Trading Faction Resources

[Ridik]

I just sailed to Sunbury(from Kingston) to get my hands on some American Cotton, but once I teleported back to Kingston I learned that I could only sell American Cotton(Kingston consumes 2000 per day) for 45 per unit.

I sucked it up and took the 305 gold loss (I paid an American 350 per) and tried to list a contract in Kingston for other players to buy the cotton, but I CANNOT LIST A CONTRACT FOR COTTON!!!

If this resource is in HIGH demand shouldn't I be able to sell it for THOUSANDS to the city???? Also, why can I not make a contract for this Resource?

Edited January 26, 2016 by Ridik

[OlavDeng2]

1. well if there is high demand but there is more in the port than there is demand... well the sell prices wont be high(supply and demand)

 

2. i assume you cant list a contract for this resource as it is a luxary resource, not one which for other than trading and selling to ports is useless.

[Ridik]

American Cotton is extremely hard to get! It is only produced in NE American cities, which means there shouldn't be much of a supply in Kingston for it.

When I pulled up to Kingston I did not see any Cotton there at all, nor have I ever seen any cotton listed.

I know supply and demand, but clearly something is bugged here because these luxury resources aren't worth crap even though they are consumed like crazy.

[Ridik]

I can make Ropes and Ladders with the cotton....yay....

[mirror452]

Ridik... Maybe someone else got the same idea like you, and you were just too slow? In cases like these... Find another port that consumes these goods and doesn't have full storages.

On a different notice... Be careful with the buying prices too. If the storage is almost empty the buying price, even in ports that produce the resource in question, will be so high that you barely profit from it.

[Sir Texas Sir]

I was wondering if it was really profitable to pick up one product and ship it to a port that says needs it?   I assume it's the players that will buy it for better price right?  

[Ridik]

Texas, you have to independently sell it to players because you cannot create contracts for them, but I noticed that nobody cared that I had American Cotton in chat lol.

There's only one thing you need to craft for cotton: Ropes and Ladders. Other than that, the ports that consume tons of it will only purchase it for 45-50 per.

[mirror452]

I was wondering if it was really profitable to pick up one product and ship it to a port that says needs it?   I assume it's the players that will buy it for better price right?  

Mostly, yes. You can make profit both ways, but crafters pay better, normally, and you even do something useful for your nation.

 

Of course you shouldn't try to sell something as useless as Cotton to players.

Edited January 26, 2016 by mirror452

[ThePandanator2]

Simple port to port trading isn't exceedingly profitable at the moment.Even buying stuff, crafting resources, then selling them isn't that great because of the current contract system.

 

I've tried running trade runs from Jamaica to Hispanola, but it's simply not worth the time you put in. In the time it takes me to sail from Jeremie back to Port Morant, I could do an S&D mission and probably make twice the money off of it, not to mention also gaining XP, which trading currently doesn't do.

 

I have no problems with doing missions, but I feel an option to simply be a trader should be viable for a player. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by ThePandanator2

[mirror452]

I feel an option to simply be a trader should be viable for a player. 

 

Well, it is. Many crafters don't want to spend most of their time running around collecting resources, so they also buy it happily from traders, and sometimes for a good price. When I was doing trade runs for Britain before EA my profit would normally be around 100%. You have to know what is needed, of course... With Iron and Oak Logs you cannot go too wrong though. Oh, and you have to know where most of your nation's crafters have their "workshop".

Edited January 26, 2016 by mirror452

[Mansen]

Hopefully the system will stabilize once the initial surge of shipcrafter wannabes have reached the high level recipes where they can actually earn a profit from crafting. And hopefully ALL resources will be made available for contracts.

 

And longterm the supposed ability to construct and produce goods yourself will reduce (maybe even remove?) the market will stabilize further - Maybe even be homogenized in regions, so you know that ... well say the US Coast will be the place to get cotton from, regardless of port.

[Ridik]

@Panda, I have yet to see an upside for trading in this game. My buddies have been grinding missions and have more to show than me, and I've been trading for the last two days.

I thought I would make bank with the this cotton because it's in such a high demand in Kingston, but I guess not lol....

[Ridik]

If you put yourself back in the setting of this day and you pulled in with a ship full of HIGHLY DEMANDED GOODS, you'd be a god and would be able to sell it for a ton anywhere that needed it. I've yet to see anyone else in the British faction rolling around with cotton (I had to pay off an American for it).

[mirror452]

@Panda, I have yet to see an upside for trading in this game. My buddies have been grinding missions and have more to show than me, and I've been trading for the last two days.

I thought I would make bank with the this cotton because it's in such a high demand in Kingston, but I guess not lol....

 

It's like real life... You learn from mistakes

But really, if you enjoy trading, don't give up on it yet. You can be very useful for your nation, even if it doesn't get you any xp.

[Ridik]

It's like real life... You learn from mistakes

But really, if you enjoy trading, don't give up on it yet. You can be very useful for your nation, even if it doesn't get you any xp.

People are claiming to make bank off of trading, but I don't have a clue how they're doing it... I'm trading from producing ports to consuming ports and have nothing to show for it.

[mirror452]

You really have to check the prices. Often it's better to sail a bit further to get better prices. And as I said, don't sell to ports... It's rarely really worth it. Sell your stuff via contracts, on places where you know that people will buy it. Start by hauling Oak Logs, Fir Logs and Iron Ore to the place where your crafters are. These seem like common resources, but the demand is incredible (if not too many people get the idea).

[Ridik]

You really have to check the prices. Often it's better to sail a bit further to get better prices. And as I said, don't sell to ports... It's rarely really worth it. Sell your stuff via contracts, on places where you know that people will buy it. Start by hauling Oak Logs, Fir Logs and Iron Ore to the place where your crafters are. These seem like common resources, but the demand is incredible (if not too many people get the idea).

Okay, let's do some math. Kingston consumes around 1500 Cotton per day, equaling around 61 cotton per hour. I pull up with my 31 cotton exactly and go to sell this cotton in Kingston, but they are only willing to give me 45g per cotton.

Mind you, you can only get American Cotton from America. Controlled cities and I've never seen anyone at all in the British faction rolling around with cotton, nor have ever seen it listed in Kingston.

[mirror452]

Okay, let's do some math. Kingston consumes around 1500 Cotton per day, equaling around 61 cotton per hour. I pull up with my 31 cotton exactly and go to sell this cotton in Kingston, but they are only willing to give me 45g per cotton.

Mind you, you can only get American Cotton from America. Controlled cities and I've never seen anyone at all in the British faction rolling around with cotton, nor have ever seen it listed in Kingston.

 

Well, no idea what happened there... Except you accidentally sold to a player contract instead of directly to the port?

[Ridik]

Well, no idea what happened there... Except you accidentally sold to a player contract instead of directly to the port?

I haven't sold the good, but you cannot create contracts for faction goods. I can only sell cotton to a port or find a person and trade them the resource.

[maturin]

Did Kingston already have a store of cotton from an earlier trader?

 

Also, we shouldn't assume that the economy is 100% player-run when there are AI trader vessels everywhere. Clearly the cotton gets where it's going regardless of our actions. (Otherwise no one would ship it anywhere.)

[Ridik]

There is a HUGE demand for faction resources, but the ports don't pay anything for it.

[ThePandanator2]

I'm sure there are ports where you can sell certain goods for high prices. 

 

I'm considering making a spreadsheet for it. I've been doing it all pencil and paper, buying one place, writing the price, and sailing to another port in the hopes of finding one where I can turn a profit. 

 

I ought to get working on it. 

[Ridik]

Did Kingston already have a store of cotton from an earlier trader?

Also, we shouldn't assume that the economy is 100% player-run when there are AI trader vessels everywhere. Clearly the cotton gets where it's going regardless of our actions. (Otherwise no one would ship it anywhere.)

No store of cotton and the AI would have to sail for 4 hours to get from Charleston to Kingston without being captured(which is highly unlikely in British territory). I also checked all areas in the Bahamas and north Cuba and there was no cotton.

[maturin]

Things can change by the time you complete a trading voyage.

 

Your only advantage is instant communications. Players who manage to build a network of price-reporting agents will become millionaires. I know I would report prices for a cut of the profits.

 

 

 

No store of cotton and the AI would have to sail for 4 hours to get from Charleston to Kingston without being captured(which is highly unlikely in British territory). I also checked all areas in the Bahamas and north Cuba and there was no cotton. 

The AI sails 24/7, what's the problem?

 

AI trade isn't directly simulated. But if you stepped in the real Caribbean, you would logically assume that people, somewhere, are exporting cotton. You just wouldn't see them because they are elsewhere on the wide ocean.

[Ridik]

Things can change by the time you complete a trading voyage.

Your only advantage is instant communications. Players who manage to build a network of price-reporting agents will become millionaires. I know I would report prices for a cut of the profits.

You're not even reading my posts.... There is no cotton within a thousand mile radius of Kingston.