How does auto-sell work?

[El Tea]

I don't mean the UI - I get that. I mean, when you turn it on, what is it actually doing? Is it trying to sell to keep your inventory at its current level? Is it selling only when the price goes up? Or is it simply selling every unit as it is produced? I can't figure it out by watching it in the game...

[DeathYeeter]

It sells every unit you produce. If you have some materials in stock or you buy them it will not sell those.

[brandonee]

I'm having trouble with the "auto-sell" as well... it literally sells everything I have, so if I have a Electronics Plant then it won't produce. You would think you can define a minimum to keep on hand for the auto-sell function so it won't block production of your factories

[pavig]

There are a few ways this benefits you. You can set your factories to auto buy materials they need.that'll keep them going. If you are auto selling a resource you will constantly be driving the price down so if your factories buy some back you will still be better off because (all things being equal) you will have sold at a higher price than your buyback.

This will not be the case however if you are making more from the primary resource than the output of your factories, such as when there is a global shortage of the resource in question. In that case your tech factories may not (on balance) be profitable and may be better switched off or swapped out for something else.

[HouseLyrander]

Originally posted by brandonee:

I'm having trouble with the "auto-sell" as well... it literally sells everything I have, so if I have a Electronics Plant then it won't produce. You would think you can define a minimum to keep on hand for the auto-sell function so it won't block production of your factories

I had this exact problem. I couldn't upgrade my HQ or build the Pleasure Dome on the Claim I just paid through the nose for in the Auctions because my factories refused to let me keep my own Electronics during an Electronics shortage