Trading questions

Ammodawg

A
Okay so I started off bounty hunting at Resource Sites and have built up around 700k in addition to a fitted out hauler. I am wanting to get started in trading cause I've heard so much about it but I'm having a hell of a time figuring it out.

Most of the info I find in forums points towards either programs or websites that tell you to go here buy this fly here drop it off. I don't want that. I would like to learn how to find and identify routes myself.

I have been messing around with the map and tried last night buying a few things in a high tech system and flying them to a refinery system but I think my trade was only a couple of hundred per ton. I know overall I only made just over 1k for the trip.

What helpful tips do you more experienced people have? I'm not looking for a (insert route here) answer. Like I said I would like to learn more about identifying routes without having to resort to websites and programs since that is where everyone else will be going to and trading also.

The only guide I have found so far left a lot to be desired as it basically said you just look at the map find two systems close to each other where one wants stuff the other has and profit. Really felt like I was watching the episode of South Park,
Step 1. Buy, Step 2 ?, Step 3 Profit.

Thanks in advance.
 

Skürt Avil

Skürt Avil
You need to find systems which are are well away from other players (maybe 100ly). Progenitor Cells, Tantalum & Lindite can give you good returns, but also Palladium, Gold and Silver. You'll need to write down prices or keep a spreadsheet of various stations until you find two or three which will provide a good grinding route. You can expect to make around 1k per ton on one leg and maybe less on the others. Round trip should get you 2.5k per ton or more.
Grind on CMDR
 

Heuristic Method

H
Trading tutorialxx

:p Hello fellow traders,

I'll try to keep this moderately to semi long. I really like the OP's topic and (Wish I had someone to mentor me in the ways of Elite Dangerous) wanted to share what information I can to help you.

I don't know what you'd call an experienced trader in this game, but I (consistently) average about 1 Million Credits an hour. I'm using a Type-6 Transporter Fitted to carry 112 Tons of cargo in the current system I'm in. I usually commit to about 3 hours of trading on the days I can & do play.

I totally get the South park statement, some people should explain in better detail. Now then you asked a simple question, so I'll give you the simple steps (in Blue) to answer your question and we can go from there. This is how I did it.



  1. Find an Industrial station in a system that is getting at least 2 trade arrows Flowing to it. You will have to explore a bit until you find something suitable. I intentionally spent some time flying towards one of the farther out systems. Not because of other CMDRs, but because it seemed like there were wealthier systems the farther I got away from the starting area.
  2. Choose a commodity that you can afford to buy with the money you have. In my case I chose Metals/Minerals with larger than 100 profit per ton. Yes I poured every single credit into the trades until I got it back in the profits. (Maybe 4-5 trips)
  3. Physically write down the prices of the top 5 commodities you think you can trade.
  4. Search out on the Galaxy Map under View and "Map" for Wealthy or Large Station economies. ie: Agriculture for foods, Refineries for metals & minerals etc. These will almost never run out of commodities as the supply should be high.
  5. Make the trip and when you Dock, check the prices on the market to see if the profit is AT LEAST 100 or more credits. If not Then see what they are selling within your price range. At the top of the commodities list it will say Demand and Supply. Do your math Try to find stations that have high supply and sell to the ones that have High Demand.
  6. Try to find another product to carry as cargo on the return trip, or to another station. I've had 3 station routes before, carrying cargo every trip. Sometimes it's really a small profit, but hey you're making money every trip if you can find a decent trade.
  7. Then Move onto the next highest commodity you can afford without risking your insurance money. I'd say that's about it for the basics. :D

TIPS:
  • I started with trading minerals, but the station I was trading from ran out of supplies. Also because the commodities were running out the Profit was starting to go down. :( That's when I started looking for new places to trade and found wealthy large Pop stations with Millions of product for trade. Now there is more commodities than I can ever move, and the Profit remains the same as long as the other station keeps demand High!
  • I dont suggest you sell your shields on your ship to add more cargo when you trade the first few times. I slammed my ship down on the landing pad too hard and it blew up!! :mad:
  • Definitely buy a better Frame shift Drive, and Power Plant for your ship. You'll get it back when you upgrade.
  • You can Not sell your Fuel Tank to make extra Cargo space on any Ship. It's specifically for Fuel.
  • Use Lave wiki at the top select Ship Specs to See Maximum Cargo Space allowed on the ships, Min & Max Jump ranges, and what internal compartment sizes mean. Learn what your ship can handle.
  • Take some time to Explore the Galaxy Map around you to see who's trading what when you need a break from trading.
  • Industrial Stations are very important for trading and they always sell ships. Think of it like this, they basically are the final process Hubs that take all the Tech, and Metals, and Minerals, Chemicals and Weapons and combine them to manufacture A final product like ships that need a lot of those resources. ;)

I think that's all I have for now. It's all about location and being willing to explore a little to find a sweet little area to trade at. Trading is more fickle than bounty hunting.. I guarantee that you can bounty hunt in any system that has a good area to trade to and from.

Cheers
 
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