The problem is you imagine space pirates as old sea ones.
Game mechanic is good, there is a money piracy and cargo piracy.
If we had something like banks (where trader money is) you would only have true cargo piracy.
Anyway this works too. I think to a trader and pirate it`s easier to take money. Pirates don`t have to sell anything, and trader will easy compensate the lost by selling his cargo.
If you steel for money with "you have 10 sec or you will die" you don`t enjoy pirating you are trying to make profit like traders.
The true pirates on this server most of the time (not always) steal cargo !
I pirate for RP not for profit. And when I see a trader that can return RP, even a bad RP, I let them go for cheap lost.