What Sells Well on ESO: Your Guide to Tamriel’s Thriving Markets

The question on every aspiring merchant’s mind in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is simple: What sells well? The answer, however, is anything but. The ESO economy is a dynamic beast, constantly shifting with updates, player habits, and the ebb and flow of demand. However, certain categories consistently perform well: crafting materials, consumables, gear sets, and rare furnishings. The specifics within each category are where savvy traders can truly shine. Understanding market trends and player needs is the key to maximizing profits.

Diving Deeper into ESO’s Most Lucrative Markets

Let’s break down these top-selling categories and explore the nuances of each:

1. Crafting Materials: The Backbone of the Economy

• Raw Materials: Ore, wood, fibers, and alchemy ingredients are always in demand. Players need these to level their crafting skills and create gear. Focus on areas with dense resource nodes and refine materials to sell in larger quantities. Refined materials almost always sell for more than the raw counterparts.
• Refined Materials: As mentioned above, refining raw materials is often a lucrative step. Ingots, planks, cloth scraps, and solvents are essential for crafters. Pay attention to material level – Orichalcum Ingots will always fetch more than Iron Ingots.
• Tempers, Resins, and Tannins: These upgrade materials are used to improve the quality of gear, from Fine to Legendary. Legendary tempers (like Dreugh Wax, Rosin, and Tempering Alloy) command premium prices.
• Runes: Enchanting is vital for character builds, making runes a consistent seller. Essence runes (like Jejota and Denata) used for weapon enchantments are particularly popular.
• Provisioning Materials: Ingredients for food and drinks are always in demand. Specific ingredients for popular recipes, like Bervez Juice or Frost Mirriam, can be particularly valuable.
• Alchemy Ingredients: The ESO community is always looking for alchemy ingredients. Columbine, Mountain Flower, Namira’s Rot, and Blessed Thistle are popular ingredients to keep in stock at your guild traders.
• Motifs and Style Materials: Crafters use motifs and style materials to customize their gear’s appearance. Rare motifs, especially those from DLC zones or limited-time events, can be incredibly valuable. Consider farming dungeons to unlock motifs.

2. Consumables: Power-Ups for Every Adventure

• Potions: Players constantly consume potions to enhance their abilities. Tri-pots (restore Health, Magicka, and Stamina) are universally useful and always sell well. Specific potions tailored to DPS, healers, or tanks also find ready buyers.
• Food and Drinks: Buff food and drinks are crucial for optimizing character performance. Look for recipes that provide significant stat bonuses (like Max Health, Max Magicka, or Weapon/Spell Damage) and craft them in bulk.
• Poisons: While less commonly used than potions, poisons can still be a good source of income, particularly those that inflict status effects or debuff enemies.

3. Gear Sets: The Hunt for Perfect Builds

• Overland Sets: These sets drop from enemies and chests in specific zones. Meta sets, like Mother’s Sorrow (Morrowind) or Spinner’s Garments (Malabal Tor), are highly sought after by DPS players. Farm zones with desirable sets and list them in guild traders.
• Dungeon Sets: These sets drop from the final bosses of dungeons. Sets like Siroria (Cloudrest Trial) or Bahsei’s Mania (Rockgrove Trial) are staples in many end-game builds.
• Trial Sets: Found in Trials, these sets are typically more difficult to acquire but also more powerful. Sets like Relequen are popular, and can be sold for a decent price.

4. Furnishings: Decorating Your Dream Home

• Furnishing Plans/Recipes: Players use these to craft furniture for their homes. Rare plans, especially those from limited-time events or difficult content, can fetch extremely high prices.
• Furnishing Materials: Special materials like Mundane Runes or Decorative Wax are used in specific furnishing recipes. These can be acquired through daily crafting writs or purchased from other players.
• Completed Furnishings: If you have crafting skills, crafting and selling completed furnishings can be profitable. Focus on popular or rare items that are difficult to obtain.

5. Other Considerations

• Gold Materials: Gold upgrade materials for crafting are always valuable. Regularly refine your crafting materials to have a consistent supply.
• Event Items: Keep an eye on in-game events. Event-specific items, like motifs, recipes, or collectibles, can become quite valuable after the event ends.
• Antiquities: Antiquities from the Greymoor Chapter, especially leads to mythic items, are always profitable.

FAQs: Your Questions Answered

1. Where is the best place to sell items in ESO?

The best place to sell items is through guild traders. Joining multiple guilds, particularly those with traders in popular locations like Elden Root, Mournhold, or Belkarth, will significantly increase your visibility. Alternatively, using zone chat in busy areas can help you find buyers directly.

2. How do I find a guild with a good trader location?

Look for guilds that actively advertise their trader locations and membership benefits. Many guilds also have weekly dues or participation requirements to maintain their trader spot.

3. What’s the fastest way to make gold in ESO?

While selling items is a reliable method, crafting writs, daily quests, and farming valuable sets are all viable options for making gold quickly.

4. Are stolen items worth selling?

Yes, stolen items can be sold to fences at Outlaw Refuges. However, be careful not to get caught by guards, as you will incur a bounty.

5. What are the best crafting professions for making gold?

All crafting professions can be profitable, but alchemy and provisioning are particularly good for consumables. Enchanting is profitable due to the constant demand for glyphs.

6. Should I sell raw or refined crafting materials?

Refined materials generally sell for more than raw materials, especially when dealing with higher-level resources.

7. What are the best daily quests for making gold?

Undaunted daily pledges and crafting writs offer good rewards and can be completed relatively quickly.

8. How do I find rare furnishing plans?

Rare furnishing plans can drop from containers, enemies, or be purchased from specific vendors. Some are only available during limited-time events.

9. What is the Golden Vendor, and why is it important?

The Golden Vendor (Adhazabi Aba-daro) sells monster set shoulders and head pieces with random traits. These pieces are valuable for optimizing builds. Visit on weekends.

10. How do I determine the price of an item?

Use websites like Tamriel Trade Centre or Master Merchant add-on to check the average selling price of items in your region.

11. What are some good zones for farming crafting materials?

• Auridon: Abundant in various crafting materials.
• Grahtwood: Known for its dense wood nodes.
• Bangkorai: Good for ore and alchemy ingredients.

12. What does “flipping” items mean in ESO?

Flipping items involves buying low and selling high. This requires careful market research and an understanding of price fluctuations. Look for items that are underpriced and resell them for a profit.

13. How do I avoid getting scammed when trading with other players?

Use reputable guild traders and be wary of deals that seem too good to be true. Always double-check the agreed-upon price before finalizing a trade.

14. What is the best way to manage my inventory when farming?

Use inventory management add-ons and invest in bag upgrades to increase your carrying capacity. Consider creating alt characters specifically for storage.

15. Is it worth selling low-level gear?

While low-level gear might not fetch high prices individually, selling it in bulk to merchants can still be a decent way to get rid of unwanted items. Deconstructing the gear is also an option to level up crafting skills and obtain materials.

The world of Elder Scrolls Online is always evolving. This information should allow you to become a successful trader in Tamriel. For those interested in learning more about the broader impacts of gaming, consider exploring the resources available at Games Learning Society or at GamesLearningSociety.org.