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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ +1 Rare metals and food were on the top of my list. $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Commented Feb 20, 2023 at 5:08
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    $\begingroup$ @JBH Rare metals will never be the answer for a space faring civilization because asteroid mining would be cheaper and more effective. Timber would be worth more. $\endgroup$
    – Thorne
    Commented Feb 20, 2023 at 5:24
  • $\begingroup$ @Thorne we are a (primitive) spacefaring society, and nonetheless precious metals are a major source of trade between economically developed and economically undeveloped groups. Maybe these issues don't end up so readily solved by mining asteroids? $\endgroup$
    – James_pic
    Commented Feb 20, 2023 at 10:15
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    $\begingroup$ Timber? It's pretty cheap, and shipping it will add a lot to the cost. Spices on the other hand do make sense; those can easily be a million times more expensive. Spacefaring or not, the economics or long-distance trade are fairly standard: prices can vary geographically, which creates a trade opportunity, but this is capped by shipping costs which are usually weight- or volume-dependent. $\endgroup$
    – MSalters
    Commented Feb 20, 2023 at 10:21
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    $\begingroup$ @James_pic We trade metals between countries because shipping costs are cheap. We don't set up asteroid mines because shipping the metals to Earth would be hugely expensive. I'm not sure what technology would ever make moving metals from an alien world cheap without making mining our own star system even cheaper. $\endgroup$
    – user3153372
    Commented Feb 20, 2023 at 10:56