The merchant is a big part of the original Resident Evil 4. He plays an even larger role in Resident Evil 4 Remake, with more to buy and plenty of items to trade for money and spinels. While Resident Evil 4 Remake players will naturally gather plenty of cash from the abundant enemies, there are plenty of treasures and items to sell to make money quickly.
Veterans from the original can expect to see a return of gemstones that can be put inside other treasures. Unlike the original game though, most of these stones can go into any socketed treasure, whereas in the original, gems could only go into their designated treasure. There's also an entire flowchart on the gemstone screen that outlines values based on colors and color combinations, so consult this before selling. Treasure isn't the only thing to sell, though. There are plenty of things to fork over to the merchant for cash.
9 Old Key Items
One great quality-of life-improvement in Resident Evil 4 Remake is the ability to sell off old key items. Players could essentially do this in Resident Evil 2 Remake by discarding key items with a checkmark. Now, players can sell old keys, puzzle pieces, and any other unusable key item to the merchant.
They normally won't sell for much past 1000 pesetas, but any profit is a good profit. A few thousand can be the difference between a broken knife and a repaired one. Sometimes, players might miss a few interactions with a certain key item. It won't be marked with a checkmark, but if the player exits the zone it can be used in, the merchant will still buy it. There's really no need to hang onto old key items, especially when there's a profit to be made.
8 Duo Bonus Items
Some treasures will only have two sockets for gemstones to be inlaid. In this case, it is almost always better to go for a duo-color bonus than a two-color bonus. For example, two yellow diamonds will be worth more than a ruby and a sapphire. For treasures with a square socket and a circular socket, players can inlay a ruby and beryl for a duo bonus as both are red.
It's good to sometimes save gemstones for duo bonuses or even quartet bonuses (two rubies and two beryls) as these items will sell for more to the merchant than other combinations. With that in mind though, don't be afraid to sell gems when strapped for cash.
7 Unused Charms
Like the original Resident Evil 4, players can expect to get figurines from completing shooting gallery challenges. This time though, the figurines aren't just for show. Players can hang these figurines from the attache cases for added bonuses like increased crafting yields or deals with the merchant. If players are working towards completing all the shooting gallery challenges, they will find themselves with an abundance of charms for their cases, and probably some duplicates.
Like old key items, these figurines won't sell for much compared to the actual treasures of the game. That said, any extra cash can help. The charms won't help just sitting in the inventory, so players should sell unused ones off to the merchant. Often, rarer charms will sell for 1000 plus, which is good enough for small purchases.
6 The Staff Of Royalty
This treasure can be easy to miss for players who are eager to progress the story. After beating Krauser and making it through the Mike section, players will find themselves at the cliffside ruins. Those eager to fight Saddler and rescue Ashley could miss this treasure.
When exploring, players will find a ladder that leads to the underside of the ruins. If they take this path to the end, they will find a blue chest containing the Staff of Royalty. This is the only place this treasure shows up, so it's worth it to grab it even just to see the new model for it. The fact that the merchant buys it for 25000 pesetas also helps.
5 High Priced Gems
While gemstones are best for combining with other treasures, it can be easy to fall into the classic "too good to use" mentality. Players who are defeating strong foes while also gathering all the treasures will find themselves with lots of sapphires, emeralds, and even beryls. While it's good to save these gems for other treasures, sometimes selling them is the best option.
When a player needs to fix body armor or needs an extra first-aid spray, selling off extra high-priced gems can be a lifesaver. Players will definitely get a better gauge of when to sell things on second and third playthroughs, but remember that the merchant will pay pretty well for two or even three high-priced gems. Players attached to the gems should heed the Merchant's advice: "Your valuables won't do you much good in the grave, stranger."
4 The Punisher
For players who are down on cash but have enough spinels to trade, the Punisher isn't a bad item to sell to the merchant. Without upgrades, he buys it for around 5000 pesetas, which could help the player get some extra cash toward an upgrade for a weapon they actually use.
Keep in mind that selling the Punisher essentially sells it for the rest of time on that save file. That means that in a second playthrough on new game plus in that file, the player won't have access to the Punisher. This rule goes for all weapons sold on a save file, which is unfortunate. That said, for players who don't mind not having 100% of the weapons available on new game plus and won't use the Punisher, 5 spinels for 5000 pesetas isn't a terrible deal.
3 Old Weapons
The best source of cash in Resident Evil 4 Remake is selling off old weapons that have been tuned up. One huge quality-of-life improvement to the remake is that old weapons with upgrades will always sell for as much as the player put into them. Unfortunately, selling any weapons also means that the player won't be able to access those guns again.
For example, if the player bought the TMP from the merchant and then sold it, the TMP won't be available ever again on that save file. So, for completionists who want every weapon on one file, selling old guns isn't an option. For one-shot playthroughs though, players can sell off their old guns for massive returns. Selling off an old gun can sometimes lead to nearly a full upgrade on a newly purchased weapon or an older weapon that needed some love.
2 Quartet Bonus Ornate Necklace
Like the duo bonus, the quartet bonus can often be worth more money than the four-color bonus. Players will come across a few Ornate Necklaces in Resident Evil 4 Remake, and they can be one of the best items to sell with the right gemstones.
Saving two rubies and two beryls will guarantee a 59000 sale with an Ornate Necklace. Players without four of the same colored gem should still sell their necklaces with the four-color bonus, as it will still sell quite well.
1 Elegant Crown
The best single-sale moneymaker that won't lose weapons on a save file is the Elegant Crown with five different gemstones it in. This is the best item for a player to save gemstones for, as an Elegant Crown with five colors will sell for 100000 pesetas. Not only will this buff Leon's wallet, it will also net the player the Astute Appraiser achievement. There are two Elegant Crowns in the game (three with the expanded treasure DLC), one in the Depths in the Castle, and one on the Wharf of the Island.
Players can jack up the price of the crown even more with a duo of two circular gems and a trio of square gems, granting both a duo and trio bonus. When going for the five-color bonus, players should try to use the most expensive gems possible.
Resident Evil 4 Remake was released on March 24, 2023 and is available on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.