They post those low prices because people pick up contracts at those low prices.

Unionize, get better pay (i.e. join a corp).

The rewards don't bother me. If the collateral were lower, I could move 2 or 4 packages at a time, giving me a higher ISK per hour.

I am thinking about joining a PvE corp, but I'd like to find a good one. There's also the fact that I'm not sure if this is something I want to do for months to come.

But yes.... you're correct.

you should be upset at yourself for accepting slave work and slave wages

Before anyone makes assumptions....

Yes, the last part was in jest. I don't think industrial players are evil, I suspect they're just terrified of losing a shipment and the game allows them to offload that fear as massive collateral. I don't think pirates are evil hordes of orcs, it just feels that way when you shoot at me.

I do 'fly safe.' I have warp stablizers, never autopilot, and a frigate with those rigs that increase your agility. I'm training cloaking right now.

'Don't fly what you can't afford to lose' is excellent advice, as is 'avoid low-sec,' sadly, if I only pick high-sec jobs with under 10 million collateral, I'm looking at about 90k per hour. I might as well PVE for that.

I'm aware that with a low collateral, people would take a contract just to get the stuff, and the industrialist would be SOL. I also understand there's quite a bit of inflation right now. It's a self-serving whine, as most of them are.

Go join red frog or something if you want to actually make money hauling

I have found myself taking on a courier contract out of a some random need to wander systems for an hour or so. But i have to give you kudos for jumping right into the low sec hauling while being a new character.

I'm not sure I'm ready to be upset with myself over not making enough money in a game.

That said, I'm not sure what you're suggesting. Should I mine? Should I just continue to PvE? PvEing feels like I'm opting out of the game.

I do dislike the idea of quitting after one weekend.

I started with Amarr lowsec, which is safer than Caldari lowsec.

Actually, the average person I encounter in low-sec seems friendlier than those I meet around the trade hubs.

...maybe they're just trying to lower my guard.

5 Jumps through High Sec GÇô 1 million reward GÇô 3 BILLION collateral

Why?!

Why don't you just do npc courier missions? They pay better.

Player courier contracts, like Jita local, exist only as scams, and are not worth reading through.

The collateral is higher than the value of the good you are transporting because otherwise you could just steal the stuff in the contract and make a profit. It is that simple. The guy making the contract is not scamming you, he is making sure you are not scamming him.

Why on earth are you doing this in a FRIGATE instead of an industrial ship?!?!?!

Last night, someone listed a package for 1.86 m at a 40m collateral located in a .2 system. I was literally shaking as I picked it up and took it to Jita. Hauling for players feels like playing a game of Russian roulette using a gun with 100 cylinders.

Yeah...they're hoping to kill you and keep the collateral, fyi.

So - frequently, when you deliver on one of those lop-sided contracts, you're shafting a ganker.

Why don't you just do npc courier missions? They pay better.

Player courier contracts, like Jita local, exist only as scams, and are not worth reading through.

So - frequently, when you deliver on one of those lop-sided contracts, you're shafting a ganker.

What does the scammer lose if you successfully deliver? The 1 mil isk reward?

I use courier contracts almost daily to ship items all across EVE. I wouldn't even consider hauling anything around highsec myself, unless I need it right away. In the time it would take me to do the hauling I could make fifty times what I have to pay the hauler. Plus if I get blown up, my stuff is gone and I'm SOL. If a courier gets blown up, I get paid, and I make money.

There are two values input when creating the contract: the collateral and the reward.

The collateral depends only on the value of items I want shipped. It is a simple insurance - if you fail (willingly or not) to ship the contract, I don't lose money. As I always overcollateralize, I actually make money if a hauler is being dumb, picks up six contracts with a billion ISK of stuff in each, and gets blown up. If I ship 500M worth of items, I will set the collateral to 550M - regardless of distance, volume, sec status, etc.

The reward is dictated by the open market, just like everything in EVE. As long as there is enough people willing to move billions of ISK and thousands of m^3 across half the galaxy for pennies, I have no rational reason to pay more. There is no hate or compassion for newbies involved, no desire to screw anyone over or throw ISK at people. Business is business.

Yes, the result in the current state of EVE is a very harsh contract market. Pretty much everything (including highsec mining) can make you more money than picking up courier contracts, if you can be at least somewhat behind the keyboard. But due to the high supply of haulers, courier contracts will always be as cheap as is the cheapest hauler willing to accept.


However don't quit just yet if you want to live the life of a space truck driver. There are heaps of ISK to be made hauling items between different trade hubs. Look for systems where people need to buy a lot of stuff - starter systems, mission hubs, nullsec entrances. See if you can find items that sell that you can buy cheaper in a trade hub and move them there for profit. The offers aren't given to you on a silver plate, but once you find out how to spot profitable trades, you will be rolling in ISK.