Trader Government

Technically, there isn't a Merchant/Trader government, but it is still one of the types of characters that you can play as. Basically, you just fly all around space, doing missions, as well as buying/selling commodities at each planet you land at. You're a constant target for pirates, but the Rebels or Confeds are willing to defend you, as long as you don't piss them off.

Pros:

There is a lot of money to be made on certain trade routes. If you have large freighter escorts, you can make even more money.

Cons:

It gets pretty boring after a while. Its best to be a merchant in the beginning, then move into being a Rebel, Confed, or Pirate.

First, remember that one of the best ways to make money is to accept and carry out missions. The best missions are those who give you the most money and the most amount of time to deliver the goods. Obviously there is no perfect combination of the two, so decide wisely which missions to accept. Here are some ways to decide if you want to accept a mission or not:

• Make sure you know where it is you're going.
  Although this one seems obvious, decide if the distance is right. Try to find a mission with good pay and a destination close by. It's safer not to have to explore just to find where you are trying to go.

• See how much pay you will get.
  25000 cr is the best you can hope for in the standard EV missions. (except for the emergency medical deliveries) Don't get a mission just for the sake of itself. Wait and find a good one.

• See how much time you have.
  All the "Rush Delivery" missions (worth 25000 cr) give you a time limit, whereas the Ferry Passenger and Transport Cargo missions, although they only give you 10000 cr, give you no time limit (unlimited time). If you have more than one mission to accomplish, make sure that the one with the time limit has higher priority than the one without.

• Pace yourself.
  Decide which route to take to get you to all of your destination without wasting the most time.

Another way to make money, although a little slower and not so interesting, is to exchange commodities. Try selling items at a higher prices than at which you bought them. You'll just have to figure out what the best places to trade are, and once you do, use this knowledge to your advantage. For example, if you have a mission that requires you to stop at Turin V, and you know that something runs exceptionally expensive there, stock up on this item and sell it at your destination at a higher price. Used in conjunction with "Rush Delivery" missions, this can be a very effective way to make money.

Below is a table of all the ships in EV and if they are good for trading:

So, you ask, what are the best ships to be a trader with? Here you are:

CDX Starworks Argosy	Metrowerks V7 Courier
Aerostar Space Industries Clipper	Allied Shipyards' AS129 Light Freighter
Allied Shipyards' AS1300 Bulk Freighter

• Contact the Government Embassy
• Learn How To Be a Trader/Merchant
• Check out the Shipyard's Freighters