A fun little rares trading loop

[Ivo215]

Last week I decided to fire up ED again, after not having played it for over a year. (got stuck in a grind and lost interest)
I'm glad to report that I'm having fun again.
Yesterday I started to look in to doing a rares trade route, and today I've finalised a route to my liking.

I didn't want to go for the Altair-Rajukuru back-and-forth, because if I want to grind a back-and-forth trade route I guess I'll stick to Imperial Slaves and Beryllium.

So I wanted a route that had a little more to it. But not too crazy either, still comprehensive.
I ended up with a modest loop with 10 stops and 11 rares.
I'm sure it's not the most efficient money making loop. But that wasn't my primairy goal, I wanted to have some change of scenery, a little fun along the way. It does produce several millions of credits in an evening, but more important; it doesn't feel like a grind. (at least not yet)

Also, the route seems very well suited for mid-game players. Especially when you're at that point when you're looking at outfitting your first Asp or Vulture. So that's why I'm posting it.

I found a very comprehensive map by CMDR Count von Weiss that helped a lot.
Credits to CMDR Count von Weiss for making that map.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/223321-Rares-Trading-Metro-Map
I started by printing that, and crossing off all of the systems with stations further than 10.000 Ls from their star.
I's fun doing a 50.000 Ls supercruise once or twice, but not repeatedly. (you could use the time for a toilet break, and to get some snacks and a beer ... so maybe it's not such a bad idea to have a long distance supercruise in your loop)

The logical start is at the Lave cluster, because there are 5 systems with 6 rare commodities right on top of each other. From there I made a loop mostly down the Z-Axis to Delta Phoenicis, and back again.
This will do for now.

The ship:
Lakon Type 6
No shields
No hardpoints
No utilities
4A Frame Shift Drive, all other Core Internals as light weight class D.
Optional Internals:
108 ton cargo capacity (out of a possible 112)
1C Advanced Discovery Scanner, for those new systems along the way.

Ship value including 1C Advanced Discovery scanner: Cr 4.450.000, Rebuy: Cr 222.000
Ship value without the discovery scanner: Cr 2.900.000, Rebuy: Cr 145.000

Why not an Asp Exploder? Well, technically it can hold a little bit more cargo, but 108 tons is (just) enough for this run. Also, you don't really want to run an Asp without it's shields. Because little landing scuffs are expensive in the Asp, while with the Type 6 it's litterally 10 Cr for a scuff.
Also, you don't really want to run an Asp without a fuel scoop. Asp fuel is much more expensive per ton than Type 6 fuel. Type 6 fuel is almost free at 800 Cr for a full tank. The Type 6 has the jump range, the cargo capacity, no need for shields, no need to scoop for fuel.


The run:

Orrere – Sharon Lee Free Market (a.k.a. Shazza’s flea market)
Buy: Orrerian Vicious Brew
Sell: Baltah’Sine Vacuum Krill – Cr 11.108 per ton profit

- Single jump

Uszaa – Guest Installation (4350 Ls)
Interdictions! Here be pirates, Yarrr!!
Buy: Uszaian Tree Grub

- Single jump

Lave – Lave Station
Buy: Lavian Brandy

- Single jump

Zaonce – Ridley Scott
Buy: Leathery eggs (don’t let these hatch!)
Sell: HR 7221 Wheat – Cr 10.226 per ton profit
Sell: Giant Verrix – Cr 15.505 per ton profit

- Single jump

Leesti – George Lucas
Buy: Azure Milk
Buy: Leestian Evil Juice
Sell: Delta Phoenicis Palms – Cr 16.001 per ton profit
Sell: Eden Apples of Aerial – Cr 15.933 per ton profit

- 108 LY, 5 jumps

HR 7221 – Veron City
Buy: HR 7221 Wheat

- 3 jumps

Phiagre – Greeboski’s Outpost
Buy: Giant Verrix

- 3 jumps

Delta Phoenicis – Trading Post [EDIT]-Pelase read footnote below-[/EDIT]
Buy: Delta Phoenicis Palms
Sell: Orrerian Vicious Brew – Cr 16.222 per ton profit
Sell: Uszaian Tree Grub – Cr 16.362 per ton profit
Sell: Lavian Brandy – Cr 20.084 per ton profit
Sell: Leathery Eggs – Cr 24.229 per ton profit
Sell: Azure Milk – Cr 17.481 per ton profit
Sell: Leestian Evil Juice – Cr 16.002 per ton profit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ

- 3 jumps

Aerial – Andrade Legacy
Buy: Eden Apples of Aerial

- 3 jumps

Baltah’Sine – Baltah’Sine Station
Buy: Baltah’Sine Vacuum Krill

- 112 LY, 6 or 7 jumps (depending on load), back to Orrere – Sharon Lee Free Market
This one nearly empties the fuel tank, but the Type 6 has got just enough fuel capacity to get you to the Orrere system.


Time to complete 1 loop: approx. 1H30M
Profit per completed loop: approx. Cr 2.250.000 (will vary per run)
Cr profit per hour: approx. Cr 1.500.000

Anyway, I hope someone else could enjoy this modest little rares loop too. Or it can maybe be of help to an early-mid game player.


[EDIT]
09/29/3302
The market at Delta Phoenicis - Trading Post seems to now be giving rock bottom prices for the rares in this route (and possibly other rares too). You will make a loss.
I do not know if this is temporary, or perhaps permanent? I do not know the cause, though I suspect it may have something to do with us, the players, flooding the market there with rare items.
For now I suggest to substitute Delta Phoenicis - Trading Post for a different station:
Kamitra - Hammel Terminal (4 more jumps downwards)
Sell: All the things that you used to sell at Delta Phoenicis.
Buy: Kamitra Cigars

Happy flying!
[/EDIT]

 

[Andurol]

nice. it's always good to find a loop. I used to have a 6 or 7 stop, jump to sell, then 6 or so there, jump back to beginning to sell, rinse, repeat.

I can't remember where it is in the forums, or if it's even still viable now, since things have changed, but back when I first started running rares someone posted a 70ish stop rare run loop. told where to go, what to buy, and where in the route to sell what. It was fun.

Hey, found my old printout, searched, and here's list that he put up. I'm thinking I might just run it again a few times, for old times sake.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/101211-71-Stop-Rare-Trade-Route-*UPDATED*

 

[Axdrenalin]

Nice little run you've got there, thanks for sharing it. Have some rep too! I'm going to mention this to both of my boys and see if they're interested in doing it. They're looking to make a little $$$ and would certainly enjoy the route.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

One thing with rare goods now, is that the state of the controlling faction makes a huge difference in what is available in the market. Always check the state as you are planning a jump to a rares system. If the controlling faction is in bust, civil unrest or conflict (war, civil war, election), the amount of the rare good is likely to be reduced. If the controlling faction is in lockdown, don't bother going at all as there won't even be a market. If the controling faction is in boom, you may get allocated extra rare goods.

Unfortunately, it is still very possible to get a pathetic allocation of 1 or 2 tons of a rare good, even in boom systems. If this happens, move on as it isn't ever worth waiting for 1 ton per 10 minutes.
It doesn't matter what your reputation is with the factions, or how many CMDRs are buying rare goods or not. There is nothing you can ever do to influence the RNG on a rare goods allocation.

 

[Ivo215]

I found something else out that's quite interesting.
If you look into rares trading, in most explanations you'll find that the further away you get from the source of the rare, the more profit you will make. Up untill about 130~160 LY away from the source, after which the price won't go up much, and tops out at around twice the Galactic Average.
That does seem to be true in general. But it turns out that there are exceptions that make some stations more profitable, and others less so.

The systems Orrere, Uszaa, Lave, Zaonce and Leesti are very close to eachother. So close that the differences in prices you'll get for selling rares in those systems should all be very close to eachother as well.
That is mostly true.
In this cluster of 5 systems I'm selling HR 7221 Wheat, Giant Verrix, Delta Phoenicis Palms, Eden Apples of Aerial and Baltah-Sine Vacuum Krill.
And the different selling prices for these 5 rares only change a couple of hundred credits around these 5 systems.
Except when you want to sell the Giant Verrix at Lave Station. For that single commodity Lave Station will offer you a price around 6500~7000 Cr lower than the other 4 stations do.
So there seems to be an exception to the distance rule for Giant Verrix at Lave Station.

Another example is the other 5 rares that I sell at Delta Phoenicis.
I ventured out a little further and went another 3 jumps down the Z-axis to Njambalba - Frost Dock
I didn't record the actual distance, but 3 jumps is easily around 60 LY or so.
So I expected to get slightly better prices for all 5 commodities. However, the offered prices for those 5 rares were actually all slightly lower, even though the distance is quite a bit further away.
The exception to this was the selling price offered for the HR 7221 Wheat, which was a couple thousand higher than I got anywhere else in the route.
If that was due to the distance travelled, the other commodities should have sold for a better price too. So there seems to be another exception for HR 7221 Wheat at Njambala - Frost Dock.
And possibly another exception for Delta Phoenicis - Trading Post, giving slightly better prices allround? (more testing needed)

In short, the distance traveled from the source will be the general factor in the selling price. But there can be exceptions per commodity per station. Travelling 160 LY is not a guarantee that you'll fetch a good price for that commodity, even though you will do so in general. And there might be a station out there somewhere that will offer more, regardless of the distance travelled.

So when you're doing a new loop, keep 1 ton of each rare commodity in your cargo all the way around that loop. Check the offered selling prices along the way and write down where you get the best price. You may get a better price in a station where you wouldn't think so.

 

[Alex D]

I must have done something wrong.
I landed at Delta Phoenicis yesterday, only to find out that _all_ rares I bought on the way, are being priced lower than where I bought them...
I had to skip some systems on the way as I was already full before arriving to Delta, but I was under impression that the distance measured for rare commodities is "straight line" and the distance I traveled to get these goods to some destination, does not matter? Or it does and it matters how far I went as a pilot with a ship?
I have to say I am puzzled, as everyone mentions huge profits and I would end up with quite a loss, despite very low prices of rare commodities in their source stations...

 

[Stargrease]

Isn't 150ly the standard by which rares are set? I mean, rares don't become RARE until after that distance?

 

[Alex D]

Well, they are visible as rares when you buy them, but I think their value increases only after travelling certain distance.
Hence my question if the distance is calculated as shortest way between A (rares sourcing) and B (rares selling system) or does it matter how far the actual items in the cargohold travelled.

 

[Kizbot]

Well, they are visible as rares when you buy them, but I think their value increases only after travelling certain distance.
Hence my question if the distance is calculated as shortest way between A (rares sourcing) and B (rares selling system) or does it matter how far the actual items in the cargohold travelled.

If you bought a ton of rares and carried it all the way to Sag A and then carried it to the system next door to the system you first bought it, you know that would make naff all difference to the value of the rare. After all, its on sale in the neighboring system 1 jump away.

 

[Alex D]

I bought tons of rares in A and moved them to B (I can't check now exactly how far away B is from A, but definetely more than 150ly - check top of this thread to see starting points) and B sell prices were below A buy prices...
Why?

 

[Kizbot]

I bought tons of rares in A and moved them to B (I can't check now exactly how far aware B is from A, but definetely more than 150ly - check top of this thread to see starting points) and B sell prices were below A buy prices...
Why?

retracted

 

[Alex D]

Whatever happened yesterday, must have been some form of glitch.
Today the prices are what they should be
Thanks to OP for route details!

 

[Shocken-Orr]

A lovely little loop and one that, if we're looking to gain influence with an engineer, will give you a nice start. There are at least 2 engineers I know who like trade where the influence growth is linked to profit per ton; so rares are the only real answer.

Thank you for sharing

 

[Ouberos]

+1 Rep for flying an unshielded unarmed T6. I like your style Cmdr. My T6 has is one of my favourite ships. I feel there should be a T6 owners club somewhere!

 

[Darkskythe]

Thank's for taking the time to post this route. Going to try a lap or 2 tonight to see if can grab enough coin to buy that asp explorer ship and give the 71 jump run a try

 

[Ilma]

I have Ridley Scott as my home port mostly so I can learn about the background sim. With this being a common sell point I did notice that the supply of Leathery Eggs has gone way up as the controlling faction has raised in influence. Note that while I doubt I am fully to blame I did use the closeness to CD-34 9020 to get Allied status with both the Alliance and the Federation so that work will be slightly to blame. But now that the source of rares is always at 14 and Alliance Rapid-reaction corps are too high in influence the minor factions started fighting each other. I may misunderstand the background sim but be very careful if you stop by the Nav Beacon to gain some rep through quick bounty hunting. As of yesterday all the minor factions are too busy killing each other to care about helping you if you end up hitting a super armored Cobra.

 

[Manticore]

Thanks for the intel. I'm doing my thing in Alliance space at the moment and close to Lave so I might get a few trading runs in.

 

[Fiercechief101]

This is really helpful, thank you

 

[Synesis]

Shieldless T6 rares trading, repped.
As for the price of the rares, it follows an arctan shaped function depending on the distance to the source. Some figures made by p2k can be found here:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/66538-The-Quest-of-the-Lavian-Brandy
So 150 ly is not a rares defining distance, but the price has almost reached max value there.

 

[DukeIronHand]

Very nice and clearly laid out. Perfect!
+Rep for the handy and well presented info. Now to bookmark.

I would give you +Rep x 2 if I could for using one of my favorite ships...the ubiquitous T6. I think of it as the non-combat version of the Cobra MkIII with double the cargo.