Calling all Elite Dangerous traders! Welcome to the fifth bounty in our 'how to get into' series. For these bounties, we want you to share tips and advice explaining how to get started and progress through Elite's various official and unofficial careers. Having covered mining, salvage, bounty hunting, and exploration, we're moving onto trade!
So share your best guidance for new-to-intermediate Elite Dangerous players who want to make trading their career of choice.
Important: Here are three things we're not looking for:
Advanced and complex trading tips - We're open to intermediate tips here, but we intend to turn your advice into a beginner-friendly guide. Later, we'll run separate expert advice bounties for each of Elite's career paths.
Trading ship builds and outfits - We're open to exploration ship and module recommendations and build tips, but we'll also run a separate trade ship outfitting bounty. We also plan to run a trading ship tier list bounty.
Smuggling, courier, transportation, passenger carrying advice - we'll run separate bounties for those too, so please save your advice.
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This reward closed to entries at 12:17pm on November 1, 2024 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.
You don't need to know that much to trade, but it's good to know a few things
1. Get a ship that can carry a decent amount of cargo, equip it with shields to survive pirates and maybe a fuelscoop so you don't have to stop at stations along the way.
2. Buy some materials that are in short supply and go to a system that needs that type of material
3. Watch out for pirates along the way, always try to run away
4. Arrive at the sales station and buy low-grade materials there and repeat the process. You can do this in a loop or travel around the bubble like this
By following these steps you can make a nice profit and have fun
Getting started in trade in Elite Dangerous isn't always easy, I wish I'd had a simple guide to help me when I first started, understand that trade is a great way to accumulate wealth in a safe way, avoiding combat (even if the pirates don't agree with that haha). Let's get down to what I think is essential:
Choose the right transportation
First, you'll need a ship with cargo capacity. I recommend the Hauler for those embarking on this journey now, as it's cheap and has a reasonable capacity. After a while, I'd go for the Cobra MkIII, an excellent intermediate option. If you're already making a lot of money and have a good budget, there are some good options like the Type-6, Python and Type-9. The Imperial Clipper is your dream, it's where you'll set your sights.
Use Trade Route Tools
The universe of the game is huge, so don't feel bad about getting lost, that's why tools like inara.cz make your life easier, where you can enter your location and set parameters such as “maximum route distance” and “load capacity”, showing you the most profitable trade routes and even an estimate of profits.
Avoid Long Supercruise and Stay Alert in Space
If the route suggests a station too far from the system's star, think about whether it's really worth it, take into account the extra time and the high risk of pirates showing up. Always choose routes with a shorter distance from stations and in less dangerous systems.
A good shield
Remember a decent shield, you will always be stopped by pirates, a good shield will help hold off the first shots until the FSD recharges.
I think these are the tips I would have liked to have received when I started the game. Good luck, Commander!
I know how it may be confusing dealing with so many informations on Elite Dangerous. First of all, you have to pass through the tough mechanics just to move your ship, then learn how to travel to another system, and the list goes on and on.
After that, you find yourself docked in some station, exploring the menu, wondering: what the heck I'm going to do? You have only a few thousands of CR, and you see those millions CR ships that feel out of reach. It can be overwhelming.
But that thought can be exciting too! There are so many ways you can get CR, and some don’t require risking yourself or your precious ship. Trading might be the best among them. But how to make money with that?
First of all, you need cargo space, obviously. So, you need a ship with a decent cargo capacity to increase your profits. In the beginning, a Cobra MkIII is a great first trading ship, and you can get it by simply scanning systems with your D-Scanner and Spectrum Scanner and then selling the data, as it only costs 350k. Don't wanna do "all" (it is fast, I promise) this? Then, get a Hauler. Go with that for now so you can start making money by being smarter than your competitors (we'll get to this soon).
You can also opt for a larger ship, if you have the money. If not, you should get one as soon as possible, and you should follow this list: Type-6 or Type-7, Python, Type-9 (slow, but you get 790 max. cargo capacity) and then Imperial Clipper (the GOAT of trading, maneuverable and has the best cargo capacity). If you can wait after the Cobra, focus on buying a Python for its multipurpose role (its a nice mining ship too).
Ok, but where is the money?
So, one day you enter a station, look at the market and think: with this many things to buy, how do I choose the one that could make me money the most? Well... don't choose. It's 3310, commander, we don't have to jump from station to station so we can find profitable routes. Go nuts on tools that do that for you.
Everything you need is inara.cz - not only for trading but almost anything else. Take a look at how ituitive it is:
Front page
Did any of those icons catch your eye? I'm sure they did! You can get the best trade routes in a few seconds, or search directly for commodities buy/sell prices.
Let's take a look at trade routes first:
Trade routes search panel
You have 2 options here: the Best Trade Routes and Trade Routes Search.
Want to find some routes close to you so you can go there and start trading? Then the first option it's yours. Simply fill the Near star system field with your actual star system or the one you're getting close to, set Max route distance (how far it'll be from the Near star system you choose), your Cargo capacity (this tool even shows your estimated profit) and Max. price age (the newer, the better. Aim for 1 day or less).
You have additional options too! If you have a larger ship, set the Min. landing pad to large, and if you don't want to go to Surface stations, disable this option, and you can even set the Max. station distance so you don't travel too far from star to station. That’s enough explanation, go and try it yourself!
Want more control over your route and set a station as your starting point? Go to the other menu, Trade Routes Search, and you'll be able to even set your destination. The other options are the same, added the possibility to Use fleet carriers on your route, Limit to minor faction (sometimes you need to build your reputation so you can access engineers) or even Limit to favorites systems/stations (you need to sign in).
Once set, you're going to see a list like this:
Here, you can set filters as Round trips, to buy in a station, sell to another, buy again there, return to the first station, sell and redo; Exports, that limits only so you can buy in the selected station and sell elsewhere, and Imports, so you can sell something in your selected station.
The best option here is the first one, as you can make more Profit per hour (look at those numbers!). Remember to always check Route Distance, specially because loaded cargo ships usually have 10-20Ly jump range, and Station Distance, as space is dangerous with all those pirates and gankers, so you don't wanna stay too much time in Supercruise.
Another option is to search for a specific commodity so you can see where to buy or sell it for the best price:
This is even more intuitive, with the same additional options, you need only to set wether you want to buy or sell, what commodity(ies) and the options. and its best usage is when you're done mining and want to sell your goods. You can also use it to buy the commodities that some engineers require without going too far from them.
Also, they provide a commodities list so you can check Avg. Price and Max. Profit across the galaxy. Also, you can opt to search for Rare commodities, their whereabouts and other informations (this is going to be useful specially for PowerPlay mechanics).
So, don't waste your time gathering information that is already in your hands, and don't fully trust the GALNET-provided informations embedded in your galaxy map, they are not only confusing, but often wrong. Also, remember to always use your D-scanner so you can increase your profit by selling the data.
Now, you have everything you need to make a fortune with trading. But don't chain yourself in it. ED has a lot more to offer, so when you tired of just go arount, don't think twice before you try out mining, exploring or even bounty hunting. The space is huge, as your options are.
Before anything else, to start trading in the game it's important to understand how the economy works: differences between the systems and how they affect what is bought and sold. There are different types of economy, such as Agricultural, Industrial and High-Tech, each with its own specific needs, both in terms of target audience and specific materials for trade.
For example: Agricultural systems have food surpluses that can be sold at a profit to industrial systems that import them. The ideal is to start with low-cost goods on shorter trade routes as well. This decreases the risk of being attacked by pirates and also eases the learning curve for taking risks on longer routes and more expensive goods!
At first I got help from my brother, but I ended up with an eye bigger than my belly and lost a lot of expensive goods by taking a long route without preparing myself properly, so I ended up learning the hard way to go little by little.
Some websites are useful for tracking trade in real time, such as Inara, which help you find the current prices of goods, but it's only an estimate, prices are always fluctuating! Look for stations with a lot of goods, as they will probably be cheaper, and try to sell them at stations where they are rarer, where the purchase price will probably be higher
A clever way of organizing yourself is to make a kind of “Commercial Route” where you transport goods between two fixed and nearby systems, where you can sell goods from one system to the other. This is perfect for maintaining a profitable round trip and accumulating money more quickly. Just be aware that in a short time that route may no longer be so good.
I think you can get a good idea of how the game's trade works and how to take advantage of it!
Trading is one of the most profitable activities in the game. Thanks to this activity I was able to get the Fleet Carrier. You can start with any ship that is within your budget. Remember to put cargo holds on it, which is the most important thing for a Trade ship. As other commanders have commented, the “Inara” website can make it easier to find trade routes. You can also accept missions within space stations. And with the money you collect, I recommend investing it in other ships with a better cargo capacity to be able to earn more credits on trade routes. And something important is that your goal is not only to earn credits, since you can get frustrated. You have to enjoy the process.
I will be 100% sincere to all you, I hate trading but I can't deny that it can be simple and the same time you can do it really hardcore and have high amounts of profit. And it is fun to a lot of people and won't kill you, try it for yourself.
First you need to get a ship with nice amount of cargo, for start you can go small like a Hauler if your are advanced in the game a medium ship like Type-6 for medium ships or a Type-9 or a Cutter for big ships. After that you have to buy good with a lower price and after sell it on stations with high demand of it.
You can follow the trade routes that is possible to see in the galaxy map but you can go further and use tools like Inara Market Trade Route. This you be able to plan where to buy at the lowest prices and sell at the highest prices. Normally there commons relations of market, like Tech system needs to buy agricultural products because the don't produce this kind of goods.
BEFORE YOU GO!
There are good that are valuable and this call some undesirable attentions, and that attention are from pirates, they want those goods an won't pay for it, so remember to equip a decent shield and good thrust to run away form the danger.
I recommend when starting with it start with smaller routes that will avoid the chances of been interdicted by pirates, it will probably make less profit but you won't be killed so easy. Be killed means you loosing yours inventory and have to buy the rebuy cost.
So take care when transporting so much valuable goods and fly safe CMDRs o7
For the longest time I can remember, trading was my main activity in-game. Trading itself hasn't changed all that much since I started playing some years ago, but I've since learned that, like other activities in-game, trading can have its relaxing moments and its more exciting, dangerous ones.
And this is a factor that's important to me when I engage in an activity in-game. If there's flexibility there, I can determine where in that range I'll find the most fun. Flying in open in player-populated systems? Sounds like fun to me, but someone else might prefer to play away from the busier systems and find a quieter trade route instead. I'm happy to say I feel trading, as an in-game activity, gives options for where I can find my "fun".
There will always be ways to optimally play the game and trading is no exception. You might find yourself watching tutorials or reading articles about the best way to do trading and there can be some nice rewards from playing this way. But, I feel finding your "fun" somewhere in this process is paramount to having a good and long relationship with Elite. If you decide to get into trading and factor this into your game play, I'm sure you'll enjoy Elite for many years to come.
If you’re aiming to start a career in trading, here’s a friendly guide to help you get off the ground and start making steady credits. Trading offers a reliable way to earn and grow your reputation, so let’s cover some basic and intermediate tips to make sure your journey is as smooth and profitable as possible.
1. Start Small with Essential Goods
When you’re just starting, it’s best to keep things simple. Look for nearby systems with different economies, like industrial systems where you can buy metals, food, or medicine. Then, sell these items in agricultural or extraction systems that need them. Known as short-haul trading, this approach gives you a steady income as you learn how markets fluctuate across the galaxy.
2. Use Trade Tools Wisely
The Galactic Average Prices and Trade Routes view on the Galaxy Map are really handy here. Turn on the trade route visibility, which lets you see what each system imports and exports. Focus on finding goods that you can buy at a low price and sell with a solid margin. Later on, you can use external sites like EDDB (Elite Dangerous Database) to quickly check which trade routes will maximize profits, especially if you’re working with a specific ship.
3. Find a Good Trade Loop
One tried-and-true strategy is the trade loop. Here’s how it works: buy goods in one system (let’s call it system A) and sell them in system B, then find items in B that will sell well back in A. This gives you a steady round-trip route, helping you keep credits flowing without having to search for new systems constantly. Shorter loops are a great way to start, and once you get the hang of things, you can gradually expand to cover more distant and profitable routes.
4. Watch for System Economic States
Systems sometimes go through economic states like Boom or Outbreak, which means they’re willing to pay higher prices for certain items. For example, during a Boom, luxury items often fetch a higher price. Meanwhile, during Famine or Civil Unrest, systems will pay more for essentials like food and medicines. Keeping an eye on these states is a smart way to earn higher profits by selling the right items at the right time.
5. Grow Your Finances Gradually
It can be tempting to rush into bigger ships and upgrades, but keeping a solid cash reserve early on is key. This helps cover any losses in case pirates ambush you, or if you need to replace lost cargo and repair your ship. Once you’re comfortable with your cash flow, that’s the time to invest in a larger cargo ship, which will let you carry more goods and boost your profits.
6. Pay Attention to Local Factions
Building good relationships with local factions can really pay off. As your reputation grows, you might see better rewards and even discounts on goods. Completing simple cargo delivery missions for local factions is a win-win—it boosts your reputation and lets you earn credits on the side, with the bonus that some exclusive items may become available to you as well.
With these practical tips, you’re ready to make your mark as a trader in Elite Dangerous. Trading takes patience, but with each successful haul, you’ll see your credits grow and your reputation rise. Safe travels, CMDR
Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to help new Elite Dangerous players kickstart their journey in trading!
1. Start Small and Scale Up Gradually
• Beginners should focus on low-risk, high-demand items. Start with goods like basic medicines or food cartridges that many systems need and don’t cost much upfront. This keeps initial investments low while allowing you to understand the basics of supply and demand.
• Trade along high-traffic routes between agricultural and industrial systems. Agricultural systems sell goods like food and bio-waste cheaply, while industrial systems buy these items at a profit and sell manufactured items you can resell elsewhere.
2. Use the Galaxy Map to Find Profitable Routes
• In the Galaxy Map, select the “Trade Data” filter to view the types of goods different systems produce and consume. This will help you identify profitable trade routes between systems.
• Trade Routes Display: Use it to see the flow of goods between systems. Aim for routes between two systems with high supply and demand in complementary categories, as they usually offer consistent profits.
3. Get Familiar with Trade Tools
• In-game: The in-game market gives an idea of profitable trades, but third-party tools can give more accurate real-time information on commodity prices.
• Third-Party Tools: Websites like EDDB (Elite Dangerous Database) and Inara can be game-changers. These resources allow you to find current commodity prices and profitable trade routes. Keep it simple—focus on a few profitable trades rather than getting bogged down with the most complex routes.
4. Understand Supply and Demand Basics
• Systems can have high, medium, or low supply and demand for certain commodities. Generally, you want to buy goods in high-supply systems (where prices are lower) and sell them in high-demand systems (where prices are higher).
• Types of Systems: Each system economy has specific import and export needs, so learn which goods are in demand in agricultural, industrial, extraction, and refinery economies.
5. Avoid Dangerous Systems
• While it might be tempting to go for big profits in anarchy or conflict zones, start with secure, high-security systems to avoid getting attacked by pirates. This keeps risks low and is less stressful as you learn.
• As you progress, you can consider trade missions in riskier systems for higher rewards, but at the start, prioritize safety.
6. Leverage Trading Missions for Extra Income
• Mission Boards: Check the mission boards at stations, as many offer trading missions with bonuses that can be profitable. These missions often provide guaranteed payments and can be more profitable than regular trading, especially at lower ranks.
• Influence and Reputation: Completing these missions can help increase your influence and reputation with certain factions, which can open up higher-paying missions over time.
7. Upgrade to Larger Cargo Holds as You Progress
• Trading success in Elite Dangerous depends heavily on the amount of cargo you can carry. As you accumulate credits, upgrade your ship’s cargo capacity and gradually move to ships with larger cargo holds.
• Storage Size vs. Speed Balance: Try to keep a balance between storage and speed. Early on, a small, fast ship with modest storage is ideal for avoiding trouble, but as you progress, a larger ship with a greater cargo hold will allow you to maximize profit.
Following these basics should help beginners ease into trading and start seeing profits in no time. The best part about trading is how scalable it is: with a steady progression, you’ll soon be able to invest in larger ships and bigger trades!
The only advice I can give for those new to trading is to enjoy and learn. I understand that many people focus this type of analysis on the maximum efficiency of time=credits, but as in the rest of the playable roles in ED, I personally consider that the player should enjoy the mechanics above the obtaining of credits, something that will inexorably come with the hours played.
As such, I can only understand the freight transport associated with a Lakon Spaceways ship, and the first ship of its kind with a clearly marked role for this purpose in the Type-6 Transporter. While its medium size and 50 tonnes of maximum cargo space may not seem like much for those just looking to optimise profits, I think it's ideal for players who have only been in the game for a short time and are making their first incursion into this wonderful role.
I personally never carry weapons on my transport ships, I'd rather try to escape from the bad guys than fight them in a role that doesn't fit the mechanics. In fact, my advice is to just accompany the cargo bays with a shield that serves to protect the ship from possible piloting errors or very occasional unwanted encounters. And because escaping from someone who wants to steal your goods is also very intrinsic to ED.
Initially I recommend doing cargo transport missions from the station mission panel, as this is a very straightforward way to get started with the role. This will serve to get used to the day to day running of the role and, more importantly, create a small bubble of systems visited which will result in a small list of markets and goods that can be filtered on the galaxy map, as well as the most used sales routes.
Once you feel you have the desire to start trading routes on your own, of course, I personally can't advise looking up optimal routes on third party sites, because for my taste it takes all the beauty out of the process; by seeing who imports what and who exports it, the types of system economies, and with a bit of practice, you can make some fun and somewhat lucrative trade routes, feeling like a real galactic trucker.
Once the player has experimented with all this, and clearly knows if he enjoys the role, he will have time to get bigger ships with more cargo capacity, look for more complex markets and even try to make big money with rare commodities, and look for super lucrative routes.
My advice is therefore the same as always; if you only think about getting credits from minute one, you will burn all the roles, you won't experience them, you won't feel them, you won't live them, and you won't really be enjoying the essence of ED.
But we're talking about the beginning and every ton counts.
Buy cargo space and throw out unnecessary stuff, rather afford a better frame shift drive.
At the beginning, like everyone else, I simply accepted achievable missions and then looked at Inara to see what I could buy at the starting point and sell at the destination.
It doesn't have to be much, but this way you can make some extra profit on top of the actual mission and upgrade your ships quickly.
This way, you could soon own one of those fancy Adders.
SO YOU WANT TO TRADE HUH, WELL YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!
Trading is an easily overcomplicated sport in my opinion. Only pursue this career if you're okay with trucking and sometimes working for your cargo.
First, you'll want to start off by purchasing a cargo ship, whether that is a T8, T9, keelback, T10, cutter. of course outfit the ship with cargo holds and increased FSD range modules to help you increase efficiency per jump.
Using either in game trade data or 3rd party sites such as inara, see what goods are selling for the most and what stations are buying for the highest price. Once that information is acquired, Find where to buy said goods or , if it turns out to be mined good such as monazite, find where to mine said goods to haul for sale. (Beware of pirates for they will halt and kill you for cargo) Eventually you'll get into a rhythm of going back and forth buying and selling goods and making a profit from the trade route.
From my personal experience, the PTN (Pilots trade network (800080948716503040) provides a safe and profitable environment to operate between carriers and haulers. Once a carrier is set in place to either buy or sell its cargo, all haulers receive an alert to head to the carriers system to help sell or buy whatever cargo they have and receive a profit ranging from 11k to 32k per ton (doesn't sound like a lot but trust me, its gets you billions if you're diligent enough) Find their discord on google and request an invite to start banking the creds.
There are different kinds of trading and they all take slightly different approaches:
1. Traditional "Safe" trading
This is just buying regular commodities at a low price and selling them high. You need a ship that will allow you to install lots of cargo rack space, the more commodities you can carry the more profit you will make. If you're starting out that will probably be one of the Lakon "type" ships, ie. Type 6 as they are also relatively cheap. If you just want to stay within the game you can find market information in the galaxy map, otherwise there are some 3rd party sites you can use.
2. Illegal trading
You can make a bit more money if you buy and sell illegal goods to the black market. The risk is, if you get scanned by system security they will come after you. You want to try and make sure you have fast thrusters so you can quickly dock at your destination without getting caught.
3. Rares trading
Around the galaxy there are certain stations that have rare commodities. The further away you sell them, the more money you can get from them. The drawback is that there is a (relatively small) limit on how many of these rares you can buy at the one time. The positive is you don't have to worry about getting a ship with lots of cargo space, probably better off having a good jump range as you could be jumping a lot. You can find where these places are using 3rd party tools.
4. Missions
It's not the traditional way but you can do missions that have you take a certain amount of goods from where you are to a destination system. This takes the guess work out of trying to figure out where to sell (as it will tell you). You just have to be weary as to the legality of it as written in the mission text, although illegal goods could make you more money.
5. Mining
You can go mining and then sell your mined commodities to a station. The positive is you make 100% profit, the downside is it takes time and effort to mine and you don't always end up getting what you were wanting.
6. Carrier trading
It is possible to trade commodities with fleet carriers. The risk is you're relying on the fleet carrier owner to keep their prices and stock levels the way they've advertised them.
Trading involves two simple steps: Buy cheap, sell expensive. But there's a lot more work in these four words than you'd expect.
What you'll need:
A ship to carry all your cargo, some cargo to buy/sell, a good idea of what stations offer what prices. Let's go over those one by one:
The ship:
First and foremost you'll want a lot of cargo space. If you can haul 11 tonnes instead of 10t, that will translate into 10% more profit per trip. This means you'll want a ship with as much optional internal space as possible, all filled to the brim with cargo racks. But beware: Some smaller stations may not have space for your large ships, so perhaps a medium one may be best! But starting out with little money or options, even the smallest ships can haul at least a few tonnes around. Each trip will afford you bigger ships which will in turn let you gain more profits per trip, it's a great loop!
But hauling a lot of stuff is not all that is required. You also want to spend as little time as possible en route. If you can make a trade route in 10min where it takes others 20min, you'll bring home twice as many credits. So a good jump range is factor number two you'll want to consider. A proper FSD (ideally one with the new overcharge capacities to reach the stations quicker) and as light other modules as you can manage.
And lastly, you'll want good supercruise handling. Remember that you're not alone in the black, and pricey cargo may attract unwanted attention. Having a nimble ship may make the difference between being interdicted and losing your cargo to a pirate or making it home safe and buying that next ship from your profits. You may be tempted to fight fire with fire. If there's pirates you jsut need to have the bigger stick and fight them off perhaps. But this is a fools game. No trader that maximises their cargo capacity has room for shields. And with a maximised jump range you'll not be bringing any weapons. Even if you did, you may be no match to a dedicated pirate with enough cargo space to take two low temperature diamonds from you or blast you away in seconds. It's better to run and save up for your own proper combat ship than try your luck in what is essentially a big ol' cargo box. And anyway: Combat just takes time out of your trading activity, which reduces your profits. Time is money in the trading business. So if you're interdicted, try and shake them off in supercruise. If you can't do that, throttle down to have your FSD recover faster once you're pulled into real space. As soon as you drop out, put all pips into engines and turn away from your assailant. Boost as much as you can and jump as soon as your FSD has recharged. Don't let them reach you!
Cargo & prices:
There are online sites that will let you check commodity prices across different stations. Check the commodity you want to trade and see how big the margins are across the bubble. There are also tools online to plot trading routes for you. Inara is a tool that can do both. Knowing where to buy and sell will greatly increase your margins. But beware: Don't always go for the highest price! If you have a lot of cargo to sell, accepting a lower price but with more demand may give you more credits in total. There's no sense in selling 400t of Superconductors when the station only wants to buy 20t and give you much fewer credits for the rest.
Many trade routes will let you sell for 4x-10x the buy price. At route distances of 40ly (one to two jumps) you'll be rich in no time!
doesn't matter what ship, as long as you have a decent cargo capacity.
go to mahlanja, trade capital of the bubble, group or solo, lots of gankers and griefers, get allied to factions, use inara to find goods, make moolah.
Howdy mastercesspit, it looks like you've hit 'reply' rather than 'submit'. Please resubmit if you'd like to be considered for a reward (we might want a little more info too). o7
Trading has always been the most lucrative method to start making decent credits as a trader.
Mining your own materials is a great way to cut the costs of trading, material like gold.
Trading is a bit overwhelming. Anyway, there are simple starter trader missions for Courier and Data cargo that can be completed in one of the starter ships, like Sidewinder, which require little cargo capacity.
Class 2 Shield - For a ship as slow and bulky as the Hauler, you're going to need a shield. It's basically your only line of defense against the aggressors out there.
Fuel Scoop - Fuel makes ships move. You'll need to move.
Upgrade your Frameshit Drive. Getting to your destination quickly is where the real money is made trading, and this should speed up your trips.
Fill out the rest of the internal compartments with cargo racks. Maxed out you can get around 26t in your Hauler.
Upgrade your Frameshit Drive. D2 or more is a good idea. Getting to your destination quickly.
Always keep an eye out for stations in Boom state systems. Goods trade at a high value here.
Adder is more expensive than the Hauler, around 80,000 credits rather than 50,000, but this should be pocket change if you're completing missions within the starting District.
Cobra Mark 3 is the ship you want to aim for before you even leave the Federation District. It costs 340,000 credits and is more than suitable to support you in exploring the wider universe.
Excellent trading ship due to its 64t max cargo capacity. That's twice as large as the Adder's cargo capacity.
There are patterns, loops, and trading paths that have existed since the game's release to follow.
The further you go, the more credits you're set to make.
Start looking for specific stations that sell unique types of Rare Commodities and transport these commodities over long distance.
Rare Commodities are marked with a star in the market and have a unique name you might not have seen before.
Once you've started to earn credits on a large scale with Rare trading, it's time to start bulk trading goods from station to station.
Check out the Loop Finder for suitable trading loops.
Time for ship upgrades once you've started to make serious credits.
You can opt for the Type-6 Transporter, a dedicated hauler with a max cargo capacity of 114t. It costs around a million credits. Suited to bulk trading, upgrading the Frame Shift Drive of the T6 makes it one of the best ships for long-distance bulk trading.
You could opt for the much more expensive Asp Explorer. Coming in at around 6.6 million credits, this is a hefty jump in price from the Type 6, but you get what you pay for. It has a larger cargo capacity than the T6 at 130t and is more than capable of defending itself with multiple weapon hardpoints and a max speed that will have you zipping from station to station in no time at all.
Smugglers are similar to traders except that they sell goods where it is illegal, on the black market. Smugglers have to use stealth, cunning, and special equipment to outwit any local law enforcement and sometimes military authorities, especially around stations, to sell their commodities at a profit while escaping fines and a criminal record.
