Not a Bug Pennyless and itemless merchants/storekeepers

[Dextr]

This is what you get at the beginning of the game in the 1) merchants' (nothing at all) 2) storekeepers' (money and a bit of ammo) inventories (standard level 5, 1813 and BBF, but other storylines IMHO the same). Yet they offer you to trade. A joke?

 

[Hylie Pistof]

If you have something going on in a city then the street vendors will have no money to buy things. For instance, if you land at a remote beach and then travel into town for smuggling you will see this every time. Sometimes they have no money anyway.

I see nothing unusual with the 2nd screenie.

 

[Levis]

its not a bug its a feature!