A long list that I hope will answer the question every alchemist on thottbot asks.

1. Raiding guilds have much more to spend their collective resources on now. (gems, epic crafted gear, food buffs, etc) Even hardcore players only have so much time to spend in game, and they're spending it on collecting situational gear, rep bonuses, and other, more efficient means of improving their characters instead of farming gold to hand to alchemists in exchange for one-use items. (not to say that potions Aren't bought, just that people aren't willing to spend the obscene amounts of money the used to)

2. Alchemy Specializations. Sure. One potion specialist cranking out an extra manna potion here and there doesn't SEEM like much, but multiply that surplus by EVERY pot specialist on your server (that was created without removing ANY extra materials from the servers economy) and you'll start to notice a growing imbalance in supply and demand.

3. With the addition of 'discovered' recipes, even 375 alchemists are grinding their trade skill, in hopes of learning a new recipe. This further offsets the balance of supply vs. demand for raw materials and finished products. Surplus potions are being auctioned off 'to sell' or simply given away just to get rid of them, contributing to the falling value of endgame potions.

before the release of TBC, you picked a herb, made a potion and life was good. With the changes introduced, however, raw materials are in greater demand. Alchemy just isn't a viable source of income anymore. If you're only after gold, drop alchemy and pick up a mining pick or skinning knife.

You put into words exactly what I have been thinking.  as it is I basically make flasks and elixirs for myself and a few friends, very rarely do I even attempt to sell them for the reasons you stated.

Thumbs up, you figured it all out.

Wrong wrong wrong WRONG, your thinking too one dimmentional. Yes they are not worth trying to sell on the AH, BUT, you can use pots to get into raid groups or instance groups. Build a rep with your friends, and their friends, and then you have a market. I regularly supply over 40 people with pots now on a regular basis. I send them specific pots every week and they send me gold. I make out really well. It also helps save money when one of your friends sends you a really good recipe that would cost you 100+ gold on the AH. I have five such potions that way. Good luck.

PS. Fadeleaf grows in abundance in the zone with the Sunken Temple. along with blindweed which is good for mana pots and more. Fadeleaf sells for alot of gold on my server. 

Thank you for helping me prov my point. One alchemist serves 40 people? I smell a hit of exaggeration there, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt. They're are 10 trade skills, and each play can choose two. I know these numbers aren't even close to an accurate reflection of the in-game distribution, but Let's say you are supplying 40 players with potions and alchemists services.

With 5 production skills available, from a statistical point of view, one in five players are alchemists. I know.. I know. some skills are more popular than others, and some players only take gathering skills... so let's just arbitrarily make it 1/10 of a servers population.

If 1 of 10 players are producing alchemists, and one alchemist can meet the demands of 40 players, That's 3 other alchemists that are, for all intents and purposes, out of work. Grats on making a nice little niche for yourself, But I still stand by my statements.

unless he is alot higher lvl than the other 3 in the group of 40.....if that being accurate then your ideas in your last post are more or less random babbling....but who knows ive been wrong before....keep on truckin einstein

I have to admit that the 40(roughly) people I provide pots with, aren't hardcore daily players, it's not like I spend all my time farming to make pots, My point was that I found a way to make a good amount of money making potions. But I guess you are making a good point. There are too many Potions masters for there to be any easy money market for the profession. You can make your market by being creative with it. I like it, I use the crap out of my pots and will continue to make them for me and my friends. 

I make money okay with alchemy - A half hour or so of farming herbs easily can make me about 30g in healing/mana potions.  They are the only potions I attempt to sell, but I have never had one last longer than a couple of hours on the AH.  They always sell, and they always sell quickly.  Potions like greater agility are a little more difficult to sell, so I usually stick to the basics.

I also make decent money in transmutes, whether it be primal mights, earthstorm diamonds, skyfire diamonds or converting primals to other primals... Yes, you can only do one a day what with the 24 hour cooldown, but the higher priced items sell for at least 90g.

I wouldn't call alchemy a cash cow, but using primarily alchemy, I made the 5000g for my riding skill in about a month without consistent playing...

As the man said: mutes make money.

xmute's are the casual gamers friend.
logging on once a day every day for 1 minute and farming a weeks mats in an hour on the weekend.

People dnt buy potions/elixirs as much as they used to. Mostly because those who did are now 70, only using lvl 60-70 potions rarely. Their in a raiding guild of some kind, which has an alchemist who will do guild rates/free for them.
Every other week or so, I used to find/see something I hadn't seen before and would love the change it can make...then buy a pile of them :D
Its the fact most low levels (under 40 mostly) have no idea about potions/elixirs for the majority. Trade channel is the best way to advertise potions. Everyones always saying they can make the 65+ potions, no one mentions the lower lvl ones. Magic resistance, underwater breathing/swim speed, swiftness, troll's blood, giants growth. All can significantly shift power in BGs/Duels/PvE, people dnt buy them mostly out of ignorance :)
Sold 2 stacks of Giant Growth pots the other day, 2 at a time (1.2g for 2)to a huge number of people who wanted to look big and hit harder :) Made me profit and upped my skill.

I must say that in order to effectively surplus 40 people with enough potions for a week one would have to have a farmer toon in which you would still need to lvl this toon to get efficiant herbs and oils. Which would cause you to be wasting your time for what could be used for lvling your main toon and maintaining a quality main toon with talents, gear, reputation that actually matters, and weaponry.  One could wait until they are lvl 70 nearing end game and like an elder would....take up the 'ol alchemy hobby like fishing in real life.  Naturally Alchemy would be necessary for a toon to aquire in the beginning of a toon's existance but come on....A hunter takes on skinning and leatherworking mainly to make his/her equipment,,, a warrior takes on blacksmithing, Alchemy, and First Aid to give the maximum potential for a warrior,,, a shaman, priest, or druid does tailoring, enchanting, and picks the odd trades while having an alternate player to filter in the void with alchemic potions or buys them AH style.  From me to you I say don't waste your time with surplusing 40 toons besides yourself. (Not that I believe that could actually be done unless you have cheats and that would prove you to be a vulnerable player seeing everyone would know and you'd feel obligated especially if you have a guildship.)  ~Just thoughts~

Wrong place for this 'Poisons' post, but whatev'. 

Poisons are CLASS specific (Rogue).  Near as I know, they really have nothing to do with Alchemy (mind you, I'm only a 310 alchemist and I could be wrong).  I believe you have to either go to your trainer and get a quest to learn poisons, or you get them upon a specific level, I'm not a rogue, I don't know.

As to the point of the original post: unless you are are really diligent about it, and spend about 75% of your time (some days more) with your alchemy, then it's really hard to make gold with it. 

I'm an alchemist because I want to keep myself in healing and mana potions and Intellect and Spirit based elixirs that, if I were not an alchemist, would be very hard to find because they are rarely listed in the AH (at least on my server).  Eventually, I'm going to switch to tailoring to make my own gear.

When I do make money it's either from selling healing or mana (by massive quantities, which means I've had to either spend a day or so farming herbs, or have had them stocked up in my bank and had to go days barely making any) or from a transmute, which, as was mentioned, has a cool-down that makes you want to bleed out your eyeballs.

In short, I agree with the OP - don't get into alchemy for the money.

Also, it is possible to service 40 customers a week, if you take into account, at least half of them may only want a few healing or mana potions of various levels, or a rage potion.  Still though, it would take a lot of time devoted to alchemy to fill that many orders.

Im an alchemist and i seems to making some rather good money... it all just depands on what potions that you decide to craft...if you can find a good potion that people want/need on your server then i would crank out a decent amount of them. like on my server Adepts Exilers are rather popular but in low supply...the mats are cheap (or free if you decide to farm them...which is also easy) then make some of them and sell em...i get around 10-15g for 5 of them...now thats some pretty easy money for not doing much of anything =P... and most of the hardcore players have hardcore guilds...some of these guilds require you to have potions and exilers and what not... so if your a good and smart alchemist then you should have no problem getting the cash you need just try to find the right stuff to make ^^

I mkae good money from transmutin. and i aint even got primal might yet. i just buy the regents in bulk of 20, make 1 arcanite  every day and its easy profit! wen i get thb i plan to do the same with primal might.

I sum times sell potions aswell if i got lots of reagents spare, but they tend not to even sell, even things like ghost dye, every 1 knos an alchamist thatll do it for them for free so there no money there really! Flasks are prob the only potions thatll sell well i imagine.

you are all correct in both your thoughs and observations, after nearly 2 years of building a number of toons on 3 different accounts, I only use my alchemy skills for raid groups and my own toons. I dont sell them, I find my time is better spent on other adventures. though making pots is one of the first things I do for any new toon I start, but once you get 70 they are far less important. 

Another suggestion will be... Be either enchanter or JC. They earn much more! Look at the amount of people shouting for enchanter...

Those potions and elixir are still very sellable in AH.

Good point here. Underwater breathing is one of my best selling potion. Haha.

I think alchemy doesnt make very much money but its a prof for peaople who enjoy the game and not hardcore

With the new profession coming up (inscription) things may change, I dont have any idea what mats will be used primarily, but I suggest cloth/pots and herbs will be front runners, (perhaps enchating also), so I wouldnt give up hope.

I never make any money. I am a 285 alchemist and I haven't made 1 gold yet (I use my pots for leveling, instances and such). Can anyone tell me what kind of pots to make for profit?

transmute...i make between 15-22 gold a day (23hr cool down)making arcanite bars depending on the market. 

Sorry, but i make cash from alchemy, i just have my potions reasonably priced, no one likes 2 buy a potion for 7 or 10 gold, even if u get 10 of them for that price.
I've found that i make the most money by listing the potions individually, then players who hav less cash are still able 2 buy it, everytime i've listed elixirs / potions etc. as a stack they have been passed in.
It also depends what the AH is doing, if the price is being driven down to 10 silver, don't list it, wait a week and you'll easily triple your money.
And i still bother making the lower levl stuff - it still sells, i made the money for my mount in less than 24 hours-
i also buy out the ridiculously cheap competition & then relist for the price that i want to get,
If anyone undercuts me in price, i take mine off the AH + relist it again for less, usually works 2!

I make gold selling pots on the AH, but I had to make a couple herb-collecting alts to ease the farming pain.  Although most have been hit-and-miss, healing and switftness pots are consistent sellers.  I started by selling stacks of Healing Potion for 30s, moved onto Greater Healing for 1.80 and now sell Superior for 2.5 (I keep the Major for me and my friends). Swiftness are consistent sellers, but I need my alts to collect the Swiftthistle and Briarthorn.  Outside of those I sell 1-2 mini-stacks of Elixir of Greater Agility and Intellect per week (6g for 5).  Pots that fetch a good price but are hard to sell include Elixir of Shadow Power and Elixir of Superior D.  I've had mixed success with others but specifically I recommend staying away from Dreamless Sleep, Nature Protection (can't give these away), Invisibility and Rage(the prices don't justify the gathering hardships). (I'm a 57th Tauren hunter on Madoran).  In a good week I can sell 4 stacks of Switftness, 4 of Healing, and 2 mini stacks of Agility, and maybe a stack of Wildvine for a total of 35g. Not mind-blowing but it gets me my mount and some nice scopes.

I recommend always setting a starting price you can live with, and a buyout price you think is reasonable.  Swiftness, for whatever reason, sells best during the week, and healing on the weekends.  I find Fridays the prime selling day, so set those auctions up on Thursday night and you'll be set for the weekend.

Two words: Transmute Mastery

Now that it's proccing again like it should, it's very easy to make 90+ gold a day for farming a few elementals. For the diamonds, I buy the raw stones on the AH for a few gold. No screwing around with nethers or anything like that. Combine with herbalism for elixirs pots and flasks and it's a cash cow.

In addition, this does not preclude me from discovering flasks, primal transmutes (other than might,does anyone ever use these?),etc. Since I farm almost all my own mats it's practically 100% profit for little work.

I have my epic flying skill and almost 6000g. In fact, I'm running out of things to buy.

Others in my guild, that have been 70 as long as I have don't even have their epic flyers yet with the money they make from their professions.

Nuff said.

Alchemy has been my best moneymaker.  With it I make enough to support my other alts from my lvl 64 mage (345 alc/375herb)  I'm a casual player, maybe 10-12 hours a week.  When money is low, low level alts collect the lesser mats, my 64 does the mats from BC.  That with drops from BC i can usually pull down a couple of hundred gold easy in a weekend.  The big bitch is, pricing, gold hungry noobs are inflating the market prices with outrageous prices for equipment.  With twink popularity in PvP, anything that's...of monkey, ..of tiger is priced through the roof.  Get a grip, greed is destroying the game.

Alchemy can too make some money! Sure, you may just use your pots at low levels, but when you get over 300, you start you start to realize, "HEY! I can finally sell these pots instead of selling these herbs in my inventory!" Transmutes can also bring in some money. Selling Primal Might transmutes and the diamond xmutes make some reasonable money, and the possibility to get a proc is also exellent. Sometimes, you can have as many as 10 guys lining up for a transmute from you. RESULT: Give to highest bidder.

Alchemy is also a more enjoyable, and easier proffesion to master. It's not like enchanting, where you get so annoyed trying to level your stupid skill over 100. Also, buying cheap mats and selling the resulted transmutes is also useful.

In short: GO ALCHEMY!
[Horde]
Spinebreaker
Mastol-65 Hunter

if you think getting enchanting is difficult to get over 100, you obviously havent tried enchanting. strange dust (the very first dust) will take you to 125 easy. and you can DE items to lvl your enchanting upto 60 or 70.

people say enchanting is so expensive to level and i dont really know why. yeah the mats are expensive but you make your money back when you sell the enchant lol (usually with profit)... and often people will supply mats for an enchant they want so it costs you nothing. ive made so much money of enchanting.

i felt that needed to be said.

anyways, this is the alchemy boards so...

my alchemy is only at 150 and so far i've made about 30 gold.
you just have to make the right things that sell, ie.. swiftness potions (people pay 5 g for these for warsong gulch) and shadow oil.

here's a good money maker transmute pprimal earth to something else earth going for 4 G on my server everything else 18+G for primals

Frost Oil FTW, its required for a quest in the 40's.  I list them seperate for 2g a piece, always have them sold before I even know what happened... Im also seem to beone of the only players on my server who lists pots on the AH. People still buy them, but it seems I sell more of the lower level ones, 10-30, than higher ones.

Well it's all coming down to the specifics of the realm...
I have chars in two servers. My first and main char is on a realm that has more than adequate Alchies. Therefore prices are not high and materials are better off some times. This means tha Alchemy has sense only if you farm your own mats. On the other server and at horde side the situation is completely different. Players begging for potions and elixirs. It's a PvP server so you can guess the issue... Anyway eventhough my main there is a warrior I will take alchi as a trade.
And last but not least, with 2.4 transmuting will have lower if none CD... This means prices for arcanite etc will drop dramaticaly...
Anyway professions for money are ALWAYS realm-relative!

well for some low lvled ppl out there u can make some money off of swiftness potions. i'm only lvl 24 and made about 100g off of those so its worth it to spend 10-15g for that recipe =)

I agree with some people here. On different parts. One, the economy for pots is pretty pooh. Two, some pots are good sells. Swiftness Pots, Shadow Oil, and any pots regularly needed for quests. Three, Xmute mastery is nice, being a rogue, I often pull 5 gold here and there for hitting my mute button, or for hitting my unlock button.. Just being near a trade channel brings in gold fairly well. And if an extra mute procs.. then JackPot! anywhere from 50 to 100g ... Still... this isn't a lot of money >.< ... Tailors make bigs bucks.. WHY? BAGS... everyone needs them, and everyone wants them.. also, making ur primal moonclothes and junk like that.. just keep storing those up, and then go on a selling spree.. my brother did that.. and made about 9000g ... took him a little over a month.. i don't know if that's really any good.. but it impressed me

Seems to me anyone who chose a profession simply to make money and NOT to supplement their own character should have simply picked up two gathering skills to begin with.

I don't know a single smart alchemist that doesn't use their own potions for either themselves or their group's own benefit. If you just want to make money, don't even bother making potions, stick to selling mats instead and only making potions/elixers/transmutes on special order. You can farm a stack of Felweed and sell it for just as much as selling a stack of 5 or even 10 potions in a fraction of the time and receive 100% profit on the sale. People who actually use the mats are doing so for guild/raid purposes and will almost always have plenty more money than they have time to go farm. And the reason they'll buy the mats instead of just buying the already-made potion is because 1) their own discovery proc chance, and 2) their mastery.

In short, sell mats if all you want is money. In addition, be happy that you're not LOSING money by paying someone else to make potions for you when you actually want or need them.

elixers of giant growth go pretty well too. about 1g each. i list them in satcks of 5 and single. twinks love 2 buy them and swiftness pots. and most pvp realms are overrun with twinks. 19 pants of the monkey cost 100g+ on my server =O

im trying to get exaulted with netherwing if i pick up two trade skills will i get both dailies or will i still only get 1 ps how high herby you need for it ?

EFFECTIVE WAY TO MAKE MONEY WITH ALCHEMY BEFORE XMUTES!

The original post suggested that you will make more gold with a mining pick or skinning knife, same is true with...gardener's gloves??  LOL
As cause and effect has created an influx of potions/elixirs on the AH, with higher lvls working on discoveries, the same cause and effect has driven up the demand for alchemy mats...herbs.  So, if you have taken the sister profession with Alchemy, Herbalism, once you have lvl'd from your mats and continue to collect them, sell them on the AH.  I know this would be server dependant, but I have recently discovered that many times, the mats sell for more than the potion/elixir.  Last weekend I was selling Stranglekelp for 20G/stack!!!  I sold 5 stacks very quickly.  If you search Reagents/Herbs on your AH, you can see which ones are consistantly listed high, and focus in on those to make more money.  This way you can still make potions/elixirs for yourself and friends, and make money selling the left over herbs. 
This is my first alchemist, so by no means would be considered an expert, but I am a lvl 57 that has never been to Outlands and have over 1000 gold.  I play only 2-3 times per week.  Works for me :)

i am alchemist...but i never sell my potion, i do a lot of potions if i dont need they, i gift to any what i thing...i wrote in the channel "i am giftin X potion...who need it..."i can make an alchemyst so popular

the prices for mays in ah on my server are higher than the prices of the finished product, so there it is easier to make gold with herbs than alchemy for me (prolly that will change when i get mastery), but it is nice to be able to make pots and elixirs with the mats i farm, and also mad alchemist potion is very usefull for me, i gues alchemy is more to get buffs and pots instead of making money until you get mastery, still the mats sell well, so prolly herb is primary to get money and alchemy becomes the add on profetion in this case, unless you like buffing yourself and friends, wich i dp =)

I'm at alchemy 345 or something like that and I make a decent amount of money. I think it's great cuz since i'm herbalism i can either sell mats(most of the time the mats sell for more than the potions), or use them to make some mongoose elixers, elixer of mastery, shadow elixers, etc. those go for at least 5 gold a pop AT LEAST! and think about it with alchemy/herb everything is a profit. We get everything for free! Plus I haven't chose a master profession yet but i can still make diamonds and xmutes which is great cuz diamonds go for at least 150g on the AH. Some drawbacks of the xmutes besides the cooldown is that the mats can be expensive and if u are trying to level up it will cost u. Potions def. make money. Mining makes pretty good money probably more than alchemy...and skinning well i think there's so many skinners and since u can skin a majority of npcs,the value is decreased drastically.

-Kromuk (FROSTMANE SERVER)
66 Orc Warrior

I find I make more money off the t=lower pots than the higher pots. Why well because most 300-375 alc are either trying to lvl or discover new potions because its a lot less work then to get exalted with every faction to make a few pots. This is what I make and they are a gold mine


Free Action Potions Sell for 6-10g cant keep them on the ah ( I know low Level  fishing what a pain what I have done is I take newbie’s and make them a deal Ill give you 2.25 for a stack of oily blackmouth 10g for a stack of deviate fish and 5g fore a stack of stonescale 5g for stack of strange kelp.Currently I got 3 people farming the mats for me for some easy cash and 5g for stack of strange kelp.

Wow now I have tons of  mats


Ok let’s make 20 Elixirs of giant growth and sell for 1.25 each (using the deviate fish with the cooking outcome sells for only ~ .75g each I get more sales when I sell individually

Free Action potions (great for WSG getting the flag when the base is well defended) 6-10g stack of 5

I use the Stone scale to make Stone scale potions I farm the Thorium but often see in on the ah for 20-25 g a stack I sell 5 pots for 25g

I used to make the Swiftness pots but the mats seam to cost about as much as I earn and im far to busy to go and farm those low mats better thing do now I am 70

Got a miner alt I do I farm thorium and I get the arcanite crystals make the bars now with the new cd $$ I can’t keep them on the AH

And we haven’t even got into the CD transmutes

Ill make twink pots and sell them or use them

I ge the mats from the Soil sample deals
I Farm the soil while I farm thorium and ill use it every time I rem I put the thing on my bar so I can easily see the CD is up But that gives me the lower lvl mats to make those other pots that I have not intentions of farming the mats for NTM the Morrow grain sells for way 20-25g a stack

I make about 300-500g a day and all I do is make herb casing and craft the pots the rest is waiting in the guild bank for me (I have them deposit the items and with draw what I owe them I give them a 50g max a day) Makes me have to spend less time fig it out I just look over the #’s and make sure the match up

But for real higher some newbie’s most are broke and will welcome the extra cash plus ill buy their greens for twice the vender amount and make good money DE. And as a bonus ill throw them the junk pots I make that may sell but for what ill throw them to my biggest farmers to show my appreciation

A lot depends on the potion. On my server a 20 stack of Elixir of Healing Power will sell for 60g on average. Agility elixirs are pretty good money makers too.