Food is only worth what the merchant pays for it. The same pile of boxes can be worth twice as much a few seconds later, so selling well is the cheapest boost in the game.
How the sell multiplier works
The merchant ant shows a price multiplier next to the sell button. It refreshes roughly every 20 seconds and lands somewhere between about 0.6× and 2×.
Food keeps stacking in storage while you wait, so there is no cost to waiting except time.
Food Buyer event
Every so often a Food Buyer drives into the middle of the map and pays 2.5× for a short time. When it shows up, carry your whole stockpile over. It is worth keeping a large pile of boxes in reserve for this.
Fixed Price game pass
Fixed Price (800 Robux) locks the multiplier at 2.5× permanently — always better than the best random roll. If you buy it, stop watching the multiplier and the Food Buyer entirely.
Cash passes stack on top
The 2×, 4×, 8×, 12× and 24× Cash passes multiply what you get after the sell multiplier. The 2× pass costs only 9 Robux and is the best value purchase in the game.
Try the numbers
Use the Sell Timing Calculator to see what your current stockpile is worth at each multiplier.