Just an FYI: If you have some change laying around in your account, buy all the fireworks you can carry. You get 5ea for 1 cent that you can turn around and sell for 200-300 a piece in game. Just set up shop in an area that has high level traffic (or one that has wedding appeal) and you'll bring in lots of cash in your down time.
I did this last week and made about 100k in a day... I wish I had more money in my account, but I spent most of the ten dollars I put in on expansion stones and a couple of those magic things that... what ever they're called.
So... I thought there were Ventrillo directions around here somewhere....
Good choice, expansion stones should be the first thing most people get in the mall as inventory/bank space is quite limited. I can see how cat shopping boutique items can help you make more coins. Couple that with mob loot and you're looking at making quite a bit.
Later on, as you progress through the game, you'll gain more and more coin drop from enemies. At level 30, I believe you get around 200 coin. Around your 60's, you should see coin drop ranging anywhere from 40-800 coin. Coupled with selling DQ items, the occassional equipment drop, and various other things, you can look at making 100k in an hour from merchanting items from questing alone.
Mind you, most of the money you'll make is when you're doing quests by yourself, or with one other person, as the loot distribution is kept minimal. You'll only make a fraction of that amount if you are in a squad for lengthy amounts of time. The exception being in a group for TT or FB runs where you could get something nice.
Here are just a few tips I've come up with to help you save money...
- If you're a squishy type, learn to kite (hit-n-run) enemies. By level 20, most players will have figured out their own way of staying alive. Using a combination of skills to dispatch the enemies faster, snaring the enemy and attacking from afar, or the hit n run tactic I mentioned. It may seem slower but you'll save money on your repair bill.
- Use your HP/MP pots sparingly. Typically, if you spam skills, you will go through these items in no time. If you're a melee class, you shouldn't be using a lot of mana pots anyways. If you haven't started, I suggest picking up the apothecary trade as a secondary job. You can manufacture Mana pots and save a ton of coin by picking herbs scattered all over the place. If all else fails, meditate on an elevated location away from enemy aggro when you need to.
- Don't buy all your equipment from an NPC. Monsters you come across will drop your armor/ornaments eventually. You'll also receive equipment as rewards from completing certain quests. You really won't need to worry too much about equipment until you're in your 50's.
- Lastly, pick up everything you can. It may not seem like much but every bit adds up when you unload your loot at a merchant. If you run out of space while out killing things, make your way to the nearest NPC with a trade window and sell. Arrows and bolts should be the first thing you drop as they fetch the least amount of coin at the merchant.