I got 8 alchmey to 450 and did not farm a single item, bought all on AH. The way to do it is that you just buy whatever is available at a low price (i.e. 80 percent of market or less) for a few weeks and build up a big stock (I have 2 guild tabs full of herbs right now and an amazing 22 primal mights) buying up stuff on the cheap. Its impossible to tell what items you will find or not. One day a item could be 200 percent of market then the next 50 percent of market its all random.

Once you have a big stock THEN you start your run, you will hit some spots where you dont have the items but all and all you will have most of them if you prepared for a few weeks. Don't push it if you hit a spot where you need a item thats 150 percent of market or whatever just stop and work on another guy ....

You need a lot of goldthorn at the low level, and bruiseweed, also the blackmouth oil might help as an alternate route, then felweed, start stockpiling Charcocly or whatever (the blue thing) also you can use frost lotus for 340 plus or so but the sky meta gem is a bit cheaper. And that pigmy fish is good. Also you'll need a LOT of saronite bars (good to be able to buy ore and make the bars as thats also a bit cheaper.). Make sure you get the transmutation specilty asap before you start your saronite/titanium transmutes .... you'll be glad you did.