Science & Industry

I've taken my very first tentative steps into Manufacturing in Eve. This is my first ever Alt account and my generous main purchase a fully researched BPO (truma heavy), gave me 10 mil (I know it's chump change, but I want to build it. My skills and knowledge reflect how much isk I have 100%) and sent me on my way.

I'm making isk quiet easily off the first BPO, around 30-40% profit buying the minerals per run. So I'm wondering what is the next step?

My thoughts are to get my hands on a second BPO and start working on that. The problem is I'm not sure what. My main is a Caldari mission runner, so I know Truma Heavies sell like nothing else. I have no idea what turret users shoot though and am not sure what other mods are in high demand.

I was thinking a shield hardener, or maybe an extender (Caldari background again). Although I guess the key is to sell what people need, being the people that get blown up, so PvP fittings. But I'm not sure what they are.

I don't really want to be told what BPO to get, but rather how to figure out what is a good buy. I'm not looking to corner the marked, or ride the flavor of the month - at least at this stage - but rather find safe, dependable income/s to build up my funds.

Any advice is awesome.

To make isk as an industrialist you have to know the market..end of.

If you don't know the market in your local neck of the woods then you're sunk before you start.

Knowing the market means knowing what agents are in the area, what missions they hand out, who flys them and in what ships.

This pretty much gives you most of the answers you need.

If you're near a trade hub that borders low sec then knowing what PVP runners want adds to that knowledge.

You also need to make a decision as to whether you're going to get into T2, either as an inventor and/or manufacturer, particulalry as the skill trees are training time heavy. If you're going to go this route the you need to sort out what PI you need to support this process and what datacores you need to invent what you're going to invent.

Generally making the raw materails you're self will reduce your costs (remember any sub-component/data core is not free even if you produce it yourself as you could have sold if for isk) therefore increse you're margin over buying everything in. It generally also reduces your reliance on running to Jita every 5 minutes to buy what you need.

T1 mods won't make any isk at all. Almost no-one uses them when meta are available, and they drop from rats anyway. There may be a few exceptions where there's enough market volume for manufacturers, but they'll be rare.

T1 ammo will sell nicely in mission hubs, as will T1 drones. Putting some for sale in the systems around a mission hub, at a markup, also used to work. People run out of ammo/drones mid-mission and would rather buy in system than go back to their home station.

You should diversify as much as possible, so you don't get burned by a change on the market. Especially since it's very easy to saturate a T1 market. Once you have more capital, cruisers and BCs can be money makers if you don't mind the hauling. But by then you'll probably better off moving to invention.

Have your main stop being a **** and give you more isk.

When I first started out manufacturing I made all the missles. missles all day and night.

eventually you will get to a point where you have more isk than what you can invest in ammo.

most people from ammo go to making small ships, perhaps figates.

Most important rule in eve is not to focus on how much profit you make. but how much profit you make per hour.

Example:

My buddy spends 24 hours making a T2 ship and makes 5m profit - he thinks he's a badass making 200k isk an hour...

I look for 400k isk per hour minimum.

when I say 400k isk per hour that is per manufacturing slot.

I tend to prefer investing in BPC's rather than BPO's. Using BPC's means less profit per item however you can buy 10 BPC's and produce a lot of products at once to take advantage of price spikes. You also do not tie up all your ISK in BPOs so you are more "mobile" to move with the market.

Do not listen to people who say "X isn't profitable" - Investigate it on your own and determine that for yourself. Nobody is going to tell you what they are doing to make huge profits.

T1 large Iridium (and everything but antimatter really) at the Sisters Station in Osmon please.