That Indian support, however, was soft, because the British colonists had one great countervailing advantage; although rude and intrusive, they offered superior trade goods in abundant quantities and at relatively attractive prices. Dependent upon European cloth, metals, and alcohol, native peoples often embraced the better deals that British traders offered for their deerskins and beaver pelts. In wartime, the British navy compounded the trade advantage by controlling the sea lanes and destroying French merchant shipping.
