Newcomer / Intro *not* a newbie, just new to materials trading

[Lance Corrimal]

is there a way to effectively find a mat trader that has a specific material that does not involve randomly visiting every mat trader that isn't up the next tree fast enough?

you know, like what you can do with eddb or inara for commodities?

 

[Taliesen]

Yes Galaxy Tab on Inara, systems and stations, nearest and select material trader. Pick the one you need to visit.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

Also the wiki gives you a breakdown of what kinds of systems they can be found in; https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Material_Trader

 

[Factabulous]

I get the feeling the OP is another who doesn't understand how traders work and thinks they run out of mats to trade.

 

[d8veh]

Data is traded in high tech systems, manufactured mats in Industrial systems and raw mats in refinery or extraction systems.

 

[Speedcuffs]

I get the feeling the OP is another who doesn't understand how traders work and thinks they run out of mats to trade.

Tsk. I was waiting for confirmation first.

 

[Factabulous]

Tsk. I was waiting for confirmation first.

Phffft! Jumping to the conclusion gets me the chance of an outraged reply from the OP denouncing me for assuming they have no clue - I live for these moments!

 

[Speedcuffs]

Phffft! Jumping to the conclusion gets me the chance of an outraged reply from the OP denouncing me for assuming they have no clue - I live for these moments!

Yes, that one thread (that you have not mentioned) indeed gets the trophy for 2020 thread of the year.

@OP. Revisit the Raws trader and have a play about.
If you've got some high level raws, they will trade you it down for what you want.
You can even trade lower level to high, but I wouldn't recommend it, it's a total rip off.
Click on what you want, then move the cursor over what you want to trade (while observing the scandalous trade rate).

 

[metatheurgist]

Isn't it amazing that every mat trader has exactly the same number of mats that I do! It's sorcery!

 

[Lance Corrimal]

I get the feeling the OP is another who doesn't understand how traders work and thinks they run out of mats to trade.

pretty much, yes.

 

[Lance Corrimal]

so ... HOW do material traders work? Lets say I want to get two dozen focus crystals, do I just randomly visit mat traders until i find one that has some, and then try to er for them with what other materials I happen to have?

I mean, that's kinda like going to the mall, and poking your head into every single store, asking "do you have nutmeg" ... kinda odd.

 

[Nightjar]

Material Traders allow you to exchange your own materials for different ones. The different trader types do this for the different material types. Any material trader will allow you to trade any of your current stock of materials (of their type) for others of that type.
Traders don't run out - they just allow you to fiddle with yours.
Check your inventory, and Inara (which knows about your inventory if you've linked it together).
o7

 

[aRJay]

so ... HOW do material traders work? Lets say I want to get two dozen focus crystals, do I just randomly visit mat traders until i find one that has some, and then try to er for them with what other materials I happen to have?

I mean, that's kinda like going to the mall, and poking your head into every single store, asking "do you have nutmeg" ... kinda odd.

Focus Crystals are a Manufactured material so you visit your nearest or bookmarked Manufactured Trader, there is one at Paterson Enterprise in Sirius for example.
When you get there you select what you want then swap for what you have.
The materials are arranged in rows and columns the further apart they are the worse the exchange rate.

 

[Para Handy]

so ... HOW do material traders work? Lets say I want to get two dozen focus crystals, do I just randomly visit mat traders until i find one that has some, and then try to er for them with what other materials I happen to have?

I mean, that's kinda like going to the mall, and poking your head into every single store, asking "do you have nutmeg" ... kinda odd.

Assuming you are not just trolling us...

What you see in the Material Trader's screen is just what you actually have in your materials storage. You don't know what stock a material trader has - that is totally hidden from your view and is to all intents and purposes infinite. Whatever you want to trade for is always available to you - you just have to have enough trade-able stuff to make the trade.

If you want to get two dozen focus crystals then you need to trade 144 of another grade 3 manufactured material or some other combination.

So no - not at all like your Mall analogy.

 

[Lance Corrimal]

What you see in the Material Trader's screen is just what you actually have in your materials storage. You don't know what stock a material trader has - that is totally hidden from your view and is to all intents and purposes infinite. Whatever you want to trade for is always available to you - you just have to have enough trade-able stuff to make the trade.

AH HAH!! THAT was what I needed to know.
Thanks a billion!

Cheers
LC