Merchant Ship

Overview

The Merchant Ship is a floating vendor docked at Starsand Port in Half-Moon Bay. It is the single most profitable place to sell goods in Starsand Island, buying items at 200% of their normal value — double what any regular shop pays. The ship also sells rare items that are not available from mainland shops, and its stock refreshes every Monday.

The Merchant Ship is unlocked by completing the Starsand Port Construction quest from Marston. Once the port is rebuilt, the ship becomes permanently accessible at the docks.

Quick reference

How to unlock the Merchant Ship

The Merchant Ship becomes available after you complete the Starsand Port Construction quest, one of Marston's main quests at Half-Moon Bay.

1. Travel to Half-Moon Bay and find Marston at the run-down port site.

2. Accept the Starsand Port Construction quest.

3. Deliver 15 Stone and 15 Softwood. Both are basic resources you can gather from the very start of the game.

4. Wait one in-game day. The port rebuilds overnight.

5. Return the next morning. The Merchant Ship, Parrot Ship, and yacht rentals are now available.

The material cost is trivial, so prioritise this quest as soon as you reach Half-Moon Bay. The port construction is part of a larger quest chain:

Selling to the Merchant Ship

The Merchant Ship buys your items at 200% of their normal sell value. This is the defining feature that makes it the best money-making tool in the game. A crop that sells for 100 Coins at Zerine's General Store sells for 200 Coins at the Merchant Ship.

Buy order system

The Merchant Ship does not buy everything. Each week it posts a set of buying orders — specific items it wants to purchase. These orders change every Monday when the stock refreshes. The ship also accepts only limited quantities per item, so you cannot dump unlimited stock.

Check the ship's buying orders every Monday and plan your week accordingly. If the ship wants Watermelon this week, prioritise harvesting and saving Watermelon for the ship rather than selling at regular shops.

Best items to sell

To maximise profits, sell processed goods rather than raw materials. Cooking multiplies a crop's value by 1.1x to 1.5x, and the Merchant Ship doubles that further. Stacking processing bonuses with the ship's 200% rate creates enormous returns.

The Pickling Jar + Merchant Ship combination deserves special mention. Pickling increases value by 1.85x to 2.78x, and the Merchant Ship doubles the result. This stacking effect makes pickled goods the single most profitable items to sell in the game. Pickling takes 15 in-game hours per unit and requires Fine Salt (produced at the Charcoal Kiln from Salt found in the Moonlit Forest).

Buying from the Merchant Ship

In addition to buying your goods, the Merchant Ship sells rare items that are not available from mainland shops. The inventory rotates weekly, so different items appear each Monday. Rare food recipes and exclusive materials have been reported by players.

You can also order items from the Merchant Ship for pickup in a few days, in addition to buying items that are immediately available. This lets you plan ahead if the ship has something you need but you cannot afford right away.

Because the stock is randomised each week, there is no guaranteed inventory list. Visit every Monday to check what is available.

Merchant Ship vs Quick Shipping Box

The Quick Shipping Box (crafted from a blueprint at Zerine's General Store for 3,500 Coins) lets you sell items from your farm overnight at standard prices. It is more convenient but pays far less. Here is how the two compare:

The optimal strategy is to use both. Save your most valuable items for the Merchant Ship each Monday and dump everything else into the Quick Shipping Box overnight.

Weekly routine

To get the most out of the Merchant Ship, build a weekly habit around the Monday stock refresh:

1. Monday morning: Visit the Merchant Ship. Check the new buying orders and note which items the ship wants this week.

2. Monday to Saturday: Gather, grow, cook, and pickle the items on the buy list. Store them rather than selling elsewhere.

3. Sunday evening: Process any remaining raw materials (cook, pickle, smelt) so everything is ready.

4. Monday morning (next week): Sell your stockpile at the ship for 200% value, then check the new buy orders and repeat.

Tips

• Unlock the port as early as possible. The 15 Stone and 15 Softwood cost is trivial. Do not delay this quest.

• Never sell high-value items at regular shops. Save rare fish, cooked dishes, pickled goods, and premium animal products for the Merchant Ship.

• Always process before selling. Raw crops and ores lose enormous potential value when sold unprocessed. Cook, pickle, or smelt first.

• Check every Monday. Both the buying orders and the items for sale change weekly. You may find rare recipes or materials you need.

• The ship has quantity limits. It will only buy a certain amount of each item per week. Do not over-produce a single item — diversify your stockpile.

• Combine with the Bulletin Board. Some Bulletin Board requests overlap with items the Merchant Ship wants. Fulfil the request for Affection, then sell surplus to the ship.

• Pickling is the king of profit stacking. If you have access to Salt and the Pickling Jar, pickle everything you plan to sell at the ship. The combined multiplier (pickling + ship) is the highest in the game.

• The Quick Shipping Box handles the rest. Use it for low-value overflow and items the Merchant Ship is not buying that week.