Hello, fellow Stardew Valley players! If you often explore the map during the early stages of the game, you will surely come across the Traveling Cart in the Marnie’s Farm area. The cart is located above the left side of the lake, just next to a large cherry blossom tree.
The Traveling Cart – A Unique Shop
I often call it the “Pig Cart” because it is pulled by a pig, with whom you can interact, and it will respond with pig noises. The Traveling Cart appears in this spot every Friday and Sunday, showing up twice a week. Essentially, it functions as a shop, with operating hours from 6 AM to 8 PM. If you arrive late, the cart will not leave but will close up, and the pig will no longer make noises.
Extra Appearances
During the Winter Night Market, the Traveling Cart will appear for three extra days, selling items with the same pattern as usual. It will also show up during the Festival of Ice, but the items it sells are fixed.
Variety of Items for Sale
Each time, the cart will offer 11 to 13 items. The last three items are typically fixed, with the 11th item always being furniture – often expensive and not very useful, so I doubt anyone would buy it. In Spring and Summer, you will find Rare Seeds, which sell for 1,000 gold with a 10% chance to find five in stock.
On average, you can obtain 22.4 Rare Seeds during Spring and Summer, which is quite a significant amount. In Fall and Winter, there are no Rare Seeds, but there is a 40% chance to find an Odd Crow, like the Snowman, selling for 4,000 gold. Due to the high probability of encountering this item, there’s no need to rush and purchase it if you are low on funds.
Festival of Ice Fixed Items: During the Festival of Ice, the Odd Crow is available for 5,000 gold.
High Chance for Coffee Beans: There’s a 25% chance of finding Coffee Beans for 2,500 gold each. After killing 500 Dust Sprites, you’ll likely find several, but if you don’t, you can consider purchasing them later in the game. The first ten slots may also offer cheaper Coffee Beans, and multiplayer games will have an additional Marriage Ring recipe at the end.
A Diverse Selection of Items
The first ten slots cover a wide variety of items, including seeds, crops, vegetables, fish, and forage items. There’s a 90% chance of finding one item and a 10% chance of finding five. The price range is also quite broad. Some of the most useful items for completing Bundles include out-of-season crops, seeds, and forage items. Don’t miss out on Red Cabbage or its seeds, as they can significantly speed up unlocking the Ginger Island.
Items Worth Buying
Animal products like Rabbit’s Foot, Duck Feather, Large Eggs, Large Goat Milk, and Truffles are worth buying, as they can reduce the difficulty of completing Bundles. You may not need to raise the corresponding animals, and you can delay building upgraded coops and barns.
The Traveling Cart is an excellent source of Pufferfish, and you’ll likely find several each year. However, the fish you purchase cannot be used to unlock the Fish Collection, so be cautious. You may want to buy fish for cooking recipes, such as Midnight Carp or Eel.
High Chance for Coconuts: The Traveling Cart has a high probability of offering Coconuts, which are useful if you like Haley.
Garlic and Garlic Seeds are occasionally available during the first year, and it’s a good idea to buy them. These items can be helpful when completing Mr. Qi’s quests on Ginger Island early on.
You can also find various tree saplings at the Traveling Cart, sometimes at a discounted price. While you won’t save a significant amount of money, it’s worth considering if you’re passing by.
While you cannot buy Ancient Fruit, you can find Ancient Seeds for sale. Apart from these items, there isn’t much else worth purchasing.
The Traveling Cart as a Supplement
In reality, apart from Red Cabbage, obtaining items through other means is more convenient. The Traveling Cart should be considered a supplementary option. Keep in mind that the items available at the cart are fixed and tied to your save file seed. You cannot change its inventory through in-game actions.
Aside from the specific high-probability items, other items are distributed evenly. Due to the wide variety of items, most can only be purchased once in a short time, and you can only buy a portion of the items you need with good luck. For example, you might find five Ancient Seeds, but it’s unlikely you’ll find five Ancient Seeds consecutively.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to know about the Traveling Cart in Stardew Valley. While it may not be the primary source of rare items, it serves as a helpful supplement for completing Bundles, unlocking Ginger Island, and adding unique items to your collection. So next time you’re exploring Marnie’s Farm area, don’t forget to pay a visit to the Traveling Cart and see what it has to offer!