The Secret's Been Hiding in Plain Sight
Forget farming herbs or camping rare spawns. The biggest gold-making secret in Azeroth right now isn't in a raid or a dungeon. It's sitting on a dusty shelf in Durotar, sold by a vendor most players stopped visiting after level 10.
I'm talking about a 4000% return on investment. You buy for copper, you sell for gold. It's not a bug. It's not an exploit. It's pure, unadulterated auction house negligence on a massive scale.
The Mark and the Method
Who's the target? Max-level raiders and serious PvPers. These players are min-maxing their characters to the extreme, and they'll pay a premium for anything that gives them an edge—or saves them a crucial GCD.
They're not shopping in Durotar. They're checking the Auction House in Orgrimmar or Stormwind, typing in exactly what they need. And that's where you come in.
The Item: "Rough Sharpening Stone"
Yes, you read that right. The level 1 blacksmithing item, Rough Sharpening Stone. Sold by Rawrk in the Valley of Trials (coordinates 44.2, 68.6 for you minimap enjoyers).
Cost: A laughable 6 Copper each. You can buy stacks for literal silver.
Why does it sell? Two words: Profession Leveling Kits. High-level players power-leveling blacksmithing on an alt don't want to waste time mining copper and smelting. They want to buy 200 Rough Stones, 200 Coarse Stones, etc., in one click. They will gladly pay 25-30 Silver PER STONE to avoid the grind.
Do the math. 6 Copper to 25 Silver is a 4,066% profit. A single stack of 20 costs you 1 Silver, 20 Copper. It sells on the AH for over 5 Gold. Let that sink in.
Why Nobody Noticed
It's simple psychology. Once you're level 60 (or 70, or 80), you never think about Durotar vendors. Your hearth is set to Shattrath or Dalaran. The idea of a vendor item being valuable is absurd. This creates a perfect market blind spot.
Furthermore, the Auction House's default UI is terrible for spotting these deals. Who's searching for "Rough Sharpening Stone" at max level? Only the people trying to power-level, and they're searching the AH, not riding to the Barrens.
The Verdict: How to Do It
This isn't complicated, but execution is everything.
- Location: Fly to the Valley of Trials in Durotar. Find Rawrk near the forge.
- The Buy: Clean him out. Buy every Rough Sharpening Stone he has. His stock refreshes, so you can do this repeatedly.
- The Post: List on the Auction House in full stacks of 20. This is crucial. The leveling crafter wants convenience.
- The Price: Undercut the current market by a copper if you must, but do NOT race to the bottom. The standard price is 25-30s per stone. Hold the line. The demand is consistent.
- Rinse and Repeat: Vendor stock refreshes, and players constantly create new alts. This is a perpetual gold machine.
Warning: As more people read this, competition will increase. The first-mover advantage is huge. Get in, establish your dominance on the listing, and watch the gold roll in. This is how goblins are born.
Now get out there and turn that forgotten copper into a mountain of gold. For the Horde... and for profit.