Making gold in World of Warcraft is one of those topics that always stays relevant. And it comes as no surprise, as gold is the main in-game currency that’s needed for basically everything from gear repairs to mounts and consumables. That’s why players spend hours grinding mobs, running dungeons, or leveling up professions just to earn those precious coins. But what if we told you there’s a way to make gold without killing a single mob, without touching a profession, and without ever leaving the city?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the art of item flipping and break down all the tools and strategies that you need to make tons of WoW Classic gold, all while spending just a few minutes a day on the Auction House.
TradeSkillMaster Addon
The very first thing you need to do before starting your Auction House game is to install TradeSkillMaster, or simply TSM. TSM is a powerful addon that automates most of your auction tasks: posting and canceling items in bulk, scanning for price data, tracking market trends, and much more.
At first glance, TSM might seem intimidating with lots of menus, options, and settings. But once you spend a bit of time with it and learn the basics, it’ll quickly become your go-to tool for everything auction-related.
We won’t go too deep into the addon itself here (TSM really deserves a separate guide), but we strongly recommend checking out a few tutorials. The official TSM website has excellent documentation, and there are plenty of step-by-step video guides that explain everything in a simple, beginner-friendly way.
In this guide, we’ll focus only on the core TSM features that will actually help you flip items effectively and start making gold with minimal effort.
Grouping Items
Before you can get into flipping, you’ll need to set up item groups in TSM. Groups let you organize items into categories, so that TSM can scan only the items you need instead of combing through thousands of random listings. It keeps things clean, focused, and much easier to manage.
To create a group manually, go to the Groups tab in TSM and click the little plus icon next to Base Group, and then type in the name of your group (you can change it later at any time). If you want to make subgroups, just click the plus icon next to the group’s name; it works the same way.
If you have ungrouped items in your inventory, simply click on the group you want to add them to, select the items on the group screen, and hit Add.
If the items aren’t in your bags, click on Base Group. There’ll be a search bar where you can type in the item’s name. Pick the item from the search results, use the Select Group dropdown at the bottom to choose your target group, and then click Move Item. You can also just drag and drop the item into the desired group in the list.
Another (slightly more advanced) method is to create groups using the Wowhead database and import them into TSM via Import Strings.
You can also skip all the setup and use pre-built groups made by other players. They’re available on various community sites, including the official TSM website, which also features a detailed guide on how the grouping system works.
Scanning the Auction and Buying Underpriced Items
With your groups ready, go to the Browse tab in TSM, select a group, and run a market scan. The addon will display all the listings that match your group items.
The most important column is the last one, which shows the percentage of the item’s market value. The lower the number, the better the deal. Ideally, you want to grab items listed for up to 70% of market value. You can sort the list by that column from lowest to highest so the cheapest deals appear first.
When deciding what to buy, always check the Region Market Value, which shows the average sale price across your realm. If that number is much lower than the price the item is currently listed for, it’s better to skip this item, because chances are it won’t bring you profit.
Also, keep an eye on the Vendor Sell Price. If an item’s auction price is less than five times its vendor value, you have to be very careful. In case the item doesn’t sell and you have to repost multiple times, the Auction deposit fees can quickly eat into your profits, and you’ll end up losing gold instead of making it.
Reselling
Once you’ve stocked up on cheap items, it’s time to flip them and make your profit. You can post your auctions manually through the Auction House UI, but it’s much easier to use Operations in TSM. With Operations, you can set up exactly how TSM should handle your listings, how many items to post, how long the auctions should last, and what your minimum, normal, and maximum prices should be.
When it comes to pricing, the safest strategy is “buy low, sell normal.” It won’t make you a fortune overnight, but it will give you a stable income and a steady flow of sales. Use Market Value as your main reference point and list items for 5-10% above this number. It’ll leave just enough room for profit without scaring buyers away with inflated prices.
What to Start Flipping With
If you’re just getting into flipping, the best way to start is reselling materials. This market is always thriving because players never stop crafting and always need mats for their professions. There are tons of different mats, and many of them are really cheap, which makes them perfect for beginner flippers who don’t have much starting gold and can’t afford big risks.
For beginners, we recommend starting with small purchases and always keeping some gold in reserve. Never dump all your savings into buying flip items. You don’t want to end up completely broke, especially when you’re still learning the ropes.
And most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The only real way to master the Auction House is by actually being there, selling things, and seeing what works and what doesn’t. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at spotting profitable deals. So go for it, stay patient, and soon enough you’ll see how much your wealth has grown and how much more fun the game has become.
