Ladies and gentlemen and businesspeople, as you may have heard Sharky's financial ventures, at great expense, managed to uncover a safe route to a new trade location, called Nordeland. A trip there and back lasts a mere 3 months across a calm and safe sea, allowing a reasonable trade route to be established. They like the trinkets we produce in our homeland, and in exchange they are willing to give us an exotic fiber they grow on animals which they call wool. Estimated from the samples we brought back suggest that a ship load of wool would fetch at current prices 8.5 guineas, being twice as valuable as sand.
Twice as valuable, but only 50% more time required. As you can see, greater profits lie ahead especially with saturated sand markets. Lets put that in numbers.
We estimate that sand price will hover around 0.4 per unit. Meanwhile, at least the first load of wool will get a price per unit of 0.85 guineas. Considering the travel times and that a ship carries 10 units, that means 2 per turn average profit for a ship trading sand and 2.8 per turn average profit trading wool. over the course of a single journey a ship trading wool will earn an incredible 2.5 guineas more than a ship trading sand, more than a 40% increase in profit.
We offer this opportunity to the nation to tap into those huge profits, however as we incurred significant costs we need to ask for a contribution to share the charts. We shall use a model in which money is paid per trip to gain access to the charts, as a flat fee. As usual I will consider the nature of trade and allow you to pay after a few months, so that you can use the profit of the journey itself to pay. I will periodically adjust the fee based on sand and wool prices in order to guarantee a great and steady profit for you, but I will note that this first trip with a completely new commodity is likely to be the most profitable
ever to this destination. To account for that, I will admittedly charge more at this time, 1.2 guineas per ship per trip. Discounts are available for advance payment; to those in good standing; ships which will be funded this turn with significant loans from me; or ships which pursue longer terms agreements such as an annual lease. In the future, You should expect the fee to aim at 40% of the extra profit above sand, although as initial expenses are recouped this share is likely to decrease.
I shall post a sample standard agreement, while the exceptions ntoed above can be negotiated case by case.
I will note: considering that wool price is unlikely to change in the next three months and sand price is likely to crater, renting those charts will still allow your ship to get 20% more guineas than sand will.
We, Sharky's financial services as holders of the charts to Nordeland, agree to provide the ship X with a navigator to guide them to Nordeland for one back and forth journey, at a cost of 1.2 guineas.
This sum is to be paid no later than the date of return of the ship or 2 months beyond the expected date of return in case it is delayed or missing, whichever happens earlier. Stealing the charts of the navigator or otherwise extorting proprietary information is to be considered against this contract and liable to incur a fee of 5 guineas.
@FlazeoWill evaluate your loan and chart rent proposal soon (leaving for dinner now)