Difference between revisions of "Trading"

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[[File:trading_icon_preview.png|right]]'''Trading''' in ''Dwarf Fortress'' allows your dwarves to trade with friendly [[civilization]]s. They can barter their excess goods for items they need, possibly even items they can't otherwise acquire for themselves. Trade can make up for the lack of [[Industry|industries]] you neglected or don't find interesting, provide resources that aren't available where your dwarves settled, replace key tools you lost or accidentally destroyed, and allow you more freedom in selecting starting gear and skills at [[embark]]. Trading generally begins in the first [[Calendar|autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|dwarven]] [[caravan]] from your home [[civilization]].

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Before you can begin trading, you need to designate what goods to trade and have the fortress's representative trader located at the [[trade depot]]. Select the trade depot and then click either "Broker requested at depot" or "Anyone requested at depot" if you have no [[broker]] [[noble]] assigned. Be aware that without an assigned [[broker]], it's likely a random, probably unskilled dwarf will volunteer to conduct the trade. Next click "Move goods to/from depot" to be presented with a list of all items in your fortress that belong to you. Mark the goods you want to sell --insert clever advice--, and your dwarves will begin moving them to the depot. If you are unsure about which goods are in which containers, clicking the bin or barrel within the menu will show every item that is stored inside, along with its perceived value (using your broker's [[Appraisal]] skill). However, individual items cannot be marked if they are in a container. Note that during this step, we are just moving the goods physically to the trade depot, and that containers like [[barrels]] and [[bins]] must be moved with all of their contents (although for bins you will have an opportunity to specify which contained items you wish to trade).

Once the trade goods are moved to the depot and your trader has arrived, select the depot again and finally click the "Trade" button to enter the trade menu. In the trade menu, select the items to offer from the right and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower left corner. If your trader has sufficient [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed with reasonable accuracy. Once the proposal is ready, click the "Trade" button to propose the trade; merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Clicking the "Offer as gift" button instead will make a gift of the selected items. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the trader's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the trader. If the Trader Profit is listed in green rather than yellow or red the trade will always be accepted.{{Verify}}

Note if you give or trade away an [[Artifact|artifact]], you will receive a special notification:

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Unless you are looking for [[fun]], under no conditions should you offer or trade items which involve animal products, wood, or used wood in their creation (clear glass, for example) to [[elves]], as they will refuse the trade, take offense, and leave, possibly damaging relations enough to provoke a war between you and the elven civilization you traded with. They will accept their own "grown wood" items in trade without insult, however. See below and the [[elves]] page for more detailed information.

* Create your trading depot inside your fort, preferably in the beginning. Place a 3-tile wide path—which must be free of obstructions such as stairways, traps, minecart tracks and boulders (not stones)—to the entrance of the fort and position war-trained animals along it (chains do not block wagons); this will help to protect the traders and keep the depot close to your supplies.