Ways to make money

[SudenUni]

Hey, I've been trying to send caravans from a city to a new one, hoping that I will receive a good profit, but it is totally not worth it. I really don't want to start raiding randoms villages, because last time I did this, I had a bunch of enemies on my ass, lol. What are best ways to make thaler ?

 

[Captain Alatrise]

Buy supplies from villages and ferry them to larger towns. You can also buy cattle, slaughter them right outside a city's walls, then sell the beef for a pretty fair price. This can be especially lucrative if you're a neutral character that won't be jumped by aggravated lords.

While you're at it, watch out for any parties of rebels, deserters, brigands and looters. You get a small amount of thaler from winning each battle (and also a small renown boost), and you can sell the captured weapons and armor at towns.

I also usually like to pick a faction to beat on. Usually just one, a faction which is usually kind of wealthy, and raid their caravans. That can not only help boost your renown considerably, but taking the goods from the caravan and selling them can also help give you some money.

Keep an eye out for quests, too. Debt-collection ones are kind of boring, but they're handy early game because you can use them essentially as small loans with no interest. Use them to buy better equipment and hire better soldiers, then go looking for brigands or caravans, etc.

 

[SudenUni]

Well, if I pick on a faction, and say I meet up with its NPCs, then I'll be kinda screwed. But its a good ideea. The point is, I want to get those epic weapons&armor from the city merchant, which cost a lot.

Also, I think I will have to join a faction at some time, because I miss those epic 500people battles.

 

[Captain Alatrise]

Yeah, joining a faction is pretty much a must. But your first priority should be getting a decent set of weapons and armor (not custom made quite yet) and a good 20-40 man army. After that, your renown should be high enough that a faction will take you without waffling.

If you get a fief, make sure you get your elder to hire a treasurer, they'll get you more money faster from taxes that way.

 

[SudenUni]

And what is a fief ?

 

[Captain Alatrise]

It's when you get a land holding, like a fortress or a town - or even a big city - granted to you by your king. You either get one right when you join the faction (if your renown is high enough and they have extra land lying around) or you can request one if you personally captured the fortress in question.

 

[jackx]

Caravans are the way to go, and opportunistic manual trading along the caravan routes.
There's a good trading/caravan guide to be found here that should help you obtain decent profits.

Later in the game, you can live off interest and the income from your fiefs, but there's really no alternative to successful trading to get to that point.

You get a discount on handcrafted items you order in your own settlements, but beware, in the unmodded game, many of them have disappointingly weak stats, worse than a lot of what you can regularly buy from the marketplace.

 

[bobross419]

Buy powder in Towns for less than 300 and sell at Castles/Fortresses for 800+.  Very lucrative.

 

[Lithuanian army]

how to send a caravan???

 

[bobross419]

Talk to the Mayor, ask about trade.  Tell him you'd like to send a caravan.  Select goods, destination and guards.

 

[mnince]

*playing on version 1.143

  1. The easiest way to make money is to buy powder (found in quite a few cities) for less than 250 and sell at fortresses/castles for more than 750.  This gets you starting money quickly (can also be used throughout the game). 
  2. Now you have some starting money. You can now either a. search for companions (guides are available for maximizing companion parties and builds) or b. attack small bands of looters/bandits/rebels in order to level up your trade (or obviously a, then b, etc.). 
  3. Once you have 5-7000 gold, search for expensive trade routes.  For example, Azaq-Kale and the russian city next to it (Cherkassk) have lots of cheap iron you can sell for lots of money. They should have, between them, 15-20 iron.  Before you buy, however, in the market menu, the top bar says "Asses  prices".  Click this, and after a little while, it will tell you the city with the highest price for your iron (if it's not there, just try again).  You need to have at least 1 point in trade for this to work.  Buy all the iron from one city and sell it at the other. Do not buy/sell more than enough to give you 20 iron in the city you are selling at.  Talk to the mayor, and send a caravan, laden with 20 iron to the city with the highest price. Take as many guards as you feel necessary to protect it along the way.  I usually minimize the guards I take with me, and defend it myself, but that's your choice. The caravan will more than pay for the small loss you took buying and selling at whatever city you bought the iron from.
  4. Repeat these steps (buying goods from surrounding cities and selling them at one city in order to get 20 to send in a caravan) for any expensive goods you find. I've found good prices for iron at Azaq-Kale, tools at Krakov, Oil at Vilna, and Furs at Pskov/Moscow.

  Using these steps, my dude now has reinforced Black Armor, a Good Miquelet Carabine, a Balanced Good Broadsword, rides a Heavy Courser, and has a fully armed and armored party of companions and mercenaries. About to unleash death on the enemies of Poland.

 

[Golradir]

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,209208.0.html
Or just read that a bit

 

[Glycerius]

The 'assess prices' function in the marketplace and buying gunpowder wherever it's under 300, preferably under 200, is an easy way. Try to get at least 50 troops in an army early to save having to run from bandits and others like them.

 

[bekk]

Actually the best way to make money is to develope a half finished game and still release it with big promises about new features which will come in further patches.
Then just do nothing about 9 months and dont communicate at all with the community about it because they have already paid.

We learn it in the university as a theory called the "Fire & Sword Cashcow" in the course "How to **** up a community which supported you for years".