Porter trade secrets

[gredoo]

How much do you make on average per hour?
What is the average price paid per port?
Should I join a porting guild?
Does this work like taxis where you are supposed to wait your turn or can I compete in the free market offering lower prices than the competition?
Wheres the best place to port?
Am I better camping at a hot spot doing quick rides or should I am for the long hauls (like taxis).


Trying to decide if the weekend of lost farming while I PL a druid is worth it.

[Wonkie]

/ooc trading my dignity for platinum, who wants to ride me?

[Ella`Ella]

with a Z heart, White Dragon Scale Boots, Pre-Nerf Fungi Staff, Wiz Epic, and a Manastone and you can make some pretty good coin porting people around.

[gredoo]

/ooc trading my dignity for platinum, who wants to ride me?

Bro I used yaulp to get out of guk bot because I couldn't move due to all the fine steel. Having some dignity is the least of my concerns.

After seeing: https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277707 I'm interested in this as a fall back plan if I don't get the answers to the hard hitting questions in this thread.

[gredoo]

with a Z heart, White Dragon Scale Boots, Pre-Nerf Fungi Staff, Wiz Epic, and a Manastone and you can make some pretty good coin porting people around.

Hummm that's a pricey upstart cost. I guess most taxi drivers don't own their own medallions. What will you charge to rent these items?

[Moerne]

I leveled up my druid guilded with DaP for the most part, so these are somewhat informed responses:

How much do you make on average per hour? It really depends. If it's a busy time, I could usually do almost 500p an hour. Slow times closer to 100p

What is the average price paid per port? If they are higher level (50-6), I usually see about 50p. Lower levels it varies a lot, but probably averages around 20.

Should I join a porting guild? If your goal is to make port cash, yes. Dial gets most of the "look up a porter" business, otherwise you have to try to go out and find the clients yourself.

Does this work like taxis where you are supposed to wait your turn or can I compete in the free market offering lower prices than the competition? Most druids don't advertise a price per se, but it definitely a free market. No "lines" that I know of.

Wheres the best place to port? Probably either hammer hill in OT or maybe east commons tunnel for independents. Can get a few people at west commons ring too.

Am I better camping at a hot spot doing quick rides or should I am for the long hauls (like taxis). Long hauls (like running somewhere to do a pickup) are risky. Often you get there only to find the client has taken another ride, or their promise of a big tip is no where near reasonable for making the run. I wouldn't usually do them, unless it was really slow, there was a corpse run involved, or it was someone I knew.

[gredoo]

How much do you make on average per hour? It really depends. If it's a busy time, I could usually do almost 500p an hour. Slow times closer to 100p


Rough that's not so great. I guess if i'm half afk it's better than making zero. Not great though.


Should I join a porting guild? If your goal is to make port cash, yes. Dial gets most of the "look up a porter" business, otherwise you have to try to go out and find the clients yourself.


So I really just need to include dial in my name so /who all dial shows up. I suppose I lose the advantage of going /anon if I am totally afk and can't service people.

[QUOTE=Moerne;2768955]
Most druids don't advertise a price per se, but it definitely a free market. No "lines" that I know of.
[quote]

See based on your 50pp price point I could advertise 40pp and under cut the competition if there are lots of druids at a hot spot like OT.

This is helpful. My main concern about going at this on my own is a 'accident' happening to me. :(

[gredoo]

Maybe following skarlorn's advice and doing a Seafury hustle is a safer and more profitable route. 2k a hour is nothing to sneeze at if 500pp a hour is a 'good' return.

[d3r14k]

How much do you make on average per hour?

A little less than 1k per hour is average.
What is the average paid per port?
40pp
Should I join a porting guild?
If you want! You will make more in ports at the expense of not raiding.
Does this work like taxis where you are supposed to wait your turn or can I compete in the free market offering lower prices than the competition?
Free market seems like it gets less business, but I may be wrong about that.
Wheres the best place to port?
EC tunnel, WC rings, OT hammer hill, OT ramp, CoM, KC
Am I better camping at a hot spot doing quick rides or should I am for the long hauls (like taxis).
Tag up (if you go with a guild like DaP), bind in a hot spot

[Schaduwridder]

why don't one of you guys make a phone app for ports on p99

[Triiz]

Maybe following skarlorn's advice and doing a Seafury hustle is a safer and more profitable route. 2k a hour is nothing to sneeze at if 500pp a hour is a 'good' return.

I think you missed a very key part of the thread you linked

I am posting this now because thanks to Telin, Seafuries are no longer the ridiculous plat factories they once were.

There is zero chance you will make anything close to 2k an hour off anything related to nerfed seafuries.

[gredoo]

why don't one of you guys make a phone app for ports on p99

Dunno why no one has done that yet. Someone motivated could take pp from your character that you then use on the site for ports and the site pays out to the druids.


give money to billy in EC who adds money to your account on porters.com
link your characters to porters.com
when you need a port you use the webapp and confirm the price
the nearest druid comes to pick you up and take you where you're going
when you arrive safely you confirm on the webapp that everything is good
once a week or so (or after X pp) the druid is paid in pp. The people running the service and the players doing the "accept pp from riders" get a cut.
dispute's get handled by the org and withhold payment to druids who don't deliver
port pricing fluctuates depending on volume

[aaezil]

Hard cringe

Play the game?

[loramin]

A little less than 1k per hour is average.

Dial a Porter's often says "1k an hour" here in the forums, but in my experience that's BS. Sure on an optimal day with steady customers and good tips 1k an hour (or more) is absolutely possible ... but if you're talking about an average hour:

How much do you make on average per hour? It really depends. If it's a busy time, I could usually do almost 500p an hour. Slow times closer to 100p

This is the honest answer.

[bigjeff100]

How much do you make on average per hour?
What is the average price paid per port?
Should I join a porting guild?
Does this work like taxis where you are supposed to wait your turn or can I compete in the free market offering lower prices than the competition?
Wheres the best place to port?
Am I better camping at a hot spot doing quick rides or should I am for the long hauls (like taxis).


Trying to decide if the weekend of lost farming while I PL a druid is worth it.

A great spot in your higher levels is CS. Hang out and quad Othmirs, and do SG succor's!

[shuklak]

Take your prime playing hours and turn them into semi s fk port sessions for maximum profit. That's the only way to earn a respectable profit.

[Secrets]

wat

[d3r14k]

Dial a Porter's often says "1k an hour" here in the forums, but in my experience that's BS. Sure on an optimal day with steady customers and good tips 1k an hour (or more) is absolutely possible ...

I should have added a disclaimer: Results may vary*

If you have all the ports, (level 44) and succor (level 57), are attentive, don't make people wait, and are paying attention to chat (specifically /ooc), 1k an hour is, yes, average.

The last time I sat down to port last week, I did it for around 2 hours. I remember this specifically because I made zero trips to Misty bank to unload until I was done. I came back with around 1.6k. That's 800pp an hour. Sure, it's not 1k, but it is close.

[skarlorn]

they would not be trade secrets if they were posted in this thread.

[loramin]

I should have added a disclaimer: Results may vary*

If you have all the ports, (level 44) and succor (level 57), are attentive, don't make people wait, and are paying attention to chat (specifically /ooc), 1k an hour is, yes, average.

The last time I sat down to port last week, I did it for around 2 hours. I remember this specifically because I made zero trips to Misty bank to unload until I was done. I came back with around 1.6k. That's 800pp an hour. Sure, it's not 1k, but it is close.

My apologies Tuluven: I wasn't trying to pick on you, it was more of a rant against the idea that's been repeated by many other DAP folks here in the forums that 1k an hour is average. I think there's a natural human tendency to "round up" which leads to this, but when people get objective/realistic (like you just did with the 800p data point) it turns out the average isn't 1k. Though even then the amount seems to vary (eg. Moerne's 500 vs. your 800).

Maybe the "true number" (and event that's going to vary by playtime) is closer to 1k than Moerne's 500/hour. /shrug I honestly don't know. I just know that an average of 1k an hour does not match my experiences porting (admittedly outside of DAP), and until an honest and objective poter decides to keep detailed records for several weeks of "business" we'll never really know for sure.

[loramin]

(and event that's going to vary by playtime)
*and even then that's ...

[Qtip]

My apologies Tuluven: I wasn't trying to pick on you, it was more of a rant against the idea that's been repeated by many other DAP folks here in the forums that 1k an hour is average. I think there's a natural human tendency to "round up" which leads to this, but when people get objective/realistic (like you just did with the 800p data point) it turns out the average isn't 1k. Though even then the amount seems to vary (eg. Moerne's 500 vs. your 800).

Maybe the "true number" (and event that's going to vary by playtime) is closer to 1k than Moerne's 500/hour. /shrug I honestly don't know. I just know that an average of 1k an hour does not match my experiences porting (admittedly outside of DAP), and until an honest and objective poter decides to keep detailed records for several weeks of "business" we'll never really know for sure.

Or are you really angry because ports cut out your treasure wiki guide? Which I used your guide and actually lost money!

[Phenyo]

they would not be trade secrets if they were posted in this thread.

[loramin]

Or are you really angry because ports cut out your treasure wiki guide? Which I used your guide and actually lost money!

LOL.

For the record it's really more of a list of spots where entrepreneurial folks can explore and less of an actual guide (when I first started here I was new and thought the only "player content" in the wiki had to be a guide), but even so I'm kind of impressed that you managed to lose money by using it :) How'd you manage that?

[Nisse]

I used to have access to a druid tagged DaP and I would occasionally use it to "port for cash" but honestly it's much more work than it's worth. If you aren't destitute or struggling to fill your spell book then you are much better off using your play time to level your character, rather than shuttling players around for 15-20pp a port.

That being said, dial a port was a good way to do community outreach. I often found myself recovering someones corpse from the bottom of najena or wherever and assisting them with info or killing a mob. I wouldn't consider it a realistic cashflow solution for anyone who isn't very new though.

[Swish2]

Depends how many druids are on honestly. As a DAP druid myself, the best time to catch a good "hour" is when there's only 3-4 of you running taxis.

Sometimes there's 8+ and at that point you're just sitting there chilling for 5-10 minutes at a time throwing sows and buffs on players in newbie areas.

For best results, be a minimum of level 44.

[d3r14k]

until an honest and objective poter decides to keep detailed records for several weeks of "business" we'll never really know for sure.

Luckily for all of you, I am an honest, objective, humble, and very good looking if I don't say so myself, porter.

I accept your data driven challenge and will post my results in a couple months. The OPs question, or those like it, are asked often. Some raw data might be good for this and end some speculation.

[loramin]

Luckily for all of you, I am an honest, objective, humble, and very good looking if I don't say so myself, porter.

I accept your data driven challenge and will post my results in a couple months. The OPs question, or those like it, are asked often. Some raw data might be good for this and end some speculation.

https://i.imgur.com/vYm1A.gif

[shuklak]

Wanna know how to get rich porting?

Gina.

[Swish2]

Daldean tips 15pp by the way, quite a pittance for someone with a lot of plat/time on the server behind him ^^

[Cecily]

Gross @ Dald. Florid never tipped at all. I tracked him down and invited and ported him to toxic for that.

[d3r14k]

florid use to remove all gear to look like on CR. Pro strats

I have seen an instance of this. People seem to think they are "beating the system" or something when they do this, but I can't deny that it's pretty funny.

Was sitting in the tunnel. Dude PMs me asking for a CR port. I say sure, no problem. I happen to spot the guy across the sea of EC warm bodies and say to myself "oh neat, there he is". As I made my way over to him I guess I forgot that it was a CR port until I saw his equipmentt mysteriously disappearing from his body.

Of course I am amused and I'm not gonna let this go, so I ask him what the deal is. Guy is immediately apologetic and says he doesn't have any plat.

I think I gave him a ride anyway, but I definitely shamed him on the way.

[tarkhis]

Trade secrets(1)- for maximum cash and the only time I switch to my porter now- Do a /who all kael , /who all greatdivide if you see a raid guild heading for AOW or Statue or ring wars starting- start advertising and porting people like mad. I make about 2k in 15 minutes at that point( make sure you have potg and c2 on you or you run oom fast)

Trade secrets(2)- after an earthquake hire out to a guild fast, if I see AM and Tempest racing to a mob I simply pick the one who got to me first and tell them tell all you guildies head for WC/HH etc and i'll get them. Have had people tip like 1k-2k in gems/plat etc at that point to grab as many as possible as subsequent portees don't even worry about paying and can get there faster

Trade secrets(3)-I agree with Loramin and Tuluven on the base statistics I would say between 500-800 prime time is a true average number, also depends on number of DAPer's and others online. do a /who all dial, who all druid 40-60, wizard 40-60 if there are more than 4-5 DAP online and numerous independents not in raid zones its typically not worth it to port as you will be closer to the low end of the average.

[gredoo]

Daldean tips 15pp by the way, quite a pittance for someone with a lot of plat/time on the server behind him ^^

https://i.imgur.com/dYtPhIa.jpg

THAT FLYS?!? jeez I have been over paying

[kjs86z]

Not sure how this wound up in RnF....but....

I enjoy playing my druid. So what I've been doing is soloing in EJ...when I'm running low on mana I'll do my little /ooc macro for porting service...running into CoM, across EJ, and quickly zone into TT. If I get a hit, I'll port and repeat the /ooc macro at the destination zone.

Sometimes I get lucky and can chain 3-4 players together. Sometimes I port an enchanter that tosses me C2 and will immediately go back to leveling. It gives me a nice little break / med time....and when luck runs out or I'm back up to full mana its time to port back and blow through another mana bar.

After playing an enchanter forever...this is a super relaxing, casual path that I'm really fond of.

[jakerees]

A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who carries objects or cargoes for others. The range of services conducted by porters is extensive, from shuttling luggage aboard a train (a railroad porter) to bearing heavy burdens at altitude in inclement weather on multi-month mountaineering expeditions. They can carry items on their backs (backpack) or on their heads. The word porter derives from the Latin portare (to carry).[1]

The use of humans to transport cargo dates to the ancient world, prior to domesticating animals and development of the wheel. Historically it remained prevalent in areas where slavery was permitted, and exists today where modern forms of mechanical conveyance are rare or impractical, or where it is impractical or impossible for mechanized transport to be used, such as in mountainous terrain, or thick jungle or forest cover.

Over time slavery diminished and technology advanced, but the role of porter for specialized transporting services remains strong in the 21st century. Examples include bellhops at hotels, redcaps at railway stations, skycaps at airports, and native bearers on adventure trips engaged by foreign travelers.

Porters, frequently called Sherpas in the Himalayas (after the ethnic group most Himalayan porters come from), are also an essential part of mountaineering: they are typically highly skilled professionals who specialize in the logistics aspect of mountain climbing, not merely people paid to carry loads (although carrying is integral to the profession). Frequently, porters/Sherpas work for companies who hire them out to climbing groups, to serve both as porters and as mountain guides; the term "guide" is often used interchangeably with "Sherpa" or "porter", but there are certain differences. Porters are expected to prepare the route before and/or while the main expedition climbs, climbing up beforehand with tents, food, water, and equipment (enough for themselves and for the main expedition), which they place in carefully located deposits on the mountain. This preparation can take months of work before the main expedition starts. Doing this involves numerous trips up and down the mountain, until the last and smallest supply deposit is planted shortly below the peak. When the route is prepared, either entirely or in stages ahead of the expedition, the main body follows. The last stage is often done without the porters, they remaining at the last camp, a quarter mile or below the summit, meaning only the main expedition is given the credit for mounting the summit. In many cases, since the porters are going ahead, they are forced to freeclimb, driving spikes and laying safety lines for the main expedition to use as they follow. Porters (such as Sherpas for example), are frequently local ethnic types, well adapted to living in the rarified atmosphere and accustomed to life in the mountains. Although they receive little glory, porters or Sherpas are often considered among the most skilled of mountaineers, and are generally treated with respect, since the success of the entire expedition is only possible through their work. They are also often called upon to stage rescue expeditions when a part of the party is endangered or there is an injury; when a rescue attempt is successful, several porters are usually called upon to transport the injured climber(s) back down the mountain so the expedition can continue. A well known incident where porters attempted to rescue numerous stranded climbers, and often died as a result, is the 2008 K2 disaster. In 2014, 16 Sherpa guide/porters were killed in an ice avalanche on Mount Everest, inciting the entire Sherpa guide community to refuse to undertake any more ascents for the remainder of the year, making any further expeditions impossible.

HISTORY

Human adaptability and flexibility led to the early use of humans for transporting gear. Porters were commonly used as beasts of burden in the ancient world, when labor was generally cheap and slavery widespread. The ancient Sumerians, for example, enslaved women to shift wool and flax.

In the early Americas, where there were few native beasts of burden, all goods were carried by porters called Tlamemes in the Nahuatl language of Mesoamerica. In colonial times, some areas of the Andes employed porters called silleros to carry persons, particularly Europeans, as well as their luggage across the difficult mountain passes. Throughout the globe porters served, and in some areas continue to, as such littermen, particularly in crowded urban areas.

Many great works of engineering were created solely by muscle power in the days before machinery or even wheelbarrows and wagons; massive workforces of workers and bearers would complete impressive earthworks by manually lugging the earth, stones, or bricks in baskets on their backs.

TODAY

Porters are still paid to shift burdens in many third-world countries where motorized transport is impractical or unavailable, often alongside pack animals.

The Sherpa people of Nepal are so renowned as mountaineering porters that their ethnonym is synonymous with that profession. Their skill, knowledge of the mountains and local culture, and ability to perform at altitude make them indispensable for the highest Himalayan expeditions.

Porters at Indian railway stations are called coolies, a term for unskilled Asian labourer derived from the Chinese word for porter.