How to trading stands work?

I've got a couple and I've assigned settlers to them. When the settler is sitting behind the stand I can't really interact with them. There is no option to actually do some trading with them other than what you normally do with a settler. So how do I get these traders to open up their merchandise so I can get some aid and weapons from them?

Also what difference does the higher ranked stand do?

Thanks.

Maybe they aren't open yet.

I can't remember if it's 7.00 or 8.00 am before they start bartering.

Sometimes positioning can be a problem. I've had to move a stall and reassign the settler to get them to barter.

The bigger shops have a better variety.

For instance i can buy .44 ammo from my level 3 vendor but not from the lower ones.

Wonder if mine is bugged out then. I added a basic general trading post to Sanctuary and assigned a settler to it. I also assigned a settler to that Aid post in The Castle. They don't seem to actually man the station very often, but when they are standing there I'm not getting any option for actual trading. I was beginning to think that their only purpose was to raise happiness and add random caps to my purse. Maybe I need to try to assign them again.

Make sure it's during waking hours and that the ground is somewhat level for the Stand. I had it placed once on some uneven ground and I could not speak to them either. I could trade, but not barter, until I placed it on more even ground. Hope this helps

Anyone else have the problem of their settlers randomly unassigning themselves from their general store assignments?

It's driving me nuts. Restaurant & Bar, no problem. Medic, no problem. Armor, clothing, weapons, no problem. But the General Stores? OYE! They're constantly coming unassigned.

Not that big a thing really, just reassign, but, still (especially a problem with the Vault-Tec Guy at my higher level store in Sanctuary).

I've noticed the Weapons store person is never at work. So I just closed it and assigned them to farming. No freeloading in my settlements.

My settlers do not always show up at opening time and sometimes unassign themselves from working. Shops above ground in buildings that you made often have the trader standing under the building instead of at his post. I try to dress my shopkeepers in suits or dresses to find them to do trading when they are not at their post. This is very handy after a raid on your settlement and your shopkeepers are still milling around on the battlefiield looting the corpses.

I'll have to check that. I put it on the sidewalk in Sanctuary, but there may be some pebble or something under it.

Think it depend a bit on settler, some are not good shopkeepers for some reason.

Try to assign somebody else. It might also be an placement / path-finding issue

It also depends on how the settler is standing behind the shop.

If they're just standing still behind it then you'll only get the option to trade gear with them, if they're interacting with it (wiping it with a cloth or just leaning their arms over it) you should get the option to ask if theres anything they need or to barter with them.

If the Vault-Tech Rep is manning a store, when you interact with him the first time, he always makes that speech about "Prepaaaaare for the future!"; you have to interact with him again to get the bartering option.

Never had a problem assigning him or interacting with him unless he unassigns himself. Of course I can just reassign him, but it's sure annoying.

The low level weapon stand is bugged. It's the only one that doesn't work as intended. The others work and the settler will be in place. You can still barter with the person that is assigned though. He/she just won't stand behind the stall.

The higher tier stands will have a greater selection, but the real purpose for them is for the merchants you meet during random encounters. If you meet the requirements for them to join you, then you can have them work these stalls and they will have legendary items for sale.

The caps that your merchants make can be found in the workbench under the misc. section.

And yes, you can only barter with your settler-merchants between 8 AM and 9 PM.

In my experience, the settlers don't un-assign themselves. During my first game, I found my "Doctor" wouldn't stand behind the medic station at the Starlight Drive In, until I went up there and clicked on it. I actually had to repair it! Must have happened during a failed defense quest. Once I did that, she went into position with no issues. It can also be a path-finding issue. Make sure you place them on a flat surface and leave plenty of room behind the stall. I also never had an issue assigning anyone to the medic station in the castle. Just give them some time to get into position, after you assign them.

My Doctor is the one person that is reliable at all my settlements. They are ALWAYS at their station. Too bad you can't actually trade with them after they're assigned though, you can only barter or get healed or whatever as with a normal Dr.

In my case I have a T3 and a T4 for my general stores. Vault-Tec guy is at a T4 and is usually reliable, although he'll unassign himself. My T3 guy is pretty reliable though. It's my bartender that keeps wandering away. Drives me nuts. Would love to assign Codsworth to it, but he never stays either. :0

Ok I'll give this another go. I'm also going to have to change how I've dressed people. Right now I put every settler that's assigned in Road Leathers just so I know newcomers when I see them and because I seldom if ever see Settlers wearing that on their own (and I've got tons of those things). Since these shopkeepers may 'unassign' themselves I'll put them into a clean dress or clean suit, again because I never see a new settler wearing one of those and I'll be able to find them in the crowd if they become unassigned.

Going to have to get that caps perk too it looks like.

Thanks all.

I have never had a shop keeper un-assign themselves.

My shop keepers will all do business with me.

I have all 6 trading stands set up in Sanctuary and all upgraded to LVL 3. With Vault-Tec guy assigned to the Trading Emporium. They are all at their stands during normal trading hours, and they all barter. Sometimes, they still stand at their trading posts in the posture they use when they are open for business even when the stall is closed because it is outside trading hours. This results in them not having the Barter dialogue option, even though they appear to be manning the trading post. Wait until working hours, and they will barter.

My other settlements all have at least a couple trading posts at various levels, and they will all barter with me.

As someone else noted, the only oddity is with LVL 1 weapons stands. The settler assigned will usually stand somewhere nearby, instead of behind the stand where he belongs. However, he will still barter with me if it is during regular trading stand business hours.

Nevery had any problems with making sure there was level terrain. In fact, my trading posts at Abernathy farms all have at least 1 leg floating in the air because there is literally NO flat ground at Abernathy Farms.

edit: Vault-Tec guy is apparently the only so-called tier 4 merchant in the game that actually works. I have started threads in the past asking if anyone has actually gotten any of the other tier 4 merchants to actually man-up at a trading post. No-one has ever commented that they have actually gotten this to work with anyone besides Vault-Tec Guy. He sells a couple of specific legendary items, and does not follow the supposed tier 4 behavior of occasionally selling random legendary items.

The vault-tec guy lives? Is he a ghoul?

I have had any settlements of settlers simply forget what they were supposed to be doing...... That was annoying....

Oops, this isn't the spoiler section. Sorry!

He's a Vampire! No, just kidding. Hotel. Goodneighbor. Top floor.

I've also got "The Scribe" to work as a level 4 merchant. But you have to overcome the bug as described in http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/The_Scribe. You have to build the shop first, then recruit him.

I am interested to know about this.

Did he show up at your LVL 3 Armor Emporium?

Does he sell random legendary items from time to time?

I am interested to know about this.

Did he show up at your LVL 3 Armor Emporium?

Does he sell random legendary items from time to time?