This is a repost of the information found in the Item Overload! Bank Alts, original and best? post. I am reposting it because it is important information that needs to be highlighted on it’s own.

The following assumes, that all bank bags purchased, and all bags are of the same type – as well as the following prices.

Netherweave Bags = 10g
Frostweave Bags = 80g
Glacial Bags = 650g
Crafting Bags = 100g

As you can see, even with 32 slot crafting bags, Netherweave Bags are cheaper per slot gained. This means that if you have the character spaces and don’t mind the extra work then you are always better off making a new bank alt rather than buying bags bigger than Netherweave for your existing bankers.

Remarkably this is true even if you can get 32 slot crafting bags for 25g each! They would have to be 22g or less to be more worthwhile. The only crafting bags seen under 22g each commonly are Inscription Bags. Just remember, if you can get the crafting bags for under 22g each then they are definitely worth using instead of neatherweave.

Obviously mains are slightly different, and people are willing to prepared to pay higher CpS for the convenience of additional inventory on their most played character. This information is primarily for the storage of items that would normally be sent to bankers.

Bank alts are one of the oldest forms of inventory management, being used long before WoW even existed. There are other names used for this form of inventory management, the most common of which – especially outside of WoW – is ‘mule’.

The idea is simple; if the inventory of one character is not enough…make another! Each additional character increases your maximum total of inventory space in a linear fashion.

These characters are often unleveled and are used solely for storing goods, although there are exceptions.

What are the Advantages to Bank Alts?

Cost

Bank alts offer an incredibly cheap form of inventory management, although the cost soon starts to mount up should you try and buy all possible bank tabs. Full costs will be detailed below.

How much storage?
Every new character gets a 16 slot ‘backpack’ bag for free.
You also get an additional 4 spaces, which can be filled with a bag each.

Finally you have your bank, which has a free 28 inventory slots.
You can then purchase an additional 7 bag spaces, which can be filled with a bag each.

How many inventory spaces, and for how much?
Obviously the amount of slots available depends on what size bags you use, and how many additional bag spaces you purchase.

Netherweave bags are the cheapest option, and not just because they sell for the least amount of money! You see, a good way to ‘price’ extra inventory slots is to work out their ‘Cost per Slot’. If you price Netherweave Bags at 10g each, and Frostweave Bags at 80g each, then each slot of a Netherweave is 62s50c, whereas the Frostweave is 4g a slot.

This becomes a considerable amount of money when you are buying all 11 bags (4 normal + 7 bank).

Assuming;

All bank bags purchased, and all bags of the same type.

Netherweave Bags = 10g
Frostweave Bags = 80g
Glacial Bags = 650g
Crafting Bags = 100g

As you can see, even with 32 slot crafting bags, Netherweave Bags are cheaper per slot gained. This means that if you have the character spaces and don’t mind the extra work then you are always better off making a new bank alt rather than buying bags bigger than Netherweave for your existing bankers.

Remarkably this is true even if you can get 32 slot crafting bags for 25g each! They would have to be 22g or less to be more worthwhile. The only crafting bags seen under 22g each commonly are Inscription Bags. Just remember, if you can get the crafting bags for under 22g each then they are definitely worth using instead of neatherweave.

Wrapping Up

Bank alts are definitely a great way to store items, and to let you in on a secret sneak peak of the future post… they are always cheaper per slot than every Guild Bank tabs, if you use Netherweave Bags at 10g or less each!

In conclusion – always use Netherweave Bags, and always create more bank alts rather than increase to larger size bags.

For most ‘normal’ players, the 16 slot backpack, 4 additional bags and 28 bank slots up to 7 extra bank bags is more than they could ever need. Even if they are only using 16 slot bags, that is 264 slots. Those using the biggest 22 slot bags will have 286.

Yet for anyone seriously crafting and AH Whoring, even 286 slots sroon might not be enough. So what can you do about it?

Well there are three possible ways of handling this ‘Item Overload’

• Bank Alts
• Mailbox Bouncing
• Guild Banks

Each has it’s own distinct advantages and disadvantages, and this post will quickly touch on these points, as well as giving a brief explanation of each method – Each one will have its own blog post in the coming week however.

Bank Alts

Bank alts are probably the oldest form of item management. The idea is simple, you simply create a new character and use them for storage – giving you another 44-286 inventory slots.

Advantages

• Cheap
• Easy to manage (with addons)
• Gives you more characters to buy and sell from
• Potential for more professions, depending on their level

Disadvantages

• Sometimes more expensive than small guild banks
• Trouble of having to keep logging in and out of different characters
• Limited in number due to 10 characters per server limit

Mailbox Bouncing

Mailbox Bouncing is where you send items to a different character, but don’t go and pick up the mail. Instead you leave the mail sitting there until you need it. When you do need the mail, you simply return it back to your character.

If you don’t pick up the mail after 30 days, it gets sent back to the sender, who can just return it all over again.

Advantages

• Free to setup
• Very cheap to use

Disadvantages

• Prevents the ‘storage’ character from using their mailbox
• Very hard if not impossible to properly keep track of items

Guild Banks

Guild Banks are the new kids on the block when it comes to Item Overload. Having been out since Novermber of 2008, they provide an easy alternative to having a multitude of bank alts, or the troubles of mailbox bouncing – but at what costs?

Advantages

• Can be cheaper than bank alts, in certain circumstances
• Very easy to maintain and keep track of items
• Shared access across multiple bank alts, less logging in and out required
• Available for viewing via the Armory online – from anywhere

Disadvantages

• Requires more setting up than the other methods
• Can quickly become expensive
• Prevents joining real guilds on crafters/bank alts
• ‘Reveals’ your bank alts names

So there you have it, the advantages and disadvantages to each of the three methods, with a brief explanation of what they each are.

These are the topics I will be really going in to on each post – if you feel I am missing an advantage or disadvantage, or want me to talk about something not mentioned, then please leave a comment!

Well as mentioned yesterday, I have a whole host of bankers on my new server. As soon as I started making money from mining on my paladin money started going towards bags for bank alts.

Here is a full breakdown of my characters on this new server

Paladin main
Trade Skills = Mining/JC

DK
Trade Skills = Herb/Insc
Herb bank

Sarainy
Trade Skills = Ench/Tailor
Enchanting bank
Waiting on transfer

Druid
Trade Skills = Skin/LW  
Skinning/LW bank
To be leveled after paladin and DK, low priority

Bank 1 : Mining
Bank 2: Cloth
Bank 3 : JC
Bank 4: JC
Bank 5: Glyphs
Bank 6: Glyphs 

Each now has full 16 slot bags in all 4 slots and a small amount of gold for mailing. In hindsight my splurge on bags for bank alts has slowed down my money making potential – I should have taken more advantage of using the mail box for storage.

This is my non-existant OCD tendencies kicking in and making me sort exactly where everything goes at all time. Is this overkill to most people?!