Being Bahama

Master Trader - Part II

So you’ve decided to be a trader rather than a collector of schematics.  You’ve started stocking your vendor with all the items you can make, done your research, experimented on the bazaar with various items and prices and you’ve got a price list started.  Perhaps you’ve even made a few credits selling already! You’re off to a great start.  Now’s the time to aquire the other things you need to run your business.

• Factories.  Sooner or later you’ll want to own your own factory.  Many items require crated components and these can be costly to purchase from others.  All things considered, factories are a good investment.  In addition to being able to make the components you need, factories are a great place to store extra materials. 
• Crafting tools.  Be sure you make or buy at least 3 quality crafting tools for your area of expertise.  It’s also good to have a generic on hand as well.  Having 3 will allow you craft continuously with little or no wait time between items.  This is also the time to experiment with where you keep your tools and materials.  Be sure you’ve got things set up for maximum speed and efficiency.
• Personal crafting station or droid.  You’ll need one or both of these to craft higher level and higher quality goods.  I highly recommend droids with crafting stations installed but they may not be the best choice for you.  Do your research before you buy.
• Brand name.  Depending on which trade you’re in and what type of business you plan to run, you may want to put some effort into developing a brand name to set your products apart from your competition. 
• Suppliers.  If you’ll be harvesting all your own materials, you’ll need to obtain harvesters and survey tools.  If you’ll be purchasing materials or components it’s a good idea to see if there’s someone in your neighborhood you can get a deal from.
• Storage.  Trading for a living requires that you have a lot of materials and components available.  Which means that you’ll need to find storage solutions.  I already mentioned that factories can be a great place to store excess materials but then you have to go to the factory to retrieve them.  Another possibility is to create a personal storage vendor.  These days vendors can be packed up into your datapad and carried around for convenience.  This is a good solution if you’re careful to attend to the stockroom, maintenance fees and always double check to make sure you’re packing, not removing, the vendor and everything in it.

Even with all this taken care of there’s still one more thing you need to be a master trader.  Can you guess what it is?