Does Special Cargo make money in GTA Online? Absolutely!

Special cargo was added to GTA Online as a way for players to actively make money by sourcing and selling contraband items. With the right strategy, it can be one of the most profitable businesses in the game. However, it does require time and effort to source cargo and fill up your warehouse. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about making money with special cargo, from the basics of how it works to tips for maximizing your profits.

What is Special Cargo and How Does it Work?

Special cargo refers to illegal items like artwork, jewelry, and other contraband that can be sourced by the player for profit. To get started in the special cargo business, you first need to purchase a warehouse through the SecuroServ network on the open market in GTA Online. These warehouses are where you‘ll store the special cargo crates obtained from source missions until you‘re ready to sell them.

There are three different warehouse sizes available:

• Small – Holds up to 16 crates
• Medium – Holds up to 42 crates
• Large – Holds up to 111 crates

Here‘s an overview of the different warehouse sizes and prices:

*Costs vary based on warehouse location

Once you own a warehouse, the SecuroServ network will periodically send you special cargo sourcing missions. In these missions, you‘ll travel to various locations around the map to retrieve crates of contraband and transport them back to your warehouse for storage.

Most missions involve fighting NPC enemies and collecting 1-3 crates to return to your warehouse. The amount of time it takes to fill your warehouse will depend on the size:

• Small warehouse – Can fill in roughly 4 hours
• Medium warehouse – Takes around 8 hours to fill
• Large warehouse – Requires 12+ hours to fully stock if playing solo

The great thing about special cargo is that you can accumulate as many crates as you want in your warehouse and then sell them all off at once for massive profits down the line. The more crates you have, the higher the bonus payout per crate when you sell.

For example, selling a large 111 crate warehouse can net you over $2 million dollars! But to reap profits like that, you need to be patient and only sell when you‘ve reached max capacity.

Is Sourcing and Selling Special Cargo Profitable?

In short – yes, special cargo can be extremely profitable if you invest in the largest warehouse size and sell when it‘s completely full.

To break down the numbers:

• Small warehouses can earn around $240,000 when fully stocked with 16 crates
• Medium warehouses net about $735,000 at full 42 crate capacity
• Large warehouses offer the best payout at $2.2 million for a 111 crate sale!

When you buy crates one at a time, you can earn over $18,000 per source mission with a large warehouse.

Here‘s a table summarizing potential profits by warehouse size:

However, to get the maximum payout, you need to be patient and only sell when your warehouse is completely full. This is key to maximizing your profits from special cargo.

What are the Downsides of Special Cargo?

While special cargo offers great potential rewards, there are some downsides to consider:

• It can feel repetitive constantly running source missions to fill your warehouse.
• Other players in the session can destroy your cargo during sale missions.
• It takes a large time investment to fill a large 111 crate warehouse for max payouts.
• You need to manually source all crates, special cargo is not a passive business.

The crate missions themselves can start to feel repetitive after a few hours of gameplay. And with GTA Online filled with other players, your cargo is constantly at risk of being blown up by someone else during sales.

Large profits only come from stockpiling over 100 crates and selling them all together. This takes serious time and dedication, around 10-12+ hours to fully stock a large warehouse.

How Does Special Cargo Compare to Vehicle Cargo?

Special cargo has a higher potential payout ceiling, but some players may prefer vehicle cargo as it requires less total time invested:

• Special cargo: Up to $240k/hr sourcing, $2.2 million full 111 crate warehouse sale
• Vehicle cargo: Up to $240k/hr sourcing high end only, $1.5 million in top range car sales

With vehicle cargo, you‘re able to source and sell cars much faster. But the maximum profits are lower than special cargo. Vehicle cargo is less repetitive, but special cargo provides some of the best money making in GTA Online once you sell a full large warehouse.

Many players run both special cargo and vehicle cargo businesses simultaneously to diversify their income sources for maximum earnings.

Tips to Maximize Your Special Cargo Profits

To get the most cash possible from your special cargo business, keep these tips in mind:

• Buy the largest warehouse you can afford – this offers the best economy of scale. The extra capacity really boosts your potential payouts.

• Only sell when completely full – this allows you to maximize the bonus per crate payout. Wait until you‘ve reached max capacity.

• Source 1 crate at a time – while less efficient cargo-wise, sourcing singles is faster allowing you to fill your warehouse faster.

• Sell in solo public sessions – avoids other players destroying your crates during sales.

• Take advantage of weekly bonuses – occasional weekly events will increase special cargo sale profits by 50% or more!

• Upgrade your warehouse – invest in the Cultivation equipment upgrade to boost your bank account income.

Is Special Cargo Ultimately Worth It?

Special cargo requires real effort and patience, but offers some of the best active money making in GTA Online. With a fully upgraded large warehouse sold at max capacity, you can net over $2 million in profits for just a few hours of sales work.

The source missions can become repetitive over time however. And you need to invest around 10+ hours filling your warehouse to reach peak payouts. Players wanting truly passive income may be better off with businesses like the nightclub.

But if you enjoy active grinding and want big chunky paydays from selling special cargo, the effort is well rewarded. With some patience and smart warehouse management, special cargo is one of the most profitable businesses for solo players. Give it a try during a weekly bonus event for boosted profits!