Manual

Trade Channel
To sell or buy an item over the trade channel, open up your chat prompt and type
/trade, followed by your message. Doing this ensures that your message is
displayed in the trade channel and not in general chat. Most trade requests in the
general channel are ignored by players and you cannot link items in General Chat.
If you have an item for sale, your message should include the item you want to sell,
the quantity of items, and your asking price. If you wish to have the players in the
trade channel bid on your item, you should say so. All bidding should then be done
in the trade channel, and not through private messaging.
If you are selling your item for a flat rate, state that as well. You can have any
prospective buyer respond in the trade channel or send you a private message.
If you wish to buy an item in the trade channel, state your needs, the quantity you
want, and the price you are willing to pay.
The trading that goes on in the trade channel in World of Warcraft is restricted to
your current city only. Sometimes, if you are not finding a good market for your
items, you might want to go to a new city and try advertising your trade again. In
World of Warcraft, the player-run economy is a free-market one where prices can
fluctuate greatly depending on the time of day and the zone in question. It can be
very exciting to trade with other players, although certain etiquette should be
observed in order to ensure fair and respectful conduct. Only bid on items you are
serious about purchasing, and try to coordinate an exchange of money and goods
as quickly as possible once the auction is concluded.
Linking Items for Sale
If you are buying or selling an item, you should link the item to your chat message
so that prospective buyers can see the item for sale. To do that, open your chat
prompt, type your message, and then link the item by holding down the shift key
and clicking on the item from your bag slot. The item will appear in brackets and
color coded for the item’s rarity. Other players that see the linked item in chat can
click on it to open up the item’s info box.