I've been finding Traders for my major settlements, but so far, I've only recruited three (Rylee, VaultTec Rep, the Scribe).

I know there are a couple of others around, but it seems that there aren't enough to go around, considering the sheer number of Settlements that can be established.

I once tried to designate an ordinary Settler as a Trader, but apparently, they don't have the code necessary to meet this function, as they don't become one when allocated to a vendor stall.

I don't even need named ones, just Trader would do.

There are only a few unique/special merchants in the game, they are found in a specific location or as a random encounter. Otherwise you can assign regular settlers to your shops the same way you'd assign them to crops or guard posts.

Uhh . . . its dangerous to travel?

I tried that step first.

It did not work.

Whenever I spoke to the Settler in the Vendor stall, the only thing that happened was a request to trade gear.

That's why I assumed the average Settler doesn't have access to the code functions necessary for actual Vendor interactivity.

If this is a bug and someone has actually gotten this to work, please let me know.

A screenshot of an average Settler with the vendor Purchase/Sell screen would be greatly appreciated.

That bug happens sometimes, but settlers DO function as vendors. When they derp up and refuse to work, either reassign them or make someone else take their place.

Happens to me sometimes as well. Make sure your talking to them during trade hours

Keep in mind they only act as vendors from like 8 in the morning tell 5 in the afternoon. Many of them will stand around their stores before or after those hours but will not go into barter mode.

Also, most of the level 1 vendor stands are bugged and won't work. (At least this had been the case, I haven't played since downloading yesterday's patch, so it may be fixed now.)

So that could be an issue. I usually start with the level 2 stands and upgrade to emporiums as soon as I'm able.

I've also noticed that if the vendor stall is in an "uncomfortable" location, the settler will not activate as a vendor. This happened to me at Oberland Station next to the train tracks, and also at the boathouse. Upon moving the stall a bit(I really didn't like the location), the settler activated. I have a strong suspicion that there are collision points that interfere with the activity. I have read that if you put the scavenging station to close to a wall, the settlers won't use it, so this is not unprecedented.

It also depends on time of day. I can only reliably get settlers to work properly between 10am to 4pm.