Crafting and refining: returns and two kinds of profit
Crafting and refining hand back part of your materials. That return has real value, but you only see it as silver when you use or sell the returned materials. The Crafting and Refining calculators split the result in two:
- Net cash profit: silver in minus silver out for this run, before returned materials.
- Retained return value: what the returned materials are worth at your prices. Total profit adds the two.
Outpost's reference case: a craft sells for 3,000, its materials cost 2,000, they return at 20%, the station charges 100 and tax plus setup come to 10% of the sale.
- Upfront silver: 2,000 + 100 = 2,100
- Fees: 10% of 3,000 = 300
- Net cash profit: 3,000 − 300 − 2,100 = 600
- Retained return value: 20% of 2,000 = 400
- Total profit: 600 + 400 = 1,000
Use upfront silver to check you can afford the run and cash profit to judge it if you will sell the returns cheaply or not at all. Total profit is right only if you reuse or sell the returned materials at the prices you entered.
You choose which materials count toward returns. Artifacts, faction tokens, enchanting runes, souls and relics and Dragon Blood never return, so the tools leave them out whatever you tick. Player-run stations charge a fee per craft, which goes in Station fee / craft; fixed silver costs written into a recipe are added on their own line as Recipe silver / craft. Focus and resource return rate explained covers how the rate is set.
