Trading

Trading is possible either with NPCs, or with other players via Parcels when playing on-line. Trading is a useful mechanic to gather large quantities of gas, salt and cement, among other things.

NPC trading

Some survivor camp shelters have a trader, and Magnitorosk has two. These traders will buy and sell specific items for different items, and will perform an unlimited number of trades. Not all survivor camps have traders. In fact, until you reach the eastern part of the map (past Ufa) there are no traders currently.

Some of the items you can receive from trading in a shelter can be traded at another camp. Thus, it's possible to create chained trades or routes, as shown in the following Google doc spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is helpful for checking available routes, calculating trades payback, or calculating total payload to chose the right vehicle.

The trade tables and map below list all the available trades and their locations. Keep in mind though that these may be out of date and show old versions of items (for example Prepared Skin is now Tanned Leather) and that the trades may be subject to change in future updates.

Have a look at the world map to plan your trips!

You can also look at Trade routes organized as a table in this page.

There's an interactive trade router.

All Trades Map (v.597)

Trade tables

(Last update v.652)

Deliver the items in the right column, to obtain the items on the left column. Arrows shows the transformation direction.

Main Cycle and Key Trades (v.652)

Below is a picture showing how trades can be chained from one survivor camp to another in a trade cycle (red arrows), as well as some key trades of note (green arrows), and ways to invest resources into the main route (blue arrows). Many of the miscellaneous items have been excluded to make it simpler.

Main Cycle (red)

The main cycle can be used to exchange items for other items further along the route, for example turning all your auto spare parts or spark plugs into sulfur, sulfur into potassium, or even vodka into cement. This is useful to keep in mind when scavenging, as items like coffee, tea, electrodes, and spark plugs weigh almost nothing allowing you to accumulate them, and they are all part of the cycle so can eventually be traded into more desirable, rarer, and heavier items (like cement) for those willing to travel the distance.

However it is worth noting that the overall cycle by itself is 1:1. That is, it is NOT PROFITABLE. If you start with cement, and trade it through the whole cycle and back again to cement, you will end up with the same amount of cement you stated with. Worse, you will have wasted all the fuel travelling the vast distance. So while it is useful to trade unused items for more desired items, the cycle by itself is has less benefit when trading small volumes of materials compared to tons, as it takes a significant amount of time and fuel costs.

Salt and Moonshine mini-cycle (blue)

When combined with an injection of moonshine though, the cycle becomes VASTLY more useful and profitable. This is shown by the blue arrow chain on the later half of the route. Salt can be used to make fat and soap, which can then be traded to rope, and the rope to potatoes. The potatoes can be used to make moonshine, which then can be used to trade for salt. So by performing this mini-cycle once, it becomes self fulfilling, and you can continue it as many times as you want, with as much resources as you have available.

Given variable crafting chances, soap can be made for around 5 salt each. 20 soap (100 salt) gives 100 potatoes which makes around 40 moonshine, which trades for 800 salt. That's a profit of around 800%. This give you enough raw salt to repeat the cycle again, as well as some left over to cover fuel costs and/or to invest into the main cycle to trade for desired materials.

Potatoes can also be grown in greenhouses and turned into moonshine and invested into the cycle, if you can't be bothered making all the fat and soap, but this is less profitable now that greenhouses require added fertilizer each growth cycle, and it also takes longer as you have to wait for crops to grow.

If you intend to trade for potatoes at Omsk, it is recommended to have a base nearby with barrels for brewing moonshine, both so that you don't waste fuel carting them back to your main base, and so that the potatoes don't perish over the time of the journey.

In online mode, moonshine is also useful for player trades (see below), so if you want something that can't be gained through the main cycle, you can still do the moonshine/salt cycle to get moonshine for trading for what you want.

Notable Trades (green)

Some useful trades have also been shown above for ease of use.

Welders, Chainsaws, Chemistry kits received for these trades are all at 100% condition. It is cheaper and easier to trade for welders directly rather than trading for electrodes and building/repairing your own.

A Car battery received from trade is suitable for use. It is cheaper to trade moonshine directly for the batteries than to use the main cycle for the materials to synthesize acid (either from bee glands or from chemistry) to make them.

Sulfuric Acid can be use to get fuel from Tyumen, as well as for cement in Magnitorsk. Therefore because of the usefulness of Acid it is often used as currency in online mode between players, see below.

Players trading

Packaging

Player trading is not done though an official mechanic, but instead utilizes the gifting mechanic of parceling. Two players engaging in a trade must stand in close proximity, drop the trade items on the ground in a camp, and then package and send to the receiver. the recipient then then does the same in return with their end of the bargain.

Because the items are not traded directly, and instead relies on both players ending their end of the bargain, it is vulnerable to scams. Make sure that you trust who you are trading with, and keep an eye out in chat for warnings. If you are unsure if a trading partner is trustworthy, ask them to send first, or trade small volumes instead. Fortunately, scams tend to be relatively rare, but a with anything online, it all depends on individual members of the community.

See the page on Packaging for more information on the mechanic.

Currency

Sulfuric Acid and Moonshine are typically the most popular form of "currency" in most online transactions between players. However, some players prefer to bypass the currency and perform direct barter trades, one item for another.

Sulfuric acid is often abbreviated as @ in chat, and is generally more popular than moonshine as it is more lightweight and can be directly traded to an NPC in Tyumen for highly desired fuel.

Jobs

Sometimes, players can offer "jobs" an "hire" other players. This is usually done by the employer supplying necessary materials to the employee to perform a (usually monotonous or laborious) task, such as chopping wood, forging nails, burning charcoal. The employee then sends back the accumulated materials, and is paid by the employer for their time.

The employer may not have the patience or time to perform the assigned task themselves, especially if they require large volumes of materials (such as charcoal) for more advanced crafting. In addition to getting paid (often in acid), the employee often uses the jobs to gain player experience to level up. Leveling is often a grind, and if you can get paid for it,all the better. The payment for the job is negotiated beforehand between the parties, sometimes with partial payment in advance as insurance or to provide necessary equipment. Available jobs and prices can change frequently, especially with game updates which alter player experience and crafting, so for up to date information it is often best to ask in your local chat.

Ratios

The ratios of the item trading are approximate and not official. A lot depends on supply and demand, and different buyers and sellers.

You might get a great deal from one person, and then a bad one from another.

Forbidden Items

Some items cannot be traded with other players in the Online Mode.

Here is the Forbidden Items list.

NPC RATES

Obsolete pages

Obsolete Trade Route