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Overview

The 'Distribute Wares' order is a default behaviour that is one of the two main types of predefined trade behaviours, the other being autotrade, and they are most distinct. In essence, distribute wares traders will attempt to transport a particular ware from one producer station to multiple consumer stations in one "run". This is achieved by only undertaking buy orders when the cargo bay is completely empty. As an example a distribute wares trader may purchase 16 000m³ of energy cells at a solar power plant and then sell 2 000m³ to a refined goods complex, 10 000m³ to a shipyard and the remaining 4 000m³ to a spacefuel plant. Only after completely emptying its cargo hold will the trader attempt another buy order making for more efficient trips in terms of space utilisation compared with autotraders but less profit because wares distributors are not compelled to find the best prices for the sale of goods.

Parameters and Requirements

The distribute wares default behaviour requires only a ship and a 2-star level ship (taking the aggregate of the pilot and crew skill biased towards the pilot's level).

Applications

Due to the order's inherent ability to lose money distribute wares is not recommended for players just starting their trading empires and instead is more tailored to players with stronger economic bases (particularly station infrastructure) to sell their goods in greater quantities to improve internal trade efficiency or support the factions' economies with a larger volume of wares.