Shipments have been in very high demand since they were introduced, but since right now it costs 250k to call a ship into port, the city sometimes loses money faster than it makes it!
I'd like to suggest that mayors be able to impose a tariff tax on imported crates. For example, right now Military Grade Shovels cost 50k. If the tariff is 10%, players will have to spend 55k to order a crate- 50k will go towards "buying" the crate items, and the other 5k will go directly to the city bank.
Mayors could set a tariff with /mayor settariff #, where # is some number from 0-100.
This would be a good way for the city to make at least some return on investment, and it also provides an additional challenge for mayors to consider: a low tariff will encourage more purchases, but will it break even? A high tariff will generate much more revenue for the city but may discourage players; after all, who wants to pay $1 mil instead of 500k for a crate of diamond swords?
I love this idea! I know when I order, I try and contact the mayor directly to help pay for the calling of the ship. Having something in place that does that for me would be fantastic.