Merchant

As a merchant, you turn the colony's surplus into supplies, wages and a modest pile of coins. Your most useful assets are reliable suppliers, repeat customers and the ability to count change without starting a diplomatic incident.

Making a living

Buy goods from other players, sell useful supplies locally and export surplus through the exporting book. Ask what the colony needs before ordering stock. A warehouse full of bargains is less impressive when nobody wants them.

Agree on the goods, quantity and price before completing a trade. Keep enough money available to pay suppliers and place your next order. Remember that producers need to cover their materials and time, too.

Setting prices

Use the import menu and export offer as reference points, rather than assuming every item has a fixed price. Taxes and export offers affect what you actually pay or receive.

For example, if you buy goods for 80 reales and receive 100 reales when exporting them, your profit is 20 reales. That is a 20% margin on the sale, or a 25% markup on your purchase cost. This is an illustration, not a guaranteed price for a particular item.

You can bargain firmly without treating every customer as an enemy. Explain your offer, leave room for negotiation and decide whether a smaller profit is worth a steady supplier. Repeat business is usually easier than finding someone who has not heard about your last deal.

Reputation and roleplay

A generous shopkeeper, a tireless negotiator or a pompous trading magnate can all be fun to play. Give other players something to interact with: advertise your stock, arrange deliveries or negotiate a supply agreement.

Keep the humor in the character and the situation. Follow the server rules, respect the scenario's roleplay expectations and do not treat theft or scams as the default way to play. Being remembered for your prices is preferable to being remembered by the guards.

Importing supplies

  1. Hold money and click the supply orders book to deposit it.
  2. Click the book with an empty hand to open the import menu. Access and available orders depend on your role.
  3. Check the displayed price and tax, then select the supplies you want. You need enough deposited money to cover the order.
  4. Read the purchase message and collect any returned change beside the book.
  5. Wait for the shipment and collect it from your scenario's delivery area.

Orders do not arrive immediately. Coordinate with the person expecting the supplies before promising a delivery. The book can order goods; it cannot negotiate your way out of an impatient customer's questions.

Exporting goods

  1. Hold the goods you want to sell and click the exporting book.
  2. Read the offered payment and export tax before confirming. Not every item has export demand.
  3. Select Yes only if you accept the offer. A confirmed sale consumes the goods, and payment appears beside the book.

For a stack, the offer is for the whole stack. Split off anything you want to keep before exporting. Check the amount carefully: selling tomorrow's stock today is an excellent way to have nothing to sell tomorrow.

A quick trading checklist

  • Check demand before buying or importing goods.
  • Agree on prices and quantities before exchanging anything.
  • Account for taxes and use the actual export offer when calculating profit.
  • Collect your change and watch for shipment messages.
  • Keep a cash reserve and a reason for customers to return.

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