What is the best Legal trade route that makes the best money?
-
Greetings Commander, want a more instant approach to your questions and need for help? Check out the Galactic Academy Discord server!
Feel free to join the Galactic Academy Discord server by clicking here!
Newcomer / Intro What is the best Trade route?
- Thread starter TeruTheRogue
- Start date
People generally don't say, the more trading on any route decreases it's profitability more quickly.
If you need to find a trade route near you, you can always use the eddb.io site.
It won't be the best one, but it will be a reliable one.
It won't be the best one, but it will be a reliable one.
You can legally trade imperial slaves between certain systems and make good profit ~ 3K credits per ton is perfectly achievable. IIRC there is one Empire super-faction that discounts them and the next door one pays well for them. I used to do this long ago around Yimanbin.
On eddb.io rather than use the "Find trade routes" function I usually select a commodity and it will tell you lowest and highest prices for that item. Note well the age of the information as it isn't always up to date. Fly to the most convenient lowest price place and find a nearby "highest price" system. Pay attention to both number of jumps and distance of station from jump in point. You want an efficient route that you can rinse and repeat as quickly as possible.
On eddb.io rather than use the "Find trade routes" function I usually select a commodity and it will tell you lowest and highest prices for that item. Note well the age of the information as it isn't always up to date. Fly to the most convenient lowest price place and find a nearby "highest price" system. Pay attention to both number of jumps and distance of station from jump in point. You want an efficient route that you can rinse and repeat as quickly as possible.
Something like this. It's fairly short and the stations do not involve long SC. All the stations have large landing pads but some are surface installations.
HIP 106213:Forward Hub 39.2 ly-> 6 ls Kuwemargl:Baillaud Ring Imperial Slaves (500 tons) (profit 1630500)
Kuwemargl:Baillaud Ring 53.4 ly-> 464 ls Tahu:Kingsmill Point Medical Diagnostic Equipment (500 tons) (profit 2099000)
Tahu:Kingsmill Point 67.1 ly-> 370 ls HIP 106213:Forward Hub Reactive Armour (100 tons) | Non-Lethal Weapons (400 tons) (profit 196900)
Route profit = 3926400 steps 3 length 159ly profit per step 1308800
I used this route in my 500t T9 some time ago, so the prices will have changed by now. Bulk trading changes the prices fairly quickly, so you have to adapt.
I have my own analysis program for finding 3 and 4 loop trades, and the basic data is available on eddb.io
HIP 106213:Forward Hub 39.2 ly-> 6 ls Kuwemargl:Baillaud Ring Imperial Slaves (500 tons) (profit 1630500)
Kuwemargl:Baillaud Ring 53.4 ly-> 464 ls Tahu:Kingsmill Point Medical Diagnostic Equipment (500 tons) (profit 2099000)
Tahu:Kingsmill Point 67.1 ly-> 370 ls HIP 106213:Forward Hub Reactive Armour (100 tons) | Non-Lethal Weapons (400 tons) (profit 196900)
Route profit = 3926400 steps 3 length 159ly profit per step 1308800
I used this route in my 500t T9 some time ago, so the prices will have changed by now. Bulk trading changes the prices fairly quickly, so you have to adapt.
I have my own analysis program for finding 3 and 4 loop trades, and the basic data is available on eddb.io
I use this site for trade info:
http://www.elitetradingtool.co.uk/
It is very reliable I find - other sites can do multiple-hop trades but I have not used them. I use this one 'cos it is the one I started with and I like the dark theme.
[arrrr]
The trouble with eddb and thrudds is the age of the data. One thing that helps is having as many pilots as possible running market connector in the background. As pilots land at a station it updates thrudds etc so the more pilots who use it the better and more accurate info will be.
In my experience the multi-hop route finder in eddb is useless now. Used to be very good untill the engineers update then it seemed follows track of prices. Lost a bit of money because of it.
In my experience the multi-hop route finder in eddb is useless now. Used to be very good untill the engineers update then it seemed follows track of prices. Lost a bit of money because of it.
best trade profits massively depend on economic states of minor factions since some patches. the general concept here is to trade medicines to systems/markets in outbreak, food to systems in famine, or boom-trading between two matching economies.
generally medicines-to-outbreak is a good starting point to dip into it, as the purchase price is low, so you only have to find a quite common source (medicines are produced by industrial economy, as you can see from their commodity description in the market), and a suitable target market (with one or many factions in outbreak).
those states can change up to once a day, so no fixed route stays best very long. add to that, that supply (and demand) on known routes/routes on third party apps dwindle very fast, you'll understand why nobody is going to share the current best route.
as a ballpark you should be able to find a route with ~3500 cr/t profit a-b-a if you do state depending trading. when i did elite in trading, i never ran a route below 4000 cr/t profit - and i don't do slaves.
the best route i have personally scouted and flown was a 6100 cr/t profit a-b-a on a two jump route, taking advantage of faction controlling market states, but not system states, buffed profits by security levels and powerplay effect. that route was valid for 4 days and never showed up on 3rd party sites.
generally medicines-to-outbreak is a good starting point to dip into it, as the purchase price is low, so you only have to find a quite common source (medicines are produced by industrial economy, as you can see from their commodity description in the market), and a suitable target market (with one or many factions in outbreak).
those states can change up to once a day, so no fixed route stays best very long. add to that, that supply (and demand) on known routes/routes on third party apps dwindle very fast, you'll understand why nobody is going to share the current best route.
as a ballpark you should be able to find a route with ~3500 cr/t profit a-b-a if you do state depending trading. when i did elite in trading, i never ran a route below 4000 cr/t profit - and i don't do slaves.
the best route i have personally scouted and flown was a 6100 cr/t profit a-b-a on a two jump route, taking advantage of faction controlling market states, but not system states, buffed profits by security levels and powerplay effect. that route was valid for 4 days and never showed up on 3rd party sites.
Note that "best" for trading IMHO is measured in profit per tonne per hour for the loop (I.e. not one way) so it is important how long you spend in SC and how many jumps there are between your systems as well as what the profit per tonne each way is. E.g. you can make 4000/tonne but if the return profit is poor and the stations require a long SC then you may well be making less profit than routes with lower profit per tonne, in both directions with short time in SC.
Thrudds is still live
Not for me - I see only a message page
go to eddb.io and loop routes. set reference system and change station distance to 0. set landing pad to L if your ship uses a large pad. usually ~4000 cr/ton for large pad and ~4800 for routes with outposts. It is currently offline but when it comes back online it should work.
Last edited:
Ah - yes it is doing that for me too now - a bit miffed as I gave some money to support it so I think paid-up, logged-in members should not lose the facility, much as I support them raising issues with F D.
Trading Rare's is still fun and profitable today. If your just starting out get in a Type 6 Transporter as soon as you can. Buy the top FSD as soon as you can and run this
Rare Trading Route. Lave>Diso>Leesti>Uszaa buy all the rare goods you can fit in your ship. Now head to XIHE sell everything buy what they have and head back to
Lave. Soon as you can buy a ASP Explorer and fit the best FSD and do the same route with half as many jumps.
Round Trip Route earns $3 - 4 Million Time: 30min Hope this helps you get a good start Commanders Have a good time out there. Vega Hexos
Rare Trading Route. Lave>Diso>Leesti>Uszaa buy all the rare goods you can fit in your ship. Now head to XIHE sell everything buy what they have and head back to
Lave. Soon as you can buy a ASP Explorer and fit the best FSD and do the same route with half as many jumps.
Round Trip Route earns $3 - 4 Million Time: 30min Hope this helps you get a good start Commanders Have a good time out there. Vega Hexos
Really? A two and a half year old thread and you necro it with that?
Someone please get F D to lock these old threads.
Bit grumpy today aren't we, Mr. Handy. Clocks going back upset you?
I was going to comment that it is nice to see someone pointing out on the newcomers forum that trading is still an enjoyable and profitable occupation in the game. Each to their own of course, but I suspect many new players are seduced by the get rich quick schemes and the idea that if you haven't got a top range ship inside a day or two you are a failure. Trading, in all its forms, provides an enjoyable and challenging route to riches, as you well know.
I was going to comment that it is nice to see someone pointing out on the newcomers forum that trading is still an enjoyable and profitable occupation in the game. Each to their own of course, but I suspect many new players are seduced by the get rich quick schemes and the idea that if you haven't got a top range ship inside a day or two you are a failure. Trading, in all its forms, provides an enjoyable and challenging route to riches, as you well know.
