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Which one is more profitable?
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MolotovBeats
Science and Trade Institute
Caldari State
#1 - 2012-05-30 04:29:27 UTC
Me and my friend are arguing over what makes more profit, and can't seem to decide, as each one of us comes up with different numbers. So I'm going to ask here because apparently there's lots of smart people here.

I've recently started station trading and am making a nice profit, but it's very intensive work - aka I'm updating orders every 5 minutes. Eventually I want to invest in something a little more passive.

I've been researching (new to this game) and I figure the most profitable high-security space carebear activity after trading is anchoring a "POS" at a moon in high-security space, buying materials, reacting them, and selling them back to the market. My friend (been playing longer but a PVPer) says it's T2 manufacturing, if I've got the skills.

So my question is, who's right? And what's the best after trading - mining, planetary interaction, T2 manufacturing, reacting materials, or something else?

Appreciate all your advice,

Molotov
Mme Pinkerton
#2 - 2012-05-30 06:40:37 UTC
There's only one way to find out... have a contest between the two of you!

(it should be obvious that there is no generalized answer to your question: some of these activities are hard to compare in terms of time investment/time pattern and too much of your success with any trading/industrial activity depends on your own research and skill)

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Tom Hagen
Twilight Empire
#3 - 2012-05-30 07:13:10 UTC
To anchor a reactor array you must be in an system with 0.4 sec status or less.
So no High sec POS for that :-P
Abdiel Kavash
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#4 - 2012-05-30 08:09:57 UTC
MolotovBeats wrote:
I've been researching (new to this game) and I figure the most profitable high-security space carebear activity after trading is anchoring a "POS" at a moon in high-security space, buying materials, reacting them, and selling them back to the market. My friend (been playing longer but a PVPer) says it's T2 manufacturing, if I've got the skills.


Since the first one is impossible, your friend is right.
Damien Sahl
Arkhon Enterprises
#5 - 2012-05-30 14:29:21 UTC
As the previous two posts stated you cannot do reactions in high sec. BPO research, however, is a great low maintenance isk income if you have the capital to sit on for the 1-3 months it takes to see a return on your first set of bpo's. This normally pairs with invention and t2 manufacturing.
EvilweaselSA
GoonCorp
Goonswarm Federation
#6 - 2012-05-30 14:33:35 UTC
profitability is measured based on your limiting factor and what is more profitable for one person may not be profitable for another

for example: in anything i do, my limiting factor is effort since i have plenty of capital and skills, so I min/max based on isk per actual effort

for someone who has been in the game for some time but is not terribly rich their limiting factor will be capital, and their profitability will largely be based on ROI

for someone who is penniless, you go with the highest raw isk per hour
EvilweaselSA
GoonCorp
Goonswarm Federation
#7 - 2012-05-30 14:34:23 UTC
Änderungen an Frachtern am 3. Juni mit Kronos
Darth Tickles
Doomheim
#8 - 2012-05-30 14:38:00 UTC  |  Edited by: Darth Tickles
going on sheer potential isk/hour is next to meaningless anyway

this is a game, not a job, and no amount of spending isk will compensate for making it in ways that you find painful

if you're doing something you can't stand to make isk, you're better off working an extra shift a month at your actual job and buying plex. that is the best way to "grind" isk
Aina Sasaki
Garoun Investment Bank
Gallente Federation
#9 - 2012-05-30 14:38:34 UTC
EvilweaselSA wrote:
currently your best bet is to get a stack of catalysts and gank miners: it pays handsomely (100m per 10 dead hulks/macks)


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- Rei
Sun Win
#10 - 2012-05-30 23:02:39 UTC  |  Edited by: Sun Win
MolotovBeats wrote:
I've recently started station trading and am making a nice profit, but it's very intensive work - aka I'm updating orders every 5 minutes. Eventually I want to invest in something a little more passive.


If you're updating orders every 5 minutes, you're doing it wrong. It means you set your prices wrong in the first place. Remember, your goal isn't to sit docked in a station constantly playing spreadsheets in space (unless you like doing that, but you're complaining about it so I assume you don't).

Your goal is to log in and find a pile of stuff you bought that you're going to sell for more than you paid along with a pile of ISK from stuff you sold while logged out.

You achieve this by setting reasonable prices and not worrying about the moment to moment movement of the market. One trick for that is finding really high volume items with a good spread. if you are buying something that sells in the thousands of units a day then you don't care if someone with a sell order to 200 units beats you for a few hours. So long as your stuff eventually gets sold for more than you paid, and the rate that money comes in is faster than the rate you lose ships, you're happy.
Rykker Bow
Center for Advanced Studies
#11 - 2012-05-31 01:09:58 UTC
Lots of good info in this thread.

I've had both massive manufacturing operations as well as station trading moving half a trillion in goods a month. I know which one makes more money for me but it may not be the same for you. It depends on how often you play, what times you can play, your trading style, what you buy, what you sell, discipline, what you manufacture, logistical setups among other things. There's also a lot more to station trading than just updating orders. Research and spotting opportunities as they come by. A good trader will make money off of other traders

I'd say do what you want to do. If you do it long enough and you like it you'll make your billions.

ps. for me it's station trading. By far. But not many people have the patience to play the market with large amounts of capital

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