WoW Rookie: The art of conducting business in [2:Trade]
by Lisa Poisso 
Apr 29th 2009 at 7:00PM
Just spent half an hour fruitlessly spamming the Trade channel in hopes of getting your new gear enchanted? Maybe (just maybe) the players on your server aren't the most unfriendly, unhelpful people this side of Silithus. Maybe you simply haven't figured out the most effective way to use [2:Trade].
According to loyal WoW Insider reader Sarabande, there's more to successful in-game transactions than simply advising someone to "use the Trade channel for trade." We agree – so this week, let's cover some basic tactics to get your sales sold, your portals ported and your enchantments enchanted.
Link it. Links get noticed. Whether you are buying or selling an item, linking entices players to click. Once they click, you've caught them in your (nether)web. To insert a link into a chat channel (which works in whispers, party chat, guild chat, raid chat and Trade), hold down Shift and left-click on the item. Other players can click on that link to bring up the item's tooltip. You can link anything you can see an icon for: items other players have linked, tradeskill items or enhancements from your own or another tradesperson's professions UI, items being worn by others, items displayed as rewards in your quest log, anything in the Auction House ...
When you want a specific player-made item or enchantment -- again, link it. Don't periodically interject a forlorn "Can anyone do Enchant X for me?" into Trade chat. First, ask in Trade for an Enchanter to link their profession. (Preferably, you'll have used wowhead.com or another database to look up what you want beforehand and be able to specify the minimum skill level the Enchanter needs to be in order to perform what you're looking for.) What you'll see in chat is a gold link saying nothing more than the name of the profession; click that, and you'll see every item/skill the tradesperson is capable of producing. You can scroll through that list in order to look up mats and to find links to the items you want.
Know your mats. Before you start asking around for a craftsperson to make something for you, know what materials ("mats") are necessary. Use wowhead.com or a similar database site, or ask someone to link their profession.
Specify whether or not you are providing mats. If you don't have your own mats, know the going market value (check the Auction House).
Know when to not to try to sell something in Trade. If you suspect other players might flame your item or question your sale for any reason (it's grey, it's a novelty item, it's an item you can buy from a vendor), use the Auction House instead of Trade.
Advertise that you're ready to pay up for services. Don't merely ask for an item or service; be clear that you're willing to pay. "WTB port to Exodar, please" or "Need port to Exo; tipping 5g" earns you a better response from Mages who are wary of port-and-run cheapskates.
Be willing to travel. When you want to buy something, it's up to you to get to the store. Have your hearthstone up and be ready and willing to travel.
Don't fume about non-Trade conversation in the Trade channel. Yeah, it's annoying. Yeah, it's going to continue. Conduct your business (with attention-grabbing links, remember?) and people will respond accordingly.
Read more about using (and abusing) the Trade channel:
WoW Rookie feeds you the basics to get you off to a good start in the World of Warcraft. Find more tools you can use in the WoW Insider Directory and WoW Insider Leveling Guides.Filed under: Items, Tips, How-tos, Features, WoW Rookie, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
AishaLove Apr 29th 2009 7:08PM
take none flavored gelatin and ad in powdered bullion and there you go meat gello.
Grinn Apr 29th 2009 10:51PM
Aspic:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aspic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspic
mmmmm....meat jello
Mattimus Apr 29th 2009 7:10PM
Andorius's name is easy to pick out beneath the censors.
Janaa Apr 30th 2009 10:48AM
Nice spotting - I'm more surprised as to how mild that server's trade chat is. On mine, they would've had to censor every second entire line.
Rob Apr 29th 2009 7:20PM
Solid article. I enchant and won't waste a neuron on people who are level 10 and cry 'i need my weapon firy pls' (and of course they misspell everything). I won't waste two neurons on the guy who just says LF Enchanter. What I will stop everything for is the guy who says "LF [linked enchant], have mats, tiping 10g.
And seriously, if you have a need for a rare enchant, don't continue to spam the trade channel. Once every 5-10 min is fine.
sinthar Apr 30th 2009 7:48AM
As another enchanter - i firmly and completely endorse your comment. If they dont say what, and how much, i wont waste my (limited and therefore valuble) gameplay for them.
As an addendum, not needed, but is nice, and may snag an extra reply or two - say WHERE you are too. All very well that a lvl 80 wants a chant, has mats, and is paying 10g, but if hes in dal and your in IF with your HS on CD, and not a mage, then its a problem, if your both in IF, its MUCH more lightly that same chanter will actually reply, as its cash for him while he waits for his HS.
unnes Apr 30th 2009 10:11AM
Agreed. Additionally annoying are those customers who insist on you traveling to them, or inviting you to a group and THEN realizing "oh I probably should go buy mats".
Really? You can't port from Dalaran to the city I'm in? You're a MAGE.
Janaa Apr 30th 2009 4:05PM
Pro tip: Pseudo-intellectuals are easy targets for trolling, as demonstrated.
Janaa Apr 30th 2009 4:07PM
Sorry Rob, replied to the wrong post in my whilst trying to determine where the little grey lines started and ended. ;)
Worcester Apr 29th 2009 7:30PM
Oh I'll totally vent about non-trade conversation! And what's more... I'm brutal in my attacks. Why should I turn a blind eye to that crap? It's my trade channel too. If they have the right to spam it with useless drivel, I have the right to spam it with rules and rants and insults too.
Balius Apr 29th 2009 7:36PM
Which gets you put on ignore too. Non-trade chatter is non-trade chatter, and yours takes up no fewer lines of real estate for being about the rules than theirs does being about random junk.
Worcester Apr 29th 2009 7:46PM
So. It's my space too. If I'm trying to use the trade channel for trade and I can't because someone else is abusing it, they are going to hear about it. Why should I allow my trade channel to be hijacked by idiots?
Besides. I write for a living. I'm good at turning the tide on those who just want attention by insulting people in trade.
Lisa Poisso Apr 29th 2009 8:51PM
@ Worcester I write for a living, too -- and I sure as heck don't want to spend my evening listening to some guy "turning the tide" in the Trade channel.
Ugliness -- don't be a part of it. ;)
Worcester Apr 29th 2009 8:58PM
Well, it's either that, or I'll join in the fun and fire off a few excellent jokes myself.
I guess I'm just not sure why we let a few people ruin something for everyone else? If I'm willing to take on the Trade Channel for a bit and run off the idiots, so what? If you don't want to listen to me vent in Trade, turn it off. It's not like you'll be getting anything done in there anyway.
Kards Apr 29th 2009 10:07PM
By not ignoring it, you're contributing to it. Which means you're part of the problem, not the solution.
Ignore it.
Heck, slashIgnore it.
Don't fall to the Dark Side, Luke. Do not be tempted with hate.
-E
DanH Apr 30th 2009 10:14AM
Well, it's either that, or I'll join in the fun and fire off a few excellent jokes myself.
Pro tip: don't describe your own jokes as excellent.
Worcester Apr 30th 2009 11:07AM
Oh, really Dan? That's, um, your "pro tip"?
Gee, thanks for the help. Now tell me, Dan, how have you managed to hold on to your position during this time of recession?
I've been wanting to make a career move. What exactly do I need in order to dispense advice online in a professional capacity? Is this like a 4 year degree field? Do you get dental? How do vacations work? Do you work for a particular company, or are you a freelance advisor? Are you salaried?
While you're obviously a highly-paid and skilled professional, I'm not personally familiar with your qualifications. Perhaps you could link some references? Maybe some other happy customers you've advised? Also, where are you legally qualified to dispense advice? Certainly you have to be registered with the states you work in. There must be some sort of board certification process or something. Does working in multiple states cause a problem at tax time?
I did look you up online, but could not find your company's website. You should probably have that listed in your post, along with a phone number. How else are you going to drum up business? You really need to advertise. I could help you with that, if you're looking to make some professional connections. My rates are very competitive.
Now, I don't have to pay you for this tip, right? To be fair, I did not solicit your services in this matter. While I'm more than happy to paid for critiques of my online postings, I will not be strong-armed by the Internet Advice-giving Mafia!
I am still a little confused. Are you a "pro" because you're qualified to give out advice, or because you're a comedian explaining how I should describe my jokes? You definitely are funny, either way!
ivyleaves Apr 30th 2009 11:16AM
The thing is, you are not running the miscreants out of trade, you have zero ability to do that, you have zero power to do that. Most of those sorts of posts just ramp up the madness. Your rants are a self-indulgent way of making yourself feel powerful, but that feeling is an illusion. The rest of us have to suffer another irrelevant line obscuring the good part of the trade channel so you can have some sort of personal gratification - exactly like all the other inappropriate posts - so stop doing that.
Worcester Apr 30th 2009 12:07PM
"Stop doing that"
Really? Just a command? No common courtesy? No polite reasoning? So authoritative.
Yeah... so I'm not likely to "stop doing that" just because you say so. That was not even an attempt to help. It was inflammatory and insulting. It was meant to demonstrate aggression over another person. It was... how did you say it? "A self-indulgent way of making yourself feel powerful."
Now that you've been educated on the correct ways of dispensing comments on a forum, perhaps you can put your new-found skills to use on that trade channel.
I'm so glad we had this little chat.
Iry Apr 30th 2009 12:59PM
Dear Worcester,
Please continue your diatribe.
I wish to see the levels of pettiness you can achieve.
Love and hugs.
x