Newcomer / Intro Frustrated to high hell in need of assistance.

niteowl84 · Mar 5, 2015

Heya guys, im new to the game, just got it there a few days ago and havnt gotten to get into it very deep yet but im working on it. I know that there are probably many threads about this issue but alot of what i have tried and followed isn't working for me.

This game def needs some sort of tutorial on exactly how to trade and read that graph in the galaxy map. So my problem....
I Have been following a guide i found here [ forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38804 ] and although i found it to be informative... it hasn't worked at all for me. I follow it to the T and i wind up loosing money each time. Im now down to 482 credits and soon wont be able to but much of anything.

I done exactly as this guide said to do, in my case i choose to trade food cartridges as there was no agriculture in the system so i figured i would make a few pennies lol but to my disappointment i got there and instead of making money i lost yet again.... i cant seem to grasp this trading thing, i can't make a bloody cent... i apologize if i come across as sulking lol but im getting a lil frustrated with not being able to make a single dime and i know im not doin something right i just dont know what it is... Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance guys!

niteowl84 · Mar 5, 2015

also on a side note, i want to play realistically so i would like to know how to use the galaxy map and not any kind of spreadsheet or program that does the work for me. I enjoy getting to know how to play legit.. thanks again in advance.

Dommarraa · Mar 5, 2015

I recommend you search for Slopey's BCP tool. It might take a bit too much out of the decision making, but you can always stop using it once you get the hang of what is where.
The Trade Routes on the Galaxy Map are notoriously unhelpfull/plain wrong.

[Edit:Oh. Ninjaed]

beelbeebub · Mar 5, 2015

Welcome CMDR!
.
My advice is, initially, don't trade, it takes ages to build up the capital.
.
The first thing to do is look for missions, specifically the courier type ones, "take X tons of Y to Z for us". They give you the cargo (so no upfront cost) and the payment is often much more than you an make trading.
:
Once you have some capital, look up rare trading on the forums Altair to Any Na is a good one. The rare goods cost less than 1k/t and can be sold for 17k/t. You just need a fuel scoop.
:
Good luck!

chefie · Mar 5, 2015

look for elitetradingtool .co .uk i stopped using slopeys for this

one and its way better

Dommarraa · Mar 5, 2015

niteowl84 said:
also on a side note, i want to play realistically so i would like to know how to use the galaxy map and not any kind of spreadsheet or program that does the work for me. I enjoy getting to know how to play legit.. thanks again in advance.

In that case, I would do general trade missions that give you an opportunity to run about while still making a little money. Take a note on some paper (thats not too much of cheat is it ?

) on the prices of anything that has a HIGH Demand or Supply. Eventually you will spot 2 stations where a commodity has Supply in 1 and Demand in the other. Then start making notes of the Economy and population of the stations till you see the pattern. High Population nearly always helps except with the really cheap commodities.

Nagual · Mar 5, 2015

Many of the systems near the core are heavily traded, meaning prices, supply and demand can change quite rapidly. Moving further out will help a bit. If you are unsure what to take from A to B, the commodities market can give you clues ie Manufactured in and Used in ( exact terms are probably different ) While this may be a bit hit and miss for you, why not go to the BB and see if you can take any jobs offered there, while visiting other stations doing them, you'll be able to analyse the market for yourself and gain a better understanding of how it works.

Good luck.

zumbledum · Mar 5, 2015

ok if you want to do it the hard way you are going to need to put in a lot of leg work.

you need to take things with high supply and deliver them to places with high demand, its that simple.

the map in game shows you existing trade routes this is really only useful to see what sort of thing each type of place makes and needs, because its showing routes where traders are moving already those runs will likely not be optimal . but its not as easy as looking for where the routes are absent but should be. for example extraction places should nearly always want extractors and should offer you metals the industrial place that makes the extractors will want. but that trade route might be absent because its currently dried up ie both sides have been supplied and currently dont need any or it might be a route ready to be tapped. the only way to know which in game is to go the old mark one eyeball and go and look at their market or buy info.

i can not stress enough how much of a bad idea i think it is to take this path , i would recommend exploring in stock sidewinder before this type of trading. you will be much better off to go hang out at a nav beacon and hunt bounties on sidewinders, haulers, eagles, and if your brave or have system craft backing you can add cobras , adders and vipers to that list. or to take bulletin board missions

Starnr · Mar 5, 2015

I you are jsut starting take some missions and do some bounty hunting and exploring. I just took off from my starting point and kept on going until I could upgrade to a viper then a hauler, by then i had found a decent trade route and worked on getting a cobra and then the stars

Feldspar · Mar 5, 2015

The keys to trading are to know who buys what and who sells it. Luckily it tells you on the item descriptions on the commodities market which kind of economies trade in which goods, you can then use the galaxy map to mix and match. Unfortunately, it is a bit more complicated than that, so you can expect some mistakes as you gain experience.

As others have said, the Sidewinder is a poor ship for trading and you are better off getting cash for a new ship from bulletin board missions and the like.

bazza926 · Mar 5, 2015

When I started I was trading exclusively in the sidewinder. Because it has only space for a little cargo it is slow going but you can easily make some money.
1. Get out of your starter system (about 5 jumps in any direction should do it). *Avoid Anarchy systems for now*
2. Find a station with an agricultural economy. (Preferably around one of the first three planets.) Buy some grain or other low value food commodity.
3. With the commodity highlighted look in the top right panel to see where is is exported to. (I find this is far more accurate than in the galaxy map) there will be a system one jump away which imports food.
n.b. there may even be a non agriculture station in the same system so you don't even have to hyperspace.
4. Make a list of all the things the station imports - it should be a long list and note down the prices.
5. Go to the system/planet that is not the agriculture economy and sell your goods.
6. Look in the commodities to see which one will make the most money for the return journey that you can afford (biowaste may not be glamorous but it'll make a bit of money!)
7. Return to the agricultural station with your goods.
8. Rinse and repeat.
9. When you can afford it buy as many cargo racks as you can to maximise profit. Ditch the scanner to fit in more. (Some people suggest ditching shields and guns but I kept mine so I could defend myself - and paying for repairs when scraping the station entrance!)
10. Don't bother upgrading the ship. It's free and works fine. Just wait until you can afford a hauler or an adder.
Yes its a bit of a grind but you can mix it up a bit with some bounty hunting at the nav points if you get bored.
Hope this helps. This is how I started.

RuleV · Mar 5, 2015

if you're really strapped for cash, find a system with multiple stations. Find the cheapest commodity you can find with a price differential and just trade that until you've got a little stockpile of credits.

Use that stockpile to increase your cargo capacity.

Pay attention to price fluctations and missions (Particularly those which ask for a commodity which you can actually buy in the same station, like hydrogen fuel)

Oh and sell your basic discovery scanner, it'll get you 1000c IIRC

cmdr lowest · Mar 5, 2015

bazza926 said:
When I started I was trading exclusively in the sidewinder. Because it has only space for a little cargo it is slow going but you can easily make some money.
1. Get out of your starter system (about 5 jumps in any direction should do it). *Avoid Anarchy systems for now*
2. Find a station with an agricultural economy. (Preferably around one of the first three planets.) Buy some grain or other low value food commodity.
3. With the commodity highlighted look in the top right panel to see where is is exported to. (I find this is far more accurate than in the galaxy map) there will be a system one jump away which imports food.
n.b. there may even be a non agriculture station in the same system so you don't even have to hyperspace.
4. Make a list of all the things the station imports - it should be a long list and note down the prices.
5. Go to the system/planet that is not the agriculture economy and sell your goods.
6. Look in the commodities to see which one will make the most money for the return journey that you can afford (biowaste may not be glamorous but it'll make a bit of money!)
7. Return to the agricultural station with your goods.
8. Rinse and repeat.
9. When you can afford it buy as many cargo racks as you can to maximise profit. Ditch the scanner to fit in more. (Some people suggest ditching shields and guns but I kept mine so I could defend myself - and paying for repairs when scraping the station entrance!)
10. Don't bother upgrading the ship. It's free and works fine. Just wait until you can afford a hauler or an adder.
Yes its a bit of a grind but you can mix it up a bit with some bounty hunting at the nav points if you get bored.
Hope this helps. This is how I started.

Starting out trading, this is good advice.

To become good at trading it really is a case of noting down prices at every station you visit then reviewing your notes and finding a good profit margin. Then trade.

There are shortcuts, but I (personally) don't believe in them as it takes the fun out of it.

Danube · Mar 5, 2015

chefie said:
look for elitetradingtool .co .uk i stopped using slopeys for this one and its way better

I use this too. It has never let me down.

Robert Dhal · Mar 6, 2015

niteowl84 said:
Heya guys, im new to the game, just got it there a few days ago and havnt gotten to get into it very deep yet but im working on it. I know that there are probably many threads about this issue but alot of what i have tried and followed isn't working for me.

This game def needs some sort of tutorial on exactly how to trade and read that graph in the galaxy map. So my problem....
I Have been following a guide i found here [ forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38804 ] and although i found it to be informative... it hasn't worked at all for me. I follow it to the T and i wind up loosing money each time. Im now down to 482 credits and soon wont be able to but much of anything.

I done exactly as this guide said to do, in my case i choose to trade food cartridges as there was no agriculture in the system so i figured i would make a few pennies lol but to my disappointment i got there and instead of making money i lost yet again.... i cant seem to grasp this trading thing, i can't make a bloody cent... i apologize if i come across as sulking lol but im getting a lil frustrated with not being able to make a single dime and i know im not doin something right i just dont know what it is... Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance guys!

MostlyAimless gives an alternate path to starting out that doesn't involve trading.