Why did silk traders use land-based trade routes rather than sea routes?

Question

A. Silk traders did not trust the sea captains because of pirates
B. the silk road's staring points were not a long coastal areas
C. sea routes were too dangerous to use for luxury goods
D. silk cloth was too hard to produce and could not fill up a ship

Answer 1

B. the silk road's starting points were not along coastal areas

While all the options present valid concerns about trade, the primary reason silk traders favored land-based trade routes, such as the Silk Road, over sea routes was that the Silk Road's starting points and key trading cities were predominantly located inland. Thus, using land routes was more practical for accessing these markets.