The Purpose of this Guide
This is not a step by step guide. You will still have to figure out the details. I can’t tell you what will work best for you on your server.
This is a compilation of many ideas posted in this forum as well as a few of my own. There are many ways to play this game. These methods may not work for all people.
3 main methods to make Gold
Sell: Elements/Stones/Items.
The key word is sell. In order to sell successfully, you must be able to stall for hours at a time, letting the largest customer base see your merchandise. I stall overnight, and during the day when I am not playing. If you cannot / will not stall overnight, then your profit will be reduced.
Stall Network
Use it! Use it! Use it!
It is your most powerful tool. Don’t know what you should sell that item for? Search the network and compare it to what is already for sale. Then tailor your pricing accordingly.
Selling an item? Always put it in the stall network. Sure you pay a fee, but if it means more people see your product increasing the number of potential buyers.
How to get elements:
1. Void rondo alchemy items. Get a helper pet if at all possible. They pick up items for you while you grind. Most people don’t pick up alchemy items but they do pickup gold. It is true you can’t buy pots with elements, but the alchemy items are worth anywhere from 1k - 10k. So if you have a choice of gold or alchemy items pick up the alchemy.
2. Destroyer rondo Items. All the item drops like weapons or protector that you aren’t going to use destroy for elements. Do Not NPC anything. Let me repeat myself. DO NOT NPC anything.
HINT* There will be times when you will actually by items from other people to destroyer rondo.
This link overviews the exact process of breaking items for elements.
http://www.silkroadforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12542
Element Storage
I recommend leveling a character on your main account to level 5, and completing the inventory expansion quest. This characters sole purpose will be storing elements, after all 32 slots are needed for storing elements. Characters on the same account share the same 5 pages of storage. There are two big benefits to this, one being you do not have to pay to take stacks of elements in and out of storage, and if you have a helper pet you can transfer items between characters for the storage cost of 1 gold.
Selling Stones
Learn which stones people are willing to pay for, and which are profitable to make for resale. There are some stones that you may only be able to sell for 500k, yet if you sold the elements needed to make that stone you would get 600k.
I do not make stones that aren’t in high demand and have a low profit margin. I look for a 200k+ bonus over the value of the elements and tab.
Buy low Sell High
I have not had much experience with this technique. There are some people who use this for there only means of money procurement and they are quite successful. You must study the market and be patient. A down side to this method is the majority of your gold can be tied up in investments for resale. The benefit is one good deal and you have made millions. Warning people get addicted to making money; it’s like playing the stock market.
Conclusion
Always remember to start with baby steps when venturing into any aspect of this game. People forget very easily that what makes this game fun is the journey, whether it is leveling, or becoming rich. You need patience for success.
If you are just starting out I suggest the element market, because of very consistent prices, and the largest customer base.
You must always be ready to adapt to the changing economy. Prices change daily as well as demand for different items. There are artificial market inflater's like Christmas and Thanksgiving event, as well as an increasing number of gold buyers flooding the market.
The dream came true
I am happy to say that I know a person who has a 64 sun+7 sword that he got 100% legit. With a few trusting friends they were able to pull together 1 billion in gold for the purchase. What’s even more amazing is that they are all relatively low level, around and below level 64. There power stems from the trust they have in each other. When a good deal arises they pool their money to make the big purchases and split the profit once re-sold.
The Rich Botter Myth.
A little pet peeve of mine that I want to touch on quickly. Botters that are still leveling cannot be rich for a very simple reason. The price of gear increases exponentially with level. If you are leveling at extreme speeds you do not have the time to make money, especially if you are botting 24/7 and never open a stall.
Gold Buyers
As I get higher in level I meet more players who buy gold. I am happy to say that I can compete with 9 out of 10 of them. If you don’t work for your gold it looses value and gets squandered. I know someone who has spent about $1,000 US dollars on gold and I will have better gear than him once I am his level.
Update sep 15:
cleaned up formatting, and wording
included stall network
added link
Quick update Nov 23
On my server the price of elements has changed a lot in the last few months. Probably do to the stall network. The whole part of destroyer rondoing all your drops is with an obvious exception. If you can't get good prices for your elements then it probably is worth just npcing it. I still think chances are though that its worth breaking most items below 8D.