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General Discussion / Re: New player : Tarrif questions
« on: October 10, 2019, 10:57:36 AM »Quote
There is nothing stable about entire fleets being wiped out and products failing to reach their destinations as a common problem.But there is already a mechanic for that. Killing a trade fleet does indeed create a shortage, and the victimized planet will have better trade deals as a result.
Tariff trade is still very useful as a way of avoiding fleet inspections. It is far more costly to lose faction rep and have a pile of goods seized. Even worse, it's terrible to get into a battle with a friend because you didn't want to pay their tariff.
It is perhaps a bit disingenuous to assume that "tariff/BM trade" automatically means "legal/illegal trade". A "tariff" can just as well be paying off inspection officers to look the other way, which given the rather unstable nature of the sector, seems more likely than not. The final legality of the trade only cares about the goods in your fleet. If you gobble up piles of regular goods and trade at black markets, there's no problem. It's still legal enough, and it's definitely profitable.