Smuggling

[Stuart.croll]

This topic has probably been discussed many times before so I will begin with an apology.

I just can't understand why it's less lucrative to smuggle than it is to trade legally.

I don't mean running Copper Ore past a blockade because that's obviously highly profitable.

I mean the proper contraband stuff like Cardi and Blood Diamonds.

Of course you get the satisfaction of getting away with it but where is the motivation when you can just load up with legitimate cargo and make more profit?

The only reason I can think of is that this would place a greater load on the Admins due to increased FR5 instances.

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[Hawk]

I don't really think it's that much less. In some cases it's more. Anyway, I still think it should be more lucrative to establish a true black market. However, with that potential profit should come great risks. I think any contraband cargo should buy and sell high. For example it should cost at least 15 mil to load a transport up with contraband so there will be a great risk involved in getting it where it needs to go. People would start to guard their contraband cargo the way they guard their ore.

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[Stabby Dave]

This topic has probably been discussed many times before so I will begin with an apology.

I just can't understand why it's less lucrative to smuggle than it is to trade legally.

I don't mean running Copper Ore past a blockade because that's obviously highly profitable.

I mean the proper contraband stuff like Cardi and Blood Diamonds.

Of course you get the satisfaction of getting away with it but where is the motivation when you can just load up with legitimate cargo and make more profit?

The only reason I can think of is that this would place a greater load on the Admins due to increased FR5 instances.

I agree. I'm not a smuggler myself, but I can't see any reason it's less profitable. As stated, I think illegal goods should be expensive to buy but should yield huge profits.

[Chrysalis]

I was under the impression people smuggled for fun. If you need to make cash via powertrading, I'm sure there are countless other routes.

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The Commune || My Characters || Recruitment

[Stefz]

I was under the impression people smuggled for fun. If you need to make cash via powertrading, I'm sure there are countless other routes.

That. I have a smuggler even if I have 5k legit transport. I fill my cargo with Cardamine and go to Liberty, looking for non-lolwut lawful guys to get some good interaction.

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[Hawk]

I was under the impression people smuggled for fun. If you need to make cash via powertrading, I'm sure there are countless other routes.

I guess it all depends on what you consider fun. For me, the more risk involved, the more fun it is. Right now I think smuggling is too easy and that makes it boring.

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[Jack Torrance]

I guess it all depends on what you consider fun. For me, the more risk involved, the more fun it is. Right now I think smuggling is too easy and that makes it boring.

I agree. 95% of my credits I made by smuggling, mostly on cardamine/slaves route, mainly because usual trading is SOOOOO BOOOOORING, so the addictional troubles with the police makes it at least a little more "interesting".

But there's still not enough risk and troubles on the road, so I stopped smuggling almost completely, and the only thing that can force me do it in the future is urgent need for big cash because of some new 4.86 things;)

[Hone]

I agree with hawk

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[Friday]

From a developer perspective - one of the difficulties is that right now, all cargo is driven by volume-profit. That means the bigger your ship, the more profit you make.

Contraband needs to be driven by margin-profit, such that small smuggling ships running discrete amounts of illegal goods can make as much money as a 5K transport.

One option might be to make a certain commodity mineable. Take Blood Diamonds for instance. Make them mineable.
If Blood Diamonds were ten times more valuable, but mined at one tenth the speed - then it would be as profitable to mine and haul in a 500 cargo freighter as it would be in a 5K transport, whilst having a faster and more agile ship to evade the law.

Han Solo didnt fly a mega-transport, he flew a modified freighter...

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[Jack Torrance]

From a developer perspective - one of the difficulties is that right now, all cargo is driven by volume-profit. That means the bigger your ship, the more profit you make.

Contraband needs to be driven by margin-profit, such that small smuggling ships running discrete amounts of illegal goods can make as much money as a 5K transport.

That makes sense. I would sign ANY petition to make that kind of changes.