Bid Wars

Not so long ago, in an Azeroth not far away…

It is a period of divided Pandaren.  Noob Kobolds, striking from their hidden smartphones, have staked their claim against the Gold Goblin Cartels. 

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This text is getting really small. 

Can you still read this?  If so, congratulations your eyes work.

Now, down to business.  The last few weeks, my online time has been limited but I’ve done my best keeping up with my gold cap pursuits via the Remote Auction House.  Something I’ve been trying to do is grab profession leveling mats at a really low price via bidding.  I don’t care if I don’t win every bid because if you mass your firepower and bid on everything (that has a reasonable price), you’re bound to win a few and those will turn a profit.

Occasionally, I’ve found pretty good deals on other items and have bid on them.  What usually ensues afterwards is a round of bidding that makes my wife want to take my iPhone and throw it in the garbage disposal.  Read on for some tactics I’ve seen and some I’ve used that you may find helpful if you choose to pursue this frustrating past time.

Targets of Opportunity

First, I like to diversify my search.  I start by checking The Undermine Journal’s listing of Potential Low Bids.  Then I search for items that are uncommon or better and sort by bid price per item.  Then I expand my search to common or better and keep my sort the same.  Finally, I’ll check auctions that are short-listed (about to expire in the next 30 minutes to hour).  These four searches will yield the best auctions to bid on.

Next, check the buyout price.  Don’t just frivolously bid on everything.  A lot of times the buyout price is just as reasonable as the bid price and you’ll save yourself the grief of losing a bid if you just buy it outright.

If you’re in-game and bidding, create a snatch list with Auctioneer to grab those auctions that are good deals.

Then, watch your notifications for which auctions are outbid and re-bid.  This is where the wars get tricky.

Cowards!

You’ll notice that some sellers list their auctions with a low bid price and a high buyout price.  And, of course, you’ll bid on those auctions.  And usually those bids will get cancelled by the poster.  You may even choose to blacklist these posters and not bid on anything by them, but I suggest that you don’t because they will eventually miss cancelling an auction and you can make off with a great deal.

Dirty Tricks

The next thing you may or may not recognize are alt accounts trying to drive your bid up by counter-bidding on auctions.  They’ll continue to bid expecting you to re-bid until you reach a price their willing to accept for the item.  Be careful here because you can blindly be led into paying 1g per bar on a 20 stack of Copper Bar.  If you’re using Auctioneer snatch lists, your settings should keep you from getting into this situation.  But if like me, you’re warring from your smartphone, you don’t have Auctioneer to protect you and you will probably end up spending too much.

Draw a Line in the Sand

When reposting auctions using the Remote Auction House, I try to have a minimum value that I post at to know that I’ll make a profit; the way I do this knowing the minimum I will repost certain item types at.  For example, I know that there are no armor items I will buy above 5g and I won’t repost them below 10g.  That way I know that I will always make a profit.  The even better method is to not be lazy and check The Undermine Journal for the average price of the item you’re posting.

High Probability of Kill

Lastly, speaking of The Undermine Journal, I like to post at the lower end of the price spectrum so that my auctions tend to show up on The Undermine Journal’s listings.  Sure, I may not make as big a profit, but I don’t get stuck with reposting items over and over again.

Now that you’re armed to the teeth, go out there and conquer!  The auction house is yours for the taking!  Good luck and may the Gold be with you, young Pandaren.