Whew! Hats off (and a salute) to any Elite Traders.

[DukeIronHand]

Started my current career almost 4 months ago and 95% of it has been trading and missions that involve trade either outgoing, incoming, or both.
Started in small ships of course though now the bulk of my trading is now in a TradaConda and the beloved T9. Still do a bit of trading or trade missions in small ships for fun.

Anyway my trade rank is 81% Entrepreneur - raised it 1% tonight doing approx. 4 million in trade profit. I actually did a little trade grinding last week trying to get to Elite then realized I have to go thru the even harder Tycoon rank next. Yikes. Can't imagine how long that will take so that will be another figure I will ignore till it just happens. Anyway a big salute to any of our Elite Traders out there!

As an aside, since I see how fast I am (not) progressing in big ship trading, has any poor, deluded, and feverish Cmdr really traded their way to Elite in small ships only?

 

[Spacecat]

I started about a year ago and am about the same rank, mostly just from hauling cargo, so that's a lot of trading.

 

[Thetele]

To get elite rank in trading you need to earn 1 billion cr from trading and/or trading missions. Both count.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Mining really helps the Trade Rank, as all profits are 100%.
Selling Painite into a Booming Industrial/HighTech Economy is ~70k/ton...

I reckon otherwise trading Food into a Famine place or Medicines into an Outbreak place is the only thing that could afford a comparably fast progression in pure Trading for Rank.

Missions of course can pay a crapton of Credits, so that's likely the fastest route.
In my "homezone" it's not uncommon to get paid 9M Cr for a 90ton haul over a mere 14LY during Boom State. Or exporting a stack of "Premium Biowaste" over 80-140LY for xx M Cr from the local Terraforming Economies, works the same

 

[Iron Body]

Currently at 70% tycoon and hoping to make Elite trader by the end of April.
This is my current favorite loop, making almost 2m profit per round trip in my 500t capacity T9, "Black Pig".

HIP 106213:Tanaka Terminal 38.9ly -> 1000ls Su Lin:Card's Progress Imperial Slaves (500) (1288500cr)
Su Lin:Card's Progress 38.9ly -> 121ls HIP 106213:Tanaka Terminal Beryllium (500) ( 657500cr)

Prices on the route have been pretty stable over the past week, but I suppose it will be worthless tomorrow.

 

[DaveB]

...This is my current favorite loop...

... but I suppose it will be worthless tomorrow.

Or will be suffering a major infestation of pirates.

Unless you're strictly an "anywhere but open" trader, having a favorite "hot" route get publicised, either by having it show up in one of the various trade tools out there, or by letting it slip yourself, makes actually flying that route with valuable cargo a little like taking a dip in the piranha tank wearing a bacon bikini....

 

[DukeIronHand]

Mmmmm...bacon.
And 9 million for a one jump haul mission! Must be nice.
Thought I was sitting fat when the very occasional 1.5 million haul pops up.
Currently using three ships: the aforementioned 'Conda and T9 plus a Python cargo ship - carries 272 tons.
Which is why I am waiting on a T7 and T6. When you already have a Tradython...but it's not a Lakon eh?

 

[DragonIV]

Elite Trader here. When you're in late Entrepreneur, or early Tycoon, cargo missions start to become THE thing to push you into Elite. At least, it did for me--fully 500M of what is needed for Elite came from the missions I did. Easy to find million plus missions in stations where you're allied.

- - - Updated - - -

Or will be suffering a major infestation of pirates.

Unless you're strictly an "anywhere but open" trader, having a favorite "hot" route get publicised, either by having it show up in one of the various trade tools out there, or by letting it slip yourself, makes actually flying that route with valuable cargo a little like taking a dip in the piranha tank wearing a bacon bikini....

I have flown shieldless in Open with both my T9 and Cutter for more than a year, and have advertised that I can be found in and around Tepertsi multiple times on these here forums, and have yet to attract either pirates or gankers. Now, if they suddenly put a CG out this way, that may make it more interesting. Actually, I'm returning to Candecama in my naked Cutter right now.