Recipes on the AH

Recipes are one of the most difficult items to buy on the AH (Auction House). Some recipes are learned from a trainer, but could also be a drop, some recipes are purchased from a vendor whilst others are drop only.

The recipes that are trainer, drop tend to be much much cheaper at the trainer. It's not generally a good idea to buy these at the AH. The recipes that are vendor or vendor, drop is also much cheaper at the vendor than the AH. I prefer seeking out the vendor and camping it if necessary to save the 90% AH mark-up. The recipes that are drop only are a good buy when offered at a good price. However, whilst leveling up it's not necessary to own every single recipe. Some recipes will make things that will make money and others will not. Some you will make for yourself and therein will be the value, but you may be able to purchase a far superior finished item from the AH for the same price. It's therefore not as straight forward to decide which purchase is the right one.

The best solution I have so far managed is to first check on-line if the recipe is trainer/drop, vendor or drop. If it's available at a trainer, I never buy it on the AH. If it's available at the vendor, I check where the vendor is and how easy they are to get to. If it's a reasonable journey, I prefer to travel. If it's an unreasonably journey, I prefer to wait until it becomes reasonable. It's a rare pattern that I would pay 10x for on the AH. It hasn't happened it, but it may. The recipes that are a drop is generally a good purchase if it's a good AH price. If you discover that it's not a pattern you truly want to learn, then there's always the potential for re-sell.

When purchasing recipes, I always have a browser open on the patterns/recipes/plans:

• Alchemy
  
• Blacksmithing
• Cooking
• Enchanting
• Engineering
• First Aid
• Fishing
  
• Jewelcrafting
• Leatherworking
• Tailoring

The decision process is at least informed by knowing the details. If a recipe is a drop, I tend to look at the market price for the item as well as the recipe, what it disenchants to and the stats on the item. It requires knowing a little bit about classes and which classes favour which stats to accurately predict if an item will have re-sell value. Other than that, it's simply a matter of watching the AH and scooping up all the patterns that are drops that are available for a significant discount. Bargain shopping. Ahoy!