Now I do have 3 tailors and several miners that can smelt titansteel so I personally can create at least 3 titansteel a day if I wanted. But I still don’t think that overall it is worth it.

Here is a link to a view of my priest with the gear that I used in the H-UK run, I am not sure if I am wearing the pants I got from it or not.

http://profiler.wowhead.com/?profile=us.elune.cemone

We wiped a few times and we switched to the better geared tank who was originally in a dps spec.

On my about page I list the majority of my high level characters if you want to look them up on the armory.

Your reasonably fresh 80 had no crafted gear on whatsoever? I either craft, or get crafted every piece I can at 80, or ideally before 80. My wife still has a BoE blue with a meta because nothing better ever dropped for her in Naxx or Ulduar that she could get (DKP and SK stopped some of it). Granted she can now farm badges and get a helm, that is beside the point, it was one less gear upgrade that she needed immediately. People are still using the crafts for some reason, yes you may provide things free for friends, but most people are willing to pay you (friend included).

My reasonably fresh 80 Priest was able to successfully heal a H-UK last night because some of the dps and the tank had ok through really good gear. There are now enough players in all different tiers of end-game content that it is really the average level of gear across the group and not so much on any particular player. With the marginal exception of the Tank.

I farm and grind the dailies to have money to buy the epics I need in order for an alt to start a heroic decently geared. Maybe some people figure they can get carried along, but my server is small, and runs are very difficult if someone is not pulling their part. This means I need to be geared and ready for any run I want to do. In fact my DK just got to a point where I feel good taking him to Emalon, because otherwise she didn’t do enough DPS to merit going.

As insciptor I have found finding the class that was required to change the most and making the appropriate glyphs sells very well. I made a bunch in DK glyphs, esp frost and blood ones.

However, I’m one of your consumers. I’m an end game raider. I very much enjoy collecting recipes and crafting items. I have almost every profession at close to end game to take advantage of synergies. I sell small but steady amounts of what I make. In the end, though, I have a LW/JC on my main because those small buffs are well worth the large amount of time/effort/gold it took to get there. I’m your person with gold to burn who bought her resto druid the moonshroud set, the earthgiving legguards, the wisp cloak… and so on. Yes, I could and did then run instances, but having those boe items on hand to immediately pop on was well worth my gold. And yeah, I think those tiny bonuses are worth the expenditure.

Hmmm and currently the patterns out of Ulduar are close to best in slot. Its a pity that the materials cost more than the items will bring on the market.

I do agree though, that it is a pity that people regard our time as crafters as worthless and price items accordingly.

(And, as a side note, a good Naxx group that doesn’t wipe much makes a tidy pile of gold if you are bored with dailies.)

Overall though the small buffs that can be brought to the table are a personal decision. Is the 100s or 1000s of gold needed to get that buff worth the +X Stamina or +Y Spell Power. From a pure money in money out over a period of time, Flask based Alchemy wins. Constantly used consumables always win in the profitability market, unless everyone is doing it.

Actually the real money making winner is just doing dailies and buying everything and Farming what you can while doing them.

You mention the people with money to burn, yes you could sell to them. However if they ever think about it. If for example they can farm for 5 hours and make 1000g or run 5 hours worth of the new instance which will give more loot? Simple the instance for 5 hours. If you get 5 runs that is 15+ chances at an epic you want/need.

The real shame is yes I realize WoW is a game and we do it for fun. But because we do it for fun does not mean our time is worthless. The fact that many in WoW seem to treat their time there as worthless makes it that much more difficult to create a real economy in the game.

But… Each profession brings buffs to the table. Inscription means never having to grind Hodir rep, and the ability to make Darkmoon cards, which do sell well. Blacksmithing still has incredible synergy with JC, giving us more slots for gems. And, if you have an alt that can de, blacksmithing has several patterns that de profitably into dust and cosmics. And so on… I remember the glory days (all 10 of them) when Wrath came out and I had guildies who needed and wanted the pieces I was crafting to max out my leatherworking. R.I.P.

However, every profession still has a buff or two, and an item enhancement or two, that are profitable and desirable.