I post ores and herbs on the AH among 3 or 4 alts. Each has their own type. That way I don't have everything posted on one toon. I've got better things to do than hang out in trade chat. On my servers it's little more than a bunch of immature goofs calling each other names and stuff. I haven't spent the time looking for private buyers, although I have noticed a few of the same people are buying my auctions routinely. I might shoot them a whisper or email and see if they want to work out a deal.