Whoa! Easy on the spoilers, please folks.

Bozone: (n.) The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

After finishing the single player story, I thought the best thing for me to do was to try out being a merchant since I was about as neutral as I could get at the moment. So I flew to Britonia and bought their freighter (the armadilo or something) and tried my luck as a merchant. After a little figuring with my calculator, pencil, and paper, I was off to make a fortune. After one run of my trade route, I went from level 18 to 21, so I figured this was the life for me. So since I was past level twenty, I flew to rheinland in my slow a$$ freighter, barely making it, and spent my 1.5 million on a humpback and all the luxuries of weapons. It was here that I found a very profitable trade route that I continued on. Being a merchant is very profitable if you find the right route, my route right now takes about 45 minutes to complete round trip making a circle to the four houses. However, in two hours after buying the humpback I was at max level, and every 45 minutes I make 2-3 million net profit. So I think that being a merchant is definitely worth it, especially first off. Now that I have a boat load of money, I think I'm safe to sell my freighter for a high class heavy fighter and go explore the universe. I've been wanting to turn criminal for a while so I'll need the bribe money. I'm tired of taking orders from the liberty navy, I've done that for 30 hours and I'm tired of their tyranny. Maybe the Xenos could use some help .

Do you ever have the feeling that you have amnesia and dei ja vu at the same time. "I think I have forgotten this before."

Hey gang,

Here is the bottem line, if since you are asking...

Trade, and dont waste a trip; When I joined my server, i had $3k and the basic fighter.. did some local trades and after some local trips I was able to buy the RHINO; Just keep in mind that if you get killed with yor cargo, the cargo is lost and you start back on the place you last docked with.

Start small, and before you know it, you will be making $550k+ a trip...

KEYS TO TRADING AS A NEW MERCHANT:
1- Dock with everything; get the bases on your list, and you discover alot of items and costs for everything, and befoer you know it, you find the good routes.
2- Buy GREEN - even if you only buy one item, buy the green ones when you start.. you never know, that $2 oxygen could make $80 at a local station not far away = easy trade route. (thats a big markup on a cheep item.. not big profit, but big %)
3 - When you travel, go with friends: you can form [F4- key with other merchants, and thier escorts to aid you. They drive and you use your turrets [H-key and not worry about where you are going... and with that note...
4- HAIL other merchants - They tell you who they are, what they have and where they are taking it... they make money in those things... you can SCAN them too [ o -key
5- Have a beer - In the bars there are merchants, talk to them... they give you some good info on routes as well... and who hates whom..etc. You can also refresh the bar by going to the equipment place and going back to the bar = new people show up...
6- Upgrade your shields- As a merchant, get your shields as high as you can, then worry about your weapons.. save your @ss before you think about going against some nimble fighters in your pregnant watter buffalo freighter...with the shields, try and save or get your hands on countermeasures; missiles suck on the receiving end...
and Lastly....
7- Save some cash- It REALLY sucks when you get killed and only have $150 left and have to do a mission with your frieghter: see #6...

I hope this helps....
Good luck fellow Trader, and know that all the fighter jocks were merchants at one time...we just chose to mack some more creds....

"Ive come to kick ass and chew bubblegum...and Im all out of gum"

Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!
Profitable Trade route spoiler!

Planet Denver ----Optronics----> Planet New London ----Gold----> Alster Shipyard ----Fly to----> Planet Hamburg ----Diamonds----> Planet New Tokyo ----Engine Components----> Planet Denver

Rinse. Repeat.

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Cheezwiz
Free Spirit of Elite

jesus.
how long do you need for this trip??

My run gives me around 600,000 credits (a bit over that). I use a Dromedary since it has the largest Cargo (275) and has decent defenses.

Detroit Munitions, New York - Buy Small Arms (140$)
(... go thru Kusari space ...)
Planet Malta, Omicron Alpha - Sell Small Arms (1400$)
Planet Malta, Omicron Alpha - Buy Cardamine (300$)
(... go back to New York System...)
Planet Manhattan, New York - Sell Cardamine (1500$)

there are better roads but this one takes about 20 mins to do if Bounty Hunters do not hunt you down... I recommand being very Friendly to Outcasts...

What is your lucrative route that you were talking about? Making 500K on one run and 200k on the return run and in 4 jumps? How and Where?

From what planet to what planet? And carrying what commodity?

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Posted by SuMMoNeR

Trade runs are pointless. I run missions out of tripoli shipyard in omicron gamma with my eagle and I make between 220K-250K each mission. Missions are so close when you do them at tripoli that it takes me only 8-10 minutes a mission. Id love to see any trader make 250K in a 10 minute trade run.

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another one:

New London (New London) => Cadiz Base (Omega-5)
sell Artifacts: 1147
profit: 1012
buy Light Arms: 350

Cadiz Base (Omega-5) => New London (New London)
sell Light Arms: 840
profit: 490
buy Artifacts: 135

overall profit: 1502
time needed: 14 mins
efficiency: ~107 credits per minute and cargo unit

now in 10 minutes that would make: 107*275*10= 294,250 credits
bit better than your bounty hunter missions, eh?

I do a little of everything: Trade runs, Mining, "legal pirating", and missions. I'm often tempted to fight during my trade runs, which doesn't always turn out well, but I generally use a heavy fighter so my chances of winning are pretty good, usually.

sandorski