Well im making a new main today and i was just wondering what are the top 3 crew skills for making money now a days. Im on the Jedi Covenant server if that helps. Also ive heard that slicing and UWT are good not sure if thats true.

 

Please and Thank you

if you play one of the force sensitive classes pick, slicing+archeology+synthweave if you play one of the other two classes, pick armormech+scavenging+slicing.

 

You use slicing for cash, augment materials and selling missions you cant run.

 

You use scavenging/archeology to gather materials to level up armormech/synth but you keep all the items crafted till 1.3.

 

If you are/reach level 50 and dont have better than rakata bracers/wrists buy the materials required and craft them, dont sweat yourself on getting an augment slot for them.

 

If you are done with leveling up the crew skills keep gathering grade 6 materials and try to learn and research augment schematics.

 

When 1.3 hits, Reverse engineer all low level items you have crafted, sell the augment kits and craft augments for low level items and sell them, use the credits you have to gather grade 6 materials and buy orange belt/bracer schematics, craft and sell anything you can based on what offers the best margin in the GTN.

slicing is great for money, if you are doing it out in the world. picking up the lockboxes around the world adds up pretty quick. even post 50 as you are doing dailies. really if you are just doing it for money and do not care about taking time to grind up crafting and get schematics and such, just grab slicing, bio, and archeology and sell off the mats you gather as you level (scavenging mats are a lot more common than bio and arch). then once you hit 50 you can shift into the mission based skills, underworld trading, investigation and maybe keep slicing.

 

you could potentially make more money grinding out a true crafting skill but the time and effort is likely not worth it unless you really want to be a crafter. and since it sounds like you are more interested in credits, you definitely do not want to take the time and money while leveling up, maybe post 50.

If you are like many of us, you are now on a much fuller server coming from a light one. If this is the case, the rules have changed for making money. Heavy servers have a much more volatile economy, with prices generally approaching cost (as numerous people are doing what you're doing now) and then shooting back up.

 

There can be a much greater potential for more profit on a fuller server, but it may be more difficult to find and it may only be temporary. As prices decrease to the point of cost, sellers will realize its no longer worth it to sell these items, and may stop selling it because doing so has become a waste of time. As more sellers stop, and if the demand exceeds the supply...the item may be bought out. It is at this point sellers can begin selling again at higher prices and see a profit. This window of opportunity is limited as eventually the other sellers realize there is once again a profit in selling the item.

 

Generally this will take place with consumables like stims and medpacs, but it can also happen with nice crafted gear like Columi earpieces and implants. There is even a market for lower gear and weapons, however on a fuller server, many will opt for the prototype gear that will be floating about, and these are usually sold for less than what you want to sell your crafting stuff for.

 

It will take at least a week for prices to begin to stabilize on the super-servers, but it is my initial view that the most money will be made in farming materials. Since Bioanalysis has always been a favorite, these may be the most farmed with lower prices...where Scavenging and Archaeology seeing higher prices.

 

Keep in mind many people roll alts, and many power-level their crew skills. This creates a demand for many materials, even low tier mats.

 

So its really up to you. Biochem is the most useful personally cause crit-crafting Rakata won't be necessary once we can all augment-kit all our gear. I am noticing that since everyone is Biochem, the profits will drop off significantly from stims/implants. The only real profit is Exotech stims, and you could raid for 6 months and not get one of those schematics. If you put in the effort and keep an eye on the market, you can profit with any crew skill, if not straight up farming.

If your only objective is to make money, then I would say Slicing first, Scavaging second, and then either Archeology or Bioanalysis.

 

The gathering skills offer a chance to level up while bringing your new character along just by hitting nodes and skinning (scavaging droid kills or sucking goo out of monsters) as you go. Slicing provides lockboxes as you quest than can offer a ton of money and the missions bring in crafting missions, crafting schematics, and augmentors as well as lockboxes. I have found Slicing to be a big win. The other gathering skills bring mats that can be sold. I have been constantly surprised at how well mats sell at all levels and the prices they bring. From the low level alts that I am progressing to my main running dailies, I finish each play session with a ton of lockboxes and stacks of mats.

 

Contray to the prior poster, I have found that the results appear to be pop independent and suspect it is more related to the ratio of buyers to sellers. For example, my main (and most other characters) is on a medium to low level server and most mats sell well and generate quite a bit of revenue. On the other hand, I rolled an alt on one of the top five servers and he has a million credits plus at level 17 without being much played. The scarcity of materials on the high pop server has surprised me. I do go back and forth between the two servers to compare prices. There are indeed variations but over any period other than very short term, the prices are comparable.

 

Again if money is your only objective, I would say stay away from UT and TH and other such crafting skills. They can provide items that go at a high price and that is impressive, but if you look at the cost and time involved based on the number of rng missions that you have to run, the return is not as great as gathering and selling. Besides, when I send my companions out to run missions, slicing (love them augmentors and crafting missions) still gives the best return. LOL, I also do quite a bit of crafting for me and my wife and find that I eat most of the higher level mats that I get through UT and TH, etc. and they never make it to market. I am constantly tempted by the prices but am now starting to hoard the purples in my cargo hold to see what 1.3 brings. So right now they are a net revenue loss.

Edited June 14, 2012 by asbalana

Your post wasn't contrary to mine at all. It is 100% about the relationship between supply/demand, however with larger populations, 3x old Fatman, there will be much more of both. On lower pop servers, you could narrow down an item category and pretty much have a monopoly for pricing. Either people bought your item or went without. On a very high pop server, pretty much everything will have at least two sellers that will be undercutting each other, which the long this goes on...the more the prices approach cost. (when supply > demand)

 

As the price lowers, sellers drop off to stop wasting their time with low profit margins, and eventually demand will be greater than supply...and ideally for the remaining seller..the item will be bought out. Then the seller can set a new higher price. Higher population servers will see this much more often than low pop ones..and for more item categories.

 

You are 100% correct though on slicing and the gathering skills. I really think these are the way to go right now. I would just add about the Underworld/Treasure. These may or may not be worth it, but only if you are using the one-time missions from Slicing. Praying for a mission crit is often a loss. You will need to check the prices of the missions, the materials, and the items that can be made with the materials to see if it is worth it for you on your server.

I understand what you two are say and I've been on this server (Jedi Covenant) for over a month and i knew what would sell and what wouldn't but now our pop has easily doubled(before we had 115 in fleet now we have easily over 250) so its a lot harder. and i was just wondering sure fire way to make money i had heard underworld trader but from what you guys are telling its not. i already have bio and slicing (gathering) so i should take out UWT and put in scavenger or archaeology?

Well im making a new main today and i was just wondering what are the top 3 crew skills for making money now a days. Im on the Jedi Covenant server if that helps. Also ive heard that slicing and UWT are good not sure if thats true.

 

Please and Thank you

 

I go Archeology/scavaging/bioanalysis on all my characters and just gather as I go and sell for credits. I'm to the point now I dont even have to gather mats if I did not want too as there are tons of people who dont know the GTN works and just place mats up for base price around 23 credits per unit. I buy all those up and look for other people who undercut by tons and buy those up as well. Doing this and reselling for the going rate alone supplies me enough to where gathering isnt even needed.

 

edit: only put up for 1 day or 12 hours because you tend to get undercut a ton with a larger server. Doing this easily nets me about 300-700k a day

Edited June 14, 2012 by Raora

I understand what you two are say and I've been on this server (Jedi Covenant) for over a month and i knew what would sell and what wouldn't but now our pop has easily doubled(before we had 115 in fleet now we have easily over 250) so its a lot harder. and i was just wondering sure fire way to make money i had heard underworld trader but from what you guys are telling its not. i already have bio and slicing (gathering) so i should take out UWT and put in scavenger or archaeology?

 

Biochem or Bioanalysis? The only real surefire way to make credits is dailies and farming lockboxes. Everything else you will just need to keep an eye on the market.

 

I cannot tell you for sure if you should drop UT, but really isn't the only benefit Grade 6 purple mats? And for these you need the one-time missions to guarantee acquiring some (from Slicing). Take a look at the mission prices and the underworld metal prices over a few days and then decide. But like I said it may take more than a week for prices to begin stabilizing with the new populations.

Based on my experience I've had success with selling mats and crafted stuff. With my cybertech I've sold lots of lower level mods and armor. The level 50 speeder sells for 200,000 if you can get mandalorian armor at a good price. With biotech the blue medpacks always sell especially the highest level ones and I've had success sell stims.

 

If you find high level bioanalysis missions they sell all the time, I usually purchase 5 at a time if I can they go fast. Always keep an eye on prices and price your stuff according. I look to see the lowest and price my stuff the same. I don't like to to undercut the lowest because I want the most credits and I don't want to drive prices lower. Although there are times where I will hold on to my stuff because some people will just price there items at the GTN default price or I know that my mats and gear will sell higher based on experience.

On lower pop servers, you could narrow down an item category and pretty much have a monopoly for pricing. Either people bought your item or went without. On a very high pop server, pretty much everything will have at least two sellers that will be undercutting each other, which the long this goes on...the more the prices approach cost.

 

The trick is to "nip this in the bud". Too many crafters make (what I consider) the mistake of pricing as high as they possibly can get away with. All this does is bring in that competitive/undercutting cycle. (including making competitors of people who probably wouldn't have ever even been, as they would have been happy to just buy it themselves at a more "reasonable" price) Sure, you'll make a killing in the short term, but in the long run prices will tend to settle down lower than they would have been had you just priced more reasonably to begin with. (I disagree with the oscillation, as that hasn't been my experience. People are *quick* to jump back in when the price goes back up a bit, particularly when they aren't restriced to one skill a server.) Pricing at a more reasonable price will tend to discourage that cycle from ever starting in the first place. When people see something going for only 2x cost, (or 3x) they're far less likely to jump on the bandwagon (or choose to make it themselves) than something going for 10x cost.

 

(augmented sabers being the most common example right now. It takes maybe 20k and 3-4 hours to make one yourself *from scratch*. i.e. starting at 0 skill, yet you see people trying to sell them for 200+k. That *may* work on a seriously underpopulated server, but on any server with a population, people are going to see that price and jump in the market, most likely depressing the market below where it would have stood with a more reasonable initial price, probably permanently, since even if prices drop to near cost, even when they start up again they'll already have the skill and be quick to jump back in.)

 

The trick, of course, is dealing with the resellers. You don't get to set your prices in a complete vacuum, and they ARE just in it for the quick buck. They don't care if their prices create permanent additional competition. So, you have to be careful with your prices. High enough that you can stay in stock/discourage (somewhat) resellers. Low enough that you aren't encouraging unneccessary added competition.

 

Generally, what I try to do is guesstimate what *I* think is a fair price. A price I'll be ok with if it sells at that price. If it's something I'm pretty sure will sell reasonably quickly, then I don't put 'em up for sale until I have several. Once it's up for sale, I continue making more. If the rate at which they are selling outpaces the rate at which I'm willing/able to make new ones, then I bump up the price some. Eventually it will reach equilibrium(ish). (Note: If just testing the market, then I'll only make a single one to start, just to see how it goes). If I start stockpiling more than I care to? I lower the prices.

I kinda get what you are saying so i dont put it too high tht or too low. keep it a "fair" price. i get you and ty for the advice ill use it soon but the thing is i was wondering about the crew skills to get. right now i have Slicing bioanalysis and scavenger. are these any good or are their better ones?

The best way to make money is to find an item you like and make it your own. Don't allow anyone else to sell that item for any price other then the price you set.

 

In order to do this you'll need about 5million credits in capital and a decent stockpile of the item you want.

 

Then whenever someone lists the item you want for less then the price you are selling it for, you buy it and relist it at your price. Unfortunately this method takes some dedication, but if you can pull it off you can make a good amount of money. This obviously works better with rarer items because you naturally have less competition. I wouldn't attempt it with resources unless you have a lot of time and capital.

 

If you want to make steady money using only your crew skills I'd probably say use slicing and archeology and just sell mats. They are cheap to get and always sell.