Gathering reduces entry risk
Gathering needs less working capital and creates test inventory quickly. For a returner, it reveals current prices and sale speed without a large profession bet.
The AH sticker price is not income. Effective GPH appears only after sell-through, fees, expenses and unsold stock.
Crafting creates leverage and risk
Crafting turns recipe access, Knowledge and process into a potential moat. Positive post-fee margin can scale time better than personal gathering.
Reagents also lock gold until output sells. Without observed demand, leverage becomes inventory risk.
Choose for a short week
Start with a route that fits into one complete loop: create inventory, list it, check the sale and record the result. If gathering converts consistently, it remains a useful base.
Move into commodity crafting when you can state break-even, expected sell-through and maximum batch. Conditional ranking measures fit; calculators test the actual prices.
Replace the baseline with your inputs and get an answer for your scenario.
Data note. Every numeric example is a transparent baseline scenario. It is not presented as official publisher data and can be recalculated in the linked tool.