Why is [Vial of the Sands] so rare?

Most WoW players know about Vial of the Sands primarily because of the ridiculous amount of time and mats that it takes to acquire.

My question to this forum is why can't I ever find this item for sale at the auction house on my server? I saw it for sale a couple of times about two weeks ago, but since then I haven't seen it since. I even created a guy on the Alliance (I usually play Horde) just to check and see if they have any, and what-do-you-know, they had one listed for 60k.

However, here's the part that I don't get -- I see Hordies in Org that have it, so I know that there are some alchemists with it. I'm not seeing that I see it a ton, but I can usually fly around Org and see at least 2 people with it at any time.

Any speculation as to what the hold up is on my server?

EDIT: Against all odds, my wife just got this recipe last night. Surprisingly, she got the canopic jar on her 2nd solve in Uldum and then got the recipe in the canopic jar.

Why is the Vial so rare? Because getting it requires that players max out not only their Alchemy, but then also Archaeology, since the formula to produce the vial is only found in Tol'Vir digsites which: 1) Do not appear at all until 450 skill, and 2) Even once you're at 450 skill, they're at best a 15% chance of appearing.

Even then, the formula itself is not assembled directly, but is a rare drop from the also not terribly common Canopic Jar artifact.

So, in short, the Vial pattern is rare because it requires two maxed professions, and an incredibly long grind to locate.

That said, even if someone on your server has the pattern, the odds of it showing up on the Auction House will still be somewhat low because as Raven Dreamer points out, the materials required to create one are incredibly expensive, and largely bought from a Vendor. Thus, even for those with the pattern, they may not be interested in or capable of expending the capital required to produce one just to have it listed on the AH, preferring instead to produce only on commission.

My suggestion? Get the materials together yourself, and then look for someone willing to craft it for a commission, either through your realms forums, or simply in trade chat.

Possible reasons why the Horde on your server does not have any of this item available:

• Lower supply
  • Your side has less interest in making the item.
  • Your side has less of the materials to make the item, maybe the Alchemists got unlucky.
• Higher demand
  • You said it was a pretty awesome item, right?
• Maybe there's no major difference, you're just checking the Auction House at the wrong times.

Ultimately, there's no way for us to know.

Is there any reason you don't simply buy the flasks, etc. and ask for the alchemist with the recipe to craft them into the final product for you? Crafting such a flask requires a hefty investment of capital before the end product can be made -- simply put, many alchemists may not have the 24,000+ gold needed, at minimum, to produce the vial in the first place. (even if it can then go on to be sold for many thousand above that)

My Suggestion: Find an alchemist you trust with the recipe, and give them the materials -- if you're looking to purchase the item anyway, you must surely have no shortage of gold -- rather than wait for a rich alchemist to make one themselves and put it on the AH.