Finding a world epic-- and getting rid of it
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 7th 2006 at 2:05AM
This forum thread goes over something we've talked about here before-- the thrill of finding your first purple world drop. Yup, it's special when you kill what must be the thousandth lava spider you've ever killed, and suddenly you loot, and you're looking at one of the rarest items (if not the rarest) you've ever seen, and it's all yours, nary a group member in sight. It's a great feeling, but Drysc's comment (he found an Ardent Custodian, and accidentally bought a second one off the AH) made me think of what I've found is the dark side of finding a world drop: getting rid of it.Now, if you can use the item you find, more power to you-- my Priest was lucky enough to find a Holy Shroud at level 33, and she's still wearing it at level 40 (can't beat +healing on a lowbie item). But more often than not, a world drop is supposed to be your ticket to riches (and, hopefully, that mount you've been eyeing). The problem? As I've found, selling an epic on the AH isn't easy. Either you put it up and it sells in seconds (which means you likely sold it for too little), or you just can't get rid of thing, no matter what price you put it at. My Shaman was lucky enough to find a Dwarven Hand Cannon off a worm in Silithus. I tried to sell it for weeks at a couple hundred gold with no luck at all. Eventually I dropped the price to 100g, then 75g, then 50g. Eventually I begged a hunter to take it off my hands and got 45g for it. Still a nice chunk of change, but nowhere near epic mount money.
And right now it's the Ace of Beasts I can't seem to lose. I was lucky enough to win a roll on it in UBRS, and none of the guildies needed it, so I figured it would help clear me the last 200g of my epic mount. But after listing it at 300g, then 200g, and now 150g, I haven't gotten so much as a nibble on it. You're going to say it's my fault for being too greedy, but I've seen the Beasts deck in full on my server for 500g before-- if I have to sell the Ace for 50g, I can't help but feel I'm getting ripped off.
Coming across a terrifically rare item is a great feeling. But rarity, it seems, is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. Have you had epics you just can't seem to get rid of? And, in the end, how did you unload them?
Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Tricks, Odds and ends, Economy, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Steve Jun 17th 2009 7:30AM
I was so lucky on my first epic world drop- I was questing in STV at around lvl 45, taking on the elite ogres at the Mosh'Ogg ogre mound. I got a high level mage to help me out, and one of the drops was the Gut Ripper. The mage of course, didn't need it, so it was all mine, and I enjoyed the rest of the day showing it off to the other rogues in the guild. Lucky for me that mage had some extra time.
g8rcody Nov 7th 2006 2:32AM
I do some advertising on the realm forums beforehand. Maybe give people a heads up that you'll be posting the item in the neutral auction house this coming weekend. That way, you nearly double your potential buyers (as long as you don't mind the opposite faction getting your sweet item). Also, it lets everyone get all their ducks in a row and pool their money (*cough* buy ebay gold *cough*), in preparation for the big sale.
Kyle Nov 7th 2006 3:00AM
My first epic drop was Blackskull Shield. I was overjoyed at finally getting an epic I could sell, but it quickly dawned on me that it would not be all that easy to sell it. It's really not all that great. But I tried and tried, and eventually sold it for like 75 gold. Definately not what I was expecting, but I'll take what I can get.
Got one Freezing Bands later, and another a while after that (both dropped off the same mob, a Jadefire Trickster in Felwood).
They are both decent, and I contemplated using them myself (as a frost mage they would be useful), but in the end I sold both. First one sold for...190 gold, I think, though it took a good week of competing with two other people with Freezing Bands. The other, was more like 80 gold. But like I said, I'll take what I can get.
That is an interesting idea, though, g8rcody. I think I'll keep that in mind for the future.
Claude Nov 7th 2006 3:05AM
Epic prices are driven by market demands. More guilds doing MC, BWL, ZG, AG, Naxx, less reason to fork over money for AH epics.
Simple market forces.
Trollyboy Nov 7th 2006 3:33AM
Had a Staff Of Jordan drop during a guild Ulda run. My GF had wanted one for so long that her toon had actually grown out of it, and I ended up winning it on the roll. I did the nice thing and decided that I'd split the profits between the five guildies in the instance group.
I checked the AH after the run, and gee whiz, there's two on sale already. One for 250G and the other for 180G. Not wanting to saturate the market, I left it for a week then put it up for 200-250.
About five seconds later some shark puts theirs up for 180-200.
I think eventually I knocked the price down to about 180G Buyout, but it still wouldnt shift. I took my time, and decided "hell, it only takes one slot in the bank, who cares how long it takes to sell, some idiot will want it bad enough." and left it on AH for 180 - 200 regardless of what everyone else was selling it for.
After having this thing on me for about 3 or 4 weeks (and having my guildies ask "btw have you sold that epic yet" every now and then), someone finally put a bid on it at 180G, which it consequently sold for.
I took about 7G more than the others for unspecified damages (about 1G a pop per unsuccesful auction).
So long story short, after 1 month, about 7 auctions, and numerous guild tells, the Staff Of Jordan made five people 35G richer.
Next time, I'm not splitting the profits.
uncaringbear Nov 7th 2006 3:54AM
Good timing on this article. Last night I got my first epic drop, a Freezing Band ring, same as the poster in #2, and also a drop off a Jadefire Trickster in Felwood. This after almost a year of playing the game. I didn't get quite the rush of excitement, probably since the item isn't that useful for my priest, but it was pretty cool. Hopefully I can get a decent price for it in the AH and help fund my future flying mount!
Spoonunit Nov 7th 2006 4:15AM
Persistence and patience are the keys when trying to sell epics, whether you've had them as a world drop, bought them low to sell high, or have the responsibility of selling and sharing. When it comes to purples, I just keep on at the trade channel until I get a nibble. For me I'm in a trade channel when I log in and then after every instance run, so there's lots of opportunity to keep advertising.
If you're vigilant enough, there's nothing to stop you popping it on the AH for zero starting bid and your desired buyout. Make sure you pull it off before it sells if it hasn't acheived the price you're looking for. And if you do this, keep advertising the current bid in the trade channel.
Zka Nov 7th 2006 10:41AM
I never got an epic worlddrop, altough I've seen 2 BOE purples drop, one from DM trash, other from Strat trash.
I recently bought an ardent custodian for my little tank alt. I was excited to reach the level required to use it, but when I finally hit 38, I decided to sell it instead :) I bought it for 30 and sold for 70 on the second try. At least I had no problems buying my kodo and nice blue items for tanking and soloing :)
Shalkis Nov 7th 2006 4:17AM
The sell rate depends completely on the item. Selling a Helm of Narv took a few weeks, but I eventually got 250g on it and bought my epic mount. On the other hand, the two Myrmidon's Signets got sold on the same day, and so did the Skullflame Shield. My second Jeweled Amulet of Cairnwyn took a week, and I had to reduce the price due to competition.
There's basically three types of world drop rares/epics: Leveling gear, non-raider epics and the twink gear. The first type only sells well when the server is young and nobody's raiding yet. The second type will continue to sell well until the point that big raiding guilds start to invite random players for their MC farming runs. Twink gear continues to sell well through the server's whole lifetime.
boneyard Nov 7th 2006 4:44AM
"But rarity, it seems, is only worth what people are willing to pay for it."
well duh, of course something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. it's not because its purple that suddenly it is worth an insane price, it has to be worth its price.
the whole its purple so i can ask insane prices always bothered me. you still have to judge its worth based on the stats.
Yz Nov 7th 2006 6:45AM
The reason people ask for and get insane prices for purples on the auction house is becuase of the itmpact of farnaers on the economy.
Farmers set the expectation high becuase of all the items they put on the AH at insanely high prices. They don't care if it sells right away becuase it encourages people to either buy gold from a farmer site to purchase the unreasonably inflated item, or someone does purchase it, which then provides them with more gold to sell to someone else.
Real players most often will not pay more than a couple hundred gold for an item (epic or not). They will either go join a raid guild to get something better through DKP.
Personally, I have paid more than 200G for an item once, and I ahve never paid more than 400G for any item.
Crabicus Nov 7th 2006 7:50AM
My friend and I have been playing sense the first closed beta. Neither of us have ever seen a boe world drop. By our selves. Sure we have seen them in groups. But im talking about that moment when you arent grouped with anyone, when you're out by yourself and you get that one to drop.
Neither of us will quit the game until we get one.
rec Nov 7th 2006 8:15AM
WTS [Book of Ferocious Bite V]
Can I sell it ? Can I hell ! It aint even an epic :(
DÖT Nov 7th 2006 8:21AM
I use Auctioneer and I tend to just go with whatever it says unless I think it should be worth more...200g for anything is insane.
I have seen "The 1 Ring" a lot recently on the AH (It gives +1 to all stats) and I guess people thik because there is some tie to Lord of the Rings it's worth 300g. That ring is crap!
It comes down to not everyone understanding 1) not everything in game is worth 99g 0s 0c (like some people think a stack of 20 wool is worth) and 2)it's a game where you have fun...
I have never paid more than 50s over Auctioneer's listing.
Ken Nov 7th 2006 8:25AM
I had this baby drop:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2164
when a random rogue and I were grinding on the pirates in Tanaris (I think that is the correct zone). Anyways, we both rolled need I won...
I ended up feeling bad for the rogue, I being a priest with no use for the dagger, and gave it to the kid...
For a few weeks afterwards I received stacks of cloth from the kid in thanks for the dagger... Nothing near what the dagger was worth, but still...
At least he appreciated it...
Whorhay Nov 7th 2006 5:49PM
I'd just repeat what some of the previous posters said about an item only being worth what others will pay for it. I bought both my mages Freezing bands when they were very undervalued, think 35g per, now I never see them for less than 100g. I've found a few epic items and none of them have been worth more than 150g. What actually irks me a lot more is all the stupid cards that drop. The cards are common enough that they aren't worth nearly as much as any other blue that could have dropped instead, you can't even disenchant them.
Raynia Nov 7th 2006 9:18AM
Not quite a world drop but selling an epic nonetheless...
My guild randomly went to MC to try to get a second binding for a tank. We never go so we just random rolled the boe epics. I was lucky out of the 25 people there and got a belt of might. I was very suprised it sold overnight for 300g. Easiest money I've ever made.
Selling that Robe of the Void however....not so easy.
Michael Melanson Nov 7th 2006 9:59AM
My first epic that I saw drop and won was a [Fiery War Axe]. I remember it dropping off of Frozuk the giant in the Arathi Highlands. I was hunting him down for a quest to release Myzreal. Had a 60, and 3 other people around my level in the group when it dropped. Luckily, I rolled a 36 while the others all rolled a 1,3,17,and 28. I guess I got lucky becuase I asked around and did some research and it should have only sold for about 65g, but i posted the "WTS [Fiery War Axe] pst" in the trade channel and for some reason a shaman wanted to pay 120g for it. Hurray for mount, now I don't have to walk as much anymore.
Bunkai Nov 7th 2006 10:00AM
I've been playing since May of '05 and I have gotten 2 world epics while soloing... the first was in athe Furblog cave near the north of Feralas... it was a Precisely Balance [Shotgun] or something like that... I posted it for 300g on the AH and it sold to a guildie of mine that in turn just gave it to a hunter in the guild. At least I got my full Stormshroud set for my feral druid out of it.
The second was the Underworld Band that dropped off of a wolf in Badlands on my way to farm out a Black Whelpling Pet. The wolf was the first mob that I killed when I logged in, and Auctioneer proced the ring at 275g. My wife had a 60 lock at the time, so being the great guy that I am... I just gave it to her. I still don't know if she sold it or equipped it. :-)
Either way, playing a 0/20/31 druid, both items were pretty much useless to me, which means I wouldn't have paid 5s for them... but value is in the eye of those with desire.
Rezza Nov 7th 2006 10:05AM
I've levelled 4 characters to 60 and have played since the day of release yet I have still NEVER gotten a world drop epic.
Most epics are currently selling very cheap because people see what is coming in BC and well, current epics are poor in comparison to high level blues.