"Build near Native settlements or Trade Routes. Provides experience points and other benefits."—In-game description
The Trading Post is an economic/military building in Age of Empires III that replaces the old-fashioned trade system of carts, boats, and caravans in the previous games. Unlike most buildings, Trading Posts can only be built on a square-shaped site found on Trade Routes and minor civilization settlements. It periodically grants experience or resources if built on Trade Routes or allows access to native warriors and native technologies if built on minor civilization settlements.
Minor civilizations 
Edit
- Main article: Minor civilization
Units Edit
- Main article: Native warrior
Technologies Edit
- For each native tribe or religious community's technologies, please see their respective articles.
Upgrades Edit
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
 |   Stagecoach/Trade Cart
| 200 food, 200 wood | Upgrades the Trade Route where the Trading Post is built to use a stagecoach (trade cart in The Asian Dynasties maps) which can deliver resources, moves faster, and has greater LOS |
 |  Iron Horse
| 300 wood, 400 coin | Upgrades the Trade Route where the Trading Post is built to use a train which moves faster and has greater LOS; requires Stagecoach/Trade Cart |
Further statistics Edit
| Building strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Nothing (short-ranged units with Advanced Trading Post Home City Card) |
| Weak vs. | Everything, especially siege infantry, artillery, and Monitors |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Flying Buttress (+20%)
|
| Resource generation |  Nanban Trade (+25%)
|
| Attack |  Heated Shot (+1.5x multiplier vs. ships)
|
| Sight |  Gas Lighting (+4, European civilizations only)
|
| Construction cost |  Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25% wood) Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood)
|
| Penalties |  Code Napoleon (+50% cost, French only) Customized Merc Weapons (+30% cost, John Black's Mercenaries only)
|
Home City Cards Edit
| Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Trading Post | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Native Lore
| Native improvements cost no coin | | 1 |
 Native Treaties
| Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of their respective native warriors | | 1 |
 Advanced Trading Post
| Trading Posts get a ranged attack and +50% hit points, and cost -40% |  | 25 |
 Improved Buildings
| Buildings get +40% hit points | | 10 |
- The Native Lore, Native Treaties and Advanced Trading Post cards are available to European and Native American civilizations.
- For information about how many units shipped by Native Treaties, please see the respective native warrior's articles.
- The Improved Buildings card is available at a level 1 Home City for the Sioux.
- The Indians have the TEAM Improved Buildings card instead of Improved Buildings.
Asians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Native Learning
| Native improvements cost -50% (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | | 1 |
 Native Crafts
| Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of 300 export (also +1 Villager for the Indians) |  | 10 |
 Trade Empire
| Ships 1 Trading Post Rickshaw and Trading Posts get +33% hit points and cost -25% (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | | 25 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Improved Buildings
| Buildings get +25% hit points | | 10 |
 Mughal Architecture
| Buildings except wonders cost -20% wood and build time -50% +1 Villager | | 40 |
Ottomans Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Silk Road
| Crates and Trade Routes contain +15% resources | | 25 |
 TEAM Cheap Trading Posts
| Trading Posts cost -40% | | 1 |
Portuguese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 House of Braganca
| Trade Route upgrades are free | | 40 |
Bugs/glitches Edit
- It is sometimes possible for Trading Post sites to be generated on broken terrain, which means that players cannot construct a Trading Post on these sites. Most notably this can occur on the New England and Amazonia maps. This problem has been addressed in patches, occurring with less frequency.
- Another common glitch is units getting stuck within the perimeter of a Trading Post as a result of trying to pass through it and not being able to get out. This most notably happens with Native Trading Posts. It is possible to destroy the units inside the confines of the Trading Post, but if an Explorer/Monk/War Chief get stuck inside, there is no way of removing them unless they can be ransomed.
- If the player gets any building HP improvement such as the Improved Buildings or Advanced Trading Posts Home City Cards, already built Trading Posts remaining HP will stay the same as before the upgrade (e.g. 2,500/2,500 before, 2500/2875 after).
History Edit
"Trading posts were established by early explorers of the New World as places to stop, barter, rest, and engage in commercial activities in support of their efforts to find wealth for their patrons, usually kings and queens, who sponsored their voyages.
Wealthy and powerful trading companies between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries competed viciously as they drove exploration of the New World in search of pelts (chiefly beaver), to market in Europe. They dotted the landscape with trading posts and continued driving west in search of new sources of pelts. The fur trade and the need for the trading posts declined as fashions in Europe changed and the demand for pelts collapsed. Many trading posts developed into proper settlements over time."
Gallery Edit
| Buildings in Age of Empires III | |
 Age of Empires III | |
|---|---|
| Civilian | House |
| Economic | Town Center · Trading Post · Market · Mill · Livestock Pen · Church · Plantation · Factory · Capitol |
| Military | Outpost · Dock · Barracks · Stable · Artillery Foundry · Arsenal · Fort · Saloon* |
| Other | Field Hospital · Native Embassy* |
 British | Manor |
 Dutch | Bank |
 Ottomans | Mosque |
 Russians | Blockhouse |
 The WarChiefs | |
 Aztecs | Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Nobles' Hut |
 Iroquois | Longhouse · Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Corral · Siege Workshop |
 Sioux | Teepee · Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Corral |
 The Asian Dynasties | |
 Chinese | Village · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · War Academy · Wonders |
 Indians | Sacred Field · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · Caravanserai · Wonders |
 Japanese | Shrine · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · Dojo · Wonders |
| * introduced in The Warchiefs | |
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