Slaving -- IS IT POSSIBLE?

[69105]

I'm absolutely baffled how this works. I've tried looking it up but everything leads to some completely irrelevant dogfighting Scott Manley video.

Everyone wants to play as the good guy with morals. I don't need no morals. I'm not afraid to be the bad guy. In fact, I WANT to be the bad guy. The problem is that I simply can't make a living off of selling people for coin. Or at least I haven't figured it out.

I've found plenty of stations and systems that have high supplies of slaves and imperial slaves both, sure, but I cannot for the life of me find any stations or systems that want to buy them. They might buy them off of you, but in the end you're taking a loss. You can buy high supply, sure, but I've never once found medium or high demand for neither normal nor imperial slaves.

Am I missing something?

I've checked extraction and agricultural systems (the ones that would make the most sense for needing slaves) but honestly they have more people than they know what to do with. High tech systems don't need them. I just don't know what to do. I have more enjoyment in just dumping them in deep space for other people to make money off of them in the black market because the black market prices are less than what I paid for.

Have any of you guys had any luck with this if you've tried slave trading? It seems the only way to make a profit is via finding them when they get ejected from that hauler you just blew to smithereens.

 

[Cathalo]

It's hard to find stations that have high demand for them, but occasionally I come across a pirate outpost in an anarchy system that is paying 1-1.5k above galactic average for Imperial Slaves. The problem is that it dries up as soon as you drop off 100k tons or so. As for the normal slaves, currently these seem to be useful for missions only. If you frequent anarchy systems and check bulletin boards you will find missions that pay you for delivering slaves, you can usually buy the slaves at the same outpost that offers the mission and simply turn them in for easy credits.

 

[Bostlabs]

Try selling Imperial Slaves in the Gridge System. Sitterly Orbital.
I run metals from there to Inoda in Sokatine.

You can buy Imperial Slaves in Sokotine, INoda station.

 

[Aussiedroid]

I tried to make a living off Slavery too, but without success. I think it could be possible, but only perhaps by using the Trading 'Cheat' Tools to find the right places. Otherwise its a needle in a hay stack from my experience and very rare to come across.

I only ever found one station that listed Slaves for sale on the market, when it was illegal in the system. I milked that run till it was patched out (I assume it was removed as a mistake??). Selling at the black markets doesn't seem to be worth it considering the risk and lack of returns.

I ended up travelling around in my area and picking up all the Slave mission I could find, when I had enough, I filled my cargo and dropped off a load. Again, for the time it took, it was not worth the reward or fines you risk. Same can be said for most activities in ED atm from my experience. I find I go back to trading to fill up the bank account before doing what I actually want to do since everything else I seem to loose money at.

Smuggling in general, I was expecting a lot more options and other than exploring was the one I was really looking forward to. Black market I would think would have higher prices not lower prices, and that there would be ways to off load your good in many other interesting ways. Even silent running doesn't seem to be necessary when you can get into stations without needing to use it and avoid scanning.

 

[PocketWettie]

They are out there - I had a good run between an Industrial and Extraction Station (separate systems) - I took Palladium from extraction and sold to the Industrial, then took Imperial Slaves from the Industrial and sold to Extraction. Both ends had High Supply and Demand of the respective commodities, so earned around $180K one way (on Palladium) and $140k the other (on Imp Slaves) at about 10 minutes per return trip. This was in the Empire of course. So almost $2 Mil per hour. Not as great as some but all I could manage in my T6.

 

[Ydiss]

Only certain types of stations buy slaves. Commonly extraction.

The problem with imperial slaves is the commodity can and will disappear off the list, never to be seen again. I don't know if this is intended as part of background simulation or if it's a bug - I've never seen any difference in the political influence when this has happened - but the system mentioned above has lost the commodity. At least last time I checked.

So whilst the big cash routes often involve imperial slaves, it's not very reliable.

 

[PhazonAran]

I think the problem lies in the black market. It simply does not work like a black market. In a black market, you can find everything but it's expensive as hell. Yet we can only sell at half the galactic average price, wich is kind of bull IMO.

 

[TRiPWiRE]

I think the problem lies in the black market. It simply does not work like a black market. In a black market, you can find everything but it's expensive as hell. Yet we can only sell at half the galactic average price, wich is kind of bull IMO.

How do you buy items from a Black Market? every time I click on it, it simply states "you have no illegal goods to sell", and that's it. If I do have illegal goods, I can sell them, but am unable to buy anything.

 

[PhazonAran]

How do you buy items from a Black Market? every time I click on it, it simply states "you have no illegal goods to sell", and that's it. If I do have illegal goods, I can sell them, but am unable to buy anything.

Us players cannot buy anything from a black market, just sell. But IRL (and in the 1984 Elite), prices on a black market are very high. But not in this game and I quite don't get it. At this moment, the black market is just there to sell your stolen goods, forget about smuggling illegal goods acquired on another station.

 

[Jaiotu]

I think the problem lies in the black market. It simply does not work like a black market. In a black market, you can find everything but it's expensive as hell. Yet we can only sell at half the galactic average price, wich is kind of bull IMO.

Actually if you're selling stolen goods on the black market it makes sense that they won't pay you at a premium. Especially if the same commodity is trading openly on the regular market. Selling illegal items that aren't stolen however should be quite profitable. Black markets serve two purposes:

1. To let you unload items that are "hot" and you want to get rid of before the authorities catch you.
2. To provide consumers with products that they can't buy through normal channels.

 

[PhazonAran]

Actually if you're selling stolen goods on the black market it makes sense that they won't pay you at a premium. Especially if the same commodity is trading openly on the regular market. Selling illegal items that aren't stolen however should be quite profitable. Black markets serve two purposes:

1. To let you unload items that are "hot" and you want to get rid of before the authorities catch you.
2. To provide consumers with products that they can't buy through normal channels.

I was referring to your second point (see my post above yours ). Right now, buying goods on a station and smuggling them where they are illegal does not bring any profit. You're actually losing a lot of money, and that's what I don't like. Hell, increase authority scans frequency, make it harder to smuggle but make it profitable if you succeed !

 

[Top Cat]

There is a way round this - plenty of station have missions that involve liberating slaves, and usually at much higher prices than the marketplace provides.

For example, the station Im at now has two missions asking for slaves, offering 45k for each mission. With each mission only wanting 2 tons, theres a profit there. In fact, thats one thing i learned early on - always check the bulletin board before selling through the black market or regular market - sometimes there are nice profits to be had.

It dont think its easily possible to make a living from slaving the same way it is run running solely metals, but then again, its also not very easy to make a living running the vast majority of the commodities on their own.

 

[PhazonAran]

There is a way round this - plenty of station have missions that involve liberating slaves, and usually at much higher prices than the marketplace provides.

For example, the station Im at now has two missions asking for slaves, offering 45k for each mission. With each mission only wanting 2 tons, theres a profit there. In fact, thats one thing i learned early on - always check the bulletin board before selling through the black market or regular market - sometimes there are nice profits to be had.

It dont think its easily possible to make a living from slaving the same way it is run running solely metals, but then again, its also not very easy to make a living running the vast majority of the commodities on their own.

Yet, here I am, sitting in my Anaconda, making 678 000Cr on a trip and 450 000 on the return trip...

Sure, the profit per ton is, in these missions, absolutely amazing. Now let me bring as much slaves as I want and still pay 45k for 2

 

[theEmohawk]

On one of my rare trading routes I have an Empire station that sells imperial slaves at a fair price, and the next station on my route is an agricultural anarchy which will buy them for an 800k profit. So I pick up slaves if I don't have a full hold of rares.
I have a friend who made good money slaving, not sure his routes, but it is possible but probably only in Empire space.

 

[Top Cat]

Yet, here I am, sitting in my Anaconda, making 678 000Cr on a trip and 450 000 on the return trip...

Sure, the profit per ton is, in these missions, absolutely amazing. Now let me bring as much slaves as I want and still pay 45k for 2

I didnt say "impossible", I said "[not] easily possible... [in] ... the same way it is run running solely metals".

Finding a good metals run = easy

Finding a good slaving run = nowhere near as easy.

 

[PhazonAran]

On one of my rare trading routes I have an Empire station that sells imperial slaves at a fair price, and the next station on my route is an agricultural anarchy which will buy them for an 800k profit. So I pick up slaves if I don't have a full hold of rares.
I have a friend who made good money slaving, not sure his routes, but it is possible but probably only in Empire space.

Imperial slave are different, they are legal in Empire space, so no need for a blak market.

I didnt say "impossible", I said "[not] easily possible... [in] ... the same way it is run running solely metals".

Finding a good metals run = easy

Finding a good slaving run = nowhere near as easy.

The problem is not with the slaves in particular but with all illegal goods. Why is the black market buying so cheap ? Aren't smuggled goods supposed to be extremely expensive so the smugglers will keep smuggling ?

 

[FreeeLancer]

I think this is a two part problem. First, seems like players have a hard time making a distinction between smuggled goods (bought where items are legal and sold where items are illegal) and stolen goods (found in space or pirated).

Black market offers 50% of the galactic average for all items that are stolen (in which case they act as a fence). However, for contraband cargo black market offers normal price, adjusted for demand.

The other issue is that players don't have access to black market prices unless they have contraband in their cargo hold. Having black market show their price/demand at all times would make smugglers live much easier.


on topic: As someone said, usually extraction economies have a need for slaves. A lot of systems in federal space offer premium price for imperial slaves, but that's a long way to fly.. Sorry for not being more helpful.

 

[Metkis]

Thats very interesting - everything i'd read up until your post suggested that non-stolen contraband was also half price to sell on a black market. So you are making Decent money this way?

Care to share any tips on how you are estimating good demand to help this would-be smuggler get going?
Cheers,

Metkis

 

[PhazonAran]

However, for contraband cargo black market offers normal price, adjusted for demand.

Really ? Are you sure of that ?

 

[ndorrin1]

I'm absolutely baffled how this works. I've tried looking it up but everything leads to some completely irrelevant dogfighting Scott Manley video.

Everyone wants to play as the good guy with morals. I don't need no morals. I'm not afraid to be the bad guy. In fact, I WANT to be the bad guy. The problem is that I simply can't make a living off of selling people for coin. Or at least I haven't figured it out.

I've found plenty of stations and systems that have high supplies of slaves and imperial slaves both, sure, but I cannot for the life of me find any stations or systems that want to buy them. They might buy them off of you, but in the end you're taking a loss. You can buy high supply, sure, but I've never once found medium or high demand for neither normal nor imperial slaves.

Am I missing something?

I've checked extraction and agricultural systems (the ones that would make the most sense for needing slaves) but honestly they have more people than they know what to do with. High tech systems don't need them. I just don't know what to do. I have more enjoyment in just dumping them in deep space for other people to make money off of them in the black market because the black market prices are less than what I paid for.

Have any of you guys had any luck with this if you've tried slave trading? It seems the only way to make a profit is via finding them when they get ejected from that hauler you just blew to smithereens.

Best place to sell them is at mining colonies in the fringe in Anarchy systems.
Extraction ports further away from the hub often have a high demand for Slaves and Imperial slaves, so that's the best place to look for.
Maybe see if you can find an extraction system in Anarchy with a low population. They'll be likely to have a demand for servers.
Also sometimes in non-anarchy systems they'll be a missions for smuggling in slaves that pay pretty well for low amounts (i think they are often titled as other stuff to do with employment, as they won't opening call it "get me slaves" haha)
Hope that helps.