Well Well Well...

[CMDR Ash]

Guess who got the command codes, exit vectors and manual for his first brand new Anaconda from the ship master today? (well me because im writing the thread) so I decided to throw a huge party on board with snacks, ladies and plenty of booze flowing, when a fellow cmdr comes over and asks me what i'm going to use her for. Well trading of course, she will be one of the best traders in the sector! but quite embarrassingly I've never really traded before so I ask him if he knows any good routes and he suggests checking the GAL for places like THRUDS or EDDB.

I don't want none of that! I want to know how people find those nice niche trades, and low and behold like most traders, goes really quiet and scuttles away to the corner of the room. (obviously holding onto his own little gem me thinks)

So the question I pose is, how do people find these nice little trade routes is it trial and error?, pure luck?, using spreadsheets or pen and paper? I'm not asking for people to give me all their great trade routes as I would love the satisfaction of finding my own, just the means if your willing to share

Fly safe Commanders!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I spent 4 days looking for an ingame traderoute without using any tools. And I can tell you it's frustrating as hell. The information you get ingame is worse than useless since it causes you to make assumptions, like: "Hmm, this product is exported to that system, lets write down those prices and check". And then you check and find out you'd make a loss exporting those goods to that system. So why are all these other traders doing it? Altruism? Even found a traderoute of Imp Slaves being transported to a system where they were illegal in every outpost and station in that system. So they had to be sold on the black market for half the price. Huge loss for traders.

What?

I ended up with picking a central system, and screenshotting the commodity pages from systems within 30Ly of that system. After 2 days of laboriously recording I came up with a 3 stop traderoute with 1,200 cr per ton, 500 cr per ton and 1,500 cr per ton profit. Worked the traderoute for 3 hours until I got bored of trading.

Yeah, that was time well spent

 

[[VR] Deggial]

First of all: +1 Rep for not wanting to use those boring trade tools! Right on, commander!

To answer your question:

With an Anaconda (congratualations! ) you want to find a large system with high population (in order to have a high enough supply) and a large space station (for docking, obviously).
However, if you plan to haul palladium for example, extraction systems tend to be low population and mining stations merely outposts.

The trick is to find a combined agricultural systems (for the population!) with large extraction station (for your actual commodities) in it. You can use the galaxy map for searching.
Then, of course, you need a nearby high-tech system with preferably high supply in performance enhancers or other value high-tech commodities that your extraction station wants.

The trading stations being close to the jump-in point is more important than fewer system jumps. Recharging your jump drive for an additional jump takes less time than flying all these ls in a system. (There is a point, of course, where the calculation tips over. But three or four jumps should be acceptable.)

Unfortunately, all this can give you only hints where to look. You still will need to go to these systems in order to verify the existance of actual supply and demand. I use a fast (jump range) and cheap to maintain ship for these surveys, for example a Hauler.

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I hope this helps. I found a nice trade route this way, granting me about 1240 cr./t on the forward run and 1700 cr./ on the return trip.

 

[Roycie]

Try having a read through here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91538

 

[Alper22]

Well it is quite insane. I also came up with the idea of taking screenshots of each marketplace to find some good deals. But it really looks lot of work and nothing to worth time. Big respect for those who uploading nice trade routes to eddb.io.

 

[eyleyro]

Congrats, and appreciate not the question you asked, but spend a few hours learning to fly her before filling it with goodies; if you're going to have an insurance claim, better an 8-10m insurance loss than a 10-15m loss inc. cargo.

 

[Zanten]

One thing I'd recommend, whatever your search strategy ends up being, is that you put your new Anaconda in storage and get your paws on a Sidewinder or Viper for when you're searching for the route; try to get its jump range as close to your Anaconda's fully laden jump range as possible (so you'll be able to find the best routes your ship can manage.) I know from past experience that it's ally tempting to remain entrenched on your shiny new bridge, but using a smaller ship during your inevitable station-hops can save you a lot of credits on fuel (or, if you prefer scooping, save you the time you'd be spending parked in front of a sun. =P ) That and a Viper's faster speed/smaller size makes it easier to quickly dock with a station, and depending on how long it takes you find an ideal route, you might be doing a lotta docking. Whenever I decided to try and find a new route, I inevitably stuck my Anaconda in storage; then I'd run out in a Sidewinder, and if I found a promising new route, I'd return to where I stored my Anaconda, sell the Sidewinder (the loss is pennies, really,) and take my trading ship to the new route. =D Was actually something kind of nostalgic about being stuck back in that cramped little cockpit, feeling like at any moment the thing was going to come flying apart at the seams.

 

[Jesters09]

Word of mouth, talk to cmdrs in game (open).
If they don't want to talk, then use the in game mechanics such as buy a cargo scanner and scan/track um.

 

[SirAdelaide]

There is an Android app called Elite Notes. You enter trade prices yourself, and it calculates the best routes based on what you've entered. Once you've got 10-12 stations worth of prices entered you should start to see some profitable routes. If not, move on a bit. You don't need to look at all commodities, unless you want a record for future mission reference. For trade you only care about goods worth over 5000 cr per unit else profit will suck.

 

[JesusOnEez]

I'm genuinely interested, not a troll...why are some people against using tools like Thrudd's? I understand there must be a certain satisfaction in finding your own route, but traders in real life will use any tool they can get their hands on, whether that's broadsheets or software.

I've got a two monitor set-up, and when I'm in the mood for trading, Thrudd's is on my second screen as a kind of in-ship trade computer.

 

[CMDR Ash]

Thanks for all your responses guys, I use sidey's all the time for transport between all my other ships, its great holding the thrusters and then flying into the side of the station because of how quick they are in comparison

- - - Updated - - -

Oh im not against them at all, its like you said I want the satisfaction of having my own little secret route hehe, so when people talk about routes I can have a smug little thought of... "its not as good as mine" and I know it will annoy the hell out of me trying to find it, but as a trader the objective is to get the most money, to get to elite (for me anyway) so I don't want to shop at tesco for my beef I want to go straight to the farmer

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I'm genuinely interested, not a troll...why are some people against using tools like Thrudd's? I understand there must be a certain satisfaction in finding your own route, but traders in real life will use any tool they can get their hands on, whether that's broadsheets or software.

For me it's not being against 3rd party tools, but playing the game within it's parameters for immersion's sake. So those tools traders use in real life should be available within the game. It's putting yourself on par with the NPCs since in terms of game mechanics there is no difference between an NPC and a Player.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

…

So the question I pose is, how do people find these nice little trade routes is it trial and error?, pure luck?, using spreadsheets or pen and paper? …

Using the galaxy and system map, experience, something to take notes, a small scouting ship, a stop watch.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

I'm genuinely interested, not a troll...why are some people against using tools like Thrudd's? I understand there must be a certain satisfaction in finding your own route, but traders in real life will use any tool they can get their hands on, whether that's broadsheets or software.

I've got a two monitor set-up, and when I'm in the mood for trading, Thrudd's is on my second screen as a kind of in-ship trade computer.

I find it simply boring. There is no personal achivement in it - you merely pick over the bones others left for you.
Finding a trade route is integral part of the trading-game for me and I am annoyed when people come here complaining that ED is boring - while using those 3rd party tools and cheating themselves in doing so.

Secondly: If a trade route is accessible by trade tools, everybody and his dog is using it, ruining trade revenues in doing so. This is why I try to find my own (less known and therefore more profitable) route and this is why I am a little bit annoyed by those commanders going the "easy way" and reducing my profits without their own effort spent in finding anything.

 

[Shaamaan]

Some tips from a non-master-trader (I make do, but I've not found the multi-million credit routes as I don't have the patience)...

a) Use a hauler outfitted for jump range with a small cargo hold for scouting out routes. That Anaconda is nice, but it's generally slow and bulky, and for scouting a Hauler will do much better.
b) The system economy type is essential.
c) Don't shun imperial slaves - they pay well!
d) Subsequently - take an interest in all commodities which generally cost a lot per 1 ton - palladium, gold, stuff like that...
e) How far a station is from the jump point can be very important! Avoid stations which are near or over 1000LS away - it just takes too bloody long to get there, and you'll be wasting precious time getting there.
f) To expand on the previous point - it's not just enough to find a route which will make you 2000cr/t per trip. How much time said trip takes is also crucial! Thus the LS from the entry point to the station and how many systems you need to jump between your points is very important.
g) I've never found a trade route with more than 2 points (again, I lack patience), but there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to find a circular route of 3 or more stations.

 

[Firestarter]

Pen and paper for me. I chose a nice looking high tech station that had most of the ships available and then visited every station with 25ly - about 50. Wrote down all the commodities worth more that 1000cr on two lists (sells and buys). Then compared them. Took ages but eventually could make about 3m an hour in my old T9.

Thought I'd done really well until I looked at eddb and found a much more profitable route just outside the 25ly boundary I'd set myself.

If you want to stay legal the best routes generally involved taking high tech goods to extraction sites and bringing back precious metals. If you can average over 1000cr profit per tonne per trip over your whole route then your doing OK.

 

[ArkSeaJumper]

I would suggest you DO use Eddb or the like to get a feel for the mechanics, I have found some good route around the ones listed on eddb. Or use it as a training tool, what commodities to what economic type.

 

[Bluebird007]

I do it all manually and just have a Google doc open on my 2nd monitor.

 

[.Stu.]

nice survey tip

Matching survey ship to trading ship range, I have just guestimated it myself previously.

try to get its jump range as close to your Anaconda's fully laden jump range as possible (so you'll be able to find the best routes your ship can manage.)

 

[Lupin]

Nice work on getting your Anaconda, but you have just handicapped yourself for finding good trade routes.
Personally I prefer Python as I can still use outpost.

As for finding trade routes, some the best ones I found for T7 were station to station in same system. Look for systems selling foods as a basic start to finding stations that want that in exchange for something else on the way back.
Sadly easy to burn trade routes high cargo ship.