(Written by Nicholas) (Write for us!)
Herbalism, like mining, has changed in terms of value as a profession. In my opinion as money making professions they do not have the same potential for income generation they once did. For example in the Burning Crusade I could farm Nightmare Vine from Shadowmoon valley and generate around 40-60g a stack. In WotLK this is no longer the case, there is simply too high a supply level and not enough demand now.
I believe that gathering professions on their own are no longer as good a source of income, you have to combine them with crafting professions to maximize the return on your investment of time.
So what does a herbalist do to maximize his/her return with their chosen profession? Unlike mining most of the herbs I have observed on the AH sell at around the same level, around 20g per stack. This includes Lichbloom and Icethorn, which are the current high level herbs for flasks etc. In fact these herbs often sell at less than this and as such don’t always represent the best source of income by simply gathering them to put on the AH.
With this in mind we need to look at the other professions.
Inscription
This provides a couple of outlets for herbs. The Darkmoon cards of the North are of reasonable value, especially the Nobles cards. The others are of lesser value but still provide useful trinkets for less well geared 80’s. The problem I foresee is the constantly updating gear with new patches coming out. These will become dated over time, though they still provide a recurring source of income from newer players and alts.
The inks made from the Northrend herbs can also sell well. Snowfall ink is around 20g per ink on my server, so when the prices of herbs do reach low levels I tend to buy at around 12-15g/stack and have a friend make the inks for me. I have then sold the inks for a profit on the AH as well as having some of the Darkmoon cards made as well. This can provide more of an income than simply selling the herbs when the prices are too low.
One major selling point for Inscription is the vellums, especially Armor/Weapon Vellum III. These are of considerable use for enchanters and are a good way to provide income regularly. I have an enchanter and often I have problems getting these vellums so the demand is there for them. The materials for each are quite inexpensive in comparison to the profits. One vellum III of either type sells for around 10-13g+ each, which is considerably more than the herbs required to make each.
Alchemy
Alchemy provides the best use of herbs in my opinion. The reason for this is simple, it produces a consumable. In other words people have to keep buying more potions/flasks/elixirs when they run out.
The general rule concerning raids is that if you are doing a new raid dungeon you must be using a flask or 2 elixirs. This means that when a new patch comes out you will get good business repeatedly, not just a one off sale as with a glyph or piece of armour. If herb prices are low enough then you can easily buy them, make potions/elixirs and sell them for a profit, hence avoiding trying to sell your herbs lower than is reasonable. If you feel that even the consumables are priced too low, hold on to them till later. You don’t need to sell them immediately, let some of the lower priced stock sell then put them on a day or so later.
During the Burning Crusade I always farmed my herbs during the week and put a load of elixirs on at the weekend and found this to be quite successful. The key point here is to be adaptable, maybe the prices are too low at the weekend, but through the week nights there are raids running and there is less competition. So you would put them on then for a greater profit margin.
Another point that makes alchemy more useful than just selling herbs alone, is the specialization you can have. You can be a master at Potions, Elixirs/flasks or Transmutes. This processes some of the time when you are using alchemy to produce your speciality, thus again increasing your earn for the same materials.
General points
Herbalism on its own can be used for profit but I feel it is better in combination with Alchemy or Inscription for the above reasons. Frost Lotus is possibly the only exception to herb gathering being less profitable on its own, but is a rare drop.
You get Frost Lotus as a rare drop from other Northrend herbs, however you also get it as an individual herb in Wintergrasp and Ulduar. It is one of the few herbs that has sustained a reasonable price. Prices average from 35-45g each and so it is worth selling as there is always a demand for it from Alchemists if you have a few spare.
One overall point to remember is to observe the market as often as possible. Herb prices do fluctuate as with other trade goods, they may be low one day and higher the next. The more you get to know these fluctuations the better you will be at making gold.
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