If you're trying to stack caps in Fallout 76 without turning it into a grindy side hustle, you need a simple loop you'll actually stick with. My first stop is always an NPC vendor run, because hitting the daily limit is free momentum. Before you sell a thing, swap in Hard Bargain and bump your Charisma any way you can. Then park yourself at Whitespring Mall so you're not burning caps fast travelling all over. If you're the sort of player who likes keeping options open, you'll also see people talk about buy game currency or items in U4GM for Fallout 76 Bottle Caps through U4GM Fallout 76, but even if you never touch that, a clean vendor routine still does a ton of work for you.
1) Drain the vendors the smart way
Don't roll up with random junk and hope for the best. Bring things that sell well per pound. Purified water, chems you don't use, excess cooked food, and spare grenades add up fast. Weapons are where people mess up. If you're short on caps, don't auto-scrap everything out of habit. Sell the higher-value guns, scrap the low-value ones for mods and materials. Also, don't forget you can spread sales across different vendors in the same hub. It's the same cap pool, sure, but it keeps the flow smooth when you're sorting inventory and making decisions.
2) West Tek runs that don't feel miserable
West Tek is still the most reliable "I need money right now" spot because Super Mutants drop caps and they carry vendor-friendly weapons. Clear outside, clear inside, pick up the assault rifles and lasers, and waddle them to a train station. The trick is pace. Do two runs, then do something else, because burnout is real. If the place is already wiped or the spawns feel off, hop worlds and repeat. You're not chasing perfection here, you're chasing consistency.
3) Quiet income: stashes and water
When you don't feel like shooting, cap stashes are weirdly relaxing. Fortune Finder helps a lot, and once you learn a route, it's basically a little scavenger circuit. Mix that with a C.A.M.P. set near water and a stack of purifiers, and you've got passive stock that sells every session. Player vending helps too, but keep it simple: common ammo at 1 cap, plans you already know, and decent chems. People buy convenience more than bargains.
4) Keep the loop running
The real "secret" is not doing one method until you hate the game. Start with vendors, swing through West Tek if you want action, and fall back to stashes and purifier sales when you want to chill. Over a week, that steady mix beats any sweaty one-spot farm, and you'll feel it in your stash box and your wallet. If you're trying to speed things up for a build or a trading spree, it's also why players keep an eye on Fallout 76 Bottle Caps alongside the usual in-game routines.