In favour of region wide buy orders

I had a question on my last post :  For region wide buy orders how will you deal with minerals in low sec stations?

I am currently using region wide buy orders for veldspar (and expanding into other high sec ore), refining the results, and hauling the minerals back to somewhere with demand for them.

I do not mind occasionally getting ore in lowsec stations:

• I don't play when the pirates play.  For all my whining about having shutdown during my peak game play time, I collect orders when the majority of players (including pirates) are not on.  
• I don't play where the pirates play.  What is the number 1 trade center? Jita.  If I was a lowsec camping pirate, I would chose the border worlds of a Jita to lowsec route.  I simply don't play there.
• My collections are ad-hoc; small orders are left for later; moderate size for when I am in the area, with only large orders being collected with any urgency.  Large generally means more than 50% of my largest ship's cargo hold (Iteron IV).  You would be a very dedicated camper to pick when I am heading to lowsec.
• Only fly what you can afford to lose.  My Iteron IV costs about 900K ISK in Dodixie.  3 Expanded Cargohold II's @ 750K each.  A few other negligible cost modules, and I have a ship costing about 3,200K ISK.  My losec hauler has replaceable implants and a clone with sufficient skill points.  Using a cheaper ship or modules reduces this even further but has reduced cargo space.
• Not many Velspar miners operate in lowsec.  It happens, but not often.
• Fly to low sec when the risk is worth it.  Buying cheap Veldspar, refining and turning it into a cargo load of Tritanium to sell at average prices nets me about the same in profit as the ship is worth.
• Never fly lowsec away from keyboard or with autopilot.

One day my time will be worth more than hauling and I will use a hauling company.  I am not there yet.

Losing a ship on the way to picking up my cargo would be annoying.  I will be a sad hauler when I am ganked with a full cargo load of Tritanium on my return leg.  I am certain it will happen.

Given that I am yet to even see another ship in the lowsec systems I am flying in, at the times I am hauling, I am prepared to take these risks.


A problem region wide buy order is that your orders may be filled in an 'out of your way' system, and has a significant opportunity cost.  My opportunity cost worries my more than the ganking that is yet to happen.