Yup, I'm still working on my world (not sure when that will ever stop) and trying to figure out how these Fantasy races live with themselves. Hmmm maybe I should clarify. One of the things I'm trying to sus out is how to demonstrate priorities. These other beings ain't human. They have different drives and desires. They may have similar failings but they manifest in different ways.
Everyone may experience avarice, but what you desire and what I desire may be two very different things. Some folks love fast cars, some dig the newest gadgets, others love shiny jewels. The prices on all of these things are based upon the value that we place on them. While I might pay $20k for a Ferrari, I'm not going to pony up full price no matter how much I could get laid driving it (plus I have a great lady, so tpbttt). Diamonds are pretty, but really, people? The same could very well be true between sentient species.
Understandably, not all cultures may have developed the inclination to trade. Humans may consider this a "higher" level of cultural development, but we're snobs that way. Cultures may be very sophisticated, but insular. If they are self sustaining, then why bother? However, humans are very interested in the practice and are more than willing to introduce it to our neighbors (naturally, for our own benefit). The trick is in figuring out what your new trading partner wants. You can run the scenarios from there.
The funny thing is that, while you might feel that humans are taking advantage of their "slow" neighbors, it doesn't have to be the case. First of all, traders take all of the risk. They transport the goods to the market, potentially over long distance, chancing misfortune along the way. They pay in the currency the seller prefers (be it coins or cabbages). The trader then needs to compete with other traders (via price, relationship, etc) on that market. The producers could potentially get better prices for their goods were they market-savvy, but it ain't easy today, much less in a medieval setting (where I'm writing).
Always remember that "The coin of the realm" may not be accepted in other realms. I may be more interested in military alliances. Food may be hard to come by in my land. You might control the flow of water to my fields. There are innumerable goods that might be more important to me than "precious" metals. In those cases, the savvy trader might just exchange favors or friendships for goods. Information is a product that is hard to put a price on. Accurate maps may be highly sought after commodities. Think about your creatures' lifestyles and basic needs. Nomads can't portage blocks of marble everywhere. Hammers are useless to creatures without opposable thumbs. Oh, and my culture's interest in a specific commodity will drive up prices for everyone.
It is an easy trap to fall into, ascribing human drives and practices to other cultures, but we don't all function the same way. Just like we may misunderstand someone of a different culture in a social setting, we may do similar in an economic one. The true beauty is that the traders may be thinking that each is taking advantage of the other and the truth of that belief may depend entirely upon which side you personally reside.
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