Guide for the Unterzee Merchant

A guide on how to successfully conduct profitable trading in the Unterzee. Consists of a list of different trading methods and routes.

For the Zub-less

You do not have a Zubmarine? Or you simply refuse to trade with Zub-Unterzee ports for whatever reason? Well, if that's the case, I can recommend this guide instead. It is identical to this one, but lacks all the parts related to Zubmariner trade. If you do have a Zubmarine and wish to trade with Zub-Unterzee ports, then continue ahead!

The Costs of Zailing

An important note before reading this guide: The costs of zailing (i.e. fuel and supplies) are not taken into account when calculating profits as they vary greatly with distances, routes, engines, crew etc. If you wish to do a profitable endeavour, you must make sure to have a lot of cargo space and capital to make big hauls. Additionally, you must carefully consider which trade methods and routes are the most profitable in your case depending on isle composition and your current circumstances. And remember to collect port reports to alleviate zailing costs.

In addition, the trade methods and routes in this guide can also be used to alleviate zailing costs or potentially make a profit while you are visiting ports for objectives such as an Admiralty Commission or progressing an Officer's story.

It is also advisable to stop for fuel and supplies at several of the Zub-Unterzee ports, if you should run low along the way. Most of them are either close to or en route to other major ports as well as the fact that they sell fuel and supplies either slightly more expensive, cheaper than or at the same price as at London. The following Zub-Unterzee ports are prime locations for buying fuel and supplies: Aigul, Anthe, Dahut, Nook, Scrimshander and Wrack (only if it's prospering).

Cargo Jobs

“Trade methods” or rather jobs that require hauling certain types of cargo with zero capital requirements as you do not acquire them through purchase, but rather pick it up or harvest it. Useful for zee-captains low on Echoes or for making a quick Echo.

The Scintillack Harvest

The profit of this method can vary and is somewhat limited due to SAY. You zail to the Principles of Coral with the "Something Awaits You" condition in tow. At the Principles of Coral you can look for Scintillack which requires Mirrors (but still gives you Scintillack even if you fail). You will then receive 1-3 Scintillack which can be sold at Fallen London for 70 Echoes profit per piece. If you have or is able to get the House of Pleasure at the Iron Republic, you can sell the Scintillack for a profit of 74 Echoes per piece there.However, if you've won the final game in the Principality storylet, failing the Mirrors challenge will yield no Scintillack, and succeeding the challenge will always only yield 1 Scintillack. This greatly diminishes the possiblity of a lucrative venture, though still poses an opportunity to earn a little extra if you're at the Principles of Coral anyway.

The Clay Man Haul

Requires some zailing, is slightly hazardous and profit is very limited per run. Simply pick up Clay Men at Polythreme and deliver them to Fallen London with a 20 Echoes profit per Clay Man delivered. The limitation comes from the fact that you can only haul 6 Clay Men at a time, meaning you can always only make 120 Echoes in maximum profit per run. Hazard can be minimized by investing in a Secure Compartment (though that requires a free Aft slot).

The Ferry Job

Very limited per run and, depending on isle composition, can take some zailing. At the Mangrove College you can pick up a passenger which will either be A Shady Sort that needs to be taken to Gaider’s Mourn for a 120 Echoes fee or A Chequered Character that needs to be taken to the the Principles of Coral for a 100 Echoes fee. Same with the Clay Man Haul, it's very limited in max. profit per run as you can only carry one passenger at a time.

The Rancid Flesh Haul

Besides the far distance from Fallen London, the zailing distance for this haul is ridiculously short with a nice profit. It does require a Zubmarine though. You zail to the Chelonate where you get an assignment from the Redolent Fleshmerchant. After that you zail to the Gant Pole where you cut some flesh. You then head back to the Chelonate and sell the flesh for 200 Echoes profit. Due to the short distance, you could then repeat this trade to earn some quick cash, although after the third run, the trade stops.

Basic Trading

Trade methods with short-to-medium distances, fairly low requirements for capital (except for The Sphinxstone Haul) and marginal or acceptable profits.

The Wine Trade

The easiest and least lucrative trade method is to stock up on Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London and plot a course that goes through either Gaider’s Mourn, Venderbight, Khan’s Shadow or the Carnelian Coast. All these will bring in a profit of 2 Echoes per cask. Do not trade Firkins of Prisoner’s Honey at Gaider’s Mourn as it brings only 1 Echo in profit per firkin. If you have a Nephrite Ring you can also sell the wine at Khan’s Heart for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask. Similarly, you can earn a profit of 3 Echoes per cask by zailing to Adam’s Way or Aigul and sell it there, but that takes a lot of zailing. In most cases, it is to be preferred to combine this method with another trade method (see Trade-routes). NB: If you wish to do more than just trade at Adam’s Way, remember to bring either news from London, a port report from Mount Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

The Soul Trade

A rather simple trade method, but can take some zailing depending on isle composition; zail to Khan’s Shadow and stock up on Crates of Human Souls and then head back to Fallen London. You can then sell it at the Wolfstack Exchange for a profit of 3 Echoes per crate. If you have access to the Brass Embassy, you can also sell it to the devils for a profit of 6 Echoes per crate. That is if you have no quarrels with selling human souls to devils or enduring the repeated process of selling 1 crate at a time through dialogue.

The Coffee Trade

A fairly lucrative method, but does include long distances and/or special requirements. It requires visiting the Carnelian Coast, Adam’s Way, Iron Republic (requires House of Milks) or Khan’s Heart (requires Nephrite Ring and costs 2 more Echoes per piece). You purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans then zail to Fallen London or Aigul to sell it for a profit of 4-6 Echoes per sack.

The Sphinxstone Haul

This will require some capital (roughly 200 Echoes) as well as 20 free cargo space, otherwise it’s fairly easy considering short distance and lucrative profit. You zail to the Salt Lions and fetch some Sphinxstone (which will require that 200 Echoes in deposit). Then you deliver it to Fallen London for a reward of 500 Echoes.The major downside to this is the limited amount of runs you can do as sooner or later the Ministry of Public Decency will lose interest in the stones, yet you'll have one more shot at making a profit from them.

The Pirate-monks Trade

A basic trade method that is a tad unusual compared to the rest. At Fallen London you stock up on Casks of Mushroom Wine. Make sure that the number of casks you end up when leaving London can be divided by 5 and result in no decimals. You can then sell the wine in bundles of 5 casks at Godfall for a profit of 9 Echoes per cask.However, after a certain amount of time in the Neath, the pirate-monks will pay less for the wine, bringing a negative profit of -1 Echo per cask. This happens when the condition "Another Day: Time, the Healer" reaches 200. Before "Another Day: Time the Healer" reaches 200, this is much more lucrative than the regular wine trade method mentioned above, but after it does reach 200, you will have to sell the wine through more conventional means. Or exploit other trade methods.

Intermediate Trading

Trade methods with varyingly long distances and capital requirements. They are either lucrative or merely convenient for an already-set course depending on isle composition.

The Devilbone Trade

A trade method with a route through Mt. Palmerston and Khan's Shadow. If the isle composition has placed the two relatively close to one another, then it's usually a useful trade method. If not, then there're probably better alternatives. You purcase Devilbone Dice at Mt. Palmerston and sell it at Khan's Shadow for a profit of 3 Echoes per piece.

The Ivory Trade

This requires a route through either Khan’s Shadow, Scrimshander, Nook or the Chelonate and then Polythreme, which can take some zailing, but is somewhat lucrative. Purchase Stygian Ivory at Khan’s Shadow, Scrimshander, Nook or the Chelonate (cheaper by 1 Echo per piece at Nook and the Chelonate) and sell it at Polythreme with a profit of 3-4 Echoes per piece. If you're heading straight to Fallen London, you can also sell the ivory there, which will yield a profit of 2 Echoes per piece, if you got the ivory from the Chelonate or Nook and a profit of 1 Echo per piece, if you got it from Scrimshander. If you're heading straight to Fallen London from Khan's Shadow, it is unadvised to trade in Stygian Ivory, as The Soul Trade mentioned above will yield a higher profit of 2-5 more Echoes per piece.

The Linen Trade

The problem with this one is that the markets of the Iron Republic are not static thus the opportunity of this trade is random. But if you do have or get the House of Pleasures at the Iron Republic, you can purchase Bales of Parabola-Linen and sell it at Fallen London (3 Echoes profit per linen), at Adam’s Way (6 Echoes profit per linen) or at Dahut (9 Echoes profit per linen). The former is a much shorter, while the latter is more profitable. NB: If you wish to do more than just trade at Adam’s Way, remember to bring either news from London, a port report from Mount Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

The Literature Trade

Not particularly lucrative compared to the trade methods listed above as well as requires access to the Nephrite Quarters at Khan’s Heart, but in case the opportunity arises, it is still a profitable business. At Khan’s Heart you purchase Romantic Literature in bulk and then zail to either the Carnelian Coast or the Iron Republic to sell it for 3 Echoes per piece. The Carnelian Coast is usually to be preferred (unless you already have the House of Pleasures), as selling at the Iron Republic will require the market to be the House of Pleasures, but has same sell value. Selling Romantic Literature is never lucrative at Fallen London as you will have to pay the Revenue Men to have it approved and thus make it sell-able which brings a negative profit of -2 Echoes per piece.

The Candle Trade

This is only advisable if your route goes to Venderbight or Hideaway (requires that people have not fled it) from Khan’s Heart or Adam’s Way without passing through/by Fallen London. At Khan’s Heart (with a Nephrite Ring) and Adam’s Way you can purchase Foxfire Candles and sell them at Venderbight or Hideaway for a 3-5 Echoes profit per candle. But if your route does go through/by Fallen London, I suggest exploiting The Coffee Trade explained above instead as it brings a higher profit and might have a shorter route.

The Shriek Trades

Three lucrative trade method that require a Zubmarine and varying distances of zailing. All three start out with acquiring Carboys of Primordial Shrieks: You purchase Firkins of Prisoner’s Honey at Fallen London and zail to the Gant Pole. There you exchange the honey to Carboys of Primordial Shrieks in a 1:1 exchange. You then continue on one of the following three paths - the lengthier, the more lucrative:

• The Carrion Trade: The shortest shriek trade. You zail to the Chelonate and sell the shrieks for a profit of 12 Echoes per carboy.
  
• The Salts Exchange: The average shriek trade. You zail to Scrimshander, where you exchange the shrieks for Mutersalt in a 1:1 exchange. You then zail to either Fallen London or Khan’s Heart and sell the salt for a profit of 25-31 Echoes per piece (Khan’s Heart has the highest profit).
  
• The Zubmariner Exchange: The longest shriek trade. You zail to Scrimshander, where you exchange the shrieks for Mutersalt in a 1:1 exchange. You then zail to Aigul, where you exchange the salt for Foxfire Candles in a 1:2 exchange (thus you will need twice the cargo space). You then zail to either Venderbight or Hideaway to sell the candles for a profit of 41-45 Echoes per firkin initially purchased (Hideaway has the highest profit, but requires that people have not fled it).

The Dream-Snakes Trade

A rather unorthodox trade method requiring some zailing, having recruited the Tireless Mechanic and dined with him and the sisters at Hunter’s Keep. It is a lucrative route if you are restricted to making small hauls as it has a big profit-to-haul ratio. You first have to collect Clay Men at Polythreme and purchase 1-6 Empty Mirrorcatch Boxes at Khan’s Shadow or Khan’s Heart (requires Nephrite Ring). You then head to Hunter’s Keep, where you turn it all into Serpent-Traps; however, you will need one Tale of Terror!!, one Zee-story and one Memory of Distant Shores for each Serpent-Trap you’re making, which may limit your capability to do so as these cannot be readily purchased. After that you turn the Serpent-Traps into Mirrorcatch Boxes Full of Very Angry Dream-Snakes through dialogue with the Tireless Mechanic. You then zail to Khan’s Shadow and sell them for 230 Echoes per box (not including whatever costs incurred to acquire the necessary stories). This trade is limited, however, due to the fact you cannot collect more than 6 Clay Men at a time (hence why it’s advised to only purchase max. 6 Empty Mirrorcatch Boxes at a time).

However, once Hunter’s Keep has burned to the ground, the requirements for making Serpent-Traps there change. It will no longer require stories, but instead require 5 Supplies and 1 Foxfire Candle per Serpent-Trap. It is advised that you purchase these at Fallen London (before heading out to collect Clay Men and buying mirrorcatch boxes), unless you have a Nephrite Ring, in which case you should purchase the Foxfire Candles at Khan's Heart while buying mirrorcatch boxes. This change reduces the profit to 100-110 Echoes per box, although it does remove the stories-cost.

Advanced Trading

Trade methods plagued by very long zailing distances and/or high capital requirements. But if exploited correctly, they can bring a tidy sum of Echoes.

The Sapphire Trade

This trade method requires a lot of capital and a lot of zailing, but can be very lucrative at big hauls. You head to the Carnelian Coast where you purchase Caskets of Sapphires. You then head to Polythreme or Anthe to earn a profit of 9 Echoes per casket or the Chelonate for a profit of 13 Echoes per casket. If you’re heading straight to Fallen London from the Carnelian Coast, I suggest exploiting The Coffee Trade listed above instead as it brings a 2 Echoes higher profit than if you were to sell sapphires at Fallen London.

An alternative is zailing to Dahut after purchasing the sapphires to trade caskets of sapphires for captivating treasures in a 11:1 scale. The captivating treasures can then be sold for approximately 4-5 Echoes per casket of sapphire traded at the University in Fallen London or at Khan’s Shadow. Additionally, the captivating treasures can have other uses such as converting into heirlooms. However, this is less lucrative than selling at Polythreme, Anthe or the Chelonate, so it's only advisable if you need captivating treasures or want to avoid any of thoes ports.

The Monkey-Wine Trade

An unconventional method that requires a lot of zailing, access to the Wildweald Court in the Empire of Hands as well as a Wildweald Status of at least 15. It is only advisable if you can make big hauls to alleviate the massive zailing costs or if you're headed to the Empire of Hands anyway. You stock up on Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London and then zail to the Empire of Hands and enter the Wildweald Court. You then exchange the wine for Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee in a 1:1 exchange by giving it as a gift through a dialogue option. You then zail back to Fallen London (or zail to Aigul) where you sell the coffee for a 23 Echoes profit per sack. Another option than selling the coffee at Fallen London is explained in The Far-East Trade-route and The Covenant Trade-route under Trade-routes.

The Monkey-Honey Trade

Another unconventional method involving a lot of zailing, access to the Wildweald Court in the Empire of Hands and a Wildweald Status of at least 15. It is only advisable if you are headed to both the Empire of Hands and the Carnelian Coast (or the Iron Republic if you have the House of Pleasures). If you're heading to Fallen London after the Empire of Hands, but before going to the Carnelian Coast, then it's advised to exploit The Monkey-Wine Trade listed above instead of this one due to higher profits. You stock up on Firkins of Prisoner's Honey at Fallen London, but you need to make sure you will have room for the double the amount of Prisoner's Honey you're bringing once you're at the Empire of Hands. You then zail to the Empire of Hands and enter the Wildweald Court from which you exchange the honey for Romantic Literature in a 1:2 exchange by giving it as gift through a dialogue option. You then zail to the Carnelian Coast or the Iron Republic (with House of Pleasures) and sell it for a 19 Echoes profit per honey (9.5 Echoes profit per literature).

The Parabola Trade

Another unorthodox trade method which is mostly preferable if you are headed to Irem anyway, but can still be lucrative if you have the space and capital. You want to stock up on Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans. Following are the possible suppliers:

• Fallen London - 50 Echoes per sack
  
• Khan's Heart - 40 Echoes per sack (requires Nephrite Ring)
  
• Carnelian Coast - 38 Echoes per sack
  
• Adam's Way - 38 Echoes per sack
  
• Iron Republic - 38 Echoes per sack (requires House of Milks)

When you arrive at Irem you can trade the coffee to Bales of Parabola-Linen in a 1:1 exchange. Then you sell the linen either at Fallen London (10-22 Echoes profit per linen), at Adam’s Way (13-25 Echoes profit per linen) or at Dahut (16-28 Echoes profit per linen). Note that this is contested by The Coffee Trade if you’re buying the coffee somewhere other than Fallen London. It depends on what is most convenient for you at the time; either traveling to Fallen London to sell off the coffee or traveling to Irem for the linen. NB: If you wish to do more than just trade at Adam’s Way, remember to bring either news from London, a port report from Mount Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

The Varchaasi Trade

Another bartering trade method that also includes quite a lot of zailing, although this one has zero capital requirement. With the "Something Awaits You" condition, you zail to the Principles of Coral. There you look for Scintillack which requires Mirrors, which will yield 1-3 Scintillack (you will still get 1 Scintillack even if you fail). However, if you've won the final game in the Principality storylet, failing the Mirrors challenge will yield no Scintillack, and succeeding the challenge will always only yield 1 Scintillack. This greatly dimishes the opportunity for profit yet is still exploitable for a small profit if you're headed to the Principles of Coral and Varchas anyway.
The next step is to zail all the way to Varchas, again you will need to have Something Awaits You condition with you. At Varchas, you enter the city and head to the Temple of Mihir at its center. There you trade the Scintillack for 2 Outlandish Artifacts per piece. This can be done 4 times (given you do nothing else at Varchas but trade Scintillack) before having to leave the city. Instead of leaving the port, you can stick around until SAY refreshes and then re-enter the city, if you have more Scintillack to trade. The artifacts can be sold either at Khan's Heart or at the University in Fallen London for 100 Echoes per piece. Important note: If you have started the Pilgrimage in Varchas, you are effectively unable to exploit this trading method for the remainder of your current captain's life.
This method is contested by the Scintillack Harvest. It depends on what is more conventient and also whether your additional zailing costs (including going to Khan's Heart or Fallen London) are covered by the 130 Echoes higher profit per Scintillack you get from the Varchassi Trade.

Supplies Trading

The surface as well as many Zub-Unterzee ports provide cheap options for supplies, which presents several ways to trade in supplies as well.

The Supplies-Republic Trade

Requires the House of Milks to be present at the Iron Republic, yet is fairly profitable. Purchase Supplies at one of the following Ports:

• Aigul - 23 Echoes per crate
  
• Scrimshander - 23 Echoes per crate
  
• Mount Palmerston - 22 Echoes per crate
  
• Fallen London - 20 Echoes per crate
  
• Nook - 20 Echoes per crate
  
• Dahut - 19 Echoes per crate
  
• Carnelian Coast - 18 Echoes per crate
  
• Gant Pole - 18 Echoes per crate
  
• Wrack - 15 Echoes per crate (requires Prospering Wrack)

You then zail to the Iron Republic and sell the Supplies for a 2-10 Echoes profit per crate. Remember to leave some supplies for yourself!

The Supplies-Abbey Trade

There are usually better alternatives depending on isle composition, but in case the opportunity arises: Purchase Supplies at one of the following Ports:

• Dahut - 19 Echoes per crate
  
• Carnelian Coast - 18 Echoes per crate
  
• Gant Pole - 18 Echoes per crate
  
• Iron Republic - 15 Echoes per crate (requires House of Harvests)
  
• Wrack - 15 Echoes per crate (requires Prospering Wrack)

You then zail to Abbey Rock and sell the Supplies for a 1-5 Echoes profit per crate through repeated dialogue. Remember to leave some supplies for yourself! If you are heading straight to Fallen London from the Carnelian Coast, then I advise exploiting The Coffee Trade listed above instead.

Surface Trading

Trading methods that include visiting the Surface. These methods differ from all the rest in that they all have a fixed cost per run that stay the same no matter what. The fixed cost is the cost of fuel and supplies it takes to get to the Surface (and to Naples). Following trade methods have had the fixed costs incorporated in calculating profits.
You will always need at least 22 Fuel and 2 Supplies to go to the Surface (though having a bit more is preferable, since you want to be able to get back to Fallen London once you return to the Neath). It is advised to purchase the Fuel at Fallen London or the Iron Republic than at the Cumaean Canal. The Iron Republic is an excellent choice for purchasing the necessary Fuel, as it only costs 8 echoes per unit there as well as being in close proximity to the Canal. It is also advised to cover your Supplies expenses by re-stocking the spent 2 Supplies at Naples for a cost of 5 Echoes (though you will still need to have 2 Supplies in your stock to get to the Surface first). All Surface trading methods assume that you re-supply the 2 Supplies at Naples.

The Vienna Trade

The most straightforward and lucrative of the Surface trading methods. Firstly, you purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Fallen London, Khan’s Heart (requires Nephrite Ring), the Carnelian Coast, Adam’s Way or the Iron Republic (requires House of Milks). You then go to the Cumaean Canal and from there you then head to the Surface and to Naples. From Naples you take the train to Vienna. The train ride costs 10 Echoes, which covers the return-trip as well. At Vienna you establish a business relationship with a coffee house that buys the coffee from you. Following are two tables displaying profit per piece using different coffee-suppliers. The first is if you bought the 22 Fuel from Fallen London, and the last is if you bought the 22 Fuel from the Iron Republic:

Fallen London Fuel:

Profit per Piece	6	7	8	9	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50
Fallen London	-10	-4.29	0.	3.33*	6	14	18	20.4	22	23.14	24	24.67	25.2
Khan's Heart	0.	5.71*	10**	13.33	16	24	28	30.4	32	33.14	34	34.67	35.2
Carnelian Coast Adam's Way Iron Republic	2*	7.71**	12	15.33	18	26	30	32.4	34	35.14	36	36.67	37.2

Iron Republic Fuel:

Profit per Piece	5	6	7	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50
Fallen London	-9.2	-2.67	2*	10.4	16.93	20.2	22.16	23.47	24.4	25.1	25.64	26.08
Khan's Heart	0.8*	7.33**	12	20.4	26.93	30.2	32.16	33.47	34.4	35.1	35.64	36.08
Carnelian Coast Adam's Way Iron Republic	2.8*	9.33**	14	22.4	28.93	32.3	34.16	35.47	36.4	37.1	37.64	38.08

* Are the profit per piece corresponding to what minimum quantity of coffee yields profit.
** Are the profit per piece corresponding to what minimum quantity of coffee that yields higher profit than The Coffee Trade.

Note, that this trading method is contested by The Coffee Trade if you're getting the coffee from somewhere other than Fallen London. It depends on which is more convenient for you to do and whether you have a quantity that at least corresponds to the ** of the above tables.
NB: If you wish to do more than just trade at Adam’s Way, remember to bring either news from London, a port report from Mount Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

An important note: This trade method is limited, as the business relation with the café will end at some point. What exactly causes it to end is unclear (time that has passed? The amount of coffee you have sold?), but definitely inevitable.

The Mediterranean Trade

While in Naples you can carry cargo across the Mediterranean at the cost of 10 Fuel, 2 Supplies and 1-3 Zailors. Because you can buy cheap Supplies and relivately cheap Fuel in Naples, the Mediterranean Trade will always be profitable, even if you fail the challenge (though it is much more profitable if you succeed it), as you can re-stock in Naples (lowest profit is 40 Echoes per run and highest profit is 390 Echoes per run; not counting the 22 Fuel and 2 Supplies you spent getting to Naples). The only limitation is Zailors as you cannot recruit more on the Surface, so the most critical resource you must watch if you decide to do a lot of Mediterranean trading is Zailors (yet remember to re-stock on the Supplies you consumed in Naples once you head back to the Neath, as it is cheapest in Naples). If you are only doing the Mediterranean Trade and none of the other Surface Trading methods, you will need at least 1 succeeded challenge or 6 failed challenges (though you will probably get 1 success before reaching 6 failures) for the trip to the surface to be profitable.

Basic Trade-routes

Combinations of the above-mentioned trade methods to form coherent trade-routes across the Unterzee.

The Spirits Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Soul Trade
Rather simple back-and-forth trade-route.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Shadow and sell the wine for a profit of 2 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Crates of Human Souls at Khan’s Shadow.
   
4. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the souls for a profit of 3-6 Echoes per crate.

The Imperial Trade-routes

The Wine Trade + The Coffee Trade
A series of additional back-and-forth trade-routes with varying distances. The Exchange Trade-route requires a Nephrite Ring. The Export Trade-route is mostly advisable if you're headed to Adam's Way for purpose other than trading (which will require either Recent News, A Port Report: Mt. Palmerston or an Unfinished Log).

The Colonial Trade-route

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to the Carnelian Coast and sell the wine for a profit of 2 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at the Carnelian Coast.
   
4. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Exchange Trade-route

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan's Heart and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Khan's Heart.
   
4. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 4 Echoes per sack.

The Export Trade-route

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Adam's Way and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Adam's Way.
   
4. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Earthly Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Ivory Trade + The Clay Man Haul
A medium-distanced and lucrative trade-route with a low capital requirement.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Shadow and sell the wine for a profit of 2 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Stygian Ivory at Khan’s Shadow.
   
4. Zail to Polythreme and sell the ivory for a profit of 4 Echoes per piece.
   
5. Pick-up Clay Men at Polythreme.
   
6. Zail back to Fallen London and drop-off the Clay Men for a profit of 20 Echoes per delivered Clay Man.

Intermediate Trade-routes

The Pleasures Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Literature Trade + The Linen Trade
A trade-route that requires a Nephrite Ring and the House of Pleasures at the Iron Republic.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Heart and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Romantic Literature at Khan’s Heart.
   
4. Zail to the Iron Republic and sell the literature for a profit of 3 Echoes per piece.
   
5. Purchase Bales of Parabola-Linen at the Iron Republic.
   
6. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the linen for a profit of 3 Echoes per bale.

The Exotics Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Literature Trade + The Coffee Trade
A trade-route that requires some zailing, some capital and a Nephrite Ring.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Heart and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Romantic Literature at Khan’s Heart.
   
4. Zail to the Carnelian Coast and sell the literature for a profit of 3 Echoes per piece.
   
5. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at the Carnelian Coast.
   
6. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Acrid Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Supplies-Republic Trade + The Coffee Trade
A trade-route that requires some zailing and the House of Milks at the Iron Republic. Preferable if Aigul is fairly close to the Iron Republic.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Aigul and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Supplies at Aigul.
   
4. Zail to Iron Republic and sell the supplies for a profit of 2 Echoes per piece.
   
5. Purchase Sacks of Dakrdrop Coffee Beans at the Iron Republic.
   
6. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Harrowing Trade-route

The Carrion Trade + The Ivory Trade + The Clay Man Haul
A fairly simple, but lengthy trade-route that requires a Zubmarine and some zailing.

1. Purchase Firkins of Prisoner’s Honey at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to the Gant Pole.
   
3. Exchange the honey for Carboys of Primordial Shrieks in a 1:1 exchange.
   
4. Zail to the Chelonate and sell the shrieks for a profit of 12 Echoes per carboy.
   
5. Purchase Stygian Ivory at the Chelonate.
   
6. Zail to Polythreme and sell the ivory for 4 Echoes per piece.
   Or zail straight to Fallen London to sell the ivory for a profit of 2 Echoes per piece and skip steps 7-8.
   
7. Pick-up Clay Men at Polythreme.
   
8. Zail back to Fallen London and drop-off the Clay Men for a profit of 20 Echoes per delivered Clay Man.

The Gateway Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Parabola Trade
A trade-route that requires a Nephrite Ring and quite some zailing. Only advisable if: A. You're headed to Irem anyway and the Khanate is relatively close to it, or B. You have business at both Irem and Khan's Heart and may as well visit both in one go.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Heart and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Khan’s Heart.
   
4. Zail to Irem.
   
5. Exchange the coffee for Bales of Parabola-Linen in a 1:1 exchange.
   
6. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the linen for a profit of 20 Echoes per bale.

Advanced Trade-routes

The Far-East Trade-route

The Monkey-Wine Trade + The Parabola Trade + The Coffee Trade
A barter trade-route that requires quite a lot of zailing as well as access to the Wildweald Court. Mostly preferable if you can do big hauls or have business at the Empire of Hands and Irem. Unless you skip Adam’s Way, it’s also good to have Recent News, A Port Report. Mt. Palmerston or an Unfinished Log to do other business there as well.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to the Empire of Hands and exchange the wine for Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee in a 1:1 exchange.
   
3. Zail to Irem.
   
4. Exchange the coffee for Bales of Parabola-Linen in a 1:1 exchange.
   
5. Zail to Adam’s Way and sell the linen for a profit of 42 Echoes per bale. Alternatively, you can skip the last two steps by zailing back to Fallen London and sell the linen for a profit of 39 Echoes per bale.
   
6. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Adam's Way.
   
7. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Temptations Trade-route

The Supplies-Republic Trade + The Parabola Trade + The Coffee Trade
A long trade-route that requires the House of Milks at the Iron Republic. Unless you skip some steps to make for a shorter trade-route, it is advised to either make big hauls or have other objectives at the ports. For the latter at Adam’s Way, you will need either Recent News, A Port Report: Mt. Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

1. Purchase Supplies at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to the Iron Republic and sell the supplies for a profit of 5 Echoes per crate.
   
3. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at the Iron Republic.
   
4. Zail to Irem. Alternatively, you can skip the remaining steps by zailing back to Fallen London and sell the coffee there for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.
   
5. Exchange the coffee for Bales of Parabola-Linen in a 1:1 exchange.
   
6. Zail to Adam’s Way and sell the linen for a profit of 25 Echoes per bale. Alternatively, you can skip the last two steps by zailing back to Fallen London and sell the linen there for a profit of 22 Echoes per bale.
   
7. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Adam's Way.
   
8. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Covenant Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Supplies-Republic Trade + The Parabola Trade + The Coffee Trade
An extensive, but lucrative trade-route that requires a lot of zailing and the House of Milks at the Iron Republic. Unless you skip some steps to make for a shorter trade-route, it is advised to either make big hauls or have other objectives at the ports. For the latter at Adam’s Way, you will need either Recent News, A Port Report: Mt. Palmerston or an Unfinished Log.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to the Carnelian Coast and sell the wine for a profit of 2 Echoes per cask.
   
3. Purchase Supplies at the Carnelian Coast.
   
4. Zail to the Iron Republic and sell the supplies for a profit of 7 Echoes per crate.
   
5. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at the Iron Republic.
   
6. Zail to Irem. Alternatively, you can skip the remaining steps by zailing back to Fallen London and sell the coffee there for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.
   
7. Exchange the coffee for Bales of Parabola-Linen in a 1:1 exchange.
   
8. Zail to Adam’s Way and sell the linen for a profit of 25 Echoes per bale. Alternatively, you can skip the last two steps by zailing back to Fallen London and sell the linen there for a profit of 22 Echoes per bale.
   
9. Purchase Sacks of Darkdrop Coffee Beans at Adam's Way.
   
10. Zail back to Fallen London and sell the coffee for a profit of 6 Echoes per sack.

The Trans-Unterzee Trade-route

The Wine Trade + The Literature Trade + The Sapphire Trade + The Ivory Trade + The Clay Man Haul
An extensive trade-route that requires high amounts of zailing and capital and (optional) a Nephrite Ring. Unless you skip some steps to make for a shorter trade-route, it is advised to either make big hauls or have other objectives at the ports.

1. Purchase Casks of Mushroom Wine at Fallen London.
   
2. Zail to Khan’s Heart and sell the wine for a profit of 3 Echoes per cask.
   Or zail straight to the Carnelian Coast to sell the wine for a profit of 2 Echoes per cask and skip steps 3-4. This is advised if you do not have access to the Nephrite Quarters.
   
3. Purchase Romantic Literature at Khan’s Heart.
   
4. Zail to the Carnelian Coast and sell the literature for a profit of 3 Echoes per piece.
   
5. Purchase Caskets of Sapphires at the Carnelian Coast
   
6. Zail to the Chelonate and sell the sapphires for a profit of 13 Echoes per casket.
   Or zail straight to Polythreme to sell the sapphires for a profit of 9 Echoes per casket and skip steps 7-8.
   
7. Purchase Stygian Ivory at the Chelonate.
   
8. Zail to Polythreme and sell the ivory for 4 Echoes per piece.
   Or zail straight to Fallen London to sell the ivory for a profit of 2 Echoes per piece and skip steps 9-10.
   
9. Pick-up Clay Men at Polythreme.
   
10. Zail back to Fallen London and drop-off the Clay Men for a profit of 20 Echoes per delivered Clay Man.

Port List

In case you're plotting a course through a series of ports and wish to know what trade opportunities you may encounter, this alphebetically-ordered list will show you which of the trade methods and trade-routes mentioned in this guide can be utilized at what ports for quick reference.

Abbey Rock

• The Supplies-Abbey Trade

Adam's Way

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Coffee Trade
  
• The Candle Trade
  
• The Linen Trade
  
• The Parabola Trade
  
• The Vienna Trade
  
• The Export Trade-route (under The Imperial Trade-routes)
  
• The Far-east Trade-route
  
• The Temptations Trade-route
  
• The Covenant Trade-route

Aigul

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Coffee Trade
  
• The Zubmariner Exchange (under The Shriek Trades)
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade
  
• The Monkey-Wine Trade
  
• The Acrid Trade-route

Anthe

• The Sapphire Trade

Carnelian Coast

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Coffee Trade
  
• The Literature Trade
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade
  
• The Supplies-Abbey Trade
  
• The Sapphire Trade
  
• The Parabola Trade
  
• The Vienna Trade
  
• The Colonial Trade-route (under The Imperial Trade-routes)
  
• The Covenant Trade-route
  
• The Trans-Unterzee Trade-route

Chelonate

• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Carrion Trade (under The Shriek Trades)
  
• The Sapphire Trade
  
• The Harrowing Trade-route
  
• The Trans-Unterzee Trade-route

Dahut

• The Linen Trade
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade
  
• The Supplies-Abbey Trade
  
• The Sapphire Trade
  
• The Parabola Trade

Empire of Hands

• The Monkey-Wine Trade
  
• The Monkey-Honey Trade
  
• The Far-East Trade-route

Fallen London

• The Scintillack Harvest
  
• The Clay Man Haul
  
• The Wine Trade
  
• The Soul Trade
  
• The Sphinxstone Haul
  
• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Coffee Trade
  
• The Shriek Trades
  
• The Linen Trade
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade
  
• The Monkey-Wine Trade
  
• The Monkey-Honey Trade
  
• The Parabola Trade
  
• The Vienna Trade
  
• All the trade-routes

Gaider's Mourn

• The Ferry Job
  
• The Wine Trade

Gant Pole

• The Shriek Trades
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade
  
• The Supplies-Abbey Trade
  
• The Harrowing Trade-route

Godfall

• The Pirate-monks Trade

Hideaway

• The Candle Trade
  
• The Zubmariner Exchange (under The Shriek Trades)

Irem

• The Parabola Trade
  
• The Gateway Trade-route
  
• The Far-East Trade-route
  
• The Temptations Trade-route
  
• The Covenant Trade-route

Iron Republic

• The Scintillack Harvest (House of Pleasures)
  
• The Coffee Trade (House of Milks)
  
• The Literature Trade (House of Pleasures)
  
• The Linen Trade (House of Pleasures)
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade (House of Milks)
  
• The Supplies-Abbey Trade (House of Harvests)
  
• The Parabola Trade (House of Milks)
  
• The Vienna Trade (House of Milks)
  
• The Pleasures Trade-route (House of Pleasures)
  
• The Acrid Trade-route (House of Milks)
  
• The Temptations Trade-route (House of Milks)
  
• The Covenant Trade-route (House of Milks)

Khan's Heart

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Coffee Trade
  
• The Literature Trade
  
• The Candle Trade
  
• The Salts Exchange (under The Shriek Trades)
  
• The Parabola Trade
  
• The Vienna Trade
  
• The Exchange Trade-route (under The Imperial Trade-routes)
  
• The Exotics Trade-route
  
• The Pleasures Trade-route
  
• The Gateway Trade-route
  
• The Trans-Unterzee Trade-route

Khan's Shadow

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Soul Trade
  
• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Devilbone Trade
  
• The Spirits Trade-route
  
• The Earthly Trade-route

Mangrove College

• The Ferry Job

Mt. Palmerston

• The Devilbone Trade

Nook

• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade

Polythreme

• The Clay Man Haul
  
• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Sapphire Trade
  
• The Earhtly Trade-route
  
• The Harrowing Trade-route
  
• The Trans-Unterzee Trade-route

Principles of Coral

• The Scintillack Harvest
  
• The Ferry Job

Salt Lions

• The Sphinxstone Haul

Scrimshander

• The Ivory Trade
  
• The Salts Exchange (under The Shriek Trades)
  
• The Zubmariner Exchange (under The Shriek Trades)
  
• The Supplies-Republic Trade

Varchas

• The Varchassi Trade

Venderbight

• The Wine Trade
  
• The Candle Trade
  
• The Zubmariner Exchange (under The Shrieks Trade)

[warnor]

@VegisamalZero3, thanks for the heads-up! I've added the Salt Lions to the port list now.

[VegisamalZero3]

What about the salt lions?

[VaiZerra]

Thank you very much for this guide! It is very satisfying to see such a well written and cleanly formatted guide!

[Skarn22]

I'll give a rundown of my sunlight smuggling strat:
1) Get the cheapest house. Townhouse slashes your profits, mansion is unviable.
2) For the blind bruiser, accept his "gift" then use the second option when he asks for a favor.
3) Buy 28 or so Mirrorcatch boxes from Khan's Shadow (16 max on a 40 cargo ship)
3a) Menaces:Yearning, Burning >= 180 will repeatedly cause an event that wounds you. If you see "The Sun growls in your dreams like a pent river. Be glad." Stop filling immediately.
4) Fill them at the surface via port just south of London. (Don't use Aestival due to fail chance)
5) At London, the blind bruiser will buy for 400, and return your empty box.
6) You'll have to rest in lodgings about 2-3 times per box you filled to repeat the route.
7) Boxes are 250 a piece, but you can resell in Khan's Shadow for 200 after doing the route.

So yeah. Up to 10k per run (~300 per box) after costs, if this is setup properly.

[warnor]

Update: Moved the Supplies trading methods to a new section, moved the Exotics trade-route (it's not basic when you need a Nephrite ring), added The Randic Flesh Haul, The Shriek Trades and The Harrowing Trade-route - so plenty more opportunity for Zubmariner trade now!

[warnor]

Sir Squidington, a Zzoup trade! I must add this to the guide when I get the chance! As for the Curio trading: While it sounds indeed lucrative, by principle I avoid trade methods that requires one to attain items that cannot be readily purchased, acquired repeatedly and easily at port or acquired through bartering purchasable items. This includes anything related to hunting monsters (even if it is fairly easy for seasoned captains). I was thinking of creating a guide for how to turn your non-purchasable curiosities and hunting-exploits into Echoes through lucrative trading. Your suggestion would be a nice addition to that (if I get around to it, looks like I still have lots to do with this guide).

[warnor]

Suisight, hmm, I could look into highlighting the more lucrative trade opportunities. And MORE supplies trading?? I might have to make an entirely separate section for that.

Suisight, Stevepunk, I do get a lot of people talking about the sunlight trade. I agree that it usually way more lucrative than any of the trade opportunities in this guide, but I am uncertain of whether to add it to the guide or not. One reason being the whole dangerous aspect to it (both the light menace and having to circumvent the authorities), which might require further instructions on how to avoid or alleviate these. Also the fact that several other guides seem to cover it already. I will consider adding it to the guide or alternatively providing links to the other guides.

[warnor]

Finally added the Zubmariner ports to the trading methods and port list. I will be looking into trade-routes with these next.

I still also have to look into making trades (and possibly trade-routes) on all those new bartering opportunities.

GMSZ.Far, I cannot seem to find where you would gain Searing Enigmas at Varchas.

Skeith, it’s actually less profitable than regular sapphire trading since the 54 profit is for all 11 caskets, which means you’re only earning about 4-5 Echoes per casket in profit. I added it regardless, since it could still be useful for those who are heading to Dahut instead of Polythreme, Anthe or the Chelonate.

Hairy Coo, Drake Ravenwolf, I will see to adding trading Scintillack with the Cavies in the future.

[Stevepunk]

Or you could just trade sunlight to the bruiser..

[Drake Ravenwolf]

It should be noted that if you backed the Guines on Pigmote Isle and then raise their civilization up to 10, you can buy Scintillack for 55 a piece