Well, ive been doing this on my lock for a while, and i thought id share it... maybe common sense but... u know the warlock quest Trolls of a Feather(Thottbot World of Warcraft: Quest: Trolls of a Feather) which has a staff, robe or -trinket- as rewards.
If u choose the trinket, u can get a free shard by using it, putting the vw on stay, go away from him until he despawns. puff free shard.
u can also get a free pet summon with this if u have a demon summoned and u want to summon something else without losing a shard.
First post happy flaming :S