WoW MoP Battle Pets - Looking Ahead & Determining Value

Battle Pets Are Comin To Mists of Pandaria

Battle Pets Coming In MoP

The upcoming World of Warcraft expansion will be adding the all new WoW Battle Pets system to the game.  We don't know everything about the new WoW Battle Pets system yet, but MMO-Champion has a nice overview post of everything that we do know about the Mists of Pandaria battle pet system.  We should be learning more about the new Battle Pets system within the next few weeks as Blizzard is starting to share more details. 

Undoubtedly, the demand and the value of many of the current companion pets will change.  With companion pets being made account bound, we will no longer see sales to multiple characters.  This should be outweighed by an overall rise in demand for the companion pets to be used as Battle Pets.  The companion pet market as a whole should see a nice rise in demand as the companion pets will no longer be just vanity pets.  The WoW Battle Pets system will create a new use for these pets as trained fighters for head to head battling against other players. 

Determining The Value Of Battle Pets

As WoW gold makers, we are constantly looking ahead for the next big thing and planning out our sales strategy in hopes of making a ton of gold in a short period of time.  As the Battle Pet system will increase demand for all types of companion pets, we must be looking for more information to determine which pets will be the best investments.  Here are a few of the factors that will help shape the value of each individual Batle Pet, as well as a few more things to keep watch for.

1. Battle Pet Rares - Rare pets are always worth more because they are harder to obtain. Coming in MoP are rare battle pets that obtained in the wild and it has been stated that each zone will be home to at least one unique Battle Pet.  These harder to find pets, will obviously be worth more than their vendor bought counterparts.
2. Unique Battle Pet Abilities - Each pet will have a combination of 6 abilities, 3 of which can be used per Pet Battle.  It is rumored that each pet will have a single unique ability, which will be a huge factor in determining which pets will be in higher demand because of their unique ability or sweet combination of abilities.  The hidden goldmine for us will be finding the rarer pets that also have a great ability combination.  These will be the Battle Pets that will be worth the most.  On the same notion, the
3. The Level Of The Battle Pet - The Mists of Pandaria Battle Pet system is also including the ability to level up each of your Battle Pets.  This creates an all new market on top of the regular companion pet / Battle Pet market.  You can sell the pets as level 1 starting Battle Pets, or you can level the pets up through combat experience from battle other Battle Pets.  The leveled pets will be worth more gold than the start pet versions.  A max level 25 Battle Pet will be worth far more than a Level 1 Battle Pet.  You can also sell those pre-leveled pets, which could create a new gold making model for some players.

Battle Pets - Planning Ahead

I will be keeping a close watch on news coming out of Blizzard that is related to detailing information about Mist of Pandaria and the new WoW Battle Pet system.  The combination of the Battle Pet's rarity, level, and ability combination will help to determine the value of each pet.  Currently I, along with my Auction House Junkies co-hosts, have been snagging up cheap rare companion pets and holiday pets.  This is a two-fold approach.  Rare (Hyacynth McCaw, Disgusting Oozeling, Captured Firefly, etc.) and hard to obtain pets (Argent Tournament pets) have always been great items to use to hedge your gold investments as you head into a new patch, which will bring inflation and further devalue each gold piece.  Secondly, these rare and hard to find items will see a demand increase when Battle Pets are added in MoP.  Now we also have been able to start stockpiling up seasonal holiday pets as well, since the BoE change from BoP holiday pets, like the Sinister Squashling.  If some of these rare pets turn out to have awesome pet ability combinations, then we will be making a nice huge profit on top of our initial investments.

So keep your eyes peeled for low priced rare and hard to find pets too, if you want to start thinking ahead also.  Then keep your fingers crossed that the Battle Pet mini-game will be available on iPhone too.

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Use Gold Knowledge In The Real World

Sorry for my free daily gold tip being late today.  I actually fell asleep last night and forgot to queue up my draft before I crashed from a long hard day at work.  So again, sorry it's late. 50 Lashings for me!

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Expand Your Skills

Today I am going to deviate a bit from the usual coarse of discussing Gold Making Tips and Tactics within the World of Warcraft gaming community and look outside of the game itself.  Some of what you have learned from dealing within trade chat or the auction house markets can assist you in making profits in the real world as well.  I previously wrote on how my old eBay record flipping tactics directly taught me skills that I constantly use on the Azeroth Auction Houses of World of Warcraft.  Be sure to check that post out as it still is one of my favorite older posts, but today I wanna discuss thinking the opposite direction.

How Can You Use WoW In Game Knowledge?

So if you have been reading my site at Cold's Gold Factory and have been listening to the Auction House Junkies | WoW Gold Making Podcast, then you have probably have absorbed at least a little bit of knowledge on some of the principles of economics, sales, and marketing.  How can you apply that knowledge to the real world? 

Look For Underpriced Goods

We are always on the hunt for underpriced goods on the auction house.  They are underpriced as in relation to their actual value.  We are quick to jump on an 18 gold stack of Obsidium Ore in WoW, but walk by horribly underpriced goods every day.  Keep your eyes scanning and your brain thinking when out and about.  Here's an example of a way I have profitted in the real world using WoW auction house thinking.

Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works is a store that sells smelly stuff, mainly Lotions, Oils, Body Washes, Sprays, etc.  They can be found in most malls, or at least most shopping malls around here in the Midwest USA.  Twice a year, Bath & Body Works has a big sale that clears out the last of the old season's products that were either a)  seasonal or b) discontinued.  They may be dropping a certain scent of lotion.  Since it is a clearance sale you could find crazy sale prices on some of these soon to be discontinued lotions, washes, soaps, etc.  Buy 1, Get 3 Free types of sales to move the soon to be out of season or discontinued products. 

Flipping

Most people would see the discontinued products as sale items because "nobody wants that crap anymore" or "it didn't sell, so they got rid of it."  Well, folks we as WoW commodity traders should know better.  No one may want this $12 Cranberry-Holly lotion now in the Spring, but I'm sure demand will return next Christmas.  Think farther though...what if they don't bring this scent back in the new Christmas line?  Cha-ching!  Profit.  Someone on eBay loves this scent and will be sad to see it gone from the new line-up and will gladly pay you $15 or more to get their favorite holiday scent.  The item says $12 normally, but at this sale you can buy 4 for that price.  It may not be worth waiting that long for the amount of profit though.

Looking at the discontinued items that are not seasonal is where the quicker return on investment would come.  They once discontinued everything in the Lemongrass-Sage scent line, which I was able to snatch up and flip for nice profits while there was a shortage of listings on eBay.  Just like we learn in the auction house in Azeroth, post when there are fewer sellers to get a higher listing and sale price.  I sold the lemongrass sage lotions for over the original sticker price for like $16 each because it was a popular scent in other areas of the country. 

Are you able to use any of your WoW gold making knowledge to making a profit in the real world?

Readers:  Today your assignment is to try and find something to flip for a profit in the real world and report back here.  You don't have to buy the item or do it, but find something that has potential value built into the current price.

Bloggers:  Any of you have a certain story or scenario that draws to mind?  Feel free to do a post and link it to us in the comments.