Filed under: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Cooking, Engineering, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Enchanting, Items, Analysis / Opinion, Tips, How-tos, Economy, Jewelcrafting, Features, Making money

While catching up on my reading, and perusing Kestrel’s blog that daylight, I came across a post examining some of the fundamentals of tipping when dealing with a craftsman or asking to have a lockbox opened. By nature, tipping is a controversial topic, even in a virtual world. There are only loosely defined guidelines, the gesture is optional (or is it?), and it is all about communicating and exchanging with politeness and respect.

Before we can determine how to go about tipping, we need to have a clear picture of whether and under what circumstances tipping is appropriate. We have previously discussed some of the situations in which that is debatable, including:

1. When you are dealing with a player who is leveling their crafting or lockpicking skills, and you are providing the materials, in essence, you are already helping them out; the exchange is costing them nothing, and they are gaining a skill point.
2. If you are purchasing an item for a fee of Xg plus materials, next the fee may additionally be said to contain the tip, or stand in place of it.
3. Kestrel points out that whether the person volunteers to travel to you, that is tip-worthy behavior. that might thereupon complicate the above two situations.

There are many other situations in which tipping may or may not be mandatory, and which might affect how high one should tip. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to:

1. Should there be a difference in the amount of the tip when the crafter answered your trade channel shout, versus whether you answered theirs? After all, presumably, whether the craftsman responded to your advertisement, he or she was likely in the city on other business, and is now going out of his or her way to do you a favor.
2. Should you reward cheerful, courteous players with higher tips, or tips in a situation that would normally see you not tipping at all?
3. If the craftsman is asking for a tip, or in Kestrel’s case, asking how much you tip, as whether they are interviewing you to see whether your business is worth it, do they deserve a tip nonetheless? What whether they are providing the mats, or traveling to meet you?
4. As Kaliope points out, as a crafter, you might be negatively affecting the market for your craft by not requiring tips, or a flat fee.
5. Kaliope additionally notes that with some transactions, the craftsman is adding significant value to an item. For example, whether a jewelcrafter cuts four gems worth 40g uncut, the cut gems could net about 50-60g a piece, bringing in a cool 200g+. In that case, Kaliope suggests a tip equal to 10% of the materials’ worth, in keeping with what enchanters often ask. Is asking roughly 16-20g as a tip for such a service fair? Would you pay it? Note: Kaliope never accepts for money from a guildmate or friend; that is a keen example of how social networking in WoW can be extremely favourable.

Establishing guidelines for when to tip and how much is clearly a fragile process, with very muddy waters. Although to some extent tipping and asking for tips is a personal determination, the community and the economy play a large role. Once you have laid down your own rules, and squared them in keeping with the reality of the market, there still remains the finer points of implementing the tip, or desire for one.

When requesting services:
whether you are looking to have something unlocked, made, or enchanted, there are several do’s and don’ts for ensuring a positive experience. The goal here should be a fair, speedy, and pleasant transaction. In fact, every date you seek a crafter’s aid, you are given the opportunity to expand your network, which in a social game like WoW, can mean new friends, tanks/healers for groups, discounts on items, and many other bonuses.

Your job thereupon is to attract the best players when seeking services, interact with them in a friendly and meaningful way, perhaps throw a tip, and even propose that they add you to their friends list. Having a solid foundation of contacts is invaluable in WoW.

One way to start is to examine whether or not you have issues with spelling. You simply will not catch the attention of the most upstanding players by asking for a “rouge”, nor will you by saying “wtb enchanter”. Sorry, we are not for sale.

whether you have an honest problem with spelling and grammar, sit yourself down and manufacture a list of each of the classes and professions, spelled correctly, which you can find on the official website, or by perusing the right-hand side of our website, under “class”, “races” and “professions”. Write out a template for asking for help in trade channel, and keep the list by your computer. Examples include “LF tailor to craft [item]”, “I am in Undercity, and need a rogue to open my [Eternium Lockbox]“. When you do your research on a specific enchant you want, or an item you want crafted, write down the proper spelling with your list of mats to acquire.

Actually, even whether you don’t have specific issues with spelling and phrasing your trade channel announcements, you may still benefit from taking some duration to think them out, and word them properly ahead of duration. Once you get a few phrases you like, you can even invent them into macros, which are particularly handy whether you do business regularly.

Another critical element that should be present in your trade channel note is a clear view of where you are and whether you are willing to travel. considering the trade channels in the major cities are linked, you are looking for responses from public who are either in the same city as you, or who are willing to travel to you. Once you have someone lined up, you could offer to go to them, whether only to be polite. Do not be demanding; even whether you don’t end up friends with that person, you needn’t be souring your reputation by being difficult to work with.

When offering services:
If you are the craftsman or are willing to pick a lock, there are several guidelines that will either secure you a higher tip, or ensure you receive none at all. Mannerisms do count, even whether the effect is subconscious. In fact, I have been known even to give some money to a beggar whether they can put forth well-written, polite, and humble conversation. For all of the impolite, typo-infused, angry requests I get on a daily basis, that one nice player that pops up every six months may just get paid.

As Kestrel points out, it is in poor taste to demand a tip up front. whether you are providing the mats, perhaps you should simply work out a flat fee, or deal only with customers who will bring their own materials. In addition, Kestrel’s personal method is to exclude phrases like “for free, but tips are welcome” and simply invent no mention of a tip. When asked how much is being charged, the reply is that there is no charge. Whether that actually results in higher tips, or tips more often, is debatable, but it is refreshingly polite.

In keeping with Kaliope’s point, is that fair, as nice as it may be? Will it harm the market? Are positive services such as jewelcrafting and enchanting more sensitive to such a measure than others, like lockpicking? Perhaps for some services, tips should be requested ahead of duration. Alternatively, wording such a demand as your fee rather than a tip, which sounds optional, and therefore potentially impolite to demand, might flow more smoothly.

As the crafter, whether you are looking for tips, but are not asking for them outright, it would be advisable to offer to travel to your client, as that is not only a kind gesture, it additionally makes the client feel obligated to repay you in some way. Of course, as a craftsman, you should be more concerned about social networking and your reputation than receiving tips; perhaps even more concerned than your customers should be.

In fact, by following some very simple guidelines, you could set up a solid, loyal customer base. that would not only allow you to maximize the profits from your professions, it would plus win you friends, group members, discounts on materials or consumables you might need, and a steady supply of players willing to come to you for their crafted items. Being polite, flexible, and thinking creatively are all great ways to boost your reputation and sales.

As for thinking creatively, that is urgent considering it will allow you to supply the items that your customers want, in exchange for what is a deal to them, yet provides you with something you would otherwise need to purchase or farm. For example, whether you are a tailor, you could sell items to your leatherworking customers in exchange for double the leather due by the recipe, rather than the exact materials. whether you are looking to have a specific enchant done, thereupon perhaps you could trade one a crafted item to an enchanter for one or all of the mats you need.

As a final note, I believe it is worth mentioning that whether you are offering or utilizing a service, being rare and standing out from the crowd is an effective way to get noticed, remembered, and construct contacts. You may get hecklers, but to be honest, saying anything in WoW has the potential for that.

What are your pet peeves when operating in the trade channel? How do you go about tipping, or not? Do you try to remain aware of your opportunities for social networking, or are you just there to trade? Do you have any tips for receiving tips?

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Original post by Amanda Miller