Commodities
Commodities are a type of Treasure that can be bought from and sold to the Merchant Alliance representative at any Outpost. The Merchant Alliance Outpost Inventories book next to Senior Traders will show which Commodities are sought-after, or in surplus at each Outpost.
Commodities have a cooldown and each outpost has a separate cooldown of five in-game days (approximately 2 real-life hours) from the time of purchase (not claim), restocking at 06:00 in-game time.
Commodities are crew-based. Only one member of the crew can purchase the crate, and only that crew can claim the crate they purchased.
Trade Routes
Next to the Merchant Alliance on every Outpost is a Merchant Alliance Outpost Inventories book. Interacting with it lists which Commodity types are in surplus and which are sought-after at each Outpost.
Outposts with the specific Commodity type which is in surplus there will have 10 of that type on sale for a reduced cost, but will pay a reduced reward when that Commodity type is sold to them.
Outposts with the specific Commodity type which is sought-after there, will not have any of that type in stock, but will pay an increased reward when that Commodity type is sold to them.
This makes the most efficient way to trade Commodities, buying surplus Commodities and selling them at an Outpost where they are sought-after.
Every Outpost always has one type in surplus and one type which is sought-after. 1 of each other type can be purchased at an Outpost for a standard rate, making 15 available in total.
The Outposts at which each Commodity is surplus or sought-after change once every week, on Monday at 00:00 UTC.
Mechanics
A Player can only carry one Commodity at a time and cannot use any other items while carrying them. Commodities will float to the top when dropped in Water, however, they will start sinking to the bottom after some time has passed and disappear. Crates dropped on land or on shorelines will stay in-game for a long time. Every Commodity can be caught with a Ship's Harpoon.
Where to find
Commodities can be bought from Merchant Alliance Senior Trader NPCs at Outposts while sailing as Merchant Alliance Emissaries. They cannot be claimed without sailing as Merchant Alliance Emissaries.
Emissary Mechanics
Any Player Crews sailing as Merchant Alliance Emissaries can receive Emissary Grade Reputation and Emissary Value for selling the crate to Merchant Alliance Senior Trader NPCs at Outposts. This benefit is also applicable for Reaper's Bones Emissaries selling to the Servant of the Flame NPC. The higher the Crew's Emissary Grade, the more Gold, Reputation and Emissary Value they receive for selling Commodity Crates.
Players earn more Emissary Value and Emissary Grade Reputation with Merchants for Commodities that are sought-after at the outpost they sell at, and less for Commodities that are in surplus at the outpost they sell at.
Rewards
Commodities can be cashed in to Merchant Alliance Senior Traders at any Outpost other than the one it was bought from for Gold and Reputation with the Company. As stated before, Merchant Alliance Emissaries will also receive Emissary Value and Emissary Grade Reputation with the Merchants for selling the Crates while flying an Emissary Flag. Being an Emissary also increases the Gold and Reputation gains for selling Crates. Alternatively, Crews can choose to sell any acquired Crates to the Reaper's Bones Representative at The Reaper's Hideout instead.
The following is a table of the multiplicative Rewards for selling Trade Good Crates as Graded Emissaries.
Commendations
| Commendations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Commendation | Requirements | Rewards |
 | Haggler of Surplus Stock | Purchase 250 Merchant Commodities at a discounted price. Note: This Commendation is personal and not shared with the Crew, only counting the commodities you personally bought. High Seas only
| n/a |
 | Profiteer of Sought Stock | Sell 250 Merchant Commodities at an inflated price. High Seas only
|  Unlocks the Merchant Alliance Hook for purchase. |
 | Taker of Stolen Stock | Sell 50 Stolen Merchant Commodities at an inflated price. High Seas only
|  Rewards the Merchant Adventurer Title. |
 | Master of Shifted Stock | Make the most possible profit buying and selling 150 Merchant Commodities. High Seas only
| Unlocks the Merchant Alliance Eyepatch for purchase. |
Titles
| Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image | Title | Description & Requirements |
 | Merchant Adventurer | "Purchase 250 Merchant voyages." Unlocked by the Taker of Stolen Stock commendation. Prior to patch 2.10.0: Unlocked by the Merchant Adventurer commendation. Earned in High Seas only |
Types of Commodities
There are various types of Commodities with varying Gold, Reputation and Emissary Values:
| Image | Commodity | Surplus | Normal | Sought-after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Crate of Raw Sugar | 80 
|
400
|
600
|
|
Crate of Ungraded Tea | 85
|
430
|
650
|
|
Crate of Unsorted Silks | 90
|
460
|
700
|
|
Crate of Unrefined Spices | 100
|
500
|
750
|
|
Crate of Broken Stone | 105
|
530
|
800
|
|
Crate of Unfiltered Minerals | 110
|
560
|
850
|
|
Crate of Unclassified Gemstones | 120
|
600
|
900
|
| Image | Commodity | Surplus | Normal |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Crate of Raw Sugar | 120
|
240
|
|
|
Crate of Ungraded Tea | 130
|
260
|
|
|
Crate of Unsorted Silks | 140
|
280
|
|
|
Crate of Unrefined Spices | 150
|
300
|
|
|
Crate of Broken Stone | 160
|
320
|
|
|
Crate of Unfiltered Minerals | 170
|
340
|
|
|
Crate of Unclassified Gemstones | 180
|
360
|
| Buy \ Sell | Surplus | Normal | Sought After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | -66.66% | +66.66% | +150% |
| Surplus | -33.33% | +233.33% | +400% |
Trivia
- Commodities are identical to Wood Crates except that the wood is a lighter colour and the wood symbol is replaced with the Commodity's symbol.
- There are 9,344,160 (7!x7!) possible trade route configurations.
Patch history
- 2.2.1 (August 17, 2021)
- Purchased Commodity Crates should now become visually locked.
- 2.2.0 (June 22, 2021)
- Commodity Crates should now use the appropriate textures when viewed facing the sun.
- 2.1.0 (April 15, 2021)
- Introduced.