Any suggestions how to best set up Trade Routes?

[MarcelB]

I'm new with the game and need help on how to set up trade routes. Does anyone have instructions or sources of information for this? Thanks!

[Flo]

Welcome to the forum MarcelB :halloha:


-Klick on a ship you want a trade route with
-klick on the little steering wheele in the appearing menu
-and then: create your trade route

for that:
-klick on the warehouses you want to trade and then choose the goods you want to trade

[achkarou]

To add to that once you are at the part where you are selecting warehouses and goods it may seem a bit confusing ... but if u hold ur mouse over different parts it will give you a description.... like wut the red and green arrows mean and stuff...

Basically for the loading you want teh amount to be set high and for the unloading you want it low (usually zero). The amount always refers to the amount on the ship not the warehouse. So you want to laod 40 tons onto the ship and then have 0 left once you unload.... if you select 40 tons for unload it will keep all 40tons as opposed to unleading that amount (i think thats the most anti-intuitive aspect of setting up these trade routes)

lemme know if this helps

[MarcelB]

Thanks. I will try this out tonight. Are there any goods that are most suggested to be traded at the beginning of the game?
Also: Can I sell goods to other warehouses and make money? (Sorry if this is a dumb question)

[achkarou]

you can trade passively with the free trader from the start of the game (considering there is a free trader present in the game ur playing)

for that u will not need trade routes, instead u will have to select which goods ur buying/selling at your island's warehouse

once u detect other players (foreign cultures or AI's) and sign a trade agreement with them you can begin trading actively with them (note: u can only have active trade with foreign cultures, passive with the free trader, although a courier ship for free trader can be researched i haven't figured out how that works yet, and both active+passive with AI's)

so you can buy and sell goods at AI's and foreign cultures warehouses... their warehouses will indicate wich goods the sell/buy and max amounts as well as prices per ton.

as for beginning of the game i always start buying tools and wood passively from free trader and sell food.... once my wood production is caught up with my demand i stop buying and in some cases start selling wood ... later once u are able to set up tool-making industry u may choose to stop buying tools... but i keep on doing it because its actually slightly cheaper than making them urself.. BUT i find that having tool industry guarantees steady supply of tools and is therefore convenient...

once u are making all sorts of other goods in excess u may chose to trade them as well...

also, trade with foreign cultures as much as possible! there are several threads on here that suggest best strategies for achieving fraternization with these cultures (i.e. sending a ship to trade same goods between 2 cultures directly benefits ur relations with each and can actually make a profit)

[zippyriver]

(note: u can only have active trade with foreign cultures, passive with the free trader)

This is mis-leading. You can active trade with the free trader also. I usually do, right after completing a quest (since I am already there at his warehouse). Early on, I buy up however many tools he has available, and later on however many colonial goods (that I need) available. (of course, unless I have high stock levels)

I have found lamp oil and alcohol not that good for trade. The AI does not seem to have a steady demand for these fair trade items. My favorite good for active trading is tobacco products. There is usually a high demand at all the AI's warehouses. After that, chocolate and perfume seem to be hot items. One thing to keep in mind is what the target AI's favorite good is so you can deliver that item with the run (this can be determined in the annopedia by looking at that paticular AI's description).

Before you send your ship to the AI, check his warehouse for the goods he is wanting at that paticular time.

I don't like using trade routes with the AI. I just use those for cargo between islands I own. That way, when I do make an active trading run, I can deliver whatever goods are in highest demand that I have a surplus in.

The exception of course is the native that has the colonial good you want. I only load a small amount of what they want, and buy all they have available, that way the trade route runs it's cycle complete. Using the Iroquois as an example, early on I load 5-10 tobacco and buy all his food and wool. Once I get allied with him, I deliver 5-10 tobacco and buy all his colonial goods. Two things you want to keep in mind. first, you don't want to cause a shortage on your own island, so set up the delivery amount so that don't happen (5 tobacco if he is close, 10 if he is on the other side of the map). And second, you don't want to "burn out" the demand for what your delivering. When the colonial good becomes available you can stop buying the wool and food (your not buying food/wool because you need it, but for the sake of the relations).