wow Gold Making: A Beginner's Guide To Transmog

[Peelyon 416]

In this first article I will be discussing transmog farming. It is available to almost any player regardless of level of gold making experience. It may seem daunting at first but I will give you some helpful advice on how to get started on your gold making journey!

 
Regardless of your own personal thoughts on transmog, it is hard to argue its success within World of Warcraft.  Since the release of transmog in patch 4.3.0 a large number of players have tried to ensure they look their best.  It opened up a completely new market, as items that previously only had a small vendor / disenchant value suddenly had cosmetic value as well.  Any armour / weapons that are Bind on Equip have the potential to sell for transmog.  It is a case of finding out where the most valuable items drop and then how to list them effectively on the auction house that is key.
 
Farming and selling transmog items can be quite daunting for many, but if you are willing to give it a try the rewards can be great.
 
The transmog market is a well known one to a large number of gold makers and there is a great deal of resources on the subject on the web.  I want to take you through the majority of the basics of transmog farming, giving players the opportunity to begin making some gold while being as efficient as possible with your time.
 
With the introduction of the wardrobe in Legion it is predicted that the transmog market will again increase, as players will have a comprehensive list of what items they have available to them.  I will be doing a separate highlight on the wardrobe itself in the near future so ensure you keep your eye out for it!
 
One important thing to note is that as the wardrobes are account wide, players may be more willing to part with their gold for high ticket items, as it will be available on a multitude of characters rather than on a single toon.  This may allow them to feel they are getting more for their gold rather than having to spend individually for each character.
 

Pro's and Con's of Transmog farming

Pros

• Huge gold potential
• Few character requirements (for the large proportion of farms you do not require max level max geared toons)
• No gold investment upfront
• Time requirement is very flexible (you can farm as much or as little as you wish)

Cons

• All drops are RNG dependent
• Items that you list on the auction house can take a long time to sell and will require numerous auction house listings
• Competitive market

It can also be argued that the fact there are few character requirements can also be a negative, as anyone can take up transmog farming which can lead to increased competition.  However players need the motivation to engage in transmog farming and even more motivation to continue to list the items on the auction house.  A large proportion of players begin transmog farming then become bored and disinterested when items struggle to sell.  It is persevering and keeping motivated that will help separate you from the rest, and really start to reap the rewards.
 

How do I get started?

As previously mentioned almost any character can farm for transmog.  In theory you can fly to a zone or particular instance and just start killing things, but if you are wanting to farm a little more efficiently here are a few items and tips to help get you started:

• Vendor mount – Having a mount such as Reins of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth will allow you to clear your bags of any grey items or junk that you pick up while you’re farming.

• Large bag capacity – Obviously the bigger the bags the better, but clearing your bags of any unnecessary items can also help increase your bag space while you farm.  This will ensure you have to stop to vendor items less often.

• Loot-A-Rang – These can be crafted by engineers or purchased on the auction house.  They are extremely useful in speeding up your looting of items which will give you more time for killing mobs than running around after their loot.

• Mailbox – If you are looking to do some serious farming then a mailbox such as MOLL-E for engineers or GUMM-E for non-engineers can help you to mail all the items you want to sell on the auction house so you can clear your bags and continue farming.

• Addons -  Lootappraiser and Tradeskillmaster (see below for more information)

All of these tips are based around time efficiency.  If you are wanting to farm transmog for any extended length of time then convenience will go a long way to help.  Don't worry if you don't have all of these items, they are by no means essential and it is entirely feasible to just farm until your bags are full and then hearth / take a break.
 

What class is best for farming?

One of the more popular questions I answer is which class is the "best" for farming.  It is possible to farm transmog on pretty much any class or character at any time.  Some guides give a list of classes that more efficient at farming as some have an advantage when tagging / aoeing mobs in a wide area down (balance druid with Starfall for example).  However I am very much a believer of playing a class that you enjoy and a class you are comfortable with.  Although some classes will save you more time than others, if you aren't particularly fond of that class you will more than likely farm for less time overall. Using a character that you enjoy playing will help to keep you motivated for longer and in the long run this will give you more transmog to sell.  
Ultimately there is no right or wrong answer, and if you are wanting to try transmog farming for the first time I recommend using your "main" character, just until you get a feel for it.
 

How do I know that the items I am looting have any value?

One of the initial barriers I felt when it came to transmog farming was my lack of knowledge of valuable items.  The last thing I wanted when I was just starting out was to have to spend more time checking up on individual items using the internet than I did farming them in the first place.  Personally I wasn't "into" transmog at all upon release, and I always left the transmog market alone as I thought my potential competitors would know a lot more than I did.  Don't let that discourage you!  There are some great addons out there that will help you get an idea as to the price of an item and if they have a chance to sell.  One important thing to note - just because an item isn't to your own particular likely, doesn't mean that it isn't the perfect item for someone elses transmog.  I am still amazed how many times I sell what I consider an "ugly" item for thousands of gold! So keep an open mind!
 

Looted Item Value

Looted Item Value (LIV) is a term used by transmog farmers.  Thanks to various addons and websites using auction house data, approximate values can be given to items you loot in-game.  There have no doubt been occasions where I (and you too!) have vendored green items which have potentially been worth large amounts of gold (although ignorance is bliss so let's pretend we haven't!)  By having an addon that can track looted item value (even if you have no intention of farming long term), it can help identify any high value items and help to prevent any vendoring mistakes.
 
Loot appraiser is an addon that allows you to identify items by giving an instant “snapshot” of its average value or "looted item value".  This average value is obtained through auction house data from Tradeskillmaster, another addon.  By working hand in hand, these addons will allow you to ascertain if an item is worth selling in the first place, then allow you to list it on the auction house to maximize your gold.
 
It is an invaluable tool for transmog farming and I speak highly enough how it has helped me go from a complete novice to someone who has confidence in transmog farming.  
 
Below are two Youtube guides from the developer of the Lootappraiser addon WoWProfitz.  The videos will show you how to setup Lootappraiser and also install the Tradeskillmaster desktop application.  You will need to download and install BOTH Lootappraiser and Tradeskillmaster addons AND also the desktop application for your Tradeskillmaster  You can also find a google doc PDF written version to the setup HERE
 
Please note – setting up these addons does take a bit of time, so try and set aside at least an hour to go through the setup video, install the addons and give them a try in-game for yourselves to get them working.  I appreciate that this can seem like a lot of work but trust me it is 100% worth the time and the effort to get it up and running.  If you don't have the time to set them up right away give the videos a bookmark and come back when you can.  The most common problem with Lootappraiser not "working" is not having the TSM desktop application properly configured, so just ensure you follow WoWProfitz instructions to get them setup.  If you do have any problems feel free to message me and I will help where I can.
 

 

 
After using Lootappraiser for a few transmog runs you will wonder how you ever played without it.
 
In the transmog farming guides I will be giving approximate figures for the LIV to help you estimate the potential that you can loot with a particular farm or a particular area.  It is important to note that all of these figures are approximations and estimates and no item is guaranteed to sell.  Looting 40k worth of transmog items does not mean you have earned 40k gold.  The prices will vary from server to server (some lower some higher than what Lootappraiser shows you) and it can take weeks or even months to sell some items.
 
Ultimately a player has to have a desire to purchase your item and the price has to be reasonable for them to want to pay for it.
 
There has been some controversy around LIV due to the fact certain farmers, gold makers and streamers exaggerating the gold potential of a particular farm.  As mentioned above almost any player can farm transmog.  The only real requirement is time (which some players have a lot of).  I wish to make my stand point clear at this point.  Transmog farming CAN be very lucrative, however it takes some luck (or time) to get the item to drop, then some more time and correct pricing on the auction house to get an eventual sale.  Any farming approximations should be seen as "potential" gold.  It is only when you finally get a transmog sale that you have actually "earned" anything.  As long as you are aware of the limitations rather than being blinded by the large figures, you will be fine.

How do I know how much to sell my items for?

Pricing a piece of transmog can be fairly complicated, and as with any item, it will depend on your own server population and any potential competition you have on your auction house.  If you are serious about making large amounts of gold then addons are crucial in order to both list items at an appropriate price, and compete with other transmog farmers.
 
Tradeskillmaster is an extremely powerful addon that I will be reviewing in the future.  It is the most comprehensive auction house addon there is and it has the ability to list large numbers of items very quickly by using "groups".  It is great for listing transmog as you can put items of similar value into a specific price group and you can post 100's of item's in a few clicks.
 
Below are a few guides from Xionik and Sheyrah.  Sheyrah in particular is extremely competent with Tradeskillmaster and it should help in your ability to sell your items more efficiently and more importantly get that gold into your bags!
 

It is obviously possible to sell items without TSM, however I would stress at this point it is worth spending the time setting it up.  Even if you enjoy using the auction house, being able to list your auctions faster is a great plus.  As with Lootappraiser, it may feel a chore in its setup, but once you have it up and running you will wonder how you ever managed without it.  The less time you spend listing items at the auction house, the more time you can be farming for items.

Wrap Up

Patience and motivation are key to be successful at transmog farming and selling.  It can be really frustrating and demoralizing having to relist items time and time again with little to no sales.  However some of my best transmog sales have been made from items I have listed over 10 times!  Just like the drop itself you need a little bit of luck for a sale (and the right pricing of course).  Hopefully in Legion the wardrobe will increase the percentage of the player base purchasing items a well!
 
I appreciate that it may feel extremely daunting to setup the addons.  This is the largest barrier to most players as to why they try transmog and then give up not long after.  Remember, the players you are competing with on your server will be using these tools, so not to do so will put yourself at a huge disadvantage as you will struggle to be time efficient in your farming and your listing of items.
 
I will be publishing articles in the near future which will give both farming spots for you to try and also more specific guides on the addons Lootappraiser and Tradeskillmaster to help you get set up and started faster – so keep an eye out for them!
 
If you are wanting to give transmog farming a quick try then check out my Youtube guide to The Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and have a go for yourselves.
 
If you have any comments or things you feel I can add into this beginner's guide then please post below!

[GrahransWoWGold 5]

This is such an excellent guide Peelyon. Transmog is an excellent market to get into aswell. It's made more enjoyable when you go out in the vast world, farming up your own items. Yes the auction house can be a viable place to build your inventory if the price is right, but the feeling of hearing that ding from LootAppraiser, when you've looted a very valuable item, cannot be substituted! LootAppraiser definitely, "making farming sexy".

Sheyrah and Wowprofitz were the two people I first found on YouTube, when I first started out in World of Warcraft. TSM can be a very tricky addon to setup straight away, but as you've mentioned, with the guides above, you can feel very comfortable as you're walked through every process. Once it's sorted, you'll be making gold by the bucket loads.

Surely, it's only a matter of time until the #PokermonMaster creates a guide on Battle Pets! lol :)

Again, well done mate, excellently written and full of information to help beginners and maybe experienced goblins in need of a new market to venture into. I'll try and add a link to this via my blog, to help promote it further.

 

[Peelyon 416]

Thanks Grahran!  The pet battle selling /flipping guide is in the works already but will take plenty of time to get it right!

 

I agree about hearing the "ding" (for those that don't know Lootappraiser makes a sound when an item of particular value drops).  For someone who doesn't farm that much (off stream at least) it's always great to have that feeling of "maybe this run".

[mnime 17]

I used to check Wowuction or undermine journal website to figure out the prices back in my stupidity days :D , but after a while my fingers hurt so bad that I smacked my head and started to learn TSM, has to be done. it's better if you install an addon and track prices yourself, cause it's a pain in the back to search for every item (duh... right?) 

Thanks for the guide, addons are great. never late to learn better ways to make some gold.

[Peelyon 416]

Like I tried to elaborate above - although not compulsory - addons are a huge part of the game and the automation of a lot of basic tasks helps to make things like listing the auctions less tedious.  I know a lot of players that hear "TSM" and instantly turn off, but I can't stress enough how great an addon it is when you get to grips with it.

 

Make sure you let me know mnime of any successes you have!