How do you make money smuggling?

[CMDR Saunders]

Seems like a great concept but I'm stumped how to do this effectively. Just doesn't seem worth it, perhaps I am mission something.

I understand the idea and what you need to do....sell goods which are deemed illegal at a station. However, I'm lost in the practice of it. Perhaps someone can explain to me how they profit via smuggling. The galaxy map will tell me what is illegal, but I can't find out if there is an illegal HIGH IN DEMAND, correct?

If the item is illegal in a station, can it only be sold on the black market? And if so, isn't there a 50% cut on the original price? Why would anyone do that when they can simply sell where it's legal. As I said, I must be missing something.

Just need someone to lay it out for me how smuggling is a profitable business and how they manage it. Currently, I take pirated goods to a outpost and simply sell them on black market. But I'd like to get into smuggling high priced items into stations for cash (and excitement).

I had stolen cargo and was being scanned (forgot I had it until the scan), so I boosted into the slot and I physically ducked off screen... I came that close to hitting the entrance. Was pretty damn cool feeling, only amplified by the Oculus Rift. So, in addition to my dirty pirate ways, I want to start smuggling because it seems so cool..... tell me what you guys do to make this work OR are the mechanics of smuggling just broken and we just need to wait?

Thanks!

 

[Perjoss]

In the system map click on a station and it will give you a list of things that are illegal on that station. You can only sell the illegal goods at that station if they have a black market. Not all stations have a black market, and there is no ingame way to check if a station has a black market unless you actually dock there and check in the contacts section, it will be the 4th option on the same page where you collect bounty payments.

There are a few ways to get hold of illegal stuff, for example you can find stations that sells slaves legally, slaves are pretty much illegal everywhere apart from Anarchy systems. Another way to get a hold of stuff that you can sell on the black market is to search the unidentified signal sources, here you can find stuff like prototype tech or rare artwork, scoop these up via the cargo scoop. Now look in your cargo and you will see that they are tagged as stolen. Stay away from police or authority ships when carrying stuff like this as you will get a heavy fine and lose rep.

When you have made yourself a list of station that have black markets then you need to know how to dock there in order to avoid scans and fines. There are quite a few guides on this but generally Silent Running is your friend or you can just use a brute force method of entring the station at high speed to the scans do not have time to complete.

 

[CMDR Saunders]

In the system map click on a station and it will give you a list of things that are illegal on that station. You can only sell the illegal good at that station if they have a black market. Not all stations have a black market, and there is no ingame way to check if a station has a black market unless you actually dock there and check in the contacts section, it will be the 4th option on the same page where you collect bounty payments.

I'm aware of this, yes. Is it the same with stolen goods though? 50% off sale price?

 

[ste]

Ive bought from a high supply system, well under the galactic average something illegal in another system (imperial slaves), took it there and it was worth less than what I paid. Its not always the case but I think its only worth smuggling something highly valuable you find floating in space.

 

[Perjoss]

The way I like to smuggle is to just search systems for medium sized targets that are wanted, interdict them, scan them for cargo and then once their shields are down use the hatch breaker to make them drop cargo, destroy them for the bounty and scoop up the loot and then go sell on the black market, you can actually make a lot of cash like this, its like legal piracy lol.

Obviously if you start comparing all the ways of making money the trading always wins, specially if you cheat and use outside tools to get trading information that is not available to you in the game. My advice is always that cheating always makes a game less fun.

edit: there's always the smuggling missions too, usually called "can you be the hero that _____ station needs?" and require you to grab rebel transmissions, black box, rare artwork etc floating in space. Usually there will be more than you need at the location so you can just sell the rest for credits.

 

[Tigga]

There's a difference between smuggling stolen and smuggling not stolen goods. I believe the OP is asking about not stolen goods, and whether they also take the 50% price cut on the black market.

 

[Perjoss]

There's a difference between smuggling stolen and smuggling not stolen goods. I believe the OP is asking about not stolen goods, and whether they also take the 50% price cut on the black market.

I see, well I'm just a thief so wait until one of those more honest types comes along to help you

 

[CMDR Saunders]

There's a difference between smuggling stolen and smuggling not stolen goods. I believe the OP is asking about not stolen goods, and whether they also take the 50% price cut on the black market.

Correct. I already know about piracy and stolen goods. I want to smuggle items I buy from one place into another place..... illegal activity. Weapons, drugs, slaves, you name it. But there needs to be a better reward than simply going to a outpost with zero risk and docking. I am smuggling these things into the station.... they are wanted and illegal; hence better pay.

Want to know if anyone is doing it this way.

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The way I like to smuggle is to just search systems for medium sized targets that are wanted, interdict them, scan them for cargo and then once their shields are down use the hatch breaker to make them drop cargo, destroy them for the bounty and scoop up the loot and then go sell on the black market, you can actually make a lot of cash like this, its like legal piracy lol.

Obviously if you start comparing all the ways of making money the trading always wins, specially if you cheat and use outside tools to get trading information that is not available to you in the game. My advice is always that cheating always makes a game less fun.

edit: there's always the smuggling missions too, usually called "can you be the hero that _____ station needs?" and require you to grab rebel transmissions, black box, rare artwork etc floating in space. Usually there will be more than you need at the location so you can just sell the rest for credits.

Yeah, I've seen these missions, but they are essentially go here, get this, missions. No real element of danger or good profit. Talking true smuggling. Perhaps that doesn't exist in this yet.

 

[Rhonda]

I have a small trade route... I buy some crop harvester or marine equipment in an empire industrial system and move it to an agriculture system. On my way back I buy tobacco and sell it at the black market in the empire system with a profit of 1k/t. Supply is high and demand on the black market also.

 

[TannakaObi]

Seems like a great concept but I'm stumped how to do this effectively. Just doesn't seem worth it, perhaps I am mission something.

Well for one, you could pick up some onionhead from the Kappa Fornacis system, smuggle it into a federation system and sell it on the black market. The clue was the 17th Dec Galnet. Which read:

Georgio Algeria, the spokesman for the Farmer’s Union in the Kappa Fornacis system has spoken out at the Federal President’s declaration that Onionhead, the main export from the Kappa Fornacis system, be illegal.

You could also collect missions to pick up illegal cargo and return with it. Also you could pirate npc's/players and sell the loot on the black market. You can trade in illegal goods.

 

[Perjoss]

Its a shame the black market screen is blank unless you're carrying illegal stuff, I guess for now a good way would be to carry 1 of each illegal item to check the prices and demand on a particular black market and then find somewhere that sells these items for cheaper, then you have your smuggling trade route set up.

So does the minus 50% value only apply to stolen goods? i thought it was just a base deduction on anything you tried to sell on black market.

 

[TannakaObi]

Its a shame the black market screen is blank unless you're carrying illegal stuff, I guess for now a good way would be to carry 1 of each illegal item to check the prices and demand on a particular black market and then find somewhere that sells these items for cheaper, then you have your smuggling trade route set up.

So does the minus 50% value only apply to stolen goods? i thought it was just a base deduction on anything you tried to sell on black market.

Haha! Carry one of each at all times? I foresee fines and bounties.... But I agree! The Black markets needs it's own list. It would also be nice if you could only get these black markets by building rep in these stations. Any station in fact. Black markets should be about creating a network of contacts. It's silly that some systems just have them and some don't. It's should be who you know not what you know.

If you know what I mean...

 

[CMDR Saunders]

Its a shame the black market screen is blank unless you're carrying illegal stuff, I guess for now a good way would be to carry 1 of each illegal item to check the prices and demand on a particular black market and then find somewhere that sells these items for cheaper, then you have your smuggling trade route set up.

So does the minus 50% value only apply to stolen goods? i thought it was just a base deduction on anything you tried to sell on black market.

LOL. It woudl work, but talk about ridiculous.

 

[Pigpen]

My opinion is that smuggling is only a half-implemented system at the moment. Back in Elite 2 days of yore you could also buy from a black market (at the risk of it being a police sting operation), and until this is done in ED then smuggling isn't really an option.

Illegal goods traded on the black market should be really high value items to reflect the risk in the operation.

 

[excalibus]

as a smuggler I always take on smuggling missions and often find more than the mission requires as well as dropping into random USS's to come across cargo, black boxes, military plans etc as well, its half the market price and I often do slave runs (supply 2 slaves to x faction) and I found that where I am based, I can make a profit of about 750Cr per ton of slaves at the 50% price and over 25K profit per 2 ton I supply to the BBS

The thing with the USS pickups is you get more for the BBS missions more often than not per ton than the black market buyer gives but because it has essentially only cost you jump fuel its all profit.

I do not bother with silent run, when going for a station I line up outside the 7Km range and boost in, dropping the landing gear once I hit about 3Km as the computer takes a few seconds to respond to this and I use the computer responding and full reverse as soon as I hit the letterbox (in a cobra with full pips in a grade thrusters) and I am usually down to stopped before I reach the middle of the station

 

[ElectricZ]

Yeah, I've seen these missions, but they are essentially go here, get this, missions. No real element of danger or good profit. Talking true smuggling. Perhaps that doesn't exist in this yet.

They are fetch missions, but I disagree about the danger or profit. A mission to pick up say two tons of Prototype Tech can pay 28K. That's 28K profit right at the start for just finding the items. Now when you find a USS with the items, sometimes you'll find just the two tons, but other times you'll find ten. So, you deliver the original 2 on the bulletin board for the 28K, then sell the other 8 for something like 3-4K apiece for another 32K. 60K for a few minutes work. Even better is if you stack smuggling missions from the same stations.

But mo' money, mo' problems. The danger is getting scanned with all those goods in your hold. I used to think that was no big deal because the hefty fines eat into the profit margin. But I had run of bad luck this weekend and got caught a few times smuggling in Alliance space and they threw the book at me. The entire Alliance is now hostile to me. Security forces fire on me. Individual sub factions allied to the Alliance harass me when I try to bounty hunt. I'd take that as a compliment and embrace the extra opportunity for bounty except I actually WANT to be friendly to the Alliance.

The absolutely STUPID thing is I enjoy trying to sneak into a station. It's a rush hearing "SCAN DETECTED" as I'm bombing toward the slot, begging to see my pad # light up before "28,000 Credit Fine" and the red arrow next to my rep.

So I dig those bulletin board missions.

 

[DraigUK]

Seems like a great concept but I'm stumped how to do this effectively. Just doesn't seem worth it, perhaps I am mission something.

I understand the idea and what you need to do....sell goods which are deemed illegal at a station. However, I'm lost in the practice of it. Perhaps someone can explain to me how they profit via smuggling. The galaxy map will tell me what is illegal, but I can't find out if there is an illegal HIGH IN DEMAND, correct?

If the item is illegal in a station, can it only be sold on the black market? And if so, isn't there a 50% cut on the original price? Why would anyone do that when they can simply sell where it's legal. As I said, I must be missing something.

Just need someone to lay it out for me how smuggling is a profitable business and how they manage it. Currently, I take pirated goods to a outpost and simply sell them on black market. But I'd like to get into smuggling high priced items into stations for cash (and excitement).

I had stolen cargo and was being scanned (forgot I had it until the scan), so I boosted into the slot and I physically ducked off screen... I came that close to hitting the entrance. Was pretty damn cool feeling, only amplified by the Oculus Rift. So, in addition to my dirty pirate ways, I want to start smuggling because it seems so cool..... tell me what you guys do to make this work OR are the mechanics of smuggling just broken and we just need to wait?

Thanks!

it's impossible not to make money at it, it's pure profit.

Goto USS and collect your cans. Or pirate them.
Find an OUTPOST not a station, that has a Black Market.
take them there and sell for instant profit.

If you insist on going to a station, try one in an Anarchy system.
Failing that you need to get good at fast docking to avoid scans, or going silent and sneaking in.

 

[CMDR Saunders]

My opinion is that smuggling is only a half-implemented system at the moment. Back in Elite 2 days of yore you could also buy from a black market (at the risk of it being a police sting operation), and until this is done in ED then smuggling isn't really an option.

Illegal goods traded on the black market should be really high value items to reflect the risk in the operation.

I guess this was the answer I was looking for.... but dreading. True smuggling isn't implemented. Police sting operations sound awesome.

 

[tomPhoenix]

It appears as if it was supposed to be about building a network. Look at your stats on the right. You can see all the money you've made trading and mining and bounty hunting etc. Here will also be how much you've made on the black market, your average sell price on the black market, etc. In that group it lists "network" and that's how many black markets you've traded on.

I want to test this by selling at more...But I hope (if it isn't already the case) the larger your network the more credits you make. I know it probably doesn't work like that, but it would be cool if it did. It's risky and hard to find black markets. So the larger your network, the more you really should be rewarded.

I'm currently in a system that I absolutely LOVE with a station that does not scan (it's a platform - independent faction) that also happens to be less than a Ls away from a resource extraction site...So I'm bounty hunting and selling loot at this station's black market. I do plan on finding more so I'll see what happens as my network expands...But for now I just go to every USS I see along my way and scoop up things to sell. Bonus. Not bad because I'm not really traveling anywhere (it's on my way) and I'm not spending money. It's 100% income for 0 risk. Even if so far I'm only averaging 7,223cr/ton. My high was 9,942cr/ton (artwork I believe).

One thing I found interesting was the region demand was way above what I sold items for. Unless demand is a number of items?? It seemed like it was price. I'll take a look next time...But the artwork I found at a USS had a 28k demand yet sold for 7-9k.

I'm basically friendly with the Federation yet I'm doing illegal/shady things on the side =) Kind of a fun story.

 

[ICO_hr]

Scooping stuff -> Boosting at full speed toward the station -> Entering the station like i own it -> selling. Just like trading. Personaly i dont see a difference. No need for shenanigans like sillent running, heat sinks, disabling systems and so on.The fastest and loudest flying always win because the game spawns all the police dudes when you enter the instance and if you're fast they just cant scan you.After started doing this i haven't been scan even once.I call this broken by design.