Another Seeding Market destroyed, 65 billion cost

Over the last 11 months i have made sales of 208 billion isk in the two stations i seeded and so profits of around 34 billion.  But all the costs associated with those stations being destroyed came to 93 billion meaning i have made a loss of 59 billion in my Market Seeding ventures.  Damn.

I plan to relist all the items in two more stations.  Both in High Sec, stay tuned.

Market Seeding

For several months i was seeding a market in Khanid and also Drone Lands.

I started in September 2025, and discussed it back then in my first market seeding post and again in February in an update on market seeding.

In total i was seeding two stations, the one in Khanid and one out in Drone Lands run by the team from DeclarationsforWar podcast.

In total i made sales of 208 billion isk and if i assume my normal margin structure (big ask) then i would have made around 34 billion isk from 4 characters.  That was quite respectable.

The First Destruction cost me 30 billion

I had 105 billion of assets up for sale.  Which all went into Asset Safety outside of High Sec.

The first station went down back in April, cost me 30 billion, and i wrote about it The Fall of UAJ5-K = 105 billion Sell Orders into Asset Safety = 30 billion cost to me.

The 30 billion cost is made up from:

1) the cost of releasing the assets from Asset Safety = 10 billion.

2) the mark to market costs = 18 billion (prices had fallen in Jita since i had listed the items for sale and so now worth less)

3) courier costs of those items to the next place to put them up for sale 2 billion

This destruction cost me 65 billion

I had 342 billion of items up for sale which all went into High Sec Asset Safety.

Against this 342 billion i had a 68 billion provision (i always have a 20% provision against my Sell Orders to cover Transaction Taxes and price movements).

So that's 273 billion.

Marking those items to market (i.e. marking to the prices in Jita) cost me 48 billion.  In other words, prices in the market over the last 11 months or so had fallen a long way for the items i had for sale).

Asset Safety only cost me 1 billion (this is High Sec).

Courier Provision cost me 11 billion (nothing quite like a disaster to soak up as much negative costs as i can think of).

And then a relisting provision costs me 5 billion.

so 48 + 1 + 11 + 5 = 65 billion.

The bottom line

Profits over 11 months = 34 billion

Costs of Asset Safety, mark to market, couriering etc 93 billion (30+63).

Net loss 59 billion.

Data warning

I will be the first to admit that i am not confident that my spreadsheets properly pick up all my assets or value them correctly.  It is quite possible that the value of my assets is understated.

The Fall of UAJ5-K = 105 billion Sell Orders into Asset Safety = 30 billion cost to me

This post is a bit out of date but worth talking about.

The summary is that a station being destroyed leading to my assets going into Asset Safety cost me 30 billion in all.

Market Seeding outside of Highsec

Go back a while and i was seeding a market in UAJ5-K, in the Region Outer Passage.

The station was run by the declarationsofwar team with their corporation Noir.

In all i had sell orders of 105 billion up and all was going fine.

But then in April it was lost to another corporation and my assets on the market went into Asset Safety.

They talk about it in their podcast The Fall of UAJ5-K.

What is Asset Safety?

This is a mechanism where the purpose, i believe, is to encourage players to have assets in player owned structures.

Quite simply, if the structure is destroyed then all your assets are put in either the nearest NPC station or the a player owned station in the same system within 5 days.  Otherwise, within 20 days they are put in the nearest system station.

If the station is in the same system then you pay 0.5% of the value of the assets to release them.  If they are in a different system then you pay 15%.

But the general idea is that you don't lose your assets entirely and so takes the sting out of holding assets outside of highsec.

My situation

My assets were initially put in another station in the system but it was soon destroyed.  Therefore, my assets ended up in Konora.  Which is a mere 45 jumps from Jita, part of which is through low and null sec.

The cost of all this

I had 105 billion of sell orders up.

Against this 105 billion i had my usual 20% provision = 21 billion.#

The Value of the assets turned out to be 66 billion.

I had to pay 10 billion to release them.

Therefore the costs were in two parts:

1) the cost of releasing the assets = 10 billion.

2) the mark to market costs = (105-21) - 66 = 18 billion.

So, total cost was 28 billion.

The mark to market costs arise because the market value of the items i am selling fell since i bought them.

And then there will be the cost of couriering the assets which i estimate will be 2.5 billion.

So, lets call it 30 billion cost all in.  So about a month's worth of profits these days.

Lessons learned

Absolutely none at all.

This is all part of the game.  I can't take the ISK with me if i leave.  Cracking stuff.

For the sake of some ISK i am pushing the boundaries of my game play.  Only wish i had done this a lot sooner.

Next Steps

I think i have found another station to seed.  Will update the blog if i go ahead.

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.

Seeding a player owned station

I am in the process of helping seed the Kihtaled - 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, most recently here.

The seeding of a station completely new to me.  This is clearly not my normal strategy of high value, slow moving items.  This is all about ammunition, rigs, turrets, drone etc.

So i am very open to ideas of what to buy.

The station has no obvious competition in the area.  Is on the edge of low/null sec.

So far i have seeded it with (brace yourself for a long list in a random order).:

Rorqual Blueprint

Noctis Blueprint

Orca Blueprint

Porpoise Blueprint

Covetor Blueprint

Procurer Blueprint

Retriever Blueprint

ORE Deep Core Strip Miner

'Carpo' Mining Laser Upgrade

'Aoede' Mining Laser Upgrade

ORE Gas Cloud Harvester

ORE Expanded Cargohold

Harvester Mining Drone

ORE Mining Director Mindlink

Mid-grade Harvest Alpha

Mid-grade Harvest Beta

Mid-grade Harvest Delta

Mid-grade Harvest Epsilon

Mid-grade Harvest Gamma

Mid-grade Harvest Omega

Javelin L

Spike L

Caldari Navy Iridium Charge L

Caldari Navy Iron Charge L

Caldari Navy Thorium Charge L

ECCM Script

Scan Resolution Script

Targeting Range Script

Warrior II

Hornet EC-300

'Augmented' Ice Harvesting Drone

Ice Harvesting Drone II

Mining Drone II

Medium Capacitor Booster II

Modulated Deep Core Strip Miner II

Modulated Strip Miner II

Large Core Defense Field Extender I

EM Shield Hardener II

Strip Miner I

Venture Blueprint

Helium Fuel Block Blueprint

Hydrogen Fuel Block Blueprint

Nitrogen Fuel Block Blueprint

Oxygen Fuel Block Blueprint

Mining Foreman Mindlink

Ballistic Control System II

Assault Damage Control II

Damage Control II

250mm Railgun II

425mm Railgun II

Missile Guidance Computer II

Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher

Light Missile Launcher II

Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Power Diagnostic System II

50MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive

50MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive

Small Polycarbon Engine Housing II

Medium Core Defense Field Extender I

Republic Fleet Medium Shield Extender

'Augmented' Mining Drone

'Excavator' Ice Harvesting Drone

'Excavator' Mining Drone

Ice Harvesting Drone I

Salvage Drone I

Salvage Drone II

Gas Cloud Harvester I

'Crop' Gas Cloud Scoop

Gas Cloud Scoop II

Venture

Retriever

Procurer

Small Drone Mining Augmentor II

Small Drone Mining Augmentor I

Medium Drone Mining Augmentor II

Medium Drone Mining Augmentor I

Large Drone Mining Augmentor II

Large Drone Mining Augmentor I

Low-grade Harvest Gamma

Low-grade Harvest Epsilon

Low-grade Harvest Delta

Low-grade Harvest Omega

Low-grade Harvest Beta

Low-grade Harvest Alpha

Rokh

Ferox

Jackdaw

ORE Strip Miner

Medium Shield Booster II

Medium Shield Booster I

Large Shield Booster II

Large Shield Booster I

Small Remote Hull Repairer II

Small Remote Hull Repairer I

Medium Remote Hull Repairer II

Medium Remote Hull Repairer I

Large Remote Hull Repairer II

Large Remote Hull Repairer I

Small Hull Repairer II

Small Hull Repairer I

Medium Hull Repairer II

Medium Hull Repairer I

Large Hull Repairer II

Large Hull Repairer I

Co-Processor II

Co-Processor I

Small Armor Repairer II

Small Armor Repairer I

Medium Armor Repairer I

Large Armor Repairer II

Large Armor Repairer I

Mining Drone I

Hobgoblin I

Acolyte I

Covetor

ORE Ice Harvester

Small Targeting System Subcontroller II

Small Targeting System Subcontroller I

Medium Targeting System Subcontroller II

Medium Targeting System Subcontroller I

Large Targeting System Subcontroller II

Large Targeting System Subcontroller I

Small Core Defense Field Extender II

Small Core Defense Field Extender I

Medium Core Defense Field Extender II

Large Core Defense Field Extender II

Small Salvage Tackle II

Small Salvage Tackle I

Medium Salvage Tackle II

Medium Salvage Tackle I

Large Salvage Tackle II

Large Salvage Tackle I

Zainou 'Beancounter' Reprocessing RX-804

Zainou 'Beancounter' Reprocessing RX-802

Zainou 'Beancounter' Reprocessing RX-801

Inherent Implants 'Yeti' Ice Harvesting IH-1005

Inherent Implants 'Yeti' Ice Harvesting IH-1003

Inherent Implants 'Yeti' Ice Harvesting IH-1001

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining Upgrades MU-1005

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining Upgrades MU-1003

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining Upgrades MU-1001

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining MX-1005

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining MX-1003

Inherent Implants 'Highwall' Mining MX-1001

Eifyr and Co. 'Alchemist' Gas Harvesting GH-805

Eifyr and Co. 'Alchemist' Gas Harvesting GH-803

Zainou 'Beancounter' Industry BX-804

Zainou 'Beancounter' Industry BX-802

Zainou 'Beancounter' Industry BX-801

Social Adaptation Chip - Improved

Ocular Filter - Standard

Ocular Filter - Improved

Neural Boost - Standard

Neural Boost - Improved

Memory Augmentation - Standard

Memory Augmentation - Improved