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Currency and Economy
April 4, 2026 at 10:44 AM
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Starsand Island uses three currencies: Coins (the main currency for buying and selling items), Starsand Points (a progression currency for land expansion, skill upgrades, and property unlocks), and Glowing Shells (a limited special currency for exclusive furniture). Understanding how each currency flows is essential for progressing efficiently.
Coins are the primary currency in Starsand Island. Everything you buy from shops costs Coins, and everything you sell earns Coins. There is no passive income; all Coins come from actively selling items, completing quests, or fulfilling requests.
Method | Details |
|---|---|
Your farm should be the first priority for stamina each day. Cooking raw crops into dishes increases sell value dramatically. Plant in 3x3 grids for a chance at giant crop mutations that sell at a premium. | |
The fastest early money maker. Deep-sea fish from yacht trips sell for the most. Lionfish and Emperor Angelfish are top targets on rainy ocean days. See All Fish. | |
Processed and cooked goods sell for far more than raw ingredients. Golden Fried Rice (1x Egg + 1x Rice) sells for 246 Coins. Stir-Fried Water Spinach sells for 90 Coins versus 27 raw. Lemonade (from Lemon + Sugarcane via Juicer) sells for approximately 750 Coins each. | |
Mining | Smelt ores into ingots and sell them. One of the most efficient mid-game sources. See the Mining Guide. |
Beekeeping | Build multiple beehives and collect honey passively. Honey accumulates every few days and sells well. Beehives also force nearby trees to fruit outside their normal season. |
Processing | Use the Processor to make vegetable and fruit pulp from harvested crops. Build multiple Jam Makers for passive income; jams sell for 10 to 50% more than raw fruit. |
NPCs post daily requests at the Community Center. Up to 4 per day, typically netting 1,500 to 2,000 Coins total. Requests often pay more than standard shop prices for specific items. | |
Islandpedia milestones reward Coins for discovering items. Early stamps can reward 5,000+ Coins. | |
Place miners, gatherers, and lumberjacks to automate resource collection. They yield thousands of wood, stone, and crystals every couple of days with minimal manual effort. |
You cannot sell items directly from your inventory. You must physically visit a shop and interact with the cash register, then switch to Sell mode. Any shop will buy any item. Zerine's General Store is the most convenient option in the early game since it stocks a wide variety of items and is centrally located.
The Quick Shipping Box lets you sell items from your home lot without visiting a shop. Place items in the box and receive payment the next day. The blueprint costs 3,500 Coins from Zerine's General Store and requires the following materials to craft at a Workbench:
Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
Iron Sheets | 6 |
Radiant Crystals | 3 |
6 | |
Gears | 3 |
The Merchant Ship at Starsand Port is the single best way to maximize profits. It buys items at 200% value, double what any regular shop pays. The Merchant Ship refreshes every Monday and also sells rare food recipes. Unlocked after completing the Starsand Port Construction quest from Marston, which requires 15 Stone and 15 Softwood. Save your most valuable items (cooked dishes, processed goods, rare fish) for the Merchant Ship each week.
The biggest Coin sinks in the game are property expansion, vehicles, and livestock.
Category | Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Hopeland Expansion | 2,000 to 160,000 Coins per tier | 8 tiers totaling approximately 562,000 Coins. See table below. |
6,000,000 Coins | Most expensive property in the game | |
Livestock | 75 to 2,750 Coins | Rabbit (75) to Alpaca/Ostrich (2,750) |
Vehicle Blueprints | 400 to 495,000 Coins | Bamboo Raft (400) to Nitro GTS (495,000) |
Pre-built Vehicles | 85,000 to 650,000 Coins | Ready-to-use vehicles from shops |
Yacht Rental | 150 Coins per hour | Deep-sea fishing access |
Quick Shipping Box BP | 3,500 Coins | One-time blueprint purchase from Zerine |
Seeds and Blueprints | Varies | 25 to 1,250 Coins per seed; blueprints from various shops |
Each Hopeland expansion requires both Coins and Starsand Points. Land purchases unlock after reaching Junior level in any profession and completing 5 Community Center bulletin board requests.
Expansion | Coins | Starsand |
|---|---|---|
Tier 1 | 2,000 | 50 |
Tier 2 | 15,000 | 75 |
Tier 3 | 30,000 | 90 |
Tier 4 | 50,000 | 130 |
Tier 5 | 75,000 | 160 |
Tier 6 | 100,000 | 200 |
Tier 7 | 130,000 | 250 |
Tier 8 | 160,000 | 300 |
Total | 562,000 | 1,255 |
Starsand Points are the secondary progression currency. They are used for land expansion, Workpedia skill upgrades, and unlocking additional properties. Unlike Coins, Starsand Points cannot be earned by selling items.
Method | Details |
|---|---|
Profession Certifications | Each completed certification tier (Apprentice through Expert) awards Starsand Points. |
Island Life Goals | Completing quests in the Island Life app rewards between 50 and 1,500 Starsand Points each. |
Filling out discovery entries in your phone rewards both Coins and Starsand Points. | |
StarNote Achievements | Completing achievements awards 50 to 1,500 Starsand Points each depending on difficulty. |
Daily Activities | Performing activities (chopping trees, watering crops, fishing) earns XP. Every 100 XP levels you up and awards Starsand Points. |
Daily requests at the Community Center can also award Starsand Points alongside Coins. |
Expense | Starsand Cost |
|---|---|
Hopeland Expansion (all 8 tiers) | 1,255 total (50 to 300 per tier) |
750 | |
Workpedia Skill Upgrades | Varies per skill and level; costs increase with each upgrade |
Property Unlocks | Blue Beach and Windflute Island require Island Life rank progression |
Note: The Quick Shipping Box sells items at standard shop prices (100% value), not at the Merchant Ship's 200% markup. For maximum profit, save your most valuable items for the Merchant Ship on Mondays and use the Shipping Box for bulk sales of lower-value materials, common crops, and items that would otherwise clog your inventory.
The Workpedia app on your phone lets you spend Starsand Points to purchase and upgrade perks for each of the five professions (Crafter, Farmer, Angler, Rancher, Explorer). Each perk can be upgraded repeatedly at increasing cost. Key farming perks include Seed Spreader (sow seeds quickly by holding the Use button), Harvest Season (increased chance of double harvests), Chain Harvest (harvesting one mature crop auto-harvests nearby mature crops), and Eternal Blessings (permanent chance for Everlasting crops on regular harvests). Prioritize perks that directly increase your income output.
Glowing Shells are a special limited currency separate from the main Coins and Starsand systems. They are found in the Moonlit Forest and cannot be purchased or earned through normal gameplay activities.
Glowing Shells are spent at the Glowing Shell Exchange section of Lex Woodworks (run by Alex) in Starsand Town. This exchange offers exclusive furniture items that cannot be purchased with Coins. While most items at Lex Woodworks accept Coins, the Glowing Shell Exchange section requires Shells specifically.
Focus on fishing as your primary income source. Fish sell well even without processing, and you do not need high profession tiers to start.
Plant Wheat and Garlic as your first crops; they grow quickly in all seasons and provide steady base income.
Cook everything before selling. Even simple recipes like Stir-Fried Water Spinach (90 Coins) triple the value of raw Water Spinach (27 Coins).
Complete Bulletin Board requests daily for reliable income (1,500 to 2,000 Coins per day).
Unlock the Merchant Ship as soon as possible. Selling at 200% value is the single biggest income multiplier available.
Pivot to Watermelons and Peppers at Junior Farmer tier. Plant in 3x3 grids for giant crop chances.
Build multiple Jam Makers for passive income from fruit processing.
Set up beehives near fruit trees. Bees produce honey passively and force nearby trees to fruit outside their normal seasons.
Smelt ores into ingots at the Furnace and sell them for consistent mid-game income.
Unlock the Grinder at Senior Farmer tier to eliminate seed costs entirely for expensive Expert-tier crops.
Focus on acquiring Everlasting Seeds through the Eternal Blessings skill. Everlasting crops produce indefinitely without replanting.
Build a Lemonade operation: Lemon trees + Sugarcane processed through the Juicer yield approximately 750 Coins each.
Place miners, gatherers, and lumberjacks for automated resource collection. They generate thousands of materials with minimal effort.
Save your highest-value items (golden and silver poop, rare fish, premium cooked dishes) exclusively for the Merchant Ship's weekly visit on Mondays.
Never sell raw crops if you can cook or process them first. The value increase is substantial across almost every recipe.
The Merchant Ship's 200% buy rate applies to everything. Even cheap items are worth saving for Monday if you have storage space.
Craft the Quick Shipping Box early for convenience. It pays for itself within a few days of use.
Land expansion costs escalate quickly. Plan your purchases by saving Coins and Starsand Points between tiers rather than spending everything as soon as you earn it.
Cloudrest Lake at 6,000,000 Coins is a very long-term goal. Do not rush toward it; focus on farm productivity and Hopeland expansion first.
Starsand Points are a slower earn than Coins. Prioritize spending them on Workpedia perks that directly increase productivity before dumping them all into land expansion.
Check the Moonlit Forest regularly for Glowing Shells. The exclusive furniture from the Glowing Shell Exchange at Lex Woodworks is only available through this special currency.
