Is the market in the game dynamic?

[Eleazaros]

What I mean is I see there are quantities of items for sale and for purchase in the market - supplies being low, medium, high - so on and so forth.

Does the game recalculate prices and such as things are bought and sold?

If a station bloats on goods, won't they stop buying and won't a station run out of goods being bought up?

Also won't those station prices change as needs are met and stockpiles dwindle?

I suppose what I'm wondering about mostly is what I see some traders talking about. Taking literally tons of stuff and ferrying it back and forth between stations.

If not, that's a bad flaw in the game. Stations should "Restock" at intervals but if things are bought out fast, then the prices should go up while payouts should drop (supply and demand).

 

[Obsidian Ant]

I have seen this happen with the items I am trading. Prices on Imperial Slaves, Gold and other things seem to change according to demand. Stock also dwindles and grows...

 

[Eleazaros]

I have seen this happen with the items I am trading. Prices on Imperial Slaves, Gold and other things seem to change according to demand. Stock also dwindles and grows...

Odd but if that's the case then good deal.

It just seems odd to see so many using the same trade routes, trading the same items at each location and they always seem to make these big, consistent profits.

 

[rupok]

its not completely dynamic, there are fixed "stock prices". Then they change based on the supply and demand but they don't change enough for it to be insane profits, maybe max 2000cr/ton

 

[EtherDragon]

What I mean is I see there are quantities of items for sale and for purchase in the market - supplies being low, medium, high - so on and so forth.

Does the game recalculate prices and such as things are bought and sold?

Yes, as supply or demand changes, the prices will shift. I've been working a trade route with Progenator Cells and Gold, and as demand for those changed, so did my profit margins. Luckily it was an easy shift to Performance Enhancers and Silver, but even this well will dry up eventually.

If a station bloats on goods, won't they stop buying and won't a station run out of goods being bought up?

They won't stop buying, but their demand will be so low that the profit margin will evaporate.

Also won't those station prices change as needs are met and stockpiles dwindle?

Yep, they sure will! But stations restock over time, as they produce replacement goods.

It's also rumored (not confirmed!) that stations can only restock certain commodities if they are given the materials to do so. For instance, a station will only restock Indium if they are supplied with Indite to refine - either by players or by NPCs.

I suppose what I'm wondering about mostly is what I see some traders talking about. Taking literally tons of stuff and ferrying it back and forth between stations.

If not, that's a bad flaw in the game. Stations should "Restock" at intervals but if things are bought out fast, then the prices should go up while payouts should drop (supply and demand).

Another thing that will affect the payouts is the wealth of the system. Their demand may be high, but if they are poor, then they still can't offer very good prices. I've seen High demand commodities listed at less than galactic average in poor systems.

 

[ste]

Stations have a demand, if you over supply the demand the price drops and they may even start supplying themselves. That was a earlier problem with NPCs over trading.. I found a high demand planet making 2K per ton a run. After a few trips the demand turned to low and the price was almost a loss.