Market Seeding

One of the aims i have for 2026 is to go into Market Seeding.

At its simplest this is the process of starting a regional trading hub.

Total isk deployed into Market Seeding

Currently i have Sell Orders of 400 billion isk deployed into seeding markets.  Take away my standard 20% provision means net isk deployed of 326 billion = 13% of my assets.

So for me this is becoming a serious business and a decent alternative revenue stream.

How to choose where to start the Regional Trading Hub

Well, i don't make that choice for sure.  I would not know an ideal starting location if it slapped me in the face.

Someone else who knows what thy are doing makes the choice.  I merely provide the funding, logistics and commitment.  They provide the content to bring in the players.

Example

One of my Market Seeding venture is in Kihtaled, a system in Khanid.  I am helping to seed PleniMart station in Kihtaled.

It is owned by Guns-R-Us Holdings and part of the Alliance Weapons Of Mass Production.

And the character behind it all Thanak is recording his ventures on on youtube which i have discussed elsewhere in this blog, notably here and here.

It is going well.  More players are coming to the Region and the well stocked station i suspect is helping this along.

I now have three characters seeding items for sale which includes one which is dedicated to manufacturing.  This is all low value items like ammunition, drones, rigs etc.

Regional Trading vs Market Seeding

Regional Trading is my core business that has taken me to 2.5 trillion of wealth whilst also allowing me to distribute 500 billion to Eve Content Creators.

For Regional Trading i am now selling items for typically over 500 million that have low levels of competition and have been bought from Jita Sell Orders.  This is pure distribution where i am making a profit margin because players will not waste the time to fly those 15 jumps from Dodixie to Jita and 15 jumps back again to buy the items at a lower price.  Time is money as they say and my customer saves time and pays me the money.

Market Seeding Regional Trading in one sense - i am still buying from Jita.

But what i sell is very different.  And the margins are lower.

What i sell

This is all about selling the basics and in volume:

Ammo: hybrid charges; projectile ammo; Missiles; T1 and T2.

Mining equipment: Crystals; turrets; implants

Drones: T1 and T2, across the board, and the drone upgrades.

Basic implants: the basic and standard normal ones.

Modules: Armour Hardeners; Armour Repair systems; Capacitor Systems; turrets; Electronic Warfare; Shield Hardeners and upgrades.

Hulls: Mining T1 and T2; Frigates; Destroyers; Cruisers; Haulers up to Freighters.

Seeding strategy

The aim is to build a trade hub, not paste the walls with the remains of the competition.

1) volume: the basics have to be in supply in volume to give players confidence that this is a trading location that means to stay and not some temporary pop up stall.  That means 1 million missiles at a time, for example.

2) don't undercut: if another player is selling an item, don't compete.  The aim is the build the trade up.  The more sellers in the station the better.

3) keep stocked: when an item runs out, restock as fast as you can.  Therefore players have the confidence that the station means to there to supply them what they need and when they need it.

4) stay in contact with the player running the station / system: they will have a good idea of what is needed.

5) if you start manufacturing, have mineral buy orders: help the content creator attract players to the local systems.

The margins are lower

Part of the issue with selling the above items is that they are "consumables".  That means, players use them on a daily basis in high volume and therefore will be sensitive to price.  I can for sure put a premium on Jita prices and the nearest Trade Hub prices but i cant put on anything outrageous.

Furthermore, the volume of items couriered often requires a courier fee higher than my normal 2%.

The next steps

If the Hub grows then there are two more revenue streams to tap into.

1) I can step up to my more normal Regional Trading of selling high priced, high margin, low competition items

2) I can step into manufacturing to manufacture the T1 items and then the T2 items as they run out rather than couriering the items out from Jita.  And that includes manufacturing the hulls.  Minerals can be supplied by the player base in the systems - though i do need to bring in other items at times.

Is it worth it?

If the trading Hub grows, then yes it is worth it.  If the Hub falls back then a rethink is required.