Alot of folks have different optinions on what is actually "profit". We have all heard the "I farmed it so it's free" line, which, in all reality it's true. You did spend the time to farm, and it was "free". We have also heard "well, it procced on the transmute, so it's free", which is also true. But I don't see it either way, and neither should you if you have the same mindset. Let me explain:
"I farmed it so it's free":
How long did it take you? What was your GPH (gold per hour)? Did you stop and take a second to check it out? How did you factor it in?
Ok, so you were in Twilight Highlands farming your Elementium Ore for an hour. You ended with 160 ores. A few green gems, and a blue. Oh yeah, 6 Volatile Earth, 2 Volatile Fire. Was it worth it?
8 stacks of Elementium: 720g
3 Pyrite Ore: 36g
Green uncut gems: 40g
Dream Emerald: 35g
6 Volatile Earth: 75g
2 Volatile Fire: 45g
Total is 940"ish" gold. Alright, not too shabby. But that is just the start. "It's all free". So you mail the ores to your gemmy, and prospect them. You end up with 930g worth of gems (AH price). So is that your GPH now? What about when you take the gems, cut them into Alicite Pendant, Jasper Rings, Carnelian Spikes, and then D/E them? Then you are looking at around 1100g? But is it still "free"? Now you notice that Nightstones are the Jewelcrafter's daily, so you get 80g each for the two that you got from prospecting. Now we are looking at almost 1300g. See where I am going with this? Sure, just from farming you can sell your "mats" straight out, and clear 900g. But spend a bit more time and you get 400g more. I know this is total common sense, but try to get in this mindset on what you can do with your time. This example can work with many different types of farming, so place yourself in your normal farming situation and go from there. Next.....
"Well, it procced on a transmute, so it's free"
So you are doing your daily transmute of Volatile Life to Volatile Air. Or Truegold. Or when you made your Jasper Rings, you procced a Blue one. You procced 3 on your Truegold transmute, and you want to sell them quick, so you hit the AH and toss em in for 100g UNDER the lowest price. You just lost dough buddy. Instead of them being free, you now have to pay for that Potion of Treasure Finding out of your own pocket, instead of using the system to pay. Get it? Got it? Good.
"I can sell it cheap, because I wasn't even expecting it, so it's free"
Wrong. And right. If you sell it cheap, you are losing money. This is once again common sense, but it seems that people don't see it that way. I see that Blue ring selling within a few days for 200'ish gold. But others seem to not do that, D/E it, get a Small Heavenly Shard (worth about 17g), and go on. That, my friends, is a loss. Not a "free" 17g, but a loss of 180g. But once again, it was free (as I am told)......
Ok. Now this is the one that burns me the most. Listening last night to JMTC reminded me of this. To each their own, but you are reading this because you care about my point of view, and here it is....
"Well, when I mill, I make my money back on Inferno Inks, so the Blackfallow Inks are free"
This one for some reason is my biggest pet peeve. Sickening. Now you are probably thinking "this alto's full of shit, why does this bother him so much?". Or you don't care. But tuff, I am gonna tell you anyways. Folks like this piss me off in a few ways. One, they lower the price of Blackfallow on the AH to next to nothing. Which in turn lowers the prices on Mysterious Fortune Cards. Which affects my bottom line.
Now before you say "Alto, you do the same thing, isn't that a contradiction?", Yes, I do "near" the exact opposite. I mill, sell my Inferno Inks, and use my Blackfallow Inks for other uses, unless the Inferno's are full of competition, then I will make Destruction Cards or just sit on them. I don't kill (flood) the market and make the prices lower to zero worth. Bah.
So as usual, I started going off and rambling for a bit. Yes, this is all common sense once again. Things in Life Aren't Free. Ever. Ore are they?
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