Yes it is profitable. People say it isn't aren't doing it right -- or they are comparing it to trading or bounty hunting, which it pales in comparison to. It IS profitable... but it's a slow profit and it's a hard earned profit. Be smart and never fight "fighter ships". These are combat psychos and want nothing more to just blow you up. They are outfitted for combat and all they do is murder, period. They can easily wipe out any gains you've had in the past few days in the blink of an eye. Check sub targets of any ships in the system that might be a threat. If there is a hauler but also a clipper/vulture/insert spank tank ship here.... just leave. You might pull over the hauler, but that one haul won't be worth the death that will come if the fighter chooses to take you out.
1. Warp In.
2. Check All Player Ships In Area. If None, Move to Another System OR Wait If It's High Traffic.
3. If threat is detected. Slow down, exist supercruise fast as you can. Normal space, warp to any nearby system. By the time they slow down and enter your warp signature, you've already warped to another system. Don't EVER EVER EVER try to jump to another system with a threat nearby in supercruise. He could lock you down by the time your FSD charges fully. Always drop out of supercruise, then warp to new sector. I've learned the hard way.
4. Don't be greedy. Tell the victim you mean no harm, you only want some cargo. Give them 7 seconds to comply or you open fire. Be ready to open fire though. I offer a second chance before death (never go for kill... just shoot the drives. If they die before the drives go to 0, well, they should have handed over the cargo, right?)
5. Know your targets. Some say that pirating anything higher mass than yourself is not possible. These people don't know piracy. It's hard, but it's not impossible. You have have to be ready to retract weapons and charge FSD when they do. Timed right, you'll go into supercruise just as they do and can then pull them over. Enough times and you may get close enough to them to down shields and kill drives. Work them little by little until they're a dead stick, then launch limpits and shoot cargo hatch.
6. Embrace the Bounty OR Never kill targets and always be ready to pay off fines. Personally, piracy and having a bounty on your head goes hand in hand. The fines would eat into profits... Don't want that. Plus, there's a deep satisfaction with blowing up the patrol ships that try to stop you from scooping your haul.
7. Face the reality. Many people are carebears, even if they tell themselves they're not by playing in open. You'll have plenty that will simply unplug if they're about to lose. It happens. It sucks. Go ahead and wish you could smother them with a carebear stuffy. Curse loudly, and then move on.
8. Greed Kills. If you have a good haul, cash it in. Nothing worse than having 250k worth of stolen goods only to be killed because you said "one more".
9. YOU ARE NOT A FIGHTER. Your weapons are to subdue traders and haulers. You won't defeat a combat oriented vessel with shield cells and extra shielding while your rocking cargo scanning and extra cargo space. The kind of guy that traded his way to a 60million dollar vulture. You won't win. Don't even try.
First Go To Piracy Ship. Cobra, Then Asp. I'm actually using the Vulture right now with only 16 cargo spaces. It works, but any juicy targets only get me 16 cargo -- which sucks. I'm dumping it and going to an asp as soon as I get the funds to juice it up a bit.
Finally. It IS profitable. But it's not fast and it's not easy. But it IS fun.
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