Allied ships - balance discussion

I think the OP might be unclear on the concept.

Using the trashcan gives you exactly the same amount of loot as selling it properly to a ship or a starbase.
It probably should not be that way, but this is the current state of the game.

As such there is no real advantage to friendly ships in that way. They still can sell something awesome (death ray) periodically if really lucky, and having them follow you can make a difference in combat.