Really stuggling with trading

FredTA

FredTA
(This thread is not a complaint, so please don't take it that way, I'm simply looking for some help.)

Ok, so to be fair, trading is the only way to make real money. I've been making 150,00 credits in one 20 minute round trip at one point before. Can you really earn that much in that time by bounty hunting, pirating or doing merc work. No.

(obviously this is no criticism of the game, just a comment of the current Beta build, to lead me onto my main point.)

So, here's my problem: Any and all decent trade routes that yield a decent profit only last a few hours before the supply/demand start to level out and the run becomes not profitable. It's taking me at least the better part of an hour to find a new trade route and before long that's also exhausted.

It also seems that very often the economies that should in theory take my goods and give me a profit don't, perhaps because of other players already giving them those goods.

I have a Lakon type 6, which cost just over 100,000 credits. I am saving for a Lakon type 9, which costs well over 3,000,000 credits. That's a 3 million credit jump. And yes, the 100 units of cargo help, but it's taking me ages to make any profit anymore (still more than I would be gaining from anything though)

This is all just an overly long way of asking for help, so:

Anyone got any useful tips, tricks or hints?

Thanks,
Fred T.A
 

stephen_usher

stephen_usher
I've been finding using the bulletin board and missions to be the most lucrative trading option at the moment... Along with "natural fabric" from Eranin to iBootis and harvesters back the other way.

10K credits in a Sidewinder in about an hour and a half.

P.S. If you've already made 100000 credits then you're obviously doing very well anyway!!!
 

FredTA

FredTA
stephen_usher said:
I've been finding using the bulletin board and missions to be the most lucrative trading option at the moment... Along with "natural fabric" from Eranin to iBootis and harvesters back the other way.

10K credits in a Sidewinder in about an hour and a half.

P.S. If you've already made 100000 credits then you're obviously doing very well anyway!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, and for the start I was doing well, but now it's slowed to a complete grind. And thanks, I'll give your route a try...
 

Aewarin Jameson

Aewarin Jameson
FredTA said:
I have a Lakon type 6, which cost just over 100,000 credits. I am saving for a Lakon type 9, which costs well over 3,000,000 credits. That's a 3 million credit jump. And yes, the 100 units of cargo help, but it's taking me ages to make any profit anymore (still more than I would be gaining from anything though)
Click to expand...

Really sorry but I have nothing for you that you don't already know - Just made my first 20K and promptly lost it in a heart beat
 

MadDogMurdock

MadDogMurdock
It just twigged with me that you have enough fuel for a few jumps so you don't just have to trade with the next system.

Pick where you want to sell, I guess this is where the trade routes help.
Then plot your jumps.

Jumping two or three systems only adds a minute or so to the journey time.
 

rab

R
I find Ibootis to Eranin to be an ok trade route I run tea one way and harvesters the other, took me awhile to get there went slow at first but worked my way up through the hauler and now I have a cobra I am making a pretty decent profit.

Been trying to avoid combat for now and just stick with the trading, not sure if I will go for the type6 and use it to build up a nice credit buffer first or just upgrade my cobra and then go off exploring when I can afford it .
 

FredTA

FredTA
MadDogMurdock said:
It just twigged with me that you have enough fuel for a few jumps so you don't just have to trade with the next system.

Pick where you want to sell, I guess this is where the trade routes help.
Then plot your jumps.

Jumping two or three systems only adds a minute or so to the journey time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been doing that. made a good run out of Aulin to WYRD and back
 

TheDoctor

TheDoctor
don't forget to check the bulletin boards for those important short hop runs that take up 1 ton and pay 2-4k for that run. That's the best profit per ton you'll see early on in the game.

Also have a look at what stations sell and try and match that up with what others need. Stations don't tend to sell a great deal at the moment but have a great deal of wants.

for example look at a mining station and see what ores they sell and what refinery stations need supplying with that, refined metals need taking to industrial worlds and food needs to be moved pretty much elsewhere.

Also try out dry runs before actually parting with cash with a notebook and pen and to make sure that you are happy with the figures, I also have 3-4 alternatives so if something flattens out you can move on. Tea at one station today was completely satisfied and had no demand for it at all with a terrible price.

Today with the hauler I made 400k and now got my cobra.
 

TheDoctor

TheDoctor
MadDogMurdock said:
It just twigged with me that you have enough fuel for a few jumps so you don't just have to trade with the next system.

Pick where you want to sell, I guess this is where the trade routes help.
Then plot your jumps.

Jumping two or three systems only adds a minute or so to the journey time.
Click to expand...

Have you noticed that a quick sucession of jumps added a lot of heat?

I was doing repeated runs with 3 jumps between stations and the final jump got my heat up to 110% on the hauler every time.
 

Tox Laximus

Banned
Tox Laximus
I ungraded to a eagle and it couldn't jump very far so I destructed it and went back to the sidey, there was no station in range I could buy another ship at.

The sidey is hopeless at fighting so the bulletining board is not much use and when I do see a possible mission I cant select it for some reason.

I think the game should help you out more with trading because its too much donkey work scraping enough cash to get a decent ship and weapons.
 

FredTA

FredTA
TheDoctor said:
Have you noticed that a quick sucession of jumps added a lot of heat?

I was doing repeated runs with 3 jumps between stations and the final jump got my heat up to 110% on the hauler every time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've had my ship at 198% heat before, dunno how I didn't melt in my seat
 

TheDoctor

TheDoctor
The haulers are now 24k and so they aren't horribly expensive and once you get into one of those you can accelerate the money made considerably.

But currently the missions are a new thing and are a work in progress, mining is still to come and I suspect a lot of data is still being collected on trading with a larger playerbase so I suspect that by gamma getting out of the first ship should be easier.
 

Flavio

F
TheDoctor said:
Have you noticed that a quick sucession of jumps added a lot of heat?

I was doing repeated runs with 3 jumps between stations and the final jump got my heat up to 110% on the hauler every time.
Click to expand...

That is part of the game since if you are being chased, you either decide to stay in system to cool off your ship before jumping again and hoping you can survive the encounter or try to outrun the other ship by jumping early and taking some damage, hopefully less than your persuer.
If you are just doing a freight run, come out of sc and wait a while at a safe distance from the sun before jumping again, it takes longer but it is cheaper on repairs.
 

FredTA

FredTA
TheDoctor said:
for example look at a mining station and see what ores they sell and what refinery stations need supplying with that, refined metals need taking to industrial worlds and food needs to be moved pretty much elsewhere.
QUOTE]

Ok, thanks I'll try that.
Click to expand...
 
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