Grinding for Gold

• The traditional way of getting gold is to perform as many quests as possible, killing as many creatures as you can and selling unusable items to a vendor or on the Auction House. This method works, but the revenue over time will be low unless you are in a particular area harvesting a particular valuable item--for example, iridescent pearls along a shoreline.
  
  

Instance Runs

• Do a solo or small-group run through an instance a few levels lower than your current character level. Loot all the green- and blue-quality items, then sell all bind-on-equip items on the Auction House. When selling on the AH, watch what comparable items are selling for. If you need cash in a hurry, price your item with an immediate buyout slightly lower than the lowest average price. If you do not mind waiting for a bit more money, put your item up for a long auction in the early evening and price it a bit high--at some point, the lower-priced items will sell, and yours will be left for purchase.
  
  

Professions

• Dismissed by some players, professions are an easy way to earn income while gaining experience and enmeshing players in the lore of the game. Although low-level crafters and gatherers can sell raw materials or green-level items at the Auction House for profit (sometimes, for great profit depending on the server mix), the real income from professions comes from high-level items--pots, and enchants. Although skilling up a profession takes time, the reward comes later in the game. For example, on server Misha, at one time a mid-level tailor could sell Spidersilk Boots for 80 gold, for just an hour or two of materials farming. For a character in the mid-30s, 80 gold is substantial income.
  
  

Buying Gold Online?

• The temptation is there: Why not buy a few hundred gold online? In addition to being a violation of Blizzard's Terms of Service--which could get your WoW account suspended, or your characters deleted--WoW gold comes from somewhere. Some does come from the infamous "Chinese farmers," who spend their days grinding for gold to sell. Increasingly, in-game gold is being stolen from other players whose accounts have been hacked. Avoid the temptation to buy gold. Earn it the old-fashioned way; it will make your game play richer, even if slower.