User:Thaddeus Kastelanski/Drafts

This article is dedicated to exploring the additional concerns or considerations for conducting Planetary Industry (PI) in Null Security (Nullsec) space. Some statements or conclusions here are valid for other areas of dangerous space, such as High Security (Highsec) space in wartime or Wormholes, though profitability will vary by region of space.

Comparing PI in Highsec to Nullsec

PI encompasses the two activities of extracting planetary resources and processing these raw resources into more advanced products. The amount of resources available for extraction on a planet is influenced by two factors:

1. The parent system's Security Level. Lower system security correlates with greater amounts of resources.
2. Competing resource extraction on the same planet. More players extracting resources from a given planet correlates with lower amounts of resources.

These two factors might lead to the conclusion that PI is not worth the time or effort, in particular if we focus on conducting PI in Highsec space. In Highsec, PI profitability is already diminished by the higher security level, even more so in crowded regions of space.

Null Security (Nullsec) space is also likely to have competing resource extraction activity, but a lower security level means greater resource abundance and higher extraction yields overall. If only examining these two factors, then the logical conclusion is that Nullsec is better for profitability.

Moreover, the majority of Customs Offices in Nullsec are owned by player corporations, which typically means much lower tax rates when moving resources or products to or from a planet. In Highsec, there is an unavoidable 5-10% tax on top of the rate set by the owning corporation, depending on the Customs Code Expertise skill. This skill does not affect Player-Owned Customs Office (POCO) rates in Nullsec.

However, Nullsec PI is not without compromises or hidden costs:

• Nullsec is dangerous. Bubbles, stronger rats, and gatecamps are plentiful. CONCORD is not present to intervene in conflicts. Any neutral pilot is a potential aggressor, and many roaming gangs have a habit of visiting during peak EVE_Lexicon#PvE times.
• Most high-volume trade hubs are found outside of Nullsec. If a player expects to sell PI products on the market, then the goods need to first reach the intended market.

These two factors lead to the myth that PI just isn't worth the hassle. That myth comes from people who try to do PI in HiSec. In HiSec, you begin with planets that already have poor resources due to the high Security Status even before you have the unwashed masses sucking each planet dry for anything and everything, so the profit that you make is often really low. NullSec is different because the planets are rich in resources and the local traffic is very low, meaning we can easily turn a great profit for very little effort. Depending on the markets, very simple P0>P2 extraction planets can generate between 3-5M ISK a day. If you are running 5 planets, that is roughly 15-25M ISK or a fully fit T1 Cruiser, per day, for free.

With that in mind, why would anyone not want to do PI in NullSec if they are already living there? You should know that your return will depend on the markets, how often you micromanage your setup and how efficient your planets are. Your mileage will vary!