Early money is easier than it looks. Grab a rod and fish first. Sell the valuable catches and build a small cushion. After that, unlock farming and plant crops that actually make money, not just the ones that look nice in your field.
Check the Bulletin Board whenever you can. Some requests pay surprisingly well, especially early on. Stamp milestones add a bit of steady income in the background, so they’re always worth claiming.
Starsand Island Farming Guide: Fishing for Coins
Fishing carries the first real stretch of progress. Selling fish pays better than random gathering and does not require heavy setup. Treasure chests pulled from the water sometimes add extra coins or items that can be sold.
Half Moon Bay becomes important early. Delphin handles the Fishing Profession there. Unlocking it immediately improves long-term returns because profession levels increase efficiency over time.
Ripple spots on the surface mark active fish. Cast directly into them. A splash signals the bite. Hold the reel button to pull the fish closer. When the line turns red, release briefly to reduce tension. That small pause prevents snapping. The Wooden Rod is enough at the start. Rod upgrades later increase stability and expand target options.
Best Early Fish to Sell
- Lionfish, 176 Coins, Ocean, Summer, Weather: Rainy, from 10:00 to 20:00
- Snakehead, 163 Coins, River, Summer, Weather: Rainy, from 06:00 to 18:00
- Emperor Angelfish, 152 Coins, Ocean, Summer, Weather: Clear or Rainy, from 08:00 to 22:00
- Payara, 129 Coins, River, Spring and Summer, Weather: Any, Day and Night
Farming Profits
Farming starts slower but scales well. Graminova unlocks the Farming Profession near the Happiness Seed Shop. Seeds come from the same area. Reaching Apprentice Farmer early improves margins. Junior Farmer opens stronger summer crops.
In summer, focus on crops with solid sell value and stable availability.
- Watermelon sells for 131 Coins
- Tomato sells for 103 Coins
- Sugarcane sells for 99 Coins
- Mountain Rice sells for 49 Coins
Bulletin Board Requests
The Bulletin Board stands outside the Community Center and resets daily at 06:00. Only four requests can remain active. Jobs range from simple deliveries to larger batches tied to timers.
O-starar and t-starar requests fit best early on. They often match items already sitting in storage. Thr-starar contracts offer higher payouts but tend to demand tighter timing and rarer items, which can disrupt profitable loops.
Smart Request Strategy
Take tasks that already fit what you’re doing. If you’re farming or fishing anyway, grab requests that line up with that plan instead of forcing a whole new routine. Stack deliveries you can finish in one run so you’re not wasting half the day running back and forth.
And don’t ignore the Total Completion tab. Hitting overall request milestones gives extra rewards, which adds up quietly in the background.
Stamp Collection Rewards
Islandpedia tracks gathered items, harvested crops, crafted goods, fish, cuisine, and furniture. Milestones unlock stamp rewards that often include Coins and sometimes useful items.
Gathering and crafting milestones tend to trigger early because they align with money making routes. This system does not replace active income methods. It strengthens them by rewarding normal play.
Open the collection menu periodically and claim completed milestones. Coins left unclaimed do nothing.
Crafting for Supplemental Income
Crafting becomes useful after speaking with Zerine and unlocking the Furnace and Charcoal Kiln. Zephyria opens Exploration and access to ore in the Moonlit Forest.
Refined materials usually sell slightly higher than raw ones.
- Iron Sheet: Iron Ore, Charcoal, 69 Coins
- Iron Ingot: Iron Ore, Charcoal, 66 Coins
- Bronze: Copper Ore, Tin Ore, 58 Coins
A Simple Three Day Routine
- Morning, check the Bulletin Board and accept realistic tasks.
- Midday, fish during strong spawn windows.
- Afternoon, water and harvest crops.
- Evening, refine surplus ore and craft extra materials.
- Before sleep, claim Islandpedia rewards and organize storage.
Common Early Mistakes
- Ignoring mentors at the start feels harmless, but it slows your whole save file down. Their bonuses stack in the background, and the earlier you activate them, the more value you squeeze out over time.
- Grabbing high tier timed requests too early is another trap. One big contract can eat your entire day and throw off your steady income loop. What looked like good money turns into pressure and lost momentum.
- Selling every crop the moment you harvest it seems smart. Until the board asks for exactly what you just dumped. Then you’re stuck replanting and waiting instead of cashing in.
- Leaning too hard on low-value crops keeps your wallet flat. Wheat keeps you busy, but it barely moves your total. Better seeds change that fast, because each harvest actually feels like progress.
- Fishing at random times lowers your profit without you noticing. Catching during strong spawn windows makes every in-game hour count.
- Overcrafting early is the quiet resource killer. Burning ore and charcoal for quick sales slows tool upgrades, and better tools are what really speed up everything else.
Early game money improves once multiple systems run together. Fishing sets the base. Farming keeps income steady. Requests add occasional bursts. Stamp rewards accumulate quietly in the background. Crafting turns leftovers into usable profit. That combined flow feels stable and controlled instead of reactive.