Sell it All: Confessions of a Hoarder

Hello, my name is grumpy, and I am a hoarder.

There, I did it, I admitted I have a problem.  But I rationalize it by trying to say at least I have everything I will need if I level another character on that server.

I have enough enchanting materials to level two enchanters from 1-525 instantly.  I have enough herbs to level an alchemist and enough inks to level two scribes.  I have enough ore and bars to make blacksmith leveling a joke.  You get the idea.

But it does not end there.  I have patterns for everything. I have some rare ones that do not drop any more and have ones that still drop all the time.  While I can surely rationalize the ones that do not drop any more are worth keeping why am I keeping the ones that seem to drop all the time.  They are worthless aren't they?

I have so many coilfang armaments, bog lord tendrils, unidentified plant parts and other things I don't think I could use them all if I wanted to.  I have enough relics of ulduar to build on very own version of ulduar.  If there is a quest type item that can stack and is trade-able I have it, in large quantities.

What it all comes down to is that I am out of space because of this. So out of space that I am actually considering making a second guild bank just to hold my various good and that is when it occurred to me.  Where does it stop?

I have to start letting go but where do I start?  Sometimes it can be really hard to just let go but from leveling some alts recently where I sell everything, due to lack of space and need for gold as they are on new servers, it has shown me that letting go can be a good thing.

So I need to make a line for myself and draw it and decide what is worth saving and what is not.

First things first when doing something like this is to have a general knowledge of what I might need in the future and what is required to get it.

For example, those patterns I mentioned.  The ones that are no longer in game are a keeper for sure.  The longer I hold on to them the rarer they become, so they are worth holding on to.  Right?  Or am I rationalizing again?  But the pattens that seem to drop all the time are not worth holding on to so it is time to let them go.  If they can sell on the auction house, sell them, if they can't, vendor them.  Yes, vendor them.  If they are really that easy to get than there is no use wasting space on them any longer.

That is what I need to consider when I decide what to keep.  How much effort would be involved in getting it if I did not have it?  Something like peacebloom, do I really need to hold on to 8 stacks?  I could pop right outside of any major city and fly around for a little bit and get all the peacebloom I will need.  To replace it would be a short bit of time, to sell it would mean a huge amount of space.  Even if I purchased it off the auction house when the time came that I needed it, it is cheap, so holding on to it means I am wasting one valuable space for something I can replace for 5 gold or less.  I make more than that on one quest.  So why keep it?

Is it worth the time to gather it again to free up that space?  I think so.
It is cheaper to buy it when I need it than to clog up a space something with actual value could be filling?  I think so.

My new rule for all gathering items, save a few, will be the one stack rule.  I will keep one stack of everything.  If I have 21 I will sell the twenty and start a new stack with only one.  Anything past that one space in my bank now falls into the sell it all category.

Same should go for gems, enchanting materials, bars, ore, leather, etc.  One stack is enough.  Perhaps I can extend it for some things that I have found take longer to gather like illusion dust or huge emeralds.  If I am going to use more then one space on any crafting item I am going to make sure it is something that takes longer to gather up or costs a lot that is it not worth buying.

If it is something that is easy or cheap to replace... sell it all.

Certain things that I save in case I need them while leveling I never need.  I've leveled a few leatherworkers and never once used any of the dragon scale colors or scorpid scale or turtle scale so if I want to power level another leatherworker I really won't need them will I?  I guess it is time to ditch them all, there are some people that make mogging gear that will surely love me for selling them.  I am just hoarding them anyway and they are taking up way to much space being they do not stack that high.

If I do not see myself using it... sell it all.

Some things make sense to keep from time to time like I said.  Illusion dust does seem to be the hardest dust to gather up.  So might as well hold on to it so when a guild mate needs some I can give it to them instead of them having to pay 20g a pop on the auction house.  Another thing I will keep are inks.  Being all inks are always usable even at max level, have to love that design, it makes sense to have a nice stock of them at all times.  Whenever someone needs a glyph you will have the materials ready to go and lets not forget all those new monks that will be needing glyphs.  So it is worth holding on to some of those inks for sure.

But even in those cases when is enough enough?  I have over 500 ink of the sea and even if I want to make sure to have some stock to make glyphs for people in the guild that is a little much.  I could never use that many if I tried unless I wanted to get into the glyph making business on the market and quite honestly I can't be bothered.  Just playing the game makes enough money to buy everything I will ever need, so there is no need for me to go out and make more unless I am bored and looking for something to do. 

So with that in mind, I have two options.  Use the ink to make glyphs or sell the ink straight out.  Keep 100, 5 stacks, that is more than ample for something that might have a somewhat normal use.  It might even be too much to hold on to, but cut me some slack here, at least I am trying.  A hoarder is a hoarder and I am working on it.

Even the harder to get stuff you do not need to keep tons of... sell it all.

Those reputation items, even more so the ones from BC being that seemed to have tons of them.  Things for scryers and aldor to get rep and switch rep can really stack up.  If I am not planning on getting the rep or switching the rep there is really absolutely no need to hold on to them at all.  There are always people looking to grind rep for them or stacking up to switch rep so they can get one of the rarer still attainable feats of strength, hero of shattrath.  So get rid of them and let those people trying for the achievements fill your purse instead of keeping them and filling your bank.

Some of those BC things it might be worth holding one stack of.  Unidentified plant parts, glowcap, bog lord tendril, they are all quest items you can send to a new character to get the quest done instantly, so one stack space for them is no big deal but you can live without it.  All that stuff is really easily attainable and I've noticed even if I had it in my guild bank I still usually get it all myself and don't send it over anyway.  Guess what that means?

All those reputation items, unless you are saving them to get the rep yourself... sell it all.

All those oddball things you are holding on to like preserved holly you need to ask yourself why did you save it?  To sell it.  So why are you still holding on to it?  All us hoarders have tons of stuff like that from holidays that we stocked up on because we thought maybe I can sell this later for some gold.  Guess what, now is later isn't it?  Sell all those oddball holiday things at the half way point.  No need to save them forever.  You will get tons more next time the event comes around.  No need to keep collecting them.  Even as a hoarder, you are only hoarding things like this so you can sell them later.

Now is later as soon as the holiday is 3 months past... sell them all.

It is not easy and quite honestly it is the nature of the RPG player.  Anyone that has any history in playing these type of games is a hoarder in one way or another even if they do not know it.  For some it is worse, like me trying to have massive amounts of everything just in case I need it some day.  Well guess what, I can get it again if I need it some day.  Over 600 arcane dusts and 2000 infinite dusts are better off sold because I can get them again in no time.  If anything, why do I have so many of both, because it was easy for me to gather them.  I never went out of my way to get them, they just magically appeared in my bags so to speak so if I need more later I am sure I can make them magically appear there again.

Anything that you can easily get... sell it all.

Space is limited so decisions need to be made on what to clean out, even for a hoarder like myself.

Next thing I would like to work on is my mains bags but I just can't get rid of that stuff.  All my goodies collected over the years.  Fun stuff, removed stuff, odd stuff, you name it.  I still have an extra copy of the quest item that started the epic hunter bow quest, how could I throw that away?  I still have my scepter from the scepter of the shifting sands quest line along with dr weivals diary, how could I throw those away? 

I saved the letter from the oracle orphan I got four years ago because I thought it was the cutest and saddest thing in the game all at once, how could I throw that way? All those archaeology items so I can make wind chimes and turn myself into amber and have a mirror image of myself and all those other things I will probably never use but how could I just throw them away? 

The item that turns me into a wolvar, the one that turns me into a wisp, the one that turns me into a furbolg, the one that turns me into a vrykyl, the one that turns me into..., oh hell, I love things that turn me into other stuff, they are fun, how could I just throw them away?

I'll admit it, I am a hoarder and I am trying to address it by selling off a lot of stuff, but those goodies.  Sorry, I have to draw the line somewhere, I am not ready to give up that side of my hoarder personality just yet.

The other stuff, yeah, I will just sell off of it.  In the end, gold takes up a lot less bag space and I can replace the stuff I plan to sell with a little effort.  Heck, it might even give me something to do in game for those down times when I am bored as opposed to just popping over to my bank character and having everything always.

So that is the bottom line.  If it is something you can easily get again... sell it all.

I am a hoarder, always will be, but I am trying to get better by selling anything that isn't nailed down.