Tiny Eden: how to make money

The free money: the fountain

In a thread where players said money was scarce, the developers replied that you can pick up some money daily. A player in that thread said the coins ease the shortage, and in another thread put a rough figure on it: three to five coins a day, worth $20 to $35 in total.

The developers call it a decent bit extra to play with, and the player who confirmed it called the game grindy for money.

The shop key costs money too; see the shop key page.

A first-week routine, from what players describe

No single guide covers this, so the steps below are the pattern that comes up across threads. They are player methods, not official advice.

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick up the fountain coins every day

   It is the one free source the developers named.

2. 2

   Step 2: Keep a stock of each crop for orders, sell the rest

   One player keeps 24 of each produce in the fridge for order items and sells everything above that at the Tiny Market.

3. 3

   Step 3: Cook what you harvest

   Players say selling cooked meals brings in a lot of money; see the recipe list for what each needs and sells for.

4. 4

   Step 4: Set your prices in the Trading Hub

   A player says it is where you set what you charge, and another advises checking it before selling meals and produce.

5. 5

   Step 5: Plan for the gate purchases

   Plasmids cost $199 each, and players also name room keys and upgrades as early costs. See the splice page for the plasmid quests.

What a crop sells for

The community sheet's Plant Info tab lists a seed price and a sale price at a 50% markup for each crop. One entry stands out, and it matches the trick players describe: cauliflower is $30 against a seed price under a dollar. The other crops sell for a few dollars each.

One player's version of the trick is to buy the growth hormone spray, which they say never runs out, plant cauliflower, spray it to cut the growing time and sell it at the market at $30 each. The sheet lists cauliflower as needing two suns and a 5 to 25 °C range, so it belongs where that is met; the greenhouse page has the light and heat table.

Seed prices move with the in-game calendar. The sheet's tips tab says seeds are cheapest in July, and its seed price tab lists packets at $5.90 in January and December against $3.00 in July in one year's column, and $4.30 in September. The $4.30 packet price behind the table below matches the September figure, so the seed prices here may be a September reading.

What a dish sells for

Dishes are where the gap opens up. In the sheet, the six dearest dishes sell for $20 to $32 at the markup, several times what a raw crop fetches, and each needs a handful of crops. One player says the first tomato salad went for over $30 a piece.

One player says they earn $2,000 to $4,000 in their shop after a day or two of harvesting and cooking. That is a single report.

Portion sizes with the kitchen upgrade are on the kitchen upgrade page.

How selling works, and what confuses people

Money from shop sales goes straight to your balance for each item sold, according to one player. A second player, who could not interact with the cash register they had placed and saw items vanish without money arriving, was still stuck when the thread ended. Update #4 says the Shop checkout counter can now be moved.

One player says the Trading Hub is not a place to list goods but where you set your prices once the shop is unlocked, in reply to a player who asked how to list something there. Update #8 added an Uphold column to it, and Update #10 restored the Include in Orders toggle, which lets you leave items you do not own out of future orders.

Bills are the other side of the ledger. A player asked why lamps switch off each night and was told it is because electricity is billed; in the same thread another wrote that they had never seen an invoice, and a third answered that invoices do not arrive by mail or email but sit in a submenu of the Bank screen, easy to miss. Update #10 restored the overdue bill notification in the Bank. The lamp question itself is on the greenhouse page.

What the patches changed about prices

Several patches touched costs, and some of the complaints in the threads predate them. The clearest change is that Update #3 cut early-game prices for new games only, so an older save keeps the original prices.

1. Update #3, 10 SepReduced prices for new playthroughs and early-game items, for new games only. Original games keep the original prices.
2. Update #4, 11 SepImproved the Bank's loan and payment screens, and added the Power Source perk, which lets surplus electricity be sold to the city.
3. Update #7, 15 SepAdjusted the available loan range at the bank and fixed several broken perks. A player had reported a perk for cheaper rooms still showing $150 on 15 September.
4. Update #9, 18 SepFixed Shop prices calculated through the Preferred Customer perk, and fixed the Shop charging for the wrong item after scrolling.
5. Update #10, 21 SepShop cards no longer show the wrong item when scrolling, the Buy button works on the first click, and duplicate Agro Drone listings are gone. A coffee machine, a wall lamp, grow lights and wall-mounted lights were added to the Shop, the Include in Orders toggle in the Trading Hub came back, and so did the overdue bill notification in the Bank.

Frequently asked

What is the fastest way to make money in Tiny Eden?

The developers point to daily lucky coins in the Atrium fountain. Players add selling cooked dishes, and one grows cauliflower with the growth hormone spray.

Do I get money from the cash register?

One player says sales money goes straight to your balance for each item sold. Another could not interact with the register and saw no money arrive.

Can I list items in the Trading Hub?

A player says it sets your prices for the shop and is not a place to list items. Update #8 added an Uphold column to it.

Are prices lower in a new game?

Update #3 reduced prices for new playthroughs and early-game items. Older saves keep the original prices.