GoldMaking Ethics – Copper Rod Squad
The GoldMaking Ethics is a series of Warcraft Opinion Articles documenting responses to ethical questions posed on Twitter on 8 May 2018.
Tweets are presented out of context, and you can click them to read the rest of the conversation. You are always welcome to chat with me on twitter where my name is @thegoldqueen and you can find Gold Dragon here also @Dragonbearjoe
We have 9 articles for you to read, culminating in a TGQ Long Read with my own opinions. Today we talk about selling vendor items. I posed a question about selling a copper rod, bought from a vendor for a very low price, for 500g.
I was interested in hearing about stories, experiences, and the reason why people choose to help and how they do it.
All stories were gathered in a judgement-free atmosphere. I understand if you disagree with other people or get upset by it, but during the Ethics Questions, we are examining responses in a detached scientific manner.
Ethics
You sold a copper rod on AH for 500g. The buyer just found out it comes from a vendor. They are upset and threaten to report you. Do you take pity on them? Why? Why not?— The Gold Queen 💛 (@thegoldqueen) May 8, 2018
Copper Rod can be bought at a vendor
Starwolf is bemused.
It says on the tool tip "Sold at a vendor in Dalaran".
— 🌠StarWolf🐺 (@Wolfhound7919) May 9, 2018
Making Gold from Vendor Items
Shono makes so much gold, and Dean once sold enchanting vellum for 1000g
Once put 200 enchanting vellum on AH by accident, mod priced it over 1000g, it sold (they're 8s each at vendor).
— Cubs2016WSChampions (@DeanMiller1978) May 9, 2018
Confusion: Why not get it from the vendor instead of the AH?
Our own Gold Dragon says there is no excuse not to google the price.
It takes literally 5 minutes on the slowest connection to type in 'copper rod wowhead' and see everything you want to know about in game copper rods.
I made a lot of money selling all the level of rods that could be sold before it ended up only needing one rod to enchant them all— The Gold Dragon (@Dragonbearjoe) May 9, 2018
Shono agrees, why not research first?
LOL so why didn’t the buyer do the research in the first place ? i make so much gold reselling stuff i buy from vendors lol
— shohno (@shohno721) May 9, 2018
Noobtastic agrees, at first, but then dives in to help them out with a little education
always hate that convo, had it a lot over the years… at first I want to laugh at them but I usually give them a good gold tip on how to make the gold they spent back fast….
— Noobtastic (@Nooobtastic) May 9, 2018
Are you selling a service of easy-provision?
RHWDad thjinks so. He used to camp the vendor that sells the [Recipe: Free Action Potion] and likens it to farming a boss for a BoE epic.
I used to make some nice coin selling the recipient for Free Action Potions in Vanilla. It was on a moderate respawn (6-8hr) and was highly sought for PvP. It’s almost like farming a boss to sell the BOEs. Only this is PvE(conomy).
— KaltonEly (@KaltonEly) May 8, 2018
Are the Copper Rod Squad just interested in gold and not in buyers?
Mike Branch thinks players selling vendor items on the AH don’t want to hear about justice
Of you put a copper rod on the AH for 500 gold, you're not interested in hearing a buyer's plea for justice.
— Mike Branch (Cohumulone) (@TheMikeBranch) May 8, 2018
It’s a service, and buyers know it’s a service
Heather thinks the service of gathering vendor items and putting them on the AH helps lazy players who could have googled where to buy it cheaper.
I feel like the point of the AH is a lot of the time for lazy people like me who assume you could fly somewhere and buy it from a vendor but don’t want to put forth the effort so you spend gold on the AH to avoid it. They should have known better. I wouldn’t worry about it.
— ˗ˏˋheather, whateverˊˎ˗ (@sylveonas_) May 8, 2018
Also I understand there are new players but I mean, I was a new player five years ago and I googled literally everything. Even if the person was a new player, if they’re crafting or whatever you need the rod for, they probably know to look online if they’re crafting at all.
— ˗ˏˋheather, whateverˊˎ˗ (@sylveonas_) May 8, 2018
Can you Google it?
Runesael reminds us that we are making assumptions about ability to research.
We assume players can easily research or google, because we find it easy, but there are young players, players with learning disabilities, and players who need a hand in the world. Starwolf thinks that it’s clear enough for everyone and doesn’t see an issue.
The npc vendor who sells the copper rod in this example is right next to the npc who taught enchanting. When you learn enchanting, it's clear you need a copper rod for the profession. While 500g is a rediculous 40k% mark up, I dont see why someone would not check the vendor
— 🌠StarWolf🐺 (@Wolfhound7919) May 8, 2018
Be Smart
Ali thinks we should all be smart
Even if people don't know about wowhead, a simple google search teaches a lot. Almost everyone knows about the google. Yeah, it's a little low to be putting that on the AH for 500g. But people have to be smart sellers and a smart buyers. In any auction, no matter WoW or RL.
— Ali (@AliandrasK) May 8, 2018
Overpriced can be ok
Scriffino reminds us that there can be multiple price points for the same item and all exist together
Nobody bitches at Five Guys for not telling their customers that McDonald's has burgers for less than 1/3the price.
— Signore Scruffino (@AppelJuice) May 8, 2018
Over to you
What’s your opinion on dealing with a vendor items available on the Auction House?
About the Author
Warcraft’s longest running Gold Making blog, The Gold Queen is written by Alyzande since 2010. Working on her 14th level 110, she has 9 years expertise in making gold, 19,000+ achievements, 1593 days played, over 39 million gold earned, and now playing World of Warcraft Legion live on www.twitch.tv/thegoldqueen The Gold Queen blog teaches you how to make gold playing Warcraft using ethical trading, auction house flipping, crafting, reselling, snatch lists, and farming gold making. Want more updates on Warcraft Battle for Azeroth? Support my Patreon for exclusive pre-release Gold Guides
