How to Earn More Gold, Quicker

Time is money, and in the World of Warcraft, that means gold. A lot of people scoff at spending money on things - like materials for crafted items. They prefer to farm the items themselves, seeing this as somehow "cheaper."

To me, the bottom line is time. I know how long it takes me to earn a certain amount of gold. If it will take me longer to farm the item than to farm the gold to buy it... I'm going to buy it outright nine times out of ten.

In order to think about the game this away - and to ensure that you're making the most of your time - it helps to know how quickly you can earn gold. Then, you can take a few steps to improve your efficiency and earn more in the time that you have. Here are a few tips.

Create a Bank Toon

A bank toon is simply a character - usually level one or somewhere there-abouts - that sits in a major sit and does all of your banking for you. You mail any items that you want to store or sell to the bank.

There are many reasons to create a bank toon, but the number one reason is efficiency. When you are out farming, questing, or just fooling around, you don't want to take time out of your day to go to a capital city, check the Auction House, and then get back to Outland.

By having a bank toon, you are always a minute away from the capital city. Every time you go by a mailbox, empty your bags. When you have some downtime (usually when you log on or off), switch over to your bank character. He or she can then list auctions, check for things you want to buy, and gather the money from things you've already sold.

Know the Value of What You're Farming

A lot of people farm something just because it's expensive. They never stop to think about how that item converts into gold per hour - but that's really at the core of gold earning efficiency.

For example, a lot of people like to farm primals. A lot of my friends used to farm Primal Fires - they seemed to sell for more. I went off the beaten path and farmed Primal Mana in Kirin'Var Village (in Netherstorm). There was less competition, more mobs, and a better overall drop rate. Although the Primal Mana sold for less than the Primal Fire, I'm pretty sure I made more money in the long term.

Before you commit to one farming "goal," do some basic analysis about what you earn in an hour and what its worth. Here's an example of an analysis I did on farming Talonsworn Forest Ragers in Skettis. I tracked everything I gathered in 30 minutes, estimated the values, and totaled it to find out that I was earning a little over 200g an hour farming those trees. Definitely a profitable spot.

Know When Not to Auction

Sometimes, it's better not to auction your items.

I recommend checking the Auction House every time you log on and off, and checking the price of items that you commonly farm. When you are familiar with the high and low values, you can peg a perfect time to sell. I've seen Netherweb Spider Silk fluctuate on my server (and actually sell) from 14 gold to 7 gold. I'd much rather have mine sell for 14 gold.

There also comes a time when you may want to not sell your items at all. Netherweave Cloth used to be fairly expensive - 5 to 7 gold per stack. Now, it's plumetted on my server to around 3 gold.

Here's a neat trick, though. You can turn the cloth into bandages and sell them for just as much. Same amount of money, no Auction House hassle. Sometimes the vendor is your best bet.

Waste Not, Want Not

The most important thing to remember is that your time is valuable. Sure, this is a game. Sometimes you just want to goof around and play the game.

However, if you've got your eye on an item - like an Epic Mount - and you want to get it as quickly as possible, then be as efficient as possible in your gold farming. Use your bank toon often, analyze the value of what you're farming, and look for alternatives. The Auction House is not always your best friend.