Smuggling around the Galaxy

Han Brannigan · Jun 17, 2015

Since 1.3 I have taken up smuggling as a paying profession. I currently use my Python in Archons territory and between loading it up with Slaves/ImpSlaves/Narcotics and selling them on the black market, doing smuggling missions, doing Pirate/BH/Military/Authority kill missions and assasination missions I am having some profitable fun ...

I think it is time for some change though. By Friday I plan to be back in Lembava to:
- cash in my exploration data
- by myself a shiny new Cobra and equip it as a pure smugglers barge

Why the Cobra? I plan on testing new waters and the Cobra is:
- fast enough to run when in trouble
- big enough to make solid profit from smuggling
- cheap enough a re buy doesn't bother me to much

Then I will set of for stage 1 of my circumsmugglication. Stuff my ship with Progenitor Cells and Performance enhancers and sell them in Pranavs systems. Then take a day or two to test if I can make comparable money 8 to what I make at the Archons ) with local smuggling and smuggling missions...

Satge 2 should be selling Imp Slaves from Torvals to Aislings systems and stage 3 will probably be smuggling Narcotics in Hudsons territory...

I will update this thread with my findings and ask anybody who wants to:
- give me tips ( like you can get really cheap .. at ... )
- have questions for me
- have other good ideas for additional stages
- form a wing ( although it has to be said that I have a wife and daughter so I can not reliably block to many hours in one go )

To post in this thread.

CMDR Pugwash · Jun 17, 2015

That sounds interesting. I am thinking of doing something similar.

Marra Morgan · Jun 17, 2015

It's great to see a fellow smuggler embarking on such an adventure

Han Brannigan said:
Why the Cobra? I plan on testing new waters and the Cobra is:
- fast enough to run when in trouble
- big enough to make solid profit from smuggling
- cheap enough a re buy doesn't bother me to much

Excellent ship choice! I use one myself. There it is in my avatar pic - sporty orange with a big onionhead smiley face on the front. Not conspicuous at all

Are you going shieldless? I recently decided to and I'm wondering what other's experiences are with this.

For your Stage 3, try running narcotics into Federal stations within Delaine's exploited territory - there's a 10% black market bonus for you

Word of the Day: circumsmugglication

Han Brannigan · Jun 17, 2015

Marra said:
Excellent ship choice! I use one myself. There it is in my avatar pic - sporty orange with a big onionhead smiley face on the front. Not conspicuous at all

I have the same skin ( - Onionhead smiley )

Are you going shieldless? I recently decided to and I'm wondering what other's experiences are with this.

No bc:
- Pirates ( yes you can fly away but it takes a bit and in the meanwhile you get hit )
- I never liked all these 'I fly shieldless in solo to get a Conda in 14 days ' traders - I'd like to have a shield and am not that interested in max effectivness...
- I fly like a Brannigan ( meaning station collisions do happen )

For your Stage 3, try running narcotics into Federal stations within Delaine's exploited territory - there's a 10% black market bonus for you

Have been doing that in the last week - but I really want to stick it to hudson.

Word of the Day: circumsmugglication

Thx. I plan to name my ship the Golden Hare in reminiscence of Sir Francis Drakes Golden Hind - and thats also how I came up with that word ( what he did should properly be called a circumplundrication if you ask me ).

Spanksh · Jun 17, 2015

I started smuggling myself, less for major profits, more for the fun of it. When I was bored I bought a Viper (gotta go fast

) and built it for fast and cool running. It can basically do nothing, except for disappearing and turning invisible really really fast.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70M,mpW0Wg0Wg,2-3I4s4s3m5K5K3c,05U05U7OW4wE

[Viper]U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher

BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 2A Power Plant
TM: 3A Thrusters
FH: 3A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 2D Life Support
PC: 3D Power Distributor
SS: 3D Sensors
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)

3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
2: 2D Shield Generator
1: 1A Fuel Scoop

It's by no means a perfect build for great scale smuggling, but fun as hell for the small job on the side. Didn't get scanned once yet.

Han Brannigan · Jun 17, 2015

Spanksh said:
It's by no means a perfect build for great scale smuggling, but fun as hell for the small job on the side. Didn't get scanned once yet.

I plan - one day - to build a ship for smuggling missions - probably a Courier ..

Han Brannigan · Jun 24, 2015

So I am back. Unfortunately stage 1 (Stuff my ship with Progenitor Cells and Performance enhancers and sell them in Pranavs systems) didn'tr work out as planned namely bc Pranav no longer bans medication in his systems ...
On top of that I found myself on a station which stated that Narcotics are illegal and fined my 700k + for the 200t I had on board ( still in my Python at that time ) - however I could not sell them on the BM but on the Commodity market...

That upset me somewhat.

I bought a Cobra ( as was my plan ), equipped it for smuggling ( as was my plan ) and now use it to do smuggling missions - which works like a charm.

Next Phase 2 and then we will see...

Ben Ryder · Jun 24, 2015

Han Brannigan said:
Since 1.3 I have taken up smuggling as a paying profession. I currently use my Python in Archons territory and between loading it up with Slaves/ImpSlaves/Narcotics and selling them on the black market, doing smuggling missions, doing Pirate/BH/Military/Authority kill missions and assasination missions I am having some profitable fun ...

I think it is time for some change though. By Friday I plan to be back in Lembava to:
- cash in my exploration data
- by myself a shiny new Cobra and equip it as a pure smugglers barge

Why the Cobra? I plan on testing new waters and the Cobra is:
- fast enough to run when in trouble
- big enough to make solid profit from smuggling
- cheap enough a re buy doesn't bother me to much

Then I will set of for stage 1 of my circumsmugglication. Stuff my ship with Progenitor Cells and Performance enhancers and sell them in Pranavs systems. Then take a day or two to test if I can make comparable money 8 to what I make at the Archons ) with local smuggling and smuggling missions...

Satge 2 should be selling Imp Slaves from Torvals to Aislings systems and stage 3 will probably be smuggling Narcotics in Hudsons territory...

I will update this thread with my findings and ask anybody who wants to:
- give me tips ( like you can get really cheap .. at ... )
- have questions for me
- have other good ideas for additional stages
- form a wing ( although it has to be said that I have a wife and daughter so I can not reliably block to many hours in one go )

To post in this thread.

Bravo Sir!

Good luck!

You might fin d this thread helpful

[h=2]

Best Smugglers Smuggling Ship and Outfitting it[/h]
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=143794

And may I recommend the Utopian systems for a bit of Narcotiics running. Risky (huge fines) but if you put you thinking hat on and turn over a few rocks their a tidy sum to be made.

Safe Journey's!

Han Brannigan · Jun 24, 2015

Ben Ryder said:
And may I recommend the Utopian systems for a bit of Narcotiics running. Risky (huge fines) but if you put you thinking hat on and turn over a few rocks their a tidy sum to be made.

Safe Journey's!

Thank you Sir, but after that episode where I got a fine of 70k+ and couldn't sell my narcs on the black market I decided to stuff that for the moment - but I will surely be back...

Swifty · Jun 24, 2015

There's some good smuggling to be had in Archons territory. I've been running imperial slaves with a shieldless (and weaponless) smuggling Cobra. With A rated cap, thrusters and heat sinks you can boost away from any interdiction on silent running. Get the occasional scratch on the paintwork whilst docking though.

Witcherman · Jun 25, 2015

Ahoy Commanders!

I see that a lot of people turn to the Cobra as a smuggling ship and I'm left wondering why the Asp isn't in the mix? It's got a great jump range, lots of storage, can manage power well, so low heat profile, is a medium ship so can dock anywhere. Other than the initial cost, I'm not sure why it's not the preferred smuggling ship.

Can I get your opinions on that?

Fly safe (and sneaky!)

BorakRed · Jun 25, 2015

I've been using the diamondback scout for smuggling. Works like a charm and I can easily defend myself if something goes astray. made close to 5 million so far just smuggling and doing smuggling missions.

Ice30 · Jun 25, 2015

Real men smuggle in a Type 9

thearmysredneck · Jun 25, 2015

Ice30 said:
Real men smuggle in a Type 9

I was doing just that last week with imp slaves. I have done a few dry runs in an anaconda I just bought prematurely, but it was on sale for 117million so I had to trade in the T9 for it. Just had enough for a few modules and rebut left over. Soon as I can get the hang of it I'm heading back to that smuggle route. It's only 60ly from home but I need to find some heat sinks and do some more practice runs while I get my cushion and class a fsd.

Han Brannigan · Jun 25, 2015

Witcherman said:
I see that a lot of people turn to the Cobra as a smuggling ship and I'm left wondering why the Asp isn't in the mix? It's got a great jump range, lots of storage, can manage power well, so low heat profile, is a medium ship so can dock anywhere.

To slow to run. Mostly when smuggling you have the hold full of pretty expensive stuff and don't want to be pirated. Also when it comes to pure effectivity I'd use a Python. But yeah the ASP is amongst the ships I'd consider smuggle capable (although I have been told that real men use a T9 ).

My favs are:
- Sidey ( small cheap inconspicuous )
- Cobra ( fast somewhat inconspicuous )
- Python ( lots of room can land on outposts )

I think to purely do smuggling missions I'd add the
- DB Scout ( although I find it to fugly to actually consider using it - but that is of course purely subjective )
- Imperial Courier

Jethzk · Jun 25, 2015

Han Brannigan said:
I have the same skin ( - Onionhead smiley )
- I never liked all these 'I fly shieldless in solo to get a Conda in 14 days ' traders - I'd like to have a shield and am not that interested in max effectivness...

Lost 5 million in my T7 flying shieldless... Master Viper dropped out my thrusters when I had 70% hull left. I learned my lesson and now fly with shields and shield boosters.

Han Brannigan · Jun 25, 2015

Jethzk said:
Lost 5 million in my T7 flying shieldless...

This is why I like 1.3 so much ... new and better AI

Kyle Brennan · Jun 25, 2015

Imperial courier can do 440 m/s when rigged for speed. That might make it the fastest ship in the game if not second fastest.