Bucks are the currency in Permafrost. Their tooltip reflects the setting: “Paper over violence. Metropolis tries to keep things civilized… as much as possible.” Small amounts turn up in toolboxes, suitcases, lockers, wrecked cars, and frozen bodies across the snow. You can spend what you collect at the survivors’ trade stalls. Every deal uses the same screen, and once you know how the exchange works, unwanted gear can be converted into Bucks in seconds.
Quick answer: Talk to a trader with E, pick “Let’s trade.” to open the Bargain screen, move your goods into your offer grid, press SPACE to Equalize, then press R to Accept.
How the Bargain screen works
At any trader, press E and select “Let’s trade.” in the dialogue to bring up the Bargain screen. Your inventory occupies the left side, while the trader’s stock appears on the right. Two offer grids sit between them, with a running Bucks total beneath each.
Every item carries a price tag in Bucks. You build a deal by dragging what you want to hand over into your side of the middle grid, and whatever you want from the trader into their side. A handshake icon in the center lights up when the two totals match, which is the game telling you the trade is even.
You rarely need to match totals by hand. Pressing SPACE runs “Equalize,” which automatically tops up the lighter side with Bucks so both totals read the same. R triggers “Accept” to seal the deal, and X cancels and backs you out without trading anything.
To make a sale, place your items in your offer grid, hit SPACE to have the trader offer Bucks, and then press R. The bottom of the screen also shows the usual container controls: left-click an item for its action menu, shift-click to transfer a full stack, and right-click to move one item. A split shortcut lets you divide a stack in half.
A worked example of a sale
Say you want to offload one Cloth at the General Trader. Cloth carries a value of 3, so you drop it into your offer grid. Equalize puts 3 Bucks on the trader’s side, both totals read “3 BUCKS,” and Accept finishes the sale with a “+3 Bucks” confirmation.
The same routine scales up fast once you dump a backpack of spare gear. A single stack of unwanted clothing, scrap and a spare backpack can bring in several hundred Bucks in one deal, which is where the real money is. Clothing and backpacks are the heavy earners here, far ahead of raw resources.
Where the early traders are and what they stock
Four traders are within reach in the first stretch of the game. Two live in Horizon and are available almost immediately, while the other two sit up at Hunter’s Glade and only become relevant later. Stock changes between visits, so treat the lists below as a snapshot rather than a fixed catalogue.
General Trader (Horizon)
You find the General Trader in Horizon, in the building marked with a yellow dollar sign, standing behind bars. On an early visit the stall carries Moonshine (10), Vodka (16), Coffee Beans (5), Bag of Chips (8) and a few other small consumables, backed by a large pile of Bucks, so he can afford to buy a lot from you. He also hands out the side quests “New Connections” and “Tonight… We Hunt!”, the latter asking you to bring a deer hide.
Robyn (Horizon)
Robyn, Horizon’s leader, trades from her log cabin. “Let’s trade.” appears in her dialogue right alongside her quest options. Her stock has included Moonshine, Surgical Spirit, Vodka, a Dish, Bag of Chips, Improvised Tea, a Flint Axe and an Insulin Vial. A Surgical Spirit bought from her costs 20 Bucks.
Skinwalker (Hunter’s Glade)
At the Hunter’s Glade tower, Skinwalker is on the walkway next to a fire basket. His hunting supplies include a Trap Bow, a Simple Bow (value 25, damage 120), a Flint Shiv, Wooden Arrows, a Rabbit Trap, and an Undersnow Trap. He also offers the challenge side quests.
The Mule (Hunter’s Glade)
The Mule is a travelling porter you meet inside the cabin at the foot of the Hunter’s Glade tower. His stock is a mix of stone tools, Improvised Tea, an Ultra Dish (H/W/E) (value 45, with 120 Hunger, 60 Energy, 30 Cold Res. and 60 Health), Sugar, Bandages, Processed Plastic, Stone, Moonshine, an Energy Drink, Juice, a Dish and a Treated Hide.
You only meet Skinwalker and The Mule at Hunter’s Glade, after the “New Home” quest, so neither is a shortcut for anything earlier in the game.
Prices to know
Each item’s value, the number on its price tag, is listed in its tooltip. These are the figures worth memorizing early, split by whether you are handing the item over or buying it.
| Item to sell | Value | Item to buy | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloth | 3 | Coffee Beans | 5 |
| Rope / Wood | 5 | Bag of Chips | 8 |
| Bones / Scrap | 10 | Moonshine | 10 |
| Deer / Boar / Bear Pelt | 15 | Bandage | 10 |
| Wire | 15 | Improvised Tea | 15 |
| Cigarettes | 20 | Vodka | 16 |
| Insulin Vial | 30 | Surgical Spirit | 20 |
| Copper Ingot / Makeshift Heater | 40 | Simple Bow | 25 |
Tools and clothes behave slightly differently. Their value shows with a modifier in brackets when the game compares the item against whatever you are currently wearing, so the number you see shifts depending on your loadout.
What to sell and what to keep
Prioritize selling gear you have no need to keep. Spare clothing and backpacks from quest reward chests are especially good choices; a single Moon Cult Jacket has a listed value of 76. Hunting can leave you with pelts and Bones to sell, while camps may yield Cigarettes and Insulin Vials, neither of which has a shown use besides selling. Duplicate tools are another option.
Hold on to a few materials rather than cashing them in:
- Cloth, which feeds bandages, rope, your bed and torches.
- Animal Fat, which you need for candles.
- Wire and Copper Ingot, at least until your radio is built.
What to buy early with Bucks
A handful of purchases pay off quickly. Moonshine keeps you warm on the road and is the cure for Parasites. Surgical Spirit is the second ingredient in the proper Bandage recipe, which takes 2 Cloth plus 1 Surgical Spirit. And a Simple Bow from Skinwalker, at 25 Bucks, doubles the listed damage of the Crude Bow long before you can craft a better one yourself.
A few things worth clearing up while you are at it. You can barter without any money at all, since goods can sit on either side of the grid and Bucks only ever cover the difference. Traders do run out of money, because each one carries a finite stack, and the General Trader’s is the largest of the early bunch. There is no reputation or discount system on show, so prices stay the same whoever you are. And because Permafrost is in early access, stock lists and prices can both shift with updates, so check the tooltip value before you commit to a big sale.
