When is it OK to buy/sell raid drops?

I’m writing this due to an in-game mail sent to my guild leader, requesting to purchase Illidan’s Warglaives in the event they drop. My initial response on Vent was “Did you tell him to go &$^% himself?”… was that too harsh? Let’s find out.

The reason for my response was due to the following:

1. This player wants to buy legendaries.
2. I highly doubt this player (probably a Rogue) is in a guild that is either clearing or progressing through BT. If they are, W-T-F??!!
3. MM has 3 main Rogues (The Big 3 as I call us, as we are 3 of the best PvE Rogues on Horde Sargeras) and only 2 OH Warglaives have dropped… no MHs. EVER.
4. The player was offering 2500g per Warglaive. GG undervaluing THE best swords in the game currently, and possibly through 2.4 and into the next expansion.
5. I will assume this player has zero knowledge of the Illidan fight itself, and therefore, a raid liability.

Given that, and the fact that I don’t know or want to know who this player is, I would say my response sufficed. Now… when would it be correct to buy/sell raid drops?

It would be OK (in my opinion) for a guild to SELL raid drops if and when:

1. Nobody in the raid needs or wants the item.
2. The item in question drops consistently from trash mobs and/or is not BoP (i.e. Hearts of Darkness, Gems, etc.).
3. The guild no longer really goes into the instance where it drops.
4. The player wishing to BUY is not a liability in the raid for the mob that drops the item.
5. Payment is sufficient and fair to both BUYER and SELLER.
6. The sale opportunity is initiated by the guild itself.
7. The item is a Quest drop, and the player complies with #4 above.

It would be BAD / STUPID / DISHEARTENING for a player to attempt to BUY raid drops if:

1. The player has no gear from the instance in question (no, patterns do not count).
2. The item is a legendary item.
3. You aren’t in the guild. You didn’t work together with us to beat this content. The drop rates are low as it is. NO.
4. The player does not negotiate with the guild or is 100% set on paying a certain price less than the weapon value.
5. The player’s main motive is to gear the character out then sell it.
BTW, having the Warglaives on a character (say, a Rogue) could increase the account value by at least $800-$1000. At 5000g for both, the real life cost of that 5000g comes nowhere near the real cost of the account with the items themselves.

Don’t get me wrong… this isn’t an elitist post. This is simply a guide (and a warning) on if and when it would be proper etiquette to obtain raid drops from a main raiding guild. Hell, I even followed these steps with an Alliance guild (Eminence) to craft the Leather haste bracers… which later fell out due to the announced haste rating nerf and lack of guild communication.

So if you’re polite about it, then you will be taken into consideration. However, if you honestly think you can get an item that guild members still need or without first asking them if they are up for sale, the guild will probably poke fun at you for a few days for not having the common sense to ask before making the offer… more so depending on the item.