The typical problem you will often run into if you are cross-faction trading is an imbalance in gold accumulation between the two factions. The best solution, if you can make it work on your server, is to find big-ticket items that can move a lot of gold in just a few transactions.

During Gold Speed Run IV, I had success moving a lot of Alliance gold back over to the Horde side via Argent Tournament pets. These are faction-specific pets that are bought using Champion’s Seals from the Argent Tournament dailies. Since these are faction specific (five per faction), the prices are always imbalanced, and you should be able to transfer plenty of gold while still turning a profit in either direction.

On my “home” server in this case study, I’m doing exactly the same thing I did during speed run: buying Alliance pets (Elwynn Lamb, Teldrassil Sproutling, Mechanopeep, Ammen Vale Lashling and Dun Morogh Cub) at bargain prices, and selling for twice or three times the price on the Horde side.

The key (as always) is to buy at extreme low prices, so you have lots of room to manoeuvre on the selling side. These pets sell slowly but steadily, and they can do a lot to balance out your gold accumulations between Alliance and Horde.

Video 1 (runs 4:59): Argent Tournament pets on the Alliance side, where I have surplus gold, I’m patiently watching and waiting for opportunities to buy at 300g – 450g.

Video 2 (runs 5:00): Checking out the pet scene on the Horde side, using Auctionator advanced search to find the opportunities for selling Argent Tournament pets. The only way to sell is to keep your own auctions at the lowest price at all times… regular monitoring and undercutting undercutting as necessary.

Video 3 (runs 4:58): As expected, this cross-faction pipeline works the same way on my “home” server as it did during Gold Speed Run IV. You should be able to get similar results on your own realm.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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Member Q&A’s, Cataclysm Bust-Boom, Bringing It Home Results

The second members’ live event of August was in two parts.

Part One (runs 27:47): Member questions and answers…

• cross-faction pet and recipe pipelines (Argent Tournament pets etc.)
• pre-Cataclysm price volatility (primals, elementals, enchant mats)
• heads-up: big Gold-making opportunity as Cata-bust begins!

Part Two (33:45): Results and a few more tips from the “Bringing It Home” project (transferring Speed Run pipelines to your main server). Plus more questions, and the Cataclysm “pre-Bust” gold making opportunity.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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I’m happy to announce that the revised and updated “MGB4″ version of the Daily
Routine videos is now in production.

Module 9: Workflow and Daily Routine has been sitting empty for a long time. Far too long really. I appreciate your patience as I’ve wrestled with figuring out how I wanted to present this.

I finally found the way to go forward, in the process of developing the new MGB4 member site that will be going live for you when Cataclysm expansion arrives.

This means that as well as (finally) getting an updated series of Daily Routine videos and tips, you are also getting a preliminary look at some of the new MGB4 content

I’m interested in your comments, so let me know what you think. The new videos will be shorter, chunked out into smaller topics per video, with the intention that the vast pool of Blueprint method info will be easier to access, search and update.

As I write this, I’ve posted two of the new Daily Routine videos, and I’ve got two more in production (going online in the next few days). Eventually, there will be six or seven videos in this series.

• Module 9: Workflow and Daily Routine

[Member Exclusive Content]

The latest addition to Module 11: Worst Mistakes takes a look at a profit-sucking trap that even experienced auction house players fall into at times… undercutting larger stacks.

As a best practice, you know that you should be posting singles or small stacks in almost all cases. And you know that you should be pricing higher per item than the full or large stacks already in the auction house.

Conversely, it’s a big mistake to post singles at a price that undercuts the per-item price level of your competitors’ stacks.

Now posted for online viewing and downloading in the usual formats, in Module 11 of MGB3:

• Module 11: Worst Mistakes

[Member Content]

For the second “bringing it home” pipeline case study for this month, I want to look at the enchanting materials niche. During the speed run, I had great success with several enchanting items, including Abyss Crystal, Cosmic Essences, Frozen Orb, Nether Essences, and Large Radiant Shard. For this case study, I’ll focus on another GSR4 winner: Large Prismatic Shard.

Video 1 (runs 4:06): On the Horde side, I’ll try enchanting mats, and Large Prismatic looks promising.

Video 2 (runs 3:28): On the Alliance side, prices are much higher, which gives me a comfort level buying Horde side.

Video 3 (runs 2:54): A good “power play” setup, with a large stack and a few singles, all low price… vulture it.

Video 4 (runs 2:16): Test is successful, now selling singles at 19g and no competition… pipeline confirmed.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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[updated Aug.26 2010]

The first “bringing it home” pipeline case study. Transferring and adapting pipelines that were successful during the Gold Speed Run for use on our main servers is the MGB-Plus focus for the month. For the first example, I’m looking at raid flasks, and Flask of Endless Rage in particular. This was arguably the most successful of all the pipelines I developed during GSR4, and it’s an item/group that I’ve never really paid attention to in the past.

Video 1 (runs 4:57): A first look at price and volume data for Flask of Endless Rage on the Alliance side.

Video 2 (runs 4:58): Flask of Endless Rage is selling well during raiding hours, as expected… 26g looks like the right Target Sell price.

Video 3 (runs 2:29): I’ll also keep an eye on Flask of the Frost Wyrm, staying alert for additional opportunities in the raid flasks group.

Video 4 (runs 2:49): To get more Flasks to meet demand, I’m buying at my target price (18g) on the Horde side and trading cross-faction.

Video 5 (runs 2:42): With more supply on hand from the Horde side, I’ll be actively selling and tracking.

Video 6 (runs 4:58): Sales frenzy as expected, so I’m using best pricing practices and MGB methods to capitalize. Pipeline proven and confirmed.

Video 7 (runs 4:37): Now that I’ve got a good thing going, it’s time to optimize and maximize the results (and profit margin). Here’s how I’m tripling my profits from this pipeline with cross-faction trading and crafting.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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With Gold Speed Run IV complete, and a couple of weeks to spend with other things in life, I’ve finally had time to get into Starcraft 2… as I’m sure many other MGB’ers have done as well.

Several members have asked me if I’m familiar with any of the available SC2 play and strategy guides, and whether I would recommend any of them.

As usual, my answer is in the videos Below is my detailed review of the two leading online guides for Starcraft 2.

To give you the short take: these are both good guides, but each of them is best for a different audience.

Joana’s Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide (from the original developer of the famous WoW Horde Leveling Guide) is best for players who are already familiar with realtime simulation (RTS) games, such as Warcraft III or Starcraft I. It’s also best for anyone who enjoys learning through videos and demos.

• http://1ab.ca/joana

Shokz Starcraft 2 Guide is better for the complete beginner, as well as for those who prefer written, step-by-step guides. Shokz has more detail on the basics of the game, but the info is less relevant if you are trying to get to the top levels of the game in a hurry.

• http://1ab.ca/shokz

For details, examples, and a look inside the members’ areas of each guide, watch my video review (three short videos):

Starcraft 2 Guide Review, part 1 (runs 4:58)

Bringing the Speed Run Home

Introduction to the August MGB-Plus case-study series which will focus on transferring successful pipelines and tactics learned during Gold Speed Run IV to a different (“home”) server.

Part One (runs 32:24): What you can do to apply the lessons of Gold Speed Run IV to your own main realm gold-making operation… even if you didn’t take part in the speed run. Tools and info you can use.

Part Two (runs 28:25): A walk-through of the market niches and pipeline items I established during Speed Run IV, that I will be evaluating and hopefully transferring to the “home” server.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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Why would you ever want to drive prices down? After all, your goal is to sell your stuff at the highest possible price.

But what about the other end of the Pipeline… where you want to buy goods at the lowest possible price?

When you’ve got an active pipeline, with sustained demand and regular sales, but you run short on supply, then it’s to your advantage to push prices down. Temporarily.

Or consider a cross-faction pipeline. Here, you want prices to be as low as possible all the time, on the auction house where you are buying.

Here’s one way to promote low prices.

• Driving Prices Down (Module 12, Advanced Techniques) (runs 10:38)

[MGB Member Content]

The third and last case study from Gold Speed Run IV. I’ve already got several lucrative pipelines going in the enchanting materials market niche (Large Radiant Shards, Greater Cosmic Essence, Large Prismatic Shards, Infinite Dust, Illusion Dust). Now I’m building on success and looking for more. Greater Planar Essence looks like a good possibility.

Video 1 (runs 4:57): I begin my investigation of Planar Essences by checking out the Pipeline Add-On data from scans.

Video 2 (runs 3:36): It’s a couple of hours later, and it looks like I may have been too cautious: all the low priced auctions are gone.

Video 3 (runs 3:26): Next day, and prices have spiked upwards. But now I see a lot of new supply coming in. I begin my test buys and sells. Possible target pricing looks like 6g buys and 14g sells.

Video 4 (runs 3:58): Another day further on, and look at this: the price is dropping way down, almost as low as my first test buys. Great news! I need to be able to buy low as well as sell high, and I’m seeing both extremes repeating.

Video 5 (runs 3:40): Prices have been up and down for three or four days now, giving me good data on the range. And now the whole auction house has been bought out, so it’s time to “re-set” the price at the high end of the range.

Video 6 (runs 3:26): Watch the gradual cycle from high to low over 24 hours. This is how the pipeline will play out. We’ve got a winner.

[MGB-Plus Member Content]
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