Shop & equipment
Probably Stolen negotiation: price, risk and reputation before you trade
Click the speech bubble at the top right of an eligible price window once the tutorial has unlocked it. Hover an option to inspect its current outcomes and reputation effect before choosing. Barter and Dr. Jackson trades do not use that control. A better price for you can cost reputation or lose the customer; no single discount is always best.
Open negotiation before accepting the price
The September player walkthrough locates the speech bubble at the top right of the price window. The questioner later confirmed that the tutorial introduced the idea of negotiation before the bubble became available. If the button is absent early on, do not assume a mouse gesture or hidden keyboard shortcut is required.
Establish what you are buying or selling first. Inspect the goods before asking for a lower price: a discount on mislabeled water or unsuitable berries does not turn them into the input your production needs.
Read both the outcome risk and the reputation preview
| Option type | What changes | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| You offer a discount / pay more | A concession trades some cash for a different reputation outcome. | Can the remaining cash still fund bills and replacement inputs? |
| You ask for more / demand a discount | The customer can accept, refuse or leave under the displayed options. | Current outcome chances and reputation cost; losing this visitor may strand stock. |
| Special accusation or pressure | Context-specific options can depend on who the customer really is. | Do not use an accusation as a general-purpose price button. |
| No change | The current offer can remain the better funded choice. | A completed sensible trade can be worth more than a risky small improvement. |
The primary answer says one negotiation choice locks in the selected option for that trade. Read the preview before clicking, rather than trying every option as a harmless experiment. UPDATE 049 adjusted bargaining budgets and separated buy-side and sell-side reputation multipliers, so use the current preview instead of memorising an older fixed return.
The completed amount is the relevant amount
The player explanation describes reputation changes applying when credits actually change hands and scaling with the completed amount. The preview’s per-1,000-credit presentation is not a flat reputation award for every transaction.
Arithmetic example: a 200-credit sale discounted by 10% exchanges 180 credits. Evaluate the reputation preview and cash effect for that completed trade, not an assumed 200-credit payment. This illustration explains the amount; it does not claim that 10% is the best option.
- Inspect the actual offer
Eligible item and current price. Find the speech bubble.
- Hover before selecting
Read outcome chances and rep. One choice locks the option.
- Protect the funded cycle
Will the remaining cash suffice?. Can you risk losing this buyer?.
- Complete or decline the trade
Reputation follows real payment. Check the actual final amount.
Choose according to the job of this sale
If you need this water sale to refill a filter and pay the next obligation, demanding a higher price introduces a cost beyond the quoted reputation loss: the visitor might leave with your cash still tied up in stock. Read that chance and choose whether the possible gain is worth it.
If bills and inputs are already covered, an affordable concession can be a deliberate reputation purchase. Compare the actual extra reputation with the cash given up. The community author’s personal preference for a particular discount is not a universal optimum for every customer, faction or save.
After the trade, retain enough money for the next complete batch. A larger inventory valuation is not spendable cash until an eligible buyer accepts it.
Check the trade and the tutorial
| Situation | Supported explanation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A barter offer | The original answer excludes barter from regular negotiation. | Evaluate the offered exchange itself. |
| Dr. Jackson | The answer also excludes his trades. | Inspect his quote and choose whether to buy. |
| Very early tutorial | The questioner reached the introduction before the control unlocked. | Continue the tutorial rather than hunting for an invisible control. |
| A normal later trade | Read the current price window and build. | Check the bubble and current preview; do not reuse the previous visitor’s item information. |
Source: the original negotiation question and player answer. Community mechanics describe the current demo; read the actual item and customer information before spending.