- Know where you are and how dangerous it is for the pirate, because this will directly affect how patient they are with you.
Pirates like transport captains that roleplay with them. Say hello, ask them a question, tell them something about your day (but not "I've been pirated 5 times on this route already!" Liars.)
This will make the pirate like you more and will make them more patient and probably lower their demand if they haven't made one yet.
And if you meet a pirate that doesn't seem like a total lolwut, you can try to negotiate the price.
Say something like "I've just paid off this ship, would you be willing to accept [75% of the original price]?"
Obviously, stand still while doing this or you will definitely be blasted.
But all of the above depends on the first thing I mentioned. I like to pirate in Shikoku, and it's a very safe place. There are no powerful NPC spawns and lawful (and unlawful) patrols are highly uncommon.
That means that I can take my time to chat or negotiate with traders.
But if you meet a pirate in a place like the Colorado jump gate, they'll probably be far less patient because lawful patrols or hostile unlawfuls are far more likely to pop up.
- Always have "/autobuy all on" set. I'm constantly amazed by the fact that the majority of transports simply don't have full bots/bats.
You have no chance of surviving without them.
- I HIGHLY recommend mounting at least a UAUVIII. It will greatly increase your survivability and the cargo space used is negligible on a transport.
If you're really that worried about space (or cost), at least get a UAUVII or UAUVI, which are nearly as good.
- I disagree with Jack on the use of Type 4 transport turrets, particularly on heavier transports with lots of turrets.
They lack the power and range to deal with heavier bombers, not to mention Gunboats, and if you're in a heavier transport, chances are fighters won't pose a real danger anyway.
Chainfiring Type 3s in two or three weapon groups is accurate enough against snubcraft.
In a smaller transport though, Type 4s might be a good idea since the (extremely rare) fighter pirate poses a real danger, and you cannot combat anything heavier anyway.
- In a transport with lots of turrets, I recommend using at least one pulse (Type 1) turret. This will make a huge difference when fighting Gunboats.
- Do not say "just kill me" and then just sit there. Not only will the pirate kill you, but they'll remember you negatively.
If you really don't care that you'll be blown up, at least put up a fight or attempt to escape, much more interesting for the pirate and thus they won't hate you as much.