Playing as Britonae. My region of Ituna, Caledonia, is importing iron from Asturia. I am paying full whack for this to another country and it is getting shipped to me. My region next door to Itunae has iron as a trade good.
Why aren't I getting my iron from here?
It would be cheaper and easier.
Asturia is providing iron to three of my regions at the moment.
I think trade deals like this are one of the reasons for the huge fluctuations in the income tooltip. Is the tooltip thinking you will get your goods from a cheap source ( your own), but actually when the turn processes it is getting them from miles away and you have had to pay loads for them? This would explain some of the losses in gold that I am seeing on some turns.
Shouldn't trade happen between regions that are the same faction and closer before another more expensive source is used?
In this case both iron producing regions have a trade acumen of 3. I think in reality iron would have been used from the next region, not shipped in all the way from Spain in 154BC.
I think trade criteria should be firstly the closest source, with perhaps land having precedence over sea. Secondly from your own nation before another, especially if the trade acumen of the regions is equal.