The Art of Flipping

Posted by Markco at 8:00 AM

Flipping, like undercutting, is a true art form in world of warcraft. In order to perform a plethora of profitable purchases periodically you will need to have a grasp of how much an item is worth (ie auctioneer) as well as how much the item will normally sell for. Just because essences of earth sit at 10 gold almost all the time doesn't mean that people will actually buy them for that price.

What to flip?

Flipping is most frequently used to make money with enchanting mats and other items that require 0 posting cost fees. This allows for margins of error in the flipping and cuts the loss to the flipper tremendously should they fail. The most popular item to flip in the game is probably greater cosmic essences currently. Other items that should interest you are:

Essences of XX, max level glyphs selling less than 2 gold, Vellums, entry level meats, low to mid level herbs/ore, and even high profile epics like gems and armor/weapons... (fill the comments with other items you like to flip as I am deliberately keeping the list short).

How to flip?

Simply buy out when items reach [Normal Selling Value - X] and then repost for [Normal Selling Value]. Notice I said normal selling value, not auctioneer's price. You need to understand the market and have a feel for how much items will actually be purchased at, especially some of the low level stuff that could be ridiculously overpriced.

Deciding on that normal selling value and the X are what differentiates you from a good flipper and someone who is going to lose a lot of money quickly. Practice with enchanting mats first, then move on to items that have a posting cost.

Good Luck!

PS: Word of advice, be careful not to invest too much into flipping or else you will end up being pressured to selling your goods for less than optimal prices.