Fable/Trading

One of the many little things you can do in Fable is trade to earn gold. But don't expect to make easy money, trading in Fable is fairly realistic in the sense that it uses real business concepts. It uses an average cost method for your owned goods, each shop has delivery dates on their stock and they sell their stock cheaper if they have lots on hand, and more expensive if they have little on hand. Yes, the price difference between 3 items on hand and 10 items on hand is exagerated, but the real concept is still there.


 * 1) You have to have it to sell it. You need to find suppliers who offer a good price on goods you can sell elsewhere at a profit.
 * 2) Know who will buy what you can acquire.  Just because you can get a good price on something doesn't mean you will be able to just go and sell it at a good price at the very next stop.  You'll need to learn the fixed shops (the ones in towns) and what you can expect from wandering traders.
 * 3) Profit is still profit. You can go around just selling a few of the most expensive items at a large profit and just ignore the little things, but, 25 little things at 5 profit per item is 125 gold. A single gem can make that much money, but while you're delivering the gem sale it costs you nothing to carry those 25 little items, that you can sell on your way to your destination, or even at your destination, and still make that extra 125 gold. It's all a matter of time vs. profit.
 * 4) How much and at what price. One thing that can make or break your trading operations is buying too much of 1 type of item, which will make your average re-sale cost, too low. Try and maximize your profits by buying until there is a reasonable gap between the next purchase price and the value of the item you are buying.  Then use the price of the next purchase as your maximum selling price.
 * 5) * Example: Buy your first chocolate at 4 gold, buy your last one at 6 gold and then sell them for no less than 8 gold. That way, on every sale you get 2 gold + the average cost for the sale.
 * 6) * Using the example above is a wiser way to buy and sell for a couple of reasons. You may not always get the value of the item you are selling, like the chocolates, their value is 10, but trying to sell everything above or at its value, takes to much time.  Selling 25% of your stock at under value and 50% at above cost, balances out and you make more money for your time than you would trying to sell everything at a max profit.  The other reason is because it gives you a profit margin, I comment on sales are greater than a high profit %, but the difference of 20 items at 1 gold profit each, isn't worth the time it takes to buy and then sell them.
 * 7) * Anyone can go around buying things at the lowest price and only sell them at the best price. You will make large profits this way, but not as many sales, and in the end, someone selling hundreds of items at a low profit average will make far more money than someone making huge profits.
 * 8) Trade Routes.  Starting at one town, buying what you can at good prices, and then walking to the next town selling and even buying goods with the wandering traders.  You will need to learn who, sells what and what you can sell to whom to make money, this way you can avoid poor selling items.