Star Control: Origins – About Efficient Trading & Resource Management
1) Space indipendent Traders will offer common items on discount. Landers can be found at 375 instead of 500 price for example, and sometimes also fuel can be gained cheaper than normal Space Station or Planet rates.
2) The selling rates of all materials are the same everywhere.
3) Space indipendent Traders will accept buying Meat and Live Animals, they are the only trader that accepts this type of items.
4) You can get free fuel refills at a friendly planet found very early in the game, and quite close to Earth itself. Absurdly, Earth itself will make you PAY for fuel, but instead, this friendly alien planet will give it for free, you just have to ask. This is a great way to save money.
5) An efficient way of grinding money is doing so in a cluster of solar systems with a Space Station or Trader nearby, to quickly sell stuff when needed and resupply quickly without having to travel far.
6) You can fast travel between discovered Space Stations at no fuel cost, and instantly, when you are docked in one of them. This is a great way to save time and money aswell, so discovering a lot of Space Stations is critical.