there a commodities guide

[Lost Question]

have not played for quite a while, and since i could not remember anything and there seemed to be no benifit on jumping in off a old save i started a new game and noticed the the commodities bar. so are there places that take certain stuff for higher prices or is it all randomised?

[Valens Rahl]

If you're talking about Trade. Then you are able to find routes to do some trading. Though it is not dynamic, meaning the supply and demand will not change. Trading was just put in as a cushion to help gain credits. Wasn't meant as a true game loop.

Though there is nothing stopping you from finding routes and doing trading like that. It's just still very much a looty-shooty type of game.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Lost Question:

So are there places that take certain stuff for higher prices or is it all randomised?

Yes, Systems have different demands for different commodities. Stations within systems have further demands but typically speaking an item is either in demand or not within a system.

[falconexe]

Here is what I have done. Grab a notepad and take notes. There are 2 colors that you care about on both the sell and buy side. Each tell you what to do. Orange is neutral, so I skip them.

Whatever a merchant is selling for GREEN, BUY BUY BUY. You are getting this at best price, and you can sell it somewhere else for huge money.

Whatever a merchant is selling for RED, (prices are high), that means there is more demand. They will buy this at GREEN (higher sell price for your - more profit). So see what they are selling for RED, and go bring them that and sell it to THEM (it will be GREEN).

Take what you BOUGHT for GREEN, and go find out who is willing to buy it at GREEN (you can check to see what they are selling for RED).

Once you understand this inverse system, make notes of what merchants/star systems sell what and buy what.

I then empty my ship, buy as much GREEN as possible, and then offload that somewhere else who is willing to pay GREEN. Once you know where to go, RINSE AND REPEAT!


TLDR:
BUY GREEN / SELL GREEN (Somewhere Else)


DEVELOPER REQUEST:
Hopefully in a future update they will actually add a commodities market graph/table to show this in game! What's more, it would be pretty cool if the markets actually fluctuated and were fluid. From what I can see, these are pretty static right now (GREEN/RED are locked in currently).

[ZandarTheWeeble]

Early on you can get all the credits you need to get Class II+ or better ships around level 10 or so. Once you unlock the ability to go through your first jump gate from Ceto to Union, you can make bank. Clear out your inventory and get ready to fly cargo. The larger the ship, the better. Vindicator and Bomber class have tons of cargo space, but your starting Sentinel will work fine. Make sure to equip a Cargo Unit. Do jobs for Shaw at Nepthys Plains Station or answer Distress Calls/Unknown Signals flying around until you have 20k or so in Credits.

Buy Solar Panels and Cybernetic Implants in Ceto shops (Alcyone Station, Union Bridge Station, Nepthys Plains Station, Charybdis Bowl junkyard). Fly to Union (Prescott Starbase shops or Ayres Relay Station) and sell these.

Buy Small Arms, Ramen, Clothing, and Liquor from Union shops (Prescott Starbase Kato Palace, Black Market Dealer, G&B Office, Freelancer Hangar or Ayers Relay Station) and come back through Ceto Transit Gate and sell them in Ceto at Union Bridge Station.

Repeat until sufficient capitalism occurs.

Solar Panels and Small Arms are especially profitable, so if you're only buying Solar Panels in Ceto and Small Arms in Union and selling them in the opposite system, you're good. Buy the other stuff to fill cargo slots if you have the credits to do so.

That's the guide.

[HEDGEHOGUS DCLXVI]

Originally posted by ZandarTheWeeble:

Repeat until sufficient capitalism occurs.

10/10 would capitalize again

e: just tested this. You are mostly right. But not entirely. For instance, buying Small Arms, Liquor and Ramen in Prescott Starbase and selling those at Union Bridge Station won't yield as much of a profit as selling at Nepthys Plains (which kind of makes sense as those guys are planetside, so they need booze, guns and food). So there are differences between trading outposts in the systems.

[ZandarTheWeeble]

Oh yeah, if you want to maximize profit from each run, shopping around for the best sale is the way to go, especially when you know that you can buy Solar Panels in Ceto and Ramen, Clothing, Small Arms, Medicine and Liquor in Union at minimum (or near minimum) price, so is stuffing your hold full of everything you can carry at Prescott and Ayers Relay.

Get the best bang for your buck for sure, especially since you'll be visiting multiple locations on the Ceto side anyway looking for enough Solar Panels and Cybernetic Implants to fill your hold each run.

[ZandarTheWeeble]

Union Commodity Buy Sell Profit Cargo Profit/Cargo Space
Ramen 5-7 20-23 13-18 x50 650-900
Small Arms 60-64 113-129 49-69 x20 980-1380
Clothing 44-47 56-60 9-16 x50 450-800
Medicine 41-44 50-53 6-12 x50 300-600
Liquor 20-22 33-37 11-17 x50 550-850
Mining Equipment 65-68 70-73 2-8 x50 100-400
Earth Wine 283-304 716-798 412-515 x5 2060-2575
Camdon Enzyme 505-526 775-855 249-340 x5 1245-1700

Ceto Commodity Buy Sell Profit Cargo Profit/Cargo Space
Solar Panels 150-155 215-225 60-75 x20 1200-1500
Cybernetic Implants 285-303 425-437 122-142 x10 1220-1420

Further from the gate the better the prices seem to be, so yeah, in Ceto buy and sell in Charybdis and Neptyhs Plains, Union bay and sell at Prescott.