Contrary to the initial beginner impression in Anno 1800: Console Edition, hypnotizing citizens with a diet of liquor and then overtaxing them isn't the only way to gain a profit. Trade is a lucrative business as well. But it just so happens that Anno 1800 doesn't make it easy to keep track of which goods or resources are the most profitable.
Worry not because here's a min-maxed list of which of those resources, both raw and processed, will give players the most profits. So in the spirit of being an armchair economist and sanitized capitalism in Anno 1800, here are some of the best resources and goods to sell.
10 Coal
- Production Cost: 10
- Passive Sell Price: 8
- Special Price: 32 (Sell to Sir Archibald Blake)
Early on in the game, players can make a small profit by selling their surplus gold whether passively or via a trade route with Sir Archibald Blake. Because the aforementioned NPC buys Coal in bulk at 32 (in-game currency) per ton. That's more than three times the cost players spent to produce a ton of Coal.
Given how easy it is to overproduce Coal due to Coal Mines and Charcoal Kilns, this ought to be an automatic trade route during the early game. It's also worth noting that Blake is a neutral trader so this kind of trade setup can go on indefinitely.
9 Soap
- Production Cost: 105
- Passive Sell Price: 96
- Special Price: 384 (Sell to Eli Bleakworth)
Want to make even more profit in the early game? Soap is another reliable method. Eli Bleakworth, the neutral NPC trader who runs a prison island buys them in bulk at nearly four times the production cost of one ton of Soap. Best not to ask why Eli's prison needs so much Soap; keep it purely business.
It's so profitable that some players even recommend stocking up on Soap by purchasing it passively (240 per ton) and then also selling that stock to Eli despite the lower profit compared to producing it on an island (which has limitations such as pollution).
8 Beer
- Production Cost: 325
- Passive Sell Price: 260
- Special Price: 1040 (Sell to Anne Harlow)
Who'd have thought that a pirate needs tons of Beer? Anne Harlow offers a special deal for Beer sellers likely because no one else would sell her some Beer. So if players have a surplus supply of Beer, it's best to just sell it via a trade route with Anne.
Selling the beer passively is a massive net loss compared to other products given how tedious it is to produce. Players ought to consider themselves lucky and rich if they start on an island with both Grain and Hops; that's easy Beer profit. Another benefit of selling Beer to a pirate is getting on their good side, though other non-neutral A.I. players might not like that partnership.
7 Fur Coats
- Production Cost: 300
- Passive Sell Price: 248
- Special Price: 992 (Sell to Madame Kahina)
Fur Coats are another product that players might want to mass produce during mid-game since they sell for quite a lot. Madame Kahina buys them at more than triple the price players spent on production. It's also a good thing that she's a neutral NPC.
Players don't even need to make an effort to mass-produce Fur Coats. These tend to stock up high without much of a hiccup provided that players have a smooth and efficient Cotton industry in their New World colony. Moreover, the citizens who need them don't consume them as much compared to food.
6 Cigars
- Production Cost: 277.5
- Passive Sell Price: 864
- Special Price: N/A
Cigars are also easy enough to produce. Players just need to establish a semi-decent New World gaming village with a few Obreros in the town. And due to its demand and rarity, players can sell their overflowing Cigar stocks passively.
The passive sell price is more than triple the production price. This is actually a more appealing source of profit compared to special deals or prices since players don't have to invest in ships and trade routes. Players can even just sell them in their New World ports if it's too much of a hassle to bring them back to the Old World.
5 Penny Farthings
- Production Cost: 697.5
- Passive Sell Price: 698
- Special Price: 2793 (Sell to Emperor Ketema)
Like Tobacco, Penny Farthings are somewhat easy to produce since one of their production components is a raw resource in the New World that's easily shipped to the Old World. All that's left is for Steel production lines to provide the supplies.
But players will only be breaking even if these bicycles are sold passively. Instead, they need to take them to Emperor Ketema in Enbesa because he'll buy every ton at a whopping 400 percent markup. The African king loves bicycles it seems.
4 Gold
- Production Cost: 1385
- Passive Sell Price: 1108
- Special Price: 4432 (Sell to Old Nate)
Gold is expensive to produce. Even the Gold Mines in the New World require hundreds of workers. And sadly, selling Gold passively is a significant net loss as well. Instead, players will want Old Nate in the Sunken Treasure and The Passage DLCs of Anno 1800.
Players can thus find him in The Arctic and Cape Trelawney regions. He buys gold at more than triple the production cost. Thankfully, not many products in Anno 1800 require Gold. So it's easy to overstock on this shiny metal.
3 Steam Motors
- Production Cost: 3272.5
- Passive Sell Price: 7028
- Special Price: N/A
Steam Motors might look tedious to produce, but once players have the production line set up, it practically pays for itself more than twice over. No NPC wants these, so players will have to sell them passively but even then, they get sold for quite a lot.
Once players don't need their Steam Motors anymore for their steamships, it's time to make these inventions automate the profits in Anno 1800. Although players might want to use them for another product with an even bigger return...
2 Steam Carriages
- Production Cost: 8700
- Passive Sell Price: 16650
- Special Price: 66601 (Sell to Emperor Ketema)
By far the most expensive products that players can sell, Steam Carriages can go a long way (no pun intended). Players can either sell them passively for double the production cost or sell them to Emperor Ketema in Enbesa for a huge return. Players are basically selling luxury cars to far-off monarchs.
They are the very first motor land vehicles, after all, and the Emperor wants the cool new stuff. The only issue is these things have a long production line and also require a lot of rubber or Caoutchouc from the New World and maybe specific islands in the Old World with Copper and Zinc. But Emperor Ketema makes the effort worth it.
1 Gramophones
- Production Cost: 3802.5
- Passive Sell Price: 11002
- Special Price: 44009 (Sell to Emperor Ketema)
While Steam Carriages might have exorbitant prices, the high production costs and New World requirements make the trade structure flimsier or more cumbersome. For something that's more accessible that can still rake in huge profits, then Gramophones provide a good balance of both in Anno 1800.
Players don't need to spread their ships out to the New World since the Gramophone production line can stay on one island if players are lucky with Zinc and Copper. Players can also either just sell them passively if they're lazy or bring them to Emperor Ketema so he can amass a huge vinyl record collection in true Gen Z hipster fashion.
Anno 1800 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.