Trading
The lost art of trading.
Until recently trading was just about the only way to make money. Although there are now other options, trading cargo widgets is still the most profitable means of acquiring your own personal fortune. The basics of trading is a simple concept. You buy cargo at a low price and sell it someplace else for a higher price. Easier said than done. Discovering a good route can be a long process, but the rewards are well worth it. One simple way is to load your ship up with as many single cargo widgets as you can fit. Ships like the Centaur can hold up to 48 different types of cargo allowing you to carry many types of cargo. Don't give up if you don't find a good route right away.
So you have a route.
Now that you have a route its time to exploit it and get as much money as you can from it. If you already have a decent amount of money (read: 100,000c at least) do NOT sell your cargo. Instead hit "Unload all" to leave all your cargo in the station without selling it. This is called stockpiling and is the best way to get the most from your route. If possible try to find a profitable widget from station B to bring to station A to gain more money. After amassing a large amount of cargo in the stations sell them. Or if you have money to spare, let it sit and wait for the price to rise. But be warned, other people can and most likely will find your route and sell before you do, so only wait if you are willing to go without the income for a bit.
Tips
Mining and trading can go along very well together. For instance if you mine a rare type of ore and stockpile it in a close by station, you can transport it to another station a few systems away to make an even bigger profit. Few if anybody does this, and the result is that stations nearby the rare ore often does not sell very well. The news can often help you find a good route. By giving you a list of what that particular station needs you can plan ahead, keep a mental list or one on paper is better, and keep an eye out for the cargo a station needs.
Ships to carry your cargo in.
| Ship | Wraith | Atlas | Centaur | Marauder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo | 22 | 32 | 48 | 48 |
| Turbo | 180 | 180 | 200 | 200 |
| Weapons | 2 Small 1 Large | 1 Small 1 Large | 1 Small 2 Large | 3 Small |
| Level | Trade 1 | Trade 2 | Trade 3 | Trade 8 |
Ships listed are the basic versions. See the ships list for full information.
- The Ships:Wraith is the perfect entry level trading ship. Enough weapons ports to keep you safe, and enough cargo room to get you through the basic trade missions.
- The Ships:Atlas is a decent trading ship, but once you have a Ships:Centaur you can pretty much ignore this one. It is fast and has plenty of cargo room. But often is easy prey for pirates.
- The Ships:Centaur slow and hard to move this ship has often been ignored by traders with access to the Ships:Marauder, but it does its job very well, and that job is to move large amounts of cargo in one go. The Centaur has the ability to carry two sets of mines, enough to send any pirate to their grave.
- The Ships:Marauder is the fastest cargo transport ship in the game. Its TPG variant can carry up to 48 cargo widgets, and the Tunguska 60. Although it lacks L port weapons it can still fend for its self or simply speed by any pirate blockade.
Misc
Someone has made a handy dandy site that lets you match up two stations and shows you their differences in trade goods. You can find it right around here.