Flipping Guides

How to flip items — the short answer

Flipping works by placing buy orders below instant-buy price, waiting for fills (5–60 min), then listing sell offers above instant-sell price. The Bazaar is fastest and easiest; the Auction House has higher margins but longer wait times. Use Bazaar Flips to find high-volume, low-risk items for your first 10 flips.

Step-by-step: Bazaar flipping

The Bazaar is commodity-based (identical stacks of items) and best for beginners. You'll complete your first flip in 30–90 minutes.

  1. Pick an item: Open Bazaar Flips, sort by "Volume ⇩", and choose an item with 10k+ volume/day and 3%+ margin. Example: Enchanted Sugar Cane, Wheat, or Bone.
  2. Place a buy order: In-game, open Bazaar → select your item → "Create Buy Order." Set your price 1–5% below instant-buy (just above the top buy order). Example: if instant-buy is 1,000 coins, place order at 970–990 coins.
  3. Wait for fills: Your order will fill as players instant-sell. Peak times (3–9pm EST) fill faster. Check back every 10–30 min or use SkyCofl mod for alerts (/cofl bazaar).
  4. Place a sell offer: Once filled, click "Create Sell Offer." Set price 1–5% above instant-sell (just below the top sell offer). Example: if instant-sell is 1,100 coins, offer at 1,130–1,150 coins.
  5. Collect profit: When your items sell, claim the coins from Bazaar. Net profit = (sell price × 0.9875) − buy price. The 0.9875 factor accounts for the 1.25% Bazaar fee (reducible to 1.125% by claiming orders manually).

Why use orders instead of instant trades?

Instant-buy and instant-sell prices are set by the lowest seller and highest buyer. Using orders, you place yourself between these walls and capture the spread. Example:

  • Instant-buy: 1,000 coins (you pay sellers' price)
  • Top buy order: 950 coins (your competition)
  • Your buy order: 970 coins (better than 950, cheaper than 1,000)
  • Top sell offer: 1,150 coins (your competition)
  • Your sell offer: 1,130 coins (cheaper than 1,150, better than instant-sell)
  • Instant-sell: 1,100 coins (you accept buyers' low price)

Net: you buy at 970, sell at 1,130. Gross profit = 160 coins/item. Instant-trade profit = 100 coins/item (instant-sell − instant-buy). Orders give you 60% more profit.

Step-by-step: Auction House flipping

The AH handles unique items (pets, reforged gear, enchanted books). Higher margins but slower turnover (12h–7d per flip).

  1. Find undervalued auctions: Use AH Flipper to see items ending soon priced 10%+ below median value. Look for "BIN" (Buy It Now) auctions for instant purchases.
  2. Win the auction: For BIN, click and purchase immediately. For timed auctions, bid in the last 5 seconds ("sniping") to avoid bid wars.
  3. Relist at market price: Check recent sales for similar items (same pet level, reforge, enchants). List 2–5% below the lowest active listing to sell faster.
  4. Wait for sale: Popular items (meta pets, god rolls) sell in 12–48h. Niche items can take 3–7 days. Monitor and relist if unsold after 2 days.

Core principles for both markets

1. Volume beats margin (for beginners)

A 3% margin on an item that flips 10 times/day earns more than a 50% margin on an item that sells once/week. High volume = faster compounding.

2. Timing matters

Bazaar: Peak activity 3–9pm EST (USA + EU overlap). Off-peak (2–8am EST) has lower volume but less competition.
AH: List items Thursday–Sunday for highest traffic. Avoid Monday mornings (low buyer activity).

3. Account for fees and taxes

Bazaar fee: 1.25% on sell offers (1.125% if you claim manually). Always calculate net profit: (sell price × 0.9875) − buy price.
AH tax: None on BIN purchases, but 1% listing fee on all auctions (refunded if item sells).

Advanced tips

  • Diversify across 5–10 items: Don't put all capital in one flip. Spread risk across multiple Bazaar items or AH categories (pets, armor, books).
  • Use Top Movers to avoid volatile items. Skip items with 20%+ price swings in 24h (sign of manipulation or events).
  • Track your flips: Use SkyCofl's history or a spreadsheet. If an item loses money 3 times in a row, blacklist it and find alternatives.
  • Reinvest profits: Compound daily. Example: 1M capital → 1.05M (5% profit) → 1.1M next day. 30 days = 4.3M total (330% gain).
  • Start with Bazaar, graduate to AH: Master Bazaar mechanics (orders, fees, volume) before tackling AH's unique item valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Bazaar flip take?

Fast items (high volume): 30–90 minutes total (10–30 min buy fill + 20–60 min sell fill).
Slower items: 2–6 hours during off-peak.
Use SkyCofl alerts to check fills without staying in-game.

How long does an AH flip take?

BIN sniping: Instant purchase, 12–48h to resell.
Auction sniping: Wait for auction end (up to 7d), then 24–72h to resell.
Total cycle: 1–10 days depending on item rarity.

What if my Bazaar orders don't fill?

Buy order not filling: Increase price 1–2% to match the buy wall. If still no fills after 2 hours, item may have low activity — cancel and pick a higher-volume item.
Sell offer not filling: Lower price 1–2% to undercut the sell wall. Check Top Movers — if item crashed 10%+, instant-sell to cut losses.

Should I flip Bazaar or AH first?

Bazaar first. It's faster, more liquid, and easier to learn. AH requires deeper item knowledge (reforges, pet levels, enchant values) and longer holding periods.

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