Eve Online: Amarr Market - another Video tubecast on the Eve Online markets

I have discovered another Eve Online video tubecast.

It is called Eve Online: Amarr Market and, as the title suggests, it focuses on the Amarr market.  It is a weekly tubecast and seems to have been going for 2 years.

The angle here is that it focuses on a trade hub that is not Jita.  Amarr is the second largest trade hub after Jita and i find it to still be quite competitive.  However, a focus away from Jita is a welcome variety.

It has a standard format at the beginning:

- starts with a review on the mineral market
- then reviews the salvage products
- occasionally other items
- and finishes looking at Plex


I have included its link on the right hand side of this blog:

As a reminder, the other two video tubecasts i watch are:

It is worth saying that the value in these videos is watching them as they come out.  Their value lies in keeping up to date with what the producers are saying at the time.


Eve Talk

Eve Talk by Delonewolf.  It is a weekly YouTube cast for 20 - 30 mins talking about what he's seeing in the markets.  Has been going since at least the start of 2012.  Focused more on station trading, primarily looking to buy items at one point in time to store in a hanger to sell at later point in time at a better price.

Format is the same week to week: Starts with a talk on the Plex market, moves onto the minerals, then T1 ships, T2 ships, T3 ships and then a different market each week.  The discussion centres on what is happening by looking at charts and then Delonewolf gives his views on why this is happening followed by some trade ideas.

Unfortunately they are mixed in with his other youtube clips - so the link above goes to his youtube page.

Eve Prosper Market Review

the Eve Propser Market Review, which just started on Thursday 16 October 2014 night US time is a stream and youtube cast by John Purcell (Lockefox ingame) of the Eve Prosper Blog.

The link above is to the playlist on his youtube channel.  The Youtube cast has the 50 - 60 minute show but not the question and answer session afterwards.

It starts with a general news segement (not really market related), followed by the market charts starting with Plex, then some interesting charts, then Minerals, Moon Products and the  Fuel markets.  Lockefox gives his views on why the prices and volumes are moving, and some ideas on potential trades to make.

The show notes and slides can be found on his blog.

Sovereignty Blockade Units are now obsolete

As part of the Patch released last week "Aegis Sovereignty", Sovereignty Blockade Units are now obsolete.  Details in the patch notes.

Sovereignty Blockade Units in space self destructed where as Sovereignty Blockade Units on the market were moved into the seller's hanger.

Furthermore, these Sovereignty Blockade Units in hangers can now be sold to NPCs for 250m.  Not a bad profit for anyone who was producing them at the current 170m raw material cost.

Now, before anyone works out that they only cost 170m to produce it is worth noting that the existing Blueprints don't actually produce them anymore!

However, if you have any lying around in your hanger - now would not be a bad time to sell them to your nearest friendly NPC.

Or put them up on the market as a collectors item!

For the Blueprint - you can't put it up for sale on the market, you can only put it for sale via the contract system, again as a collectors item.

Hauling Corporations - a review for my business needs

I have written many times on why i use haulers rather than haul items myself, including this discussion right at the start of my business on Eve on why using courier contracts makes good business sense.

Furthermore, i have also discussed why i am willing to pay much more to get my items to their destination within 24 hours.

Indeed, there is a video of a presentation at Eve Fanfest 2015 from a Red Frog member.

Bottom line, is that it makes good business sense for me to use courier contracts to transfer my items from one location to another.


I am reviewing who i use to haul my items

I have now come to a point in my business where i am looking at all the options on hauling my items from Jita to the other trade hubs.  This has been caused my some people leaving in my favourite hauling corporation PushX which has prompted me to make a review of what else is out there.

Now, to put this all in perspective, PushX has undertaken 690 courier contracts for me, hauling 845bn ISK of items, costing me 16.5bn (i.e. 2%), all have been delivered on time (within 24 hours) and only 3 have failed (2 recently).  Job well done, in my books.


My conclusion

Read below for all the discussion - but i plan on trying out New Evolution Express for all courier contracts from Jita to the other trade hubs, and the independent individuals for all other contracts for now.


My Aims

I only really want three things from a hauler:

1) A known price (it is part of my cost of doing business)

2) A known time frame to deliver my items (an item not on the market can not sell)

3) Reliability (this is key - it must get to the destination time and time again, within the stated timeframe)

The Hauling Corporations

As far as i can tell, there are 5 options.

• New Evolution Express
• PushX Industries
• Red Frog Freight
• Haulers Channel
• Independent individuals

New Evolution Express

New Evolution Express is a very new hauling corporation but experienced.  Made up of prior members of PushX.

Website not up to full functionality yet - i need to put in the number of jumper whereas the other two corporation websites work that out themselves from the starting and ending system.  That is annoying.

Offers two speeds of service: normal = 3 days to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete; and Priority = 1 day to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete.

Offers a menu of pricing depending on Standard vs Jump Freight vs Thera / Collateral / Space Security / Volume / Time.  At first glance, the menu is mind boggling (gets easier to understand with time), i always find it best to go straight to the price quote page.

Can go from anywhere to anywhere.  Maximum volume 845,000 m3 (standard freight, highsec).

Customer Support Channel: very new but seems well staffed.

Reliability: very new but so far so good.


PushX Industries

PushX Industries is a long time established corporation.

Very user friendly website - the best there is.  I just need to input the starting system + ending system + volume + collateral and i am quoted the normal & rush price.  Everything is well laid out.  It just sets the standard.

Offers two speeds of service: normal = 3 days to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete; and Rush = 1 day to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete.

Offers a menu of pricing depending on Standard vs Jump Freight / Collateral / Space Security / Volume / Time.  Again, at first glance, the menu is mind boggling (gets easier to understand with time), i always find it best to go straight to the price quote page.

Can go from anywhere to anywhere.  Maximum volume 1,125,000 m3 (standard freight, highsec).

Adding to that PushX has another website that tracks how your courier contract is progressing.  Hence, you can see if your contract has been accepted / delivered without logging into the game.  Another major plus.

Customer Support Channel: was excellent now poor after many members left to start New Evolution Express.

Reliability: was excellent but has recently tailed off, again, after many members left to start New Evolution Express.


Red Frog Freight

Red Frog Freight is the oldest hauling corporation in Eve.  Has various divisions: Red Frog Freight to haul cargo in highsec worth up to 1bn; Black Frog Freight to haul cargo in low sec; Blue Frog Freight to haul cargo valued at over 1bn ISK in Highsec.

The corporation operating as different divisions does make it look optically complicated but gets easier with time.

Website basic but very straight forward to use.  Probably the easiest to use.

Offers two speeds of service: normal = 3 days to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete; and Rush = 1 day to for contract to expire + 1 day to complete.

However, the Rush Jobs are limited to highsec jobs where collateral is under 1bn ISK.

Offers a menu of pricing depending on highsec vs lowsec / Collateral / Time.  The least complicated menu of pricing given it does not charge differently for different volume.

Can go from anywhere to anywhere.  Maximum volume 845,000 m3 (standard freight, highsec, less than 1bn collateral).

Customer Support Channel: Not sure myself but only hear good things about it.

Reliability: Not sure myself but only hear good things about it.



Haulers Channel

I have never used this chat channel "Haulers Channel" to highlight the courier contracts i have on offer.

From what i can tell, it seems populated and active with a focus on intel and tips for haulers as well as highlighting courier contracts for offer.

The discussion i see on hauling is high quality and well worth sitting in there if you are a hauler.


Independent individuals

This is really the courier contract system where you just put your contract on the open market.

I do use this typically to transfer items from a trade hub to Jita.  Perversely, i find it is done in a few hours and typically much cheaper than if one of the hauling corporations were to do it.

Indeed, another blogger MoxNix at MerchantMonarchy stated that they always used the public courier contracting system given the jobs were always done on time and much cheaper than the hauling corps.


Price Comparison between the Hauling Corporations

Given i operate in Highsec only, i input a variety of courier contracts to compare prices.  There is one consistent winner for the options i chose is New Evolution Express - it seems as if they are at a constant discount to the other hauling corps in an attempt to gain market share as a new entrant:



Jita >>> Dodixie, 900m collateral, 100m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 22.2m
PushX Industries 23.6m
Red Frog Freight 99.0m


Jita >>> Dodixie, 2.5bn collateral, 100m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 33.0m
PushX Industries 36.6m
Blue Frog Freight none offered


Jita >>> Dodixie, 2.5bn collateral, 50000m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 39.0m
PushX Industries 43.8m
Blue Frog Freight none offered



Jita >>> Hek, 900m collateral, 100m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 24.0m
PushX Industries 25.8m
Red Frog Freight 123.0m


Jita >>> Hek, 2.5bn collateral, 100m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 37.5m
PushX Industries 42.0m
Blue Frog Freight none offered


Jita >>> Hek, 2.5bn collateral, 50000m3 volume, Rush/Priority Job

New Evolution Express 45.0m
PushX Industries 51.0m
Blue Frog Freight none offered

A 1bn ISK blunder by me

Annoying.

Has been a while since i was on the wrong end of a blunder - but today was that day.

I was putting a Typhoon Blueprint up for sale in Jita and instead of inputting 1115049998 i input 115049998.  Easy mistake to make though i should have double checked.

My heart skipped a beat when the market page refreshed and my sell order was not there.

And, there below, it is.

Someone has made a nice earner today.  They could immediately flip it to that Buy order and make 735m ISK profit before taxes and fees.

I tend to find the blunders balance out over time - someone will make a blunder in my favour at some stage.

. . . . . . . if the market system was coded to ensure that no sell order could be placed below the highest buy order then that, you know, would be just marvellous.

An update to my business efforts

So, real life has been in the way, big style.  Looks like it is starting to calm down, so time to take stock of what I am doing in Eve.


Wealth

Current wealth is 208bn ISK.

Made up from 85.0bn of sell orders + 2.6bn of buy orders + 3.6bn of items sitting in hangers waiting to be put on as sell orders + 47.8bn of ISK sitting doing nothing + 85.8bn of Plex - 17.0bn of provision against these sell orders in case I need to drop the prices to sell them.

As has been the case for a long time, if I am able to log on for at least 45 minutes each day then I make 7bn ISK per month.  When real life is busy I make less (sometimes close to nil) and other times I make more - as shown by the chart below:





What is really holding me back though is not the lack of time logging in, it is that 47.8bn of ISK I have which is just sitting there doing nothing.  That is dead money.  All i know about that 47.8bn is that it will still be 47.8bn next week.


Plex

I own 94 Plex for investment purposes.

I last entered the market to buy Plex in March 2015, buying 22 at 798m each.  In total I have spent 66.8bn on Plex vs todays value of 85.8bn - so I have made a gain of 28.5%.  Not bad, and so the Plex investment is doing what it is meant to do and growing my wealth rather than sitting gathering dust as ISK.  The post where I went through the reasons I chose to invest in Plex rather than some other item is linked.


Accounts

I still have 2 accounts each with 3 characters.


Strategy

My strategy remains unchanged.  I am looking for slow moving products to sell at high profit margins (minimum 20%).  This is in contrast to other (much richer) traders out there who look for fast moving but low margin items to sell.  My style suits my play time, I feel.  I am trying to avoid the competition whereas the other traders take them on (and win).

An item that I can buy for 100m ISK from Jita and sell in Dodixie for 130m in 5 days time with no maintenance to the sell order is fine with me.  In fact, that would be just ideal.  If i had 5 products that did that then i would earn 150m ISK over 5 days for 500m ISK invested.  That is close to getting me a Plex a month.  (before taxes etc etc but you see my point)

My overriding aim is that each business venture must be able to Plex an account per month and my total time spent on my businesses each day must not exceed 45 minutes.


Business locations

I operate out of a number of locations.  The aim is to make Jita the center of operations which collects all items in to have them hauled out to the selling locations.

• Jita - this is the center of my operations.

• The four other main trade hubs from which I sell items bought at Jita or manufactured from Lonetrek: Amarr; Dodixie; Hek; and Rens

• Five (soon to be six) other smaller trading locations from which I sell items bought at Jita or manufactured from Lonetrek.  These are really low maintenance.  I have no competition but not many buyers either!

• One manufacturing location in Lonetrek.

Everything happens in Highsec.


Hauling

I contract out all my hauling of items from Jita to the four other main trade hubs.

Roughly, i have issued 690 contracts to haul 845bn ISK of items which has cost me 16.5bn ISK.  i.e. contracting out my hauling has added 2% to the cost of my items.  Given my profit margins are so high, that is fine by me.


Business Ventures - active

I have moved from trading to manufacturing T1 items as my main source of income.

Manufacturing

• This is much more lower time maintenance than trading which suits my style.

• I focus entirely on T1 items and a few T2 items.  I am slowly expanding the T2 items as I go - though until i get my head around invention i have to rely on buying T2 BPCs which have varying material requirements.  At least with my T1 BPOs i know their material requirements so my spreadsheets can tell me what materials to buy for what i all want to manufacture.

• I manufacture all my items in Lonetrek and haul them to Jita

• I manufacture to replace items sold - so i don't carry spare stock if i can help it

• I buy all my raw materials in Jita and haul them to Lonetrek to undertake the manufacturing

• I focus on items that no-one else really sells.

Trading

• This is all about buying from Sell Orders in Jita and hauling these items to my selling hubs to sell.

• I have scaled back my trading to some high value items I buy from Jita to sell in other other trading locations.  I easily make a Plex from all this.  It is lumpy and slow but reliable.

• I trade high value items such as implants and blueprints.

• I probably make between 1 and 3bn ISK a month on this.  Once i nail down the small number of items i want to trade in it should be more.

Planetary Interaction

• I almost entirely produce P3 items for sale.  I buy P2 items from the market and haul them to my 15 (soon to be 20) factory planets to produce the P3 items.

• I always have some P3 items on the market to sell.  I tend not to move their price.  So, i only produce to replace sold orders.

• I don't change the P3 item that i produce - the thought of all that clicking on the factories appalls me!

• I tried to do P4 items - but they all tend to be loss making if you start from buying the P3 items from the market.

• I don't own any customs offices so i tend to may planetary tax.  I always aim to have tax rates at below 10%

• In all, i suspect i make about 1bn ISK per month on this.

• Nice passive income, not overly reliable though takes up little time.

Plex Trading

• I am dabbling here - and currently i barely make anything.  I may drop it.

Business Ventures - not active

Station Trading

• I tried this a while ago and I could not master it.  I may rethink how to do it.  But, more likely, I will just not do it.

Invention

• That went right onto the backburner almost as soon as i started it.  Felt too complicated at the time - i am taking another look at it.

Mining

• I tried this out to see what it was all about.  I would have to say that it is useful to mine when catching up on all the Eve podcasts / videos of the week.  I imagine a fleet mining operation would be quite relaxing and enjoyable.

• It does not make me anything so i don't count it as a business venture - but it does give good time to catch up on things whilst mining in the background.

Business Ventures - in the works

POS

• I have set up a POS near one of my selling hubs as an experiment.  No idea what to do with it.

• I am looking to set up another near my manufacturing location to start to research the BPOs i have.

Low Sec / Nul Sec

• I would love to do something there - just no idea what or how, for now.  And the place just sounds to terrifying for me.

Freighter

• i bought an Obelisk - i have no idea why.