He was new to this region, having just graduated
from the Academy. Walking quickly along the corridors of this mammoth
station, he gazed out through the various portals at the myrrid of ships
currently docked. The hanger bay workers, technicians, and robotic cargo
loaders were busy in all manner of tasks, prepareing ships for flight,
modifying some for warfare, others under repair, replacing damaged modules
and equipment. The temptation to linger and watch this dance of activity
was great, but he had more on his mind this day. He was seeking someone,
a trader of no small renown. Having paid a Emporers ransom for the bit
of information he carried he had finally arrived at the destination.
He made his way to the observation deck she was reported to be frequenting
and looked around the pilots lounge. Pilots from all of the Empires
were here, waiting for clearance to undock and head out to places unknown,
for fame & fortune. Such was the way of Eve space.
Making his way towards the outer hull area with the huge silicate glass
observation windows his heart skipped a beat as he saw her, sitting
at a small table, alone near the far corner of the O-deck. Pausing momentaily
to catch his breath, he continued towards her table. She was Caldarian,
and, by the looks of the nanopatch links and cyber interfaces bristleing
from her slight, yet not un-attractive frame, very enhanced. At no small
cost he found himself thinking. Approaching her table slowly he opened
his mouth about to speak a greeting he'd long praticed, when she spoke
first, catching him by surprise... "Are you going to say something my
little cadet, or just stand there and gawk..?", she said without looking
up from her portable neocom. "Is the loading finished?" "M-m-m-lady,
pardon the intruision, but I was wondering if I might have a moment
or two of your time", he stammered weakly. At this, she blanked the
screen on the screen she had been viewing, and looked up, examining
the speaker that had interrupted her work.
"Time is money, young one...what is it you want?" "Information, m'lady,
and I can pay for your time, I wish for you to school me in the art
of tradeing. I have spoken at great length to many who know your name,
and your reputation as a successful trader, and humbly request that
you share with me your secrets,..." "Ten million ISK's, lady Kaaii,
yours for the taking, just key in your account code and the transfer
is complete. I do not seek your routes, your tradewares, only the information
to create wealth, not infringe on yours. If you will school me on what
it takes to be a successful trader, I will consider the money well spent."
The long silence while she studied him was broken as he nerviously placed
the debit chit down on her table and slid it towards her.
At this she sat back, streched, and eyed him more carefully. The thought
that he was one of her competitors lackys sent to garner her route information
occoured to her, or prehaps a pirate spy, with more devious intention
crossed her mind. But there was something about this one, he sought
information, the how & why of tradeing, not the where. No, he was different,
she decided. "Very well, I accept your offer." Now sit, and I will tell
you all that I have learned of tradeing in EVE, albiet not complete
in all facets, but a start, the basic knowledge for you to begin a career
in tradeing" She keyed her account code into the chit he had placed
in front of her, and waited for his thumbprint to complete the transaction.
"Do you agree to my terms?" "Yes, M'lady"
"Very well, now pay close attention young one, for we begin...."
Tradeing in EVE is probably one of the most
lucrative, and dangerous, occupations one could take up. You can make
millions and millions of ISK's, and loose them just as quickly. While
there are things to you can do to mitigate your risks, there are some
fundemental building blocks you must understand before persueing this
carrer or you are destined to fail. Below are the most basic of tenents
you must understand to be sucessful tradeing in EVE.
While most have a grasp of making ISK's few
really understand the concept at its core. The idea is to buy something
at a low price and sell it at a higher price. This part is simple. Anyone
can load up and Indy and fly a few jumps, sell it and call themselves
a trader. While most traders of these types see this is the all inclusive
path to sucess, there are "points" that seperate a basic trader from
a "successful trader". They are..
Tradeing takes time. Real time. How you spend
your minutes in EVE tradeing directly relates to how much you will have
at the end of your session playing. A trade run that takes 20 jumps
and makes and 1 hour to complete and makes you 6 million ISK, is not
as good one 3 jump route that only makes you 2 million ISK each but
takes 45 mins. Obvious? You'd be suprised. Many people want that long
haul, the instant infusion of large sums of cash to make thier wallets
fat, and completely ignore the "short haul", smaller payout runs. You
can make more then these short-sighted people if you do the math.
The point? DO THE MATH.
Im talking about volumn. The physical size
of the commidity/item, you are tradeing. On the surface some items look
extremely lucrative to trade, but a closer examination reveals this
is not always the case. Items in EVE have varying volumn and knowing
how "big" something is can go along way to deciding if its profitable
to carry. The bottom line, is you are selling your ships cargo bay,
for as much as you can. Take for example construction blocks. This "type"
of commodity is newbe bait if there ever was one. At first glance you
might see a buy order for 700 ISK somewhere nearby and quickly dash
off to buy those blocks in your station for 600 ISK. Good deal? Nope..
Because each block has a vol of 4, which translates to 1/4 of the amount
you can carry(capacity) per run. Remember you are selling your cargo
cap, so those oh-so-lucrative looking CB's now have a "cargo point per
ISK ratio of 25", not 100. Conversely, take for example the antibotics.These
only have .5 vol, and usually only make 18-36 ISK per unit. BUT, you
can carry two, per "cargo point" which equates to 36-72 ISK per cargo
point. Much better then those old Construction blocks, would'nt you
agree?
The Point? "KNOW" YOUR CARGO.
Knowledge is power. Knowing what trades, what
doesn't, and the supply and demand of your chosen area will either make
you or break you. Take the time to research your local solar system,
(and surrounding areas) and see what is sold, consistently, in your
operating area. Learn the prices, both buying and selling. Take notes
of both the prices AND the volumn supplied and bought. There is a big
"gotcha" here. Alot of times you may find a tradegood that buys low
and sells high, resonabley close, seemingly a great run. But, if the
supplier(or demander) only needs 176 of that item, while the supplier
has 157k for sale,(or vice-versa) does not make this a worthwhile trip.
Theres IS an exception to this, and will be covered in the advanced
tradeing section, but for now, leave this type of trade alone.
The point? DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
Skills
The Skill sets required for tradeing are both many and diverse. While
not as involved as a combat or mineing profession, the time investment
is substancial none the less. You begin with very limited access to
the higher tiered skills (as opposed to the other professions), but
they can be quickly gained with just a bit of effort. With a bit of
research, you can create a character that has a "leg up" on these basic
skills, which gives you room to grow quickly. They are:
Frigate- Needed as a pre-req for flying most all starships, but specifically,
industrials. Navagation- A must have, for the large base of higer tier
skills, promoting speed, handling, and economy of flight.
Mechanic- Another must have, allowing modification of ship modules,
and adding increased cargo capability.
Trade - The obvious. Again to allow you to access greater skill sets,
and place many orders for buying and selling.
Industrial- Based on the ship of choice, most often on the race you
started with.
Note: These are just the most basic of skills to have, with most needed
to allow further progression. They are not the end, but the means..
Now, some will argue that the learning skills (learning, and the 5 basic
"brain power" skills should be in here as well. And I do agree, however,
to begin tradeing, and thats what we are covering here, they are not
"nessessary". They should be gained though, as quickly as time(and money)
allows. Saving you tons of time later when you train the higher tier'd
skills you will be wanting.
Continue the trading guide >> 
