over the summer months.  Some people will claim that more players take time off during the summer months and this results in less players.  This may be true for guilds, when getting a raid group together can be tougher over the summer months, due to summer vacations and more family outings, and holidays. 

Overall though, nearly every World of Warcraft server will see an influx of both new and returing players.  There will be many more players online during the weekdays as there is no school in session.  I call it "that dreaded time of year" because by the end of the summer, I will be ready for these kids to get back to school.  Why?  The increase in players with more available playtime means increased competition.  And from my experience, there will be a lot more auction house camping during the week days.  So competition will be more fierce the next few months in many markets. 

Maybe you used to own a market completely, but now someone has invaded your market and undercuts you every time you post a new item.  Might be a school kid with no time limitations.  You could be in for a nasty dog fight.  By the end of the summer session you too will be ready for these kids to get back to school and get out of our auction house markets!

Schools Out - Pros

Not everything related to an increase of players is bad.  There are a few benefits to an influx of new players.  Earlier I wrote about waiting until schools are out to start stockpiling for Patch 4.2.  With the increased competition, prices tend to drop.  This is especially true with farmed materials.  No one can compete with a botting farmer like a school kid with unlimited playtime.  So start looking for those farmed items that will drop in prices.

It's also a good time to start breaking out any old leveling gear that hasn't already sold.  New players or players rolling alts due to the lack of raiding will be looking for easy gear upgrades on the auction house.  Another good seller will be those profession chokepoint items that are needed to level a profession (like mercurial adamantite).  New players bring new professions that need leveled, so be ready to supply them the items they need.  A good example for a blacksmith to profit off of new players with new professions is with the production of the enchanting rods for aspiring Enchanters.  Don't stop with just supplying the rods.  Try to supply other items needed for enchanting rods.

Also the glyph market may see a resurgence in sales over the summer months.  Continue to be on the lookout for those odd craftings items that uneducated new players will be tossing on the auction house at prices below their true value, like Spider's Silk, Perfect Deviate Scales, and Arcane Crystals.

So try not to let the increased competition get the best of you.  You may have a tougher time in your regular markets, so start looking for new markets to branch out into to further diversify your profit making options.