>>Traders are much more time-intensive and if you have to attend to reality, the contracts expire, the caravans die, and you get bad mojo from the guild for starvin' 'em. :-(.

on this side note, can i add that no matter how much trading you have, your caravan will die just as quickly as a circle 1 trader's caravan?
and that amount of trading experience effects nothing but prices in trading? (does it even effect this? i'm sure abison said it did sometime ago or something....)

no matter how much you train trading, the only benefit you will gain is higher priced contracts (contract prices still not comparable to average hunters of equal circle). Not better contracts, not longer contracts, and not more unique contracts going to new places.

Just the same old places that a circle 1 trader can go to. (or circle 5 or whatever with interprov.... o boy! 3 outlets!)

not that this has to do with anything, just thought i'd show the difference between 1 and 1000 ranks of trading. (nada?)