Smuggler Archive

I've spent several 100K's this past week or two (probably about 700k, making small quanities back during this period may have netted me over 1 mil spent) sort ot wandering about... these include getting a factory and learning how to manufacture,acouple hundred thousandresoucesfor said factory, a new Medium house, and relocating my original small house... basically prepping up for JTL. I'm also currently in a position where I might have a large job for a guy, 24 suits of armor. I've never really done more than 2 or 3 at a time. I have to think that this is where the REAL money is. The average per unit would net me a HUGE profit even above my overhead if I'm buying the supplies instead of making it.

Is this how so many guys make so much? I've heard faction was where it was at but I couldn't make the effort to do it for very long.

Anyhow, can someone give me a vague idea how to handle big jobs like this? How much to charge, how long it takes? Don't even tell me what to charge, just tell me what you've charged for people... I have an idea and I'd like to compare so I know I'm either selling myself short orbeing astronomically high. AnyhowI'm prepped for this one job, but in case I don't get it I'm still plenty stocked to do one. I may have to pimp myself out; macro in Coronet while away (against what I beleive in, but I just want todo at least ONE big job) and hope I get a couple calls.

I'm far from a "noob", I've been a master for since like March, I've just never done a job like this. I've been pretty small time and I've taken a couple months off too, from getting bored from time to time. I seem to be back into it for the past two weeks, coming on nearly every day, and with JTL seemingly around the corner I'm going to keep involved...

B'en F'olds of Naritus
Master Smuggler & Master Pistoleer (and just enough Medic to stay alive)
Vet Status: If you remember having to go out and loot your own corpse.
To the so-called 'uber': There's always someone cooler than you.

I do this often for a few smiths, and perhaps I have a little advice that might help.

As for pricing, there's not much of a hard and fast rule for this. You're better off talking it over with the client to see what they find acceptable. Now personally, when bulk slicing I take the first percentage digit and turn that into so many thousand credits. Example: One suit slice comes out at 21%, 34%, 41%, 17%, 35%, 28%. That makes 2k, 3k, 4k, 1k, 3k, 2k = 15k for that suit. I note this price down in my notepad for calculating the final cost to the customer. Basically, it works best when you slice one part of the bulk at a time. Fit what you can in your inventory (usually crates or up to 20 items works fine for me), slice the items, and note down the costs. When you're done just ask the customer for a moment to tally up, do the math and give him the damage.

Some folks will say this is too cheap, but it works for me, and has netted me over 7million in the last few months (which may not seem much to some, but for an hour or two's work, a bit of boredom, it suits me).

The best advice I can give is to find a location where you can concentrate! Slicing a couple hundred items or so is mind-numbing. You might start to doze off towards the middle, and you need to be sharp so that you don't mess up a slice. Obviously, sitting in the middle of a busy cantina, or in Corolag, surrounded by spammage, is not condusive to a good working environment. So I would agree on a quiet location to slice with the customer. Often I inform my guildies and friends that I am bulk slicing and will not be available for a while, so that you don't get flooded with tells either.

The best thing you can do with bulk slicing, is maintain good customer service. This ensures repeat buisness and builds on your reputation amongst the smiths. Remember to stay cool, concentrated, and patient. Your customer should understand that this will require him sitting around with you quietly for a long period of time. You may crash, he/she may crash, or have to go take sliced items to storage. Whatever, just make sure you remain cool about everthing, and be understanding. Your service quality may well earn you a good tip or not. Quite often when i bulk slice for a regular, he pays me an additionaly 10-20% on top.

I think that's about all I can do, hope some of it helps.

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Errathe Afi
Professional Scoundreless
Smuggler till death

"I aim to misbehave!"
"Business is always personal..."
"I'm a smuggler; sarcasm is the only content I got left!"