Overview
Trading Posts act a bit like a market, but are private businesses. Assigning yourself or a worker to 'Sell Goods' at a trading post will allow you to sell any goods in the inventory directly to customers.
When using automation at a business you can tell its carts to send goods straight to your trading posts.
Once the 'Caravans' upgrade is applied you will also be able to create caravans using a horse cart, this allows you to send goods off the map for higher profit.
Applying the 'Carriages' upgrade will allow your trading post to act as a kind of 'taxi hub' and allow you to buy carriages and assign carriage drivers. NPCs can then hire these for rides around the map.
There is also a ‘Cart Logistics’ upgrade that allows you to setup trade routes. You can use trade routes to automatically haul specified goods between different buildings at a regular interval. For instance you could setup a cart to go around to different businesses and collect goods then drop those goods off at sheds.
Trading Posts are usually used as a supplementary business to sell your goods directly to customers. However, they can also be used as a solo money maker; by watching the markets and buying overstocked goods, storing them until they're needed, and then selling them directly to people.
Upgrades
Upgrade | Cost | Description |
Smart Trading | 2000 | Get an extra 10% from each sale made directly from your Trading Post. |
Carriages | 600 | Allows you to buy carriages and assign workers as carriage drivers. |
Caravans | 1600 | Once you have horse carts the horses will be taught of far away places and be able to haul caravans across country. |
Cart Logistics | 800 | Allows you to setup trade routes with the pony and ox carts at this building. |