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uction Houses are the central hub for buying and selling goods in World of Warcraft. Located conveniently in all cities, they allow you to sell to and buy items from other players of your faction. Neutral auction houses even allow you to engage in trade with players of the other faction - the only means in-game to do so.

Going to the Auction House
Sellers are able to place items up for auction, set a starting price, set the auction duration, and include a buyout price by speaking with an Auctioneer. Most auctions will be initially charged a deposit fee. The deposit fee is refunded upon the successful sale of the item. Successful sales are charged an auction consignment fee which is extracted directly from the final sale price. Fees are higher at neutral auction houses.

Buyers are able to search through items up for auction, place bids, and immediately purchase items that include buyout prices. Players are not able to place bids on items being sold by a character on their own account.

Buyers receive their purchased items, and sellers their money, through the in-game mail system. An invoice of the transaction is included with the goods or proceeds.

Auction House Screenshots

Ironforge Ironforge
Stormwind Stormwind
Darnassus Darnassus
Thunder Bluff Undercity
Orgrimmar Orgrimmar
Neutral: Gadgetzan Neutral: Gadgetzan
Neutral: Everlook Neutral: Everlook
Neutral: Booty Bay The Exodar
Silvermoon City West Silvermoon City East

Browsing Auction Items
Use the categories on the left side of the auction window, and the search field in the top left, to find the items you're interested in. There are many possible custom search options, including:

Name - Name of a specific item you're looking for. You can shift-click an item or item name to enter it in this window.

Level Range - Set the minimum and maximum required level of the item. For example, if you're level 30, try looking for items up to level 30.
Looking for pants

Useable Items - Click this box if you only want to see items that you can currently use, such as only displaying Cloth armor if you're a Mage.

Filters
There are many filters and sub filters you can apply to narrow your searches, categorized by item type. For example, each weapon and armor type has its own filter, and in the case of armor, subfilters by inventory slot.

Bidding and Buyouts
Select the item you wish to bid on or buy out in the Browse window. Each item will display its closing time, the current high bid, and the buyout price (if available).

Buyout Price
If the item has a Buyout price it will be listed as a fixed price to purchase the item. This is not the current bid, but instead how much you must pay to buy the item outright, ending the auction. Using the buyout option will immediately deliver the item to your mailbox.

Auction Length
Mouse over the time remaining to display an estimate in hours of time remaining on the auction. Items can be put up for sale for 12, 24, or 48 hours.

Bidding Increments
You can enter any bid amount you wish when making a bid. The minimum bid amount (5% of the current sale price) will be filled in as the default amount.

Outbid!
If you are outbid on an auction you will receive a text message in your chat window, in addition to receiving your bid amount in your mailbox. You will need to bid again if you want that item. Each time a bid is made on an item, a small amount of time is added to the remaining auction duration.

Bid Tab
Select the "Bid" tab to see the current status of all the items you're bidding on.

Creating An Auction
Place Item in Auction Box
Click on the "Auctions" Tab. In the top left of that panel there is a box to place your item. Drag an item you wish to sell from your bags into this box.

Set Starting Price
The auction house will suggest a starting price. You can adjust this by setting it higher or lower. In some cases the suggested price will be much lower than the item's market value. If you're unsure as to the market value of your item, try searching for listings for that item. However, a low price may also attract bidders who think they can get a deal on the item.

Getting the money to buy pants Set Auction Duration
It's important to realize that the longer you set the auction duration, the more the initial deposit will be. If you set an extremely long duration, the deposit price can even exceed the actual value of the item. If your item sells, you will receive your deposit back. However, if no one buys the item, you'll lose your deposit. Generally it's good to pick the shortest auction time you're comfortable with in order to reduce your upfront cost.

Buyout Price (Optional)
If you wish, you can also set a buyout price. This is the price at which a buyer can instantly purchase your item. If you're unsure of the price to set, try searching for listings for that item. Generally, people will pay a slight premium to get their item instantly.

Auction Successful
If someone buys the item you are selling you'll receive a text message. The purchase amount will be sent to your mailbox along with a receipt. Your actual payout will be lower than the sale price because of the auction house's cut - a percentage of the sale price.

Auction Expired
If your item doesn't sell by the time the auction duration is up, your auction will expire and you will lose your deposit money. The item you put up for auction will be returned to you from the auction house through the mail. You have up to 30 days to get it from your mailbox.

Miscellaneous Information
When items are being put up for sale on the Auction House, if the item you are putting up for bid is the same item and quantity as the previous item you put up for bid, it will automatically fill in the price and buyout for you with your previous price.

Recipes you already know will not show up in the auction listing if "Usable Items" is checked.
Stacked items for sale at the auction house display the per unit price and per unit buyout price in the item mouseover.
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