General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: UFOs explained [View all]krispos42
(49,445 posts)Any raw material they could get from Earth they could get easier and in far larger quantities from asteroids, moons, and the gas giants.
Iron, nickel, aluminum, titanium, gold, manganese, vanadium, lithium, hydrogen, methane, and water are just some of the mineral resources they could get from a star system closer to their home.
Finished goods? Unlikely. If they have star travel they likely have very advanced materials and fabrication methods, far more efficient than ours and much closer to home.
It is extremely unlikely that our system contains a unique mineral resource. As to humankind in particular, well, unless they find us delicious with ketchup, all we have to offer is cultural things. Art, philosophy, entertainment, the unique human history we have, and our unique cultures.
If interstellar travel was cheap and easy, "they" would have been here millions of years ago. Possibly many alien species over millions of years. We might never even have evolved, as they would have colonized the planet themselves.