Trade
In RimWorld, colonists can traded with passing trade vessels to sell extra resources and people , and/or buy supplies and slaves.
During the light season, trading vessels will often pass in comms range during a limited time. A message will show up to announce what kind of vessel is in comms range, and a simple notice will tell when the trading vessel is out of comms range (unavailable to trade anymore).
To enable trading, a colony must have at least a powered Comms console. Any colonist can be selected and ordered to engage trading with available vessels by right-clicking on the Comms console. After selecting the trading vessel, the trade screen opens.
This screen is divided between three tabs: Commodities, People and Weapons. Commodities allows the trading of resources , People allows to sell Prisoners and buy slaves, and Weapons allows to trade carried weapons.
A Comms console allows to contact a trade vessel and sell resources, people and weapon. In order to buy from a trader, a colony needs a Landing area. Bought items and people will arrive by landing pod inside this area.
Trade tips
- Each trade vessel type has a different range of available commodities, people and weapons. Use the table below to spot the good bargains.
- The more the Social skill of the colonist using the Comms console, the less will be the buying prices of everything but the Commodities.
- Likewise, the more the Social skill of the colonist using the Comms console, the more will be the selling prices of everything but the Commodities.
- Selling a prisoner is profitable, but has a negative love impact on all the other colonists.
- As of build 213, food can be very quickly grown on Hydroponics table, which makes it a profitable cash cow provided there's enough manpower to tend to the ever-growing crops.
| Food | Metal | Medikit | Uranium | Shells | Missiles | People | Weapons | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | Buy | Sell | |
| Farming vessel | $8 | $5 | $20 | $10 | $80 | $40 | $40 | $20 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Industrial trader | $10 | $8 | $8 | $5 | $40 | $30 | $15 | $10 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Slave trader | $20 | $10 | $10 | $8 | $80 | $40 | ✗ | ✗ | $8 | $5 | $75 | $50 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Combat supplier | $20 | $10 | $10 | $8 | $80 | $40 | $20 | $15 | $8 | $5 | $75 | $50 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Buy = Buy from the trader
Sell = Sell to the trader