SimCity BuildIt Trade Depot Guide
SimCity BuildIt Trade Depot Guide
The Trade Depot is where your production turns into Simoleons, and this SimCity BuildIt Trade Depot guide explains how to use it properly. It is the selling side of trading: you list items, other mayors buy them through the Global Trade HQ, and you collect the Simoleons. Used well, it is the fastest way to make Simoleons for most players. Used badly, it wastes storage and time on items nobody wants.
How to unlock the Trade Depot
The Trade Depot unlocks when your population reaches 8,000, according to the game wiki. You will find it on the highway just outside your city limits. Tap it to start selling. You start with 6 sale slots, according to the wiki, and you can add up to 26 more slots for a maximum of 32. Each extra slot costs a reported 10 SimCash. That cost is why SimCash should be saved for depot slots rather than spent on speeding up short production timers.
How to create a sale
Tap an empty cardboard box in the Trade Depot, tap an item in your storage, and it appears in the box. Use the plus and minus buttons to choose how many to sell and what price to ask. The game shows a default price — you can raise it to the maximum or lower it to the minimum, which is 1 Simoleon for one item. Community guides recommend selling at maximum price in almost all cases. You can sell almost any item except OMEGA and railway items, according to the wiki. War items can be sold, but they are only visible to club members.
Advertise so buyers can find you
An item only appears in the Global Trade HQ if you advertise it. Check the blue “Advertise!” box before you tap “Put on sale”, or nobody outside your city will see the listing. You can advertise an item for 12 hours, according to the wiki, and then advertise a second item after a one-minute wait — that wait can be skipped for 1 SimCash. You can also pay SimCash for immediate advertising space if you cannot wait. War items cannot be advertised. If you need to remove a listing, you can pay a reported 1 SimCash to take it down.
What to sell, and what not to sell
Sell items you have in surplus and do not need for your next upgrade, shipment or assignment. Sell high-demand crafted items and fast-moving raw materials. Do not sell storage or land-expansion items, rare materials you will need soon, or items that are part of an active upgrade. A good habit is to check your upgrade helmets, cargo order and assignments first, set those items aside, and list only the genuine surplus.
Daniel will buy unsold items
If nobody buys your items within 48 hours, your neighbour Daniel will buy them, according to community guides — advertised and unadvertised alike. That makes the Trade Depot a safe place to list: even slow items eventually sell. But 48 hours is a long time to have storage tied up, so price and advertise well, and do not list items that are in very low demand if you need the space sooner.
Collect your Simoleons
When a sale completes, a coin icon appears over the Trade Depot. Tap it to collect your Simoleons. Sales that sit uncollected do not help your city, so check the depot every time you log in, collect, and relist.
FAQ
When does the Trade Depot unlock?
At 8,000 population, according to the game wiki.
How many Trade Depot slots can I have?
You start with 6 slots and can add up to 26 more, for a maximum of 32, according to the wiki. Each extra slot costs a reported 10 SimCash.
Why is nobody buying my items?
You may not have advertised the listing, the price may be too high for a low-demand item, or the item may simply be slow. Advertise and list high-demand items.
Can I sell OMEGA items in the Trade Depot?
No. OMEGA items can only be sold to neighbouring mayors, according to EA Help.
What happens if my items do not sell?
After 48 hours, Daniel will buy them, according to community guides.
Start at our homepage — and read our Global Trade HQ guide next, for the buying side of the same market.
