Using Auctioneer's AskPrice to answer "what's this worth?"
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 28th 2008 at 6:00PM
I'm not sure how exactly it gets around the no-spam requirements on sending so many messages at once (although spamming is "allowed" in some whispers and chats), but if this is something that pops up in guild chat or among your friends really often (and there is someone online enough to be around whenever this question is asked), this is handy little tip for something that you probably already have installed. Very nice.
Filed under: Tips, Odds and ends, Economy, AddOns
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Saiforune Jan 28th 2008 6:13PM
Well I have been avoiding Auctioneer, but now I think you've convinced me. Thanks Mike! I can't wait for The WoWinsider show so keep up the good work!
Nibuca Jan 28th 2008 6:28PM
:)
This feature is turned on by default in Auctioneer Advanced.
If someone says in /g ? [Wolfrunner Shoes]
Then my toon will whisper back to them my price check on that item. No polluting guild chat.
The trigger (?) can be changed and it can also use smart word matching to whisper back when it sees something like: /g Hey, what are [Wolfrunner Shoes] worth?
Nibuca
http://chicanery.fibergeek.com/ (just moved but still available at both locations).
Dave Jan 28th 2008 6:42PM
being a newb and getting a tip from a fellow wower i've been using that for 3 months now.. made lots of money using it.. "Auctioneer" is def something you want if you want to sell somthing for the right price
Eternalpayn Jan 28th 2008 7:18PM
I discovered this accidentally by asking what something was worth in Gchat one time. Now I PST myself whenever I need to know something :) (And use GChat, in case guildies of mine have seen auctions that I haven't)
Calaana Jan 28th 2008 7:23PM
Something to keep in mind is the more often the person scan, the more accurate the price. Not uncommon for someone to say a primal fire is worth 10g, when it's up to 20 and they haven't scanned in a week. It's also important to note that auctioneer scans the prices the items are put up for, not sold for. It's a guide, but very easy to dupe.
Krick Jan 28th 2008 8:15PM
The Wowecon.com mod keeps track of actual sale prices based on mail box transactions. It will show the median sale price on your server, and also across all servers. I also has some integration within Auctioneer Advanced but I'm not sure to what extent the algorithms take wowecon prices into account.
...
Krick
http://www.tankadin.com
Thander Jan 28th 2008 10:57PM
It's not popular enough on most servers, so you'll get very little information from it. It can display global information if there is none for a particular item on your server but the global prices are just averages of all the servers. They are very unreliable.
Kuroyume Jan 28th 2008 8:55PM
i just saw this feature today for the first time. A guildie asked "what is (some schematic" worth?" and auctioneer answered on it's own... pretty cool
reddarin Jan 29th 2008 6:36AM
Another reason why these addons need more documentation with them. Even a small manual would be nice. Some of them come with some basic commands, but like this...who knew.
Eternalpayn Jan 29th 2008 7:41AM
Would anyone honestly take the time to read the manual? Exactly. (Yes, some people would, but as you've seen some people already knew about this :P)
Krystalle Voecks Jan 29th 2008 8:37AM
Actually, most mods come with a listing of slash commands that explains what everything does. Auctioneer is one of them. Try the name of the mod, or the initials of the mod, either alone or with "help" behind them.
Reddarin Jan 29th 2008 8:37AM
In your post...Eternalpayn...you said you "accidently" discovered it. So you really have no reason to dispute my claim...in fact your post supports the idea that a little more info would be helpful.
Had there been even a small cheat sheet, then alot more than "some people" would be able to take advantage of it. I understand, of course, it comes down to money. Most of these addons are, at best, shareware and a profitless venture rarely invokes extras.
Don't get me wrong, I love surprises. But everytime I install a new addon I look through all the folders for the slightest hint of an instruction sheet. Sometimes I find the elusive prize I seek and other times...nada. I suppose thats why we flock to sites like WOW Insider...to get Insider info on the game...like AskPrice.
And "Yes", I do think people would read them...at least once...maybe.
Red
Mr. Applebutter Jan 29th 2008 10:03AM
That's because most of the people developing add-ons probably have some real-world development experience. Those of us in the field of development never write documentation; we leave that to the technical writers. :)
Kidding aside, I do agree that a lot of add-ons need more documentation.
What I would really like to see is some sort of global add-on debug mode or something that will easily identify pieces of an add-on when you mouseover them. If you have ever installed an add-on compilation before you know what I am referring to......those times when one annoying little blip is on your screen that you are dying to get rid of but you can't figure out which add-on is the culprit.
Bunkai Jan 29th 2008 10:07AM
"I'm not sure how exactly it gets around the no-spam requirements on sending so many messages at once... "
The definition of SPAM includes the fact that it is unsolicited communications... you have to send a tell to the person running AskPrice to get a response... that's not SPAM.
Jasperwind Jan 29th 2008 10:52AM
I have been using Auctioneer for.... ever I guess. I just move my mouse over an item and it pops up and gives me all that info and maybe more. I thought it was in the standard Auctioneer package, but maybe not. The only advantage I see for this is that somebody without Auctioneer can get prices from somebody with it. To that I say, just go download Auctioneer and you'll never have to ask how much something is worth in the first place.
Nibuca Jan 29th 2008 12:11PM
What you say is true Jasperwind.. but some people are more principled about scanning AH than others. Their prices will be more true to the current market.
This feature allows me to solicit pricing from anyone in the guild who has Auctioneer running. It also tells me how often they've seen the item and gives me an idea of the price range.