produce for profit

[betatester]

is there an item you can produce and sell for a net profit ?
For the moment my 10 engineers cost 250 k
durathread gives 121k
motion detector more money but still under 250 k

so I wonder if there is an item that has a positive sell value ?

[TheCurse]

There probably is.
Not done the calculation yet what is best, but alien alloys are a good item to sell.

Doesn't really matter though, try to keep your score above 0 every month and after some time you have more money than you ever need, the 250k will be peanuts.
(Also selling weapons/other stuff is very profitable)
Currently at 4 bases, about 250 scientists, 120 soldiers, income is still 10mio higher than expenses and keeps growing.
Early game biggest income was weapons and equipment from weapon crates i think, along with bodies.
Its true though that early game money tends to be tight sometimes.

[X-Man]

Do not think about net profit, just produce the best thing whatever you can in your current situation.
In common, the most 'profitable' thing is chemigun.

[betatester]

thanks. I have Osiron crates to open to find a chemgun.

[magitsu]

thanks. I have Osiron crates to open to find a chemgun.

If you don't get it from them, they should appear with Hybrids.

[sedygrizly]

O boy, i missed those, was selling alien lasers so far, but that hybrid thing gives slightly more.  One note.. i'm using translation, so it might be not accurate.. anyway i have "chemigun/rifle  and toxigun/rifle. And Toxi one gives more profit than chemi one.
EDIT: ok, i'm idiot, toxiguns requires alloys, so its not so profitable...missed that. (still better than what i've done recently, by mistake manufactured all my Elerium stock into weapons and sold it -_- ... )
EDIT2: alien laser cannon gives better profit than chemiguns, so i was correct after all. (but i guess that research comes later in game). Early game alien laser rifle gives just sligthly smaller profit than chemigun...  Anyone knows something better?

[betatester]

chemigun are earlier on tech tree I really like them. Thanks.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

I take it Chemoguns aren't as profitable anymore in the latest X-Com files (2.8+) based on looking at the data.   Are then any other earlier game items that are profitable? I'm attempting electro prods which claim to be profitable.   

Right now, money is so tight (Oct 97 -> just reached Promotion II), and I'm hoping for safehouse & outpost missions with loads of money briefcases to finance my operations during the month

EDIT: After searching the forums, it looks like manufacturing for profit has been removed, so that probably answers my question.  Either way, I need engineers for manufacturing things... so might as well make them earn some of their keep in between building useful stuff for the teams.  That at will at least stem the bleeding.

[Solarius Scorch]

Yes, this is precisely my goal. There are two main reasons:
1. Manufacturing stuff for money just doesn't fit a UN shadow agency.
2. Mass-producing hi-tech things in a manufacturing plant is cheaper and therefore more competitive than doing it in a workshop. The only scenario where a workshop is viable is when it has no real competition, which is arguably the case in vanilla. In XCF, not so much, because there are other parties with access to the same tech, which can support real industry.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

Yes, this is precisely my goal. There are two main reasons:
1. Manufacturing stuff for money just doesn't fit a UN shadow agency.
2. Mass-producing hi-tech things in a manufacturing plant is cheaper and therefore more competitive than doing it in a workshop. The only scenario where a workshop is viable is when it has no real competition, which is arguably the case in vanilla. In XCF, not so much, because there are other parties with access to the same tech, which can support real industry.

All valid points thematically, and I can get behind. Thanks for the explanation.

[Stone Lake]

Last time I checked, most profitable things were:
1. Knockout grenade ~124$ (per ...)
2. Chemthrower ~120$
3. Stun rod / spear / electric prod ~115$
4. Multi-launcher or rocket pack ~110$
5. Dart pistol, rifle or clips ~100$
6. Vehicle shotgun/lmg ammo ~90$
(All not necessarily more profitable than engineers wage)