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== Market and Trade ==

Goods change hands at '''trade hubs''', through market offers or delivery contracts, and are moved by cargo armies.

=== Trade hubs ===

* A [[Trade Hub]] is a country fortification with a level. Each hub applies a '''tax''' on trades, set within the band allowed by its level.
* Trades '''settle on the spot''': goods change hands in the hub's district, and you haul them with your own cargo armies.
* Hubs can be shown on the map; [[NPC factions|pirates]] prowl the sea lanes around them.

=== Market offers ===

* Pick a hub and a good (each good has a group and a volume in m³ per unit), then post a '''sell''' offer or a '''bid''' with a unit price and a duration from 1 day to 1 month.
* Selling '''escrows the goods'''; bidding '''escrows the coins'''. Filling a bid needs your goods at its hub.
* The hub tax is previewed on each offer, and a price history is available per good.

=== Delivery contracts ===

* A contract asks a hauler to carry goods from a '''source district''' to a '''destination district''' before an expiration, for a reward.
* Goods and reward are escrowed when the contract is issued; the hauler posts collateral and carries a '''sealed crate'''.
* Contracts can be filtered by issuer country, maximum distance and relation (ally, neutral, at war), and the path can be shown on the map.

=== Cargo and crates ===

* A sealed cargo crate shows its destination, expiry and volume. Drag it onto an army to load it; it is opened at delivery.
* The inventory window has four containers: district inventory, wallet, armies and crates. Drag between them to deposit, extract, load or unload.
* Credits traded is a ranking metric.

=== See also ===

* [[Resources]]
* [[Naval Cargo]]
* [[Plane Cargo]]


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[[Category:Game mechanics]]