Begging with style

A funny thing happened to me yesterday. While doing the usual emptying of bags on my rogue in Undercity I got a whisper from another rogue, only level 8. He asked, rather politely, if he could have 1g for skills since he was completely new on the server and had no money.

Depending on how people ask me, I will answer them accordingly. I rarely just cut people off, but try to help them in some way. I never ever however actually give them money. I work around the motto - give them tools to help themselves.

So what do you do when someone asks you for money? You could just take the easy way out and give them what they ask for. Unfortunately this is like giving money to beggers in real life, it isn't completely certain they'll actually use it for what they claim they will. I'm not just prejudiced, I have experience of this. But anyway, in WoW I know it happens that people earn their living just on begging. People are actually that generous! And I'm quite sure it won't help them learn the magic of "earning your own money".

The second option would be to direct them to my post on how to make money when you're fresh and clean without a main.

A third option, and the most devoted one, is to offer to buy something from them. If they really need the money asap they might not want to listen to your sensible advice on how to get money in the long run. You can decide for youself if you want to rip them off in their need or actually give them a fair deal. Unless you're -really- ripping them off (like buying Recipe:Savory Deviate Delight for 1g) you're probably doing them a favor anyway.

But what if the tables are turned and you're the one in need of some really quick bucks? I have never ever begged for money, but I have been in dire need of some quick G's. Here are some easy tips if you want to make money fast, they usually work, but only if you don't use them too often.

- Look into your bags, is there anything you've got that someone else might consider sellable enough to take from your hands immediately, even if it's just as a favor. Chances are you do. Especially cloth and cooking reagents sell very well (in case you don't have a gathering profession). Whisper some highbie, or announce in trade of your predicament and offer to sell whatever you've got to a nice price if you could get someone to help you at once. Think about that if you announce it generally (like in a chat) there is a risk that no one will feel they're targetted and might just shrug it off. There is a real psychological phenomenon that states that the more people are involved in a problem, the less the chances are than one individual will take the step to solve it. The risk of addressing an individual is of course instead that you might get hold of a douche bag or just someone who is afk. You can make a nice macro of your message however and send it to everyone around you *snicker*.

- There is too little rp in the world. Although the vast majority of players in WoW make fun of rp, it is still a force to be counted with. Whenever I'm bored I pick some gray item in my bags (most recently Rotting Bear Carcass and Rabbit's Foot) and write some inspired rp about in trade chat, with the final point being that it is for sale of course. If you're witty enough you can get really good money for your crap!
Here are some examples that made my abovementioned grays sell for 10g each!

Rotting Bear Carcass - Are you going to have a nice night with the misses? Want to set that special mood and make sure it's going to happen? Buy my Rotting Bear Carcass, spread it in front of the fire and I guarantee satisfaction! Disclaimer: No satisfaction guaranteed, feelings of itchiness may develop if vicinity to the Rotting Bear Carcass is kept for too long.

Rabbit's Foot - Going to ICC tonight? Want to make sure you get that special item you've been running for the last ten times? Get my Rabbit's Foot and laugh your fellow raiders in the face as the item falls into your hands! Disclaimer: Luck not actually guaranteed, previous owner's relatives have sued for misinformation.

You might not think any of these are hilarious, but someone did and paid me 10g for my "crap"! That is begging with style. See it as they're paying you for giving them a little fun, and not in the dirty way. The best part is that it's only your imagination that sets the limits.

But wait, what happened to the rogue that asked me for 1g? Well first I gave him some information about what he could do to earn some money by himself. He answered with something like "well I'm just a lowbie rogue and it is hard". So I turned around and looked at him and saw... that he had BoA gear... Nice try mr. "new on the server rogue". Minus dkp for fail try.