Alto's Interview with Markco of JMTC and 20K Guide

Late into last week, I had the opportunity to interview one of the greats of the gold making family, Markco. For those that have never heard of him, he is the ringleader of JMTC and the writer of the extremely popular 20K Gold Making Guide. 

Please enjoy the interview, as he covers some of the little known information about his daily routine, using spreadsheets, his biggest mistakes (we all have them), and at the end make sure to see what I pulled off for you folks, as I know you will be pretty happy….So without further ado, I introduce the man, the myth, the legend. Markco.

First off, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. I know you are a busy man, what did I take you away from? What’s been happening lately?

Hey there Alto, I actually just finished up a marketing discussion with the "Marketing Over Coffee" podcast regarding economic systems in world of warcraft. Went really well and they are going to release it in a couple of weeks. Just a bunch of nerds talking about how the economy in wow is easier to manipulate than the one in RL... lol

Alot of us have our own daily "AH Routine". I was wondering if you can give us a day in the life of Markco's AH Routine. 

Vendor Scan
Review Articles for Blog
Resale Scan
Write New Idea for Gold Making Down on Napkin
Snatch Scan
Tweet About Latest Gold Making Idea
Load Items from Mail Toon
Open Gmail and Cry at Mail Count
Distribute Items to Crafting Toons
Repeat for each crafting toon:
      Craft Items
      Answer Emails on GMail
      Send Items to Banker
Sell Items on Banker
Implement a New Gold Strategy Into Gold Guide Based on Gold Making Idea on Napkin (If Coffee was spilled at any point in the process then lose idea forever)
Go Kill Alliance

Are you utilizing the spreadsheets that are out there for your crafting?

I actually made my own for the gold guide, but there are tons out there that can prove useful. I actually suggest that you learn to use excel formulas like the one in the tutorial section of JMTC and then make your own for your specific situation. Makes life a lot easier when first setting up your snatch list, after that, you probably won't need the formulas because you'll have a system in place for buying and selling.

Everyone has had a gold mistake. What was yours, how bad did it hit you, and how did you recover?

My biggest gold mistake was running from one strategy to the next like a hamster on a treadmill. I would drop everything I was doing and go for the next big gold making tip. I would ignore what I already had at my disposal and level a whole new toon sometimes to take advantage of a new market. What I eventually learned to do was to step off the treadmill and start focusing my efforts on what I had at my disposal already and using strategies which made decent gold on a regular basis instead of crazy amounts once in a while.


We all read your blog daily, so we know what's going on in Markco's head. I was wondering, what is something that you haven't shared with the masses yet?

Wow, this is an incredibly good question. I try my best to at the very least put all my ideas into the gold guide, but I guess once in a while I miss something. To answer this question I will have to think for a bit.... (ponders for 5 minutes)... You know what Alto, I believe that I have forgotten to mention flipping maelstrom crystals. I've been doing that with huge success, taking 1200 gold crystals and flipping them for 5000 gold. There are never more than two or three up so it's easy money.

Other than your gold making, which we all know can take quite a bit of time, do you actually play WoW?

I PvP a little bit, but nowhere near as much as the glory days of being a gladiator in season 6 and into 7. A lot of my time is spent managing the community at JMTC and running the gold guide, so I really don't have much time to play just for the hell of it anymore.

We all read your blog daily, so we know what's going on in Markco's head. I was wondering, what is something that you haven't shared with the masses yet?

Wow, this is an incredibly good question. I try my best to at the very least put all my ideas into the gold guide, but I guess once in a while I miss something. To answer this question I will have to think for a bit.... (ponders for 5 minutes)... You know what Alto, I believe that I have forgotten to mention flipping maelstrom crystals. I've been doing that with huge success, taking 1200 gold crystals and flipping them for 5000 gold. There are never more than two or three up so it's easy money.


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After the interview with Markco, I asked him one more question: "How many guides have you sold?" He talked for quite some time (proudly I might add) and pulled out emails with success stories from people that have bought his guide and how much they have made from using the information inside. 

While talking, he explained that he has helped over 3,000 players become better auctioneers with his guide. Since I know that you want to get the scoop, here is the link for 20k Gold Guide, or you can use the link at the top of my page. Ok, now you have to keep this a secret, when you are checking out, you can use ALTO for an extra 10% off! Now I mean it, keep this quiet, as when Markco left to get coffee, I stealthed into his office and got this discount code just for my readers. Shhh!