Princess Jodi
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Posted - 2005.02.24 23:57:00 -
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When you are calculating profit, you must think in terms of Ship-Hours. Anyone mining anything will not make a penny unless the ores are hauled and refined, then hauled to market. All that takes time. So while it may seem as though Scordite mining is a gold mine, the other costs diminish the pure mining numbers.
For example, mining Scordite does take contant concentration, frequent transfers to cans, frequent pick-ups, and you must enter risky space to find asteroids that won't pop in 10 minutes. Insta-Jumps are about useless, as the miners keep moving. Ore thieves are more prevalent in normal belts than in Ice belts. While Mining drones can be used, you then have need of protection from Rats. Then your ores must be refined at a station that is 100% friendly to your corp, or you will lose some in station fees. Sales of refined minerals have taxes, and selling the minerals may require multiple jumps to find a buyer for the quantites you produce. Once the buyer gets his minerals, he's generally not a repeat client. Many more ships are needed to complete the cycle, so there are more Ship-Hours used, and more mouths to feed.
Ice mining never pops an asteroid, so no time is wasted switching rocks. The 7.5 minute cycle gives you time to run an Alt or fold your laundry. Personally, when I haul for Ice Miners, I have time to do a cargo run before I need to return to pick up more Ice. Insta-Jumps can be used to get you right back to the can. Drones can be deployed as protection, and since Ice can be mined in high-security space, they will serve nicely to protect you. Once you mine Ice, you can either choose to use it yourself, or you can set up a contract with a POS owner who will pick it up. If you want Ice, you don't just need a few thousand units of something to complete a project - you want it forever. That means no time is spent hauling refined products to market. Very few ships are needed for Ice mining, so the total Ship-Hours are reduced in comparasion to strip mining.
So you are not really comparing Apples to Apples. They are different occupations, with different risks and rewards.
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